《Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard》


 Chapter 1:

    Chapter 1:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule: None.

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "Status Window."

    [Ian Raven]

    [You are nothing.]

    The status window tantly mocked Ian.

    Ian is nothing.

    Poor Ian, who is nothing.

    If one were to formally address Ian, it would be ''Ian, son of Farmer Ian.''

    In this medieval fantasy world, a farmer''s son is simply nothing.

    The status window wasn''t wrong.

    It belonged to the category of ''never lying.''

    Ian, the farmer''s son, was the only child in the vige with ck hair.

    Ian''s mother had bright yellow hair.

    His father had fiery red hair, yet Ian''s hair was as ck as ink.

    In his childhood, Ian''s parents endlessly quarreled over this issue.

    "Tell me the truth! Whose child is this?"

    "It''s your child, who else!"

    "Stop your nonsense! You loose woman!"

    "Is that how you speak to your wife!"

    So on and so forth.

    Ian Raven''s name was significantly influenced by his ck hair.

    The method of naming in this vige is very simple.

    The first name.

    Parents just pick whatever they like.

    If they name a child Dog-poop, it bes Dog-poop, and if it''s Cow-poop, it bes Cow-poop.

    The simple name Ian was also arbitrarily given by his parents.

    Then, they add the father''s name to it.

    It''s a concept simr to the ''patronymic*'' often used in Russia.

    Ian''s father''s name was Ian.

    So, Ian, the son of Ian, with the added patronymic, would be Ian Ian.

    Fully expressed, it would be ''Ian, son of Ian.''

    By the way, Ian''s grandfather''s name was also Ian.

    Some families cram the grandfather''s name into the patronymic too, so his full name could well be Ian Ian Ian Ian.

    But no one would call out such a mentally exhausting name.

    People naturally want to omit repetitive words.

    So, Ian''s full name is just Ian.

    Technically, he might be Ian the Third.

    The vigers call them Big Ian and Little Ian.

    Grandfather Ian?

    Let''s not seek the dead.

    Usually, that''s where naming ends, but unique individuals get nicknames.

    Ian, distinct from the vigers with his jet-ck hair, earned the nickname Little Raven Ian.

    "Ha ha! Look there! A little crow is passing by!"

    "Ian washes his hair with ink every night~"

    Watching the vige children mock him, Ian clicked his tongue in disdain.

    Rude brats.

    Had they been his peers, Ian might have been angered, but he only found their malice amusing.

    Ian was a reincarnated person.

    Moreover, he was a man from the quietnd of the morning, Korea.

    Discussing the afterlife is pointless.

    To confirm the existence of an afterlife, one must first die.

    And naturally, once dead, you cannot speak.

    Even in the modern age where mystery has be meaningless, death remains an invible domain.

    However, for Ian, a reincarnated soul, this did not apply.

    The afterlife does exist.

    While it''s uncertain if it applies to everyone, at least for Ian, it did.

    ''Kwak Jae-han.''

    Ian wrote his previous life''s name in the sand before erasing it.

    He knew that being reborn with the memories of a past life was rare.

    After all, the concept of reincarnation or past lives is a foreign idea, so it''s bound to feel strange.

    Ian stroked his jet-ck hair.

    The same color as when he was Korean in his past life.

    Perhaps along with his memories, his hair reincarnated too.

    Then, is my true essence not my body, but my hair?

    If that logic holds, then what about bald people...

    Hmm. Let''s stop there.

    It would be too cruel to mock bald people as ''soulless.''

    They are just humanscking a handful of hair.

    Anyway, Ian the Raven was born as the son of a farmer in a region called Kolbrun.

    Like other farmers in the empire, Ian''s family was poor.

    Being poor meant that despite working hard every day, they sometimes had to skip meals.

    Born as the third of four children, Ian often suffered from hunger and starvation.

    Unlike in Korea, where parentsvish their children with love, here, it was customary for the elders to take care of their meals first.

    Problem: There are two adults and four children starving in the house, with only enough food for four.

    Who should eat?

    Choosing the imperial solution, the two adults, the eldest, and the second child would eat.

    They need calories as they have to work.

    Without food, they can''t work.

    And if they can''t work?

    The whole family starves.

    The eldest is quite old, fifteen years old, which modern people would ssify as a teenager.

    However, like the teenagers of today, the eldest was a robust young man with strengthparable to an adult.

    Together with the second child, they could do the work of one adult.

    But the third and the fourth children were different.

    They were clearly young kids.

    They didn''t work but also ate less.

    So, it was okay to starve them.

    If they''re really hungry, they could catch grasshoppers in the fields or something.

    Thus, Ian''s daily life was as follows:

    Wake up early in the morning and have breakfast with the family.

    The parents ate the most, while Ian and the youngest got a small piece of bread to share.

    It was precious food that had tost until lunch.

    The parents and older brothers went to work in the fields, and Ian took his younger sister to the forest.

    There, they spent the whole day looking for food.

    Eating fruits, insects, bird eggs, and wild herbs.

    Then, as it got dark, they returned home.

    If they were lucky, they had dinner together; if not, they just went to bed.

    And the next day, as the sun rose, the same routine repeated.

    Despite his young age, Ian was acutely aware of how dreadful his situation was.

    Spending his entire day from dawn to dusk searching for food  was he a child or a wild animal?

    Education?

    The forest was his school, and the beasts his teachers.

    He learned the ways of a savage.

    A life where he grew older without any form of education.

    Of course, when he came of age, he would join his parents in the wheat fields, toiling away.

    He didn''t mind the hard work.

    What in the world is gained without struggle?

    Even easy coin investments came with its share of pain.

    The problem was that despite all the hard work, there was nothing to gain.

    There was no ie.

    This was amon issue for farmers of this era.

    In fact, Ian''s parents were not just farmers; they were serfs.

    While both farmers and serfs worked the fields, serfs were bound to a lord''s estate.

    The advantage was that they lived within sturdy walls and were protected by knights.

    Unlike the free people who were robbed by thieves or devoured by monsters, there was a different level of security.

    However, the downside was significant too, being tied to the lord and the feudal system.

    In exchange for protection, they were subject to the lord''s rule.

    They couldn''t leave the estate without permission, had to offer a portion of their produce, and providebor and military service as needed.

    Since Ian''s parents were serfs, Ian was a serf too.

    Not all farmers were the same.

    Wealthy farmers meticulously saved money to buy weapons and armor for their homes.

    They were treated well, as they could be utilized as armored infantry in times of need.

    But Ian''s parents were the poorest of the poor among serfs.

    They were tenant farmers on the lord''snd and had significant debts due to borrowing grains during bad harvests.

    A debtor''s life, toiling every day but gaining nothing, inevitably leading to a premature death and a burial in the ground for the lower ss.

    That was the life of Ian''s parents.

    And it was the life prepared for Ian.

    Ian couldn''t leave the estate because his parents were in debt.

    The children had to pay off their parents'' debts.

    He couldn''t dream of any profession other than being a serf.

    Without education, where could he learn anything else?

    "What sin did Imit in my past life..."

    Ian sighed deeply, as if the ground would cave in.

    If dying young was a sin, then that was his sin.

    Looking at his younger sister smudging her mouth with soot while devouring a roasted fish, his heart grew heavier.

    She was better off.

    Without any worries.

    "Oppa, aren''t you going to eat this?"

    "Don''t touch it. I''ll eat it."

    His sister, who devoured her share of the fish as if possessed, eyed Ian''s portion.

    She acted no different from a beggar starved for days.

    In truth, aside from having a house, their life was not much different from that of a beggar.

    Ian chewed the fish, bones and all (it was smaller than his palm), and racked his brain for ideas.

    "Status Window."

    [Ian Raven]

    [You are nothing.]

    A translucent window appeared before his eyes.

    It was the very status window he had seen in games and novels, proving that Ian had indeed reincarnated into another world as a modern person.

    The existence of the status window, a clear mainstream element in stories, implied that Ian possessed some special ability.

    A status window right before his eyes, yet no cheat abilities from another world?

    That would be a clear vition of the rules.

    Ian was confident in histent abilities.

    He must have some overpowered cheat ability gained through his reincarnation into another world.

    It was a mental victory, but without such thoughts, he couldn''t endure the fear of his miserable future.

    The cheat ability exists.

    The problem is, he has never seen it with his own eyes.

    ''If only I could awaken my power...!''

    Ian''s awakening! The Awakened Ian!

    He would be a genius, shocking the lord and making knights bow their heads...!

    Then, he would pile up food like a mountain and eat until he burst.

    "If you''re not going to eat that, oppa..."

    "I told you, touch it and you''re dead."

    Lost in his adolescent fantasies, Ian finished his meal.

    Two small fish caught from the streamprised the siblings'' lunch.

    It was barely enough to stave off hunger, but they were grateful for even that.

    "Oppa, let''s go for dessert."

    "Sure. Let''s go."

    Many overlook the fact that the quality of life of modern people is actually better than that of medieval nobility.

    Tasty food, clean living, convenient tools, stable living environments, and so on.

    Even the most expensive, high-quality silver mirrors of the nobility couldn''tpare to a smartphone.

    Ian, steeped in the everyday luxuries of a modern person, inadvertently passed on this luxurious notion of ''meals should be courses'' to his innocent sister.

    She naturally absorbed Ian''s ideology.

    If you''ve eaten a meal, of course, you should have dessert.

    The siblings naturally went in search of a raspberry bush.

    There, they encountered a strange traveler.

    "Oh my."

    Surprisingly, the traveler was a woman.

    A woman traveling alone in the medieval era?

    It would be astonishing even in modern times.

    "Hello? Little one?"

    The woman initiated a greeting to shake off the awkwardness.

    Ian instinctively became wary.

    In this harsh medieval fantasy world, a woman traveling alone couldn''t be ordinary.

    Ian maintained the most respectful demeanor possible.

    But his younger sister was quicker.

    "Who are you, auntie?"

    "...Auntie?"

    Ian was terrified.

    Calling a woman ''auntie'' was almost like a deration of war...!

    And sure enough, the woman struggled to maintain herposure.

    Ian felt his world go dark!

    ---

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 Chapter 2:

    Chapter 2:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule: None.

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    There''s a term, the ''dragon''s reverse scale.''

    It refers to the scale that grows in the opposite direction on a dragon''s chin, and it''s said that touching it will make the dragon go berserk, devastating everything around it.

    Thus, the term ''dragon''s reverse scale'' ismonly used to indicate a point that must never be touched.

    While women are not creatures with scales, they do have their own ''reverse scale.''

    For women, it''s their ''age.''

    Biologically, this is exinable: once a woman passes the age of 30, the probability of giving birth to a healthy child rapidly decreases.

    No parent wishes for their offspring to be born sick or weak.

    Hence, men instinctively prefer younger women, and women wish to remain young forever.

    Unlike women, men''s reproductive capabilities do not diminish with age (though their erectile function might).

    This is why there are often tales of men over 60 impregnating women in their 20s.

    Therefore, men tend to ept being called ''mister.''

    It''s sad to age, but it''s also an undeniable fact.

    However, for a woman, being called ''auntie'' is a life-ending shock.

    Exaggerating a bit, it sounds like saying, ''You are no longer a woman.''

    "Am I... an auntie?"

    She trembled visibly.

    Even from a distance, the trembling of the woman''s shoulders was clear.

    Ian''s sister seemedpletely unaware of the atrocity she hadmitted.

    It was a kind of pure evil unique to young children.

    "Hey, you there."

    The woman called Ian with a twisted smile.

    The sight was both creepy and a little pitiful.

    "Yes?"

    "Who is that... ''little runt'' next to you?"

    Ian was shocked.

    Was she taking revenge just because she was called an auntie?

    The woman is incredibly petty!

    "I''m not a little runt!"

    Children typically dislike being disregarded by adults.

    It''s the same reason why elementary students hate being called ''brats.''

    "Hehe. I''m not an auntie either, okay? Why don''t you call me ''sister''?"

    The woman extended an olive branch first.

    It was a mature gesture.

    But there was no forgiveness for a brat.

    "No way! auntie! You wrinkle-face!"

    Ian''s sister disappeared somewhere.

    He wasn''t worried.

    They roamed around this area daily, as familiar as their own yard.

    She had probably gone ahead to pick raspberries.

    Ian focused his attention on the woman in front of him.

    "Excuse me, but who are you, traveler?"

    The woman looked at Ian with a bit of surprise.

    His manner of speaking was unexpectedly polite for his age,pletely different from his sister.

    "I am Eredith, a wandering wizard."

    "... A wizard?"

    Ian was startled.

    This was a medieval, yet fantasy world.

    And where monsters and magic existed.

    Here, a wizard was another name for war.

    Wherever there was war, there was a wizard.

    Although it was his first time actually seeing a wizard, Ian felt an indescribable fear.

    wizards were too abstract and formidable entities.

    Naturally, since Ian had never encountered such a being in his past life, he could only feel fear towards the existence of a wizard.

    ''Why would a wizard be here...?''

    Ian recalled themon knowledge of this world.

    A wizard is another name for war.

    ''Could it be... war?''

    But Ian soon shook his head.

    The ruling family of this vige, the Feldenberg family, was not prestigious enough to summon wizards and wage war.

    At best, they were capable of fending off bandits, but wizards?

    In truth, bandits should not be underestimated.

    Once they organize, they be an army, and the bandit leader can eventually be called a lord.

    Still, the Feldenberg familycked the power to conduct a proper war.

    "I came here looking for a boy with ck hair..."

    "What?"

    The wizard, who introduced herself as Eredith, stared intently at Ian''s hair.

    Unless he was a child with a wicked hobby of dyeing his hair, Ian was undoubtedly the ''boy with ck hair'' the wizard was searching for.

    "Is there another boy with ck hair besides you?"

    Ian shook his head.

    He was the only one with ck hair, which was why he had been honorably nicknamed ''Ian the Raven.''

    "There''s no one else but me."

    Eredith watched Ian for a while, then burst into a pleasantugh.

    "Really, these space-time wizards."

    ''Space-time wizard?''

    Ian couldn''t understand the term.

    Eredith Manskal was a wandering wizard.

    Wizards in the empire are broadly divided into two categories: secr wizards and truth seekers.

    Secr wizards are what peoplemonly refer to as ''wizards.''

    They learn magic to exert influence over others.

    Many war wizards and university professors of magic fall into this category.

    Truth seekers, unlike secr wizards, do not settle in one ce but continually wander.

    Their sole purpose is the pursuit of magic.

    They are those who spare no effort for higher achievements.

    The distinction between the two types of wizards is not as clear-cut as it might seem.

    One who was seeking truth yesterday might settle down today at the behest of a noble.

    Conversely, someone livingfortably could choose a journey for magical achievement.

    Eredith leaned more towards being a truth seeker by nature.

    Her goal was to reach higher realms and be a great wizard.

    And to pass on her achievements to future generations, advancing the world.

    At thirty-five, she was a fairly renowned wizard among her peers.

    Just as humans naturally desire offspring when they achieve a certain level of stability.

    Having attained respectable achievements as a wizard, Eredith slightly yearned to take on a disciple.

    As if reading her mind, a wizard came to her.

    The wizard''s name was Gerard, a man well-acquainted with Eredith.

    "Have you recently been thinking of taking on a disciple?"

    "Where did you pick up that strange story?"

    The very act of a wandering wizard being ''sought out'' was unusual, but Gerard was an infamous space-time wizard (though he didn''t possess the ability to control storms).

    These wizards, dealing with time and space magic, often yed tricks with ''prophecies'' using threads of the future obtained from beyond time.

    It was unclear what exactly he had seen in the future.

    Gerard gave Eredith some peculiar information.

    "Seek out the boy with ck hair in the Feldenberg estate of Kolbrun. If you make him your disciple, good things will happen."

    Eredith scoffed at Gerard''s advice.

    Predictions by space-time wizards were almost always like that.

    Do something somewhere, and good things will happen  that level of vagueness.

    It was an open secret that space-time wizards shared futures with each other.

    Eredith also knew about the endless debates at the space-time wizards'' meetings over ''what constitutes a better future.''

    Space-time wizards did not hesitate to puppeteer current humans to realize the ''better future'' they decided on.

    That''s why space-time wizards were often scorned.

    Pretending to be gods, deciding the future and scheming behind the scenes  it was an unpleasant sight.

    Eredith thought Gerard had seen some strange future and was now urging her to realize it.

    Space-time wizards don''t talk specifically about the future.

    The first reason is they themselves aren''t 100% sure about it, and the second reason is the non-disclosure agreement.

    Eredith had no reason to heed Gerard''s advice.

    Gerard might be disappointed, but he would soon think, ''I should look for a different future,'' and go about his business.

    However, the suggestion of a space-time wizard is tempting.

    They enjoy changing the future by using others as chess pieces.

    To move others, they need a basis, typically the lure of ''good things will happen if you listen to me.''

    Indeed, following a space-time wizard''s advice often leads to good oues.

    But that also means bing a puppet of the space-time wizard, which is irritating.

    This is the second reason why space-time wizards are despised.

    ''Why not give it a try out of boredom.''

    Gerard suggests, but Eredith chooses.

    It wasn''t a matter to be taken seriously.

    Just a whim.

    Do it if you feel like it, don''t if you don''t.

    However, Eredith had been feeling off recently.

    Her magical achievements had hit a wall, making no progress.

    With nothing pleasing happeningtely, she thought of it as a change of pace.

    Traveling was something Eredith had been doing her whole life.

    She promptly headed to the Kolbrun region.

    And then.

    Just as the damned space-time wizard had prophesied, she met the boy with ck hair.

    The first step of the prophecy had been stitched together.

    ---

    ---

    "Little one, what''s your name?"

    "It''s Ian."

    Eredith stroked the boy''s hair.

    His eyes held a mix of curiosity and fear, but they sparkled with a bright intelligence.

    Gerard, that damned space-time wizard.

    Is this boy supposed to be my disciple?

    "There''s no need to beat around the bush. I''vee to take you as my disciple."

    "...Me?"

    Ian was at a loss for words at Eredith''s sudden proposal.

    A woman he had just met today wanted to make him her disciple.

    Could ''disciple'' be a euphemism for an experimental sacrifice?

    "You want to make me, your disciple?"

    "Yes! I want to teach you magic. What do you think?"

    "..."

    Ian was speechless, struck by the enormity of the shock.

    In both his past and present lives, skills were power.

    The saying goes that if you learn a skill, you won''t starve, and skilled people are always respected because they can do what others can''t.

    Therefore, learning a skill alwayses at a cost.

    Whether it be money or connections, something must be given in exchange for learning a skill.

    That was why Ian could not dream of any job other than farming.

    He had no money, and there was no one around to teach him a skill.

    Why would any sane person give away their precious means of livelihood for free to aplete stranger?

    In this world, bing a skilled worker is incredibly difficult.

    Usually, one must first be introduced by someone they know, then spend at least a few years as a servant, catering to the skilled worker''s whims.

    Doing menial tasks, providing meals, taking care of the skilled worker''s family, enduring insults...

    After 3 to 4 years of ving away like this, they might generously teach the simplest of skills.

    After about a decade of learning, one might start dreaming of independence.

    If the skilled worker is famous, they might take in a few new disciples during this time.

    Then, there are first-generation disciples, second-generation, and so on.

    While in a personal setup, the difference between generations of disciples is not significant, in a guild-like setting where the trade continues for over a hundred years, generations keep extending, and various corrupt practices grow like cancer cells.

    Polishing seniors'' boots, always preparing tools in advance.

    Always bowing at a 90-degree angle,ughing at seniors'' lousy jokes...

    Anyway.

    Learning someone else''s skill is very difficult.

    The only people who teach their skills without expecting anything in return are one''s parents.

    Yet, now there was an exception right before him.

    Eredith.

    "I''m... not sure."

    As the saying goes, there''s always a catch with seemingly perfect opportunities.

    Con artists prey on human greed, offering deals that seem too good to be true, whispering incredible rewards that make you look foolish for not epting, and ying with people''s desires.

    Had Ian been a naive medieval person, he might have been easily deceived.

    But Ian was a reincarnated medieval person.

    His Korean ck hair was the proof.

    ''Could she be a con artist?''

    The word that came to Ian''s mind was human trafficker.

    At first nce, Eredith seemed like a real wizard, traveling alone as a woman.

    If not, her aplices might be hiding somewhere in the forest, which would definitely mean kidnappers.

    ''...What is this?''

    Meanwhile, Eredith was baffled by the change in Ian''s eyes.

    Although she wouldn''t say it herself, Eredith was one of the hottest wizards of the time, a so-called sessful wizard.

    People who loved to make a fuss were already calling her ''Great Eredith.''

    Here she was, Eredith herself, asking if he wanted to be her disciple.

    But what was with that look in his eyes?

    As if he was looking at a street con artist!

    If she went to any city and announced that wizard Eredith was looking for a disciple, people would overflow, moring to be chosen.

    The boy''s pure malice, ignorant of this fact, left a scratch on Eredith''s pride.

    "What don''t you understand? Huh? Tell me."

    Ian pondered how to diplomatically say ''You seem like a scam artist.''

    So, he said this.

    "You... seem like a fake wizard."

    "???"

    Eredith was staggered by the shock.

    Wizard Eredith.

    After being hit by the sister, now Ian too...

 Chapter 3:

    Chapter 3:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Fake wizard...

    Eredith felt dizzy.

    Ian and his sister''s words were scampering around in her head like mischievous children.

    ''Auntie~''

    ''Fake wizard~''

    ''Auntie, the fake wizard~''

    The children''s taunts were relentless, spewing insulting remarks without pause.

    Eredith, her face flushed red, shouted.

    "I am neither an auntie nor a fake wizard!"

    "..."

    She immediately regretted it.

    Ian was stepping back with a frightened look.

    Wondering whether tofort him, she decided it was time to show the dignity of a wizard.

    "Alright! Follow me. Let''s talk seriously at your house."

    ---

    ---

    First, Eredith took the cheeky kids to their house.

    But the house was empty.

    "Where are your parents?"

    "They''re at work."

    Though she might normally wait, Eredith, being a proactive wizard, stood up abruptly.

    "Ian! What''s your father''s name?"

    "It''s Ian."

    "Huh. Not much thought in that name. Are you a picked-up child or something?"

    Ian just shrugged his shoulders.

    It was obvious she was trying to get revenge, and he found it bothersome to respond to every taunt.

    Feeling awkward, Eredith focused on finding Ian''s father.

    "Ian! Let''s talk!"

    Ian''s parents were summoned from their fieldwork.

    The rest of the family followed, and suddenly it turned into a family meeting.

    "Ian. I would like to take your son as my disciple."

    "Which son...?"

    Hmm.

    He had three sons.

    Eredith immediately pointed to Ian the Raven.

    "This boy!"

    "Ah... I see."

    Father Ian''s reaction surprised Eredith.

    Even for a wizard, it was strange how easily he epted the idea of his son being taken away.

    But there was a reason for it.

    I always thought he was different from birth.

    "???"

    "He was destined to be a wizard."

    Observing the family, Eredith reluctantly epted this.

    The entire family had either yellow or red hair, but Ian alone had hair as ck as a raven.

    It wasn''t strange to think he was born with magical talent.

    Although hair color can''t determine magical ability...

    At least, it confirmed the source of unease that had long troubled the couple.

    "Ian. I always knew you were an extraordinary child."

    "Yes, Father."

    Ian responded without much thought.

    But Father Ian felt guilt in the pure, untainted voice of his son.

    He realized.

    Now was the time to reveal the long-hidden secret.

    "No. I''m sorry for lying. Son. I actually didn''t know. I thought you were a child your mother had with another man.

    Dear!

    "So, I named you Ian. To assert you''re not another man''s child, but mine. Ian''s son, Ian."

    "..."

    "To think you would be a wizard. I am truly proud."

    Father Ian bowed deeply to Eredith.

    "I entrust my unworthy son to your care."

    Something felt odd, but Eredith responded with a smile in the heartwarming atmosphere.

    "Of course."

    ---

    ---

    Having obtained the parents'' permission, she immediately headed to the lord''s mansion.

    Ian''s parents were in debt and couldn''t leave the vige without the lord''s permission.

    Naturally, Ian couldn''t leave the vige until his parents paid off the debt.

    So, Eredith took action.

    She was set for a showdown with the lord.

    "Who is it?"

    "A wizard. Eredith."

    She had spoken only two sentences.

    Yet, the gatekeeper bent like a bow.

    "The wizard has arrived!"

    Ian found this scene astonishing.

    Here were the lord''s soldiers, whom all the vigers feared and trembled before, but at Eredith''s single word, they flipped over like a dog meeting its master.

    "This is my proof of identity..."

    "Oh, why bring out such a heavy thing... Please wait inside for a moment!"

    Eredith looked at Ian triumphantly.

    Wondering why she was looking at him, Ian realized a bitte.

    Ah.

    She''s boasting...

    As if to say, ''The person you dismissed as a fake wizard is actually someone like this,'' Ian yed along appropriately.

    "Wow. You really are a great wizard, aren''t you?"

    He hadn''t seen any magic yet.

    "Heh. Of course!"

    Eredith, feeling pleased, whistled merrily and walked lightly.

    Ian followed her, thinking she might be simpler than he thought.

    ---

    ---

    The Kolbrun region is not the property of the Feldenberg family.

    The Feldenbergs are merely the rulers of Hayhill vige.

    The head of the Feldenberg family, Felix Feldenberg, was a knight who made his name in his youth.

    He had fought fiercely under the banner of Count Edward.

    For his bravery, he was granted a small manor with a vige.

    Felix responded to Count Edward''s call several times thereafter.

    He didn''t need to struggle since he had his ownnd, but he thought it wise to strengthen his rtionship with the Count.

    Thanks to his solid reputation under Count Edward, Hayhill vige firmly became Felix''s.

    Once a valiant knight, Felix now spent his days in leisure at his mansion, a sessful middle-aged man.

    Some criticized his indulgence in pleasures.

    But what''s the point of struggling in youth?

    It''s all for living well in old age.

    Felix thought he was merely enjoying the rewards of his youthful blood and sweat.

    After all, he was the ruler of Hayhill.

    A little decadence wouldn''t harm anything.

    "My lord."

    After a night of fun with courtesans, Felix was deep in sleep.

    The butler entered the lord''s bedroom, a ce one should avoid if they had any sense.

    "What is it?"

    Felix opened his eyes groggily.

    He didn''t seem in the best of moods.

    "A sudden important guest has arrived."

    "A guest?"

    There was a contradiction in the butler''s words.

    Important guests don''t arrive unannounced.

    At least, not those who the lord himself should meet in person.

    "A wizard named Eredith."

    "Ah."

    However, the moment Felix heard the word ''wizard,'' hepletely changed his thoughts.

    A wizard is always an important guest.

    Just being associated with one can elevate one''s reputation in noble society, and if one can secure their help, VIP treatment is assured.

    A wizard''s heart is like a reed, swaying this way and that with the wind.

    The only way to secure a wizard''s favor is through sincere friendship and generous gifts.

    "I''ll get ready immediately."

    Felix quickly finished dressing and went to greet his guest.

    As her name suggested, Eredith was a female wizard.

    Her face and figure were decent, better than the courtesans he had summoned the day before.

    Felix indulged in unnecessary thoughts.

    But let''s be understanding; such fantasies are a reflexive reaction for middle-aged men upon seeing a pretty woman.

    "Wee. Wizard."

    "Thank you for your hospitality."

    Eredith sat down gracefully.

    Her posture was neither rude nor particrly elegant.

    There was no sign she had been trained in manners.

    This indicated she had no interactions with court nobles.

    ''A wandering wizard, probably.''

    Felix, with his experience among nobility, sessfully guessed the identity of the wizard before him.

    Secr wizards who mingle with nobles have a different demeanor.

    Many of them are trained in etiquette, rivaling even the major nobles.

    There was no trace of such training in the woman before him.

    Felix felt somewhat relieved.

    There are rumors that major nobles send wizards to intimidate lesser nobles they dislike.

    Such an act requires a significant grudge and justification.

    But who can guarantee that the world always operates within the bounds of reason?

    The mere fact that she wasn''t a wizard sent to burn down hisnd was reassuring.

    "Why has such a distinguished wizarde to this humble vige?"

    "Humble vige? It''s quite fine. Yes."

    Eredith awkwardly spilled clumsy words.

    In truth, she was not ustomed to interacting with nobility.

    She had devoted her life to magic.

    "I was nning to take this boy as my disciple... but there seems to be a problem."

    "Ah..."

    Felix shifted his gaze to the boy standing beside Eredith.

    He had assumed the boy was her attendant.

    But taking him as a disciple?

    That would mean he''s a resident of Hayhill?

    ''Impossible.''

    Felix knew the caliber of this vige very well.

    It''s a gathering of utter fools.

    If there were someone smart enough to be a wizard''s disciple, he would have known about it beforehand.

    The fact that she was looking for a disciple in a rural vige seemed suspicious.

    In the cities, there are smart, well-educated kids lying around like stones.

    Why not pick one of them?

    Felix carefully observed Ian.

    Upon closer inspection, he realized that the boy was indeed a resident of Hayhill.

    "Isn''t that Raven?"

    "Raven?"

    Felix recollected.

    There had been a couple with a ck-haired son who hade to him, arguing about whether the wife had been unfaithful.

    It was a memorable case, with ck hair standing out amidst yellow and red.

    Yes, Ian.

    Ian Raven.

    "Ian Raven, right?"

    "Yes, Lord."

    Memories surfaced in Felix''s mind like potatoes being unearthed from a field (though Felix had never actually worked in a field).

    Ian''s father, also named Ian, was a farmer working on the lord''snd and had some debt.

    The pieces of the puzzle fit together.

    "To take the boy, you''ll need my permission."

    A son of a serf is a serf himself.

    Ian was destined to grow into a fine debt ve.

    "Yes, I heard about the debt..."

    Eredith ced a small pouch on the table.

    "How about this? Can I take him now?"

    Felixughed happily.

    "Of course!"

    The butler discreetly took the pouch.

    Felix didn''t know the amount, but even if it were just filled with pebbles, he had already decided to hand over Ian.

    One must not be stingy in showing kindness to a wizard.

    "Thank you for your mercy."

    "Haha. Since you''re here, why not stay for a meal?"

    "Would that be alright?"

    They finished their meal in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

    Felix felt proud, as if he had done something nobly dignified for the first time in a while.

    It may seem trivial (and it is).

    But such an act... is a wonderful boast.

    A noble who kindly hosts a wizard and enjoys a meal together!

    Each of these tales contributes to one''s reputation in noble society.

    Especially the title ''A Noble Friendly with Wizards'' is an achievement every noble strives for.

    Imagine meeting Count Edwardter.

    ''You hosted a meal for a wizard, I hear?''

    ''Nothing much. It was a wizard named Eredith...''

    ''The Rising Star of Drawald, Eredith! What did she say?''

    ''Haha. Well...''

    Just the thought was exhrating.

    Who am I?

    The man who dined with the wizard Eredith.

    With his mood greatly uplifted, Felix bid farewell to Eredith and Raven with a smile.

    In just half a day, Ian''s status had risen from a serf to a disciple of a wizard.

    All because of one meal.

 Chapter 4:

    Chapter 4:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The journey was arranged at breakneck speed.

    Eredith, being a wanderer, was used to traveling.

    Ian had no belongings to pack.

    "Mother. Father. I''m leaving now."

    "Alright. Listen well to the wizard!"

    "Study hard! Raven!"

    "Brother! You muste back!"

    Ian left the domain amid his family''s fervent farewells.

    Leaving thend he had lived in all his life (10 years) for the first time, he felt a mix of emotions.

    "Um... should I call you Master... or something?"

    "Not yet. I haven''t taught you anything, have I? Just call me sister."

    Ian had wondered about this before, but was she really a sister?

    A child''s perspective is very different from an adult''s.

    Eredith was confident she looked quite young, but to Ian, she seemed closer to an auntie than a sister.

    Eredith was 35 years old, older than Ian''s mother.

    Ian''s younger sister calling her an auntie was a result of chilling insight.

    "Sister."

    "Yes! What''s on your mind?"

    The atmosphere suggested he could ask anything, but Ian wondered if his question was appropriate.

    Nevertheless, his curiosity was too strong to hold back.

    "Why did you choose me as your disciple?"

    Eredith smiled subtly, thinking Ian was feeling anxious.

    Ian knew nothing about the world of magic, about time wizards and such.

    Ignorance breeds fear.

    The unknown was causing him anxiety.

    Why had a serf''s son suddenly be the disciple of a wizard?

    It was an adult''s duty to alleviate that anxiety.

    "I received a prophecy."

    "... A prophecy?"

    Ian was startled by the fantastic word that popped up unexpectedly.

    He knew this was a medieval fantasy world, but he hadn''t expected a prophecy.

    A prophecy!

    Isn''t it an event experienced at least once by every important character in fantasy?

    There are generally two types of prophecy events.

    One foretells great sess, and the other, great doom.

    Ian swallowed nervously.

    "What kind of prophecy?"

    "Well? What do you think?"

    Eredith brazenly broke the firstw of question and answer.

    Firstw of question and answer: Do not answer a question with a question.

    But Ian was just as shameless.

    "A prophecy that I''ll be a great wizard in the future?"

    He blurted it out.

    Children can do that.

    It''s embarrassing when adults do it, but for children, it''s audacity.

    Children possess endless ''possibilities''.

    Unlike adults who have closed their growth tes and are merely waiting for death, all children have hope.

    "Pfft. Dream big, don''t you? Want to be a great wizard?"

    Like most adults, Eredith didn''t dislike children who dreamed.

    Especially if they were her disciples.

    "Yes!"

    Young Ian answered vigorously.

    His enthusiasm appeared incredibly cute to Eredith.

    ''I did well taking him as a disciple.''

    If she had taken a proper disciple, she might have chosen someone much cuter than Ian.

    Wizards'' disciples are chosen at a young age, typically around five years old.

    The younger they are, the faster they absorb information.

    The charm of a 10-year-old stands no chance against that of a 5-year-old.

    By the age of 10, one should be graduating from this phase and moving on to the next.

    At this age, one is simply too old to appeal with cuteness.

    It''s a merciless rule.

    However, to Eredith, Ian, her first disciple, just seemed cute.

    After all, he was her first disciple.

    For Eredith, who had never had a child of her own, the cuteness of a young child was a novel and refreshing joy.

    "Actually, I don''t even know if Ian can use magic."

    " What?"

    It was a shocking statement.

    Ian, who was chosen as a disciple right away, might just be an empty shell!

    Although it was just a realm of possibility, it was a terrifying notion for Ian.

    If he wasn''t a wizard, his prospects for survival were bleak.

    However, Eredith believed that this guess wasn''t the truth.

    It was a prophecy from a time wizard.

    He had said that taking Ian as a disciple would bring her good fortune.

    And Ian being unable to wield magic wouldn''t be a good thing for Eredith.

    "To begin with magic, you first need to study a lot."

    Ian nodded vigorously.

    Just like in other fantasy settings, here too, wizards were the intelligent characters.

    In other words, fools couldn''t be wizards.

    ''I am confident.''

    Kwak Jae-han, a Korean, was a science student.

    He wanted to go to the mathematics department in university, but, dissuaded by those around him who thought him crazy, he ended up inputer science.

    He had been admitted to a fairly prestigious university  not SKY level, but still one that drew a ''Oh, that ce?'' reaction.

    So he believed he wasn''tpletely dumb.

    The universal rule for fantasy wizards is formic calction.

    Calction?

    Kwak Jae-han would wake from sleep for calctions, a true enthusiast.

    Some might ridicule the idea of being passionate about calctions.

    However, calctions are surprisingly beautiful and sanctify the mind (omitted for brevity).

    ''I can handle any formic calction.''

    While Ian was lost in thought.

    Eredith... just had no particr thoughts.

    The prophecy had pointed to him, so he''d surely manage on his own.

    And so, the two continued their journey.

    ---

    ---

    Being a wanderer by nature, Eredith had no fixed base.

    She had never felt the need for a base in her life.

    As a fairly skilled wizard, she solved a few troublesome issues for others and her food and shelter were easily taken care of.

    Why buy a house when she was a wizard desired and adored by nobles?

    The entire empire was as good as her own home.

    However, for the first time in a long while, Eredith decided to acquire a home.

    In the northwest of the empire, at the foot of the Golden Mountains.

    Eredith purchased a house originally built as a hunting lodge for nobles and transformed it into a cozy dwelling.

    It would be their home until her disciple grew and was recognized as a wizard.

    "How do you like it? Nice, isn''t it?"

    Eredith had a simple nature.

    If she had liked luxury, she would never have roamed the empire without a home.

    But she had splurged on a nice house, all for her cute disciple.

    To Ian, who had lived his entire life in a cramped wooden house, this ce seemed no less than a pce.

    "Yes! It''s wonderful!"

    "Hehe. Your sister has spent some money!"

    The only downside was that the house was in the mountains, making it quite tedious to manage.

    However, Eredith, who had lived a nomadic life,cked the sense for settled living.

    In other words, she didn''t think much about it.

    She was simply delighted by the magic books neatly stacked on the bookshelves.

    "Now that we''ve settled in, shall we start the lessons?"

    Ian''s heart started racing.

    It was a historic moment, the first step towards bing a wizard.

    "Ian Raven, from this moment on, you shall serve me, Eredith Manscal, as your master."

    "Yes, Master!"

    "Good. From now on, your name will be Ian Eredith Raven."

    Ian had gained a nickname.

    Ian Eredith Raven.

    In full, it meant Ian, therge raven, a disciple of Eredith.

    The first official lesson began.

    "Magic is an extremely dangerous skill. You can''t start anything without thorough preparation."

    Eredith was utterly serious, a stark contrast to her usualx demeanor.

    Ian also braced himself for the lesson.

    "Open the magic book."

    Ian carefully opened the book, ensuring his hands didn''t tremble.

    Strange characters sprawled before him like an ocean.

    Ian was a raft adrift in the sea of knowledge.

    "This is..."

    "The very basics of magic. The Maroniusnguage."

    He felt queasy.

    The Maroniusnguage, a magicalnguage, seemed familiar yet new.

    It was very simr to ancient Asian characters.

    That is to say.

    ''Chinese characters?''

    They were sophisticated hieroglyphs.

    Ian''s vision darkened...!

    ''Damn it! Chinese characters!''

    Ian could handle calctions even in his dreams.

    But Chinese characters were not his forte.

    Literature studies were for those dirty arts students!

    Arts students need to know Chinese characters to recite poems like  (though there''s no need to study it unless you''re a literature major).

    But for Ian, a former science student, this was utterly irrelevant.

    Yet, now he had to study fantasy-style hieroglyphs!

    "From today, you''ll study 100 characters a day."

    "Isn''t that too much?"

    "I''ll reduce it if it''s overwhelming."

    This was 100%.

    No, 200% overwhelming.

    Absolutely indigestible.

    Ian thought.

    "But this is just the basic thousand characters. It''s easy, so you''ll learn it all in a month?"

    Ian was horrified.

    A basic 1000 characters?

    He had thought it was simr to Chinese characters.

    But this was a true ''Thousand Character ssic''...!

    "Shall we start slowly?"

    Ian''s first magic lesson had begun.

    The method was simple.

    Eredith taught the name and pronunciation of each character, and Ian diligently followed.

    Afterward, Eredith exined how the characters came to have their shapes.

    "This character is pronounced ''Ere,'' like my name. When Maronius created these characters, many were derived from ancientnguages. That''s why there are so many ovepping pronunciations."

    Eredith, who hadn''t spoken passionately about magic in a while, became enthusiastic and energetically conducted the lecture.

    She was a born magic fanatic.

    She loved magic so much that she hardly remembered any hardships from her initiation to independence.

    As a result, she became an incarnation of a too-much talker, able to discuss the same topic on magic for hours on end.

    However, Ian was ignorant of magic.

    Moreover, as a pure-blooded science student who loathed all foreignnguages familiar to Koreans, including English, Japanese, and Chinese, along with Chinese characters, he found learning the otherworldly hieroglyphs of Maroniusnguage excruciating.

    After a grueling six-hour marathon lesson, Eredith evaluated Ian''s progress.

    "Okay, Ian! How do you pronounce this character?"

    "..."

    Having genuinely taught him all 100 characters, she randomly picked one and asked Ian.

    To her, it was a simple and unburdening question.

    But Ian''s mind went nk.

    ''What was it...?''

    He seemed to recall seeing about six characters simr to that one.

    ''I''m screwed.''

    It was over for Ian.

    He regretted not paying more attention to arts studies.

    No! He should have chosen arts from the start!

    While Ian wasmenting to himself, something appeared.

    [Ian Raven - Magic Novice]

    [Skill: Magic Language]

    [Ability to learn and utilize magguage]

    [Maronius Language - In Progress]

    ''Huh?''

    A status window.

    Ian was astonished to see the status window appear before his eyes.

    It... works?

 Chapter 5:

    Chapter 5:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian passed Eredith''s test with remarkable ease.

    "Now, Ian? What is this?"

    "Om. The Om of the cycle."

    "Correct! You''ve followed along well!"

    Eredith pped, moved by the realization that her lessons were not in vain.

    Riding on this momentum, she threw a few more quizzes at him.

    "Karl. The Karl of the sky."

    "Hum. The Hum of the earth."

    "Uno. The Uno of the world."

    p, p, p!

    "Wonderful! Our Ian is really smart!"

    Eredith, genuinely delighted, sprang to her feet and affectionately ruffled her student''s hair.

    After a grueling five-hour lecture, she felt fulfilled by her student''s perfectpletion.

    ''The space-time wizard rmended him, and he''s really a great find!''

    Eredith was ted, feeling what they call ''student pride.''

    "See! It''s easier than you thought, right? No need to be scared!"

    "Hmm. Yes. I see."

    Meanwhile, Ian''s response was lukewarm.

    He had been preupied with checking his status window.

    [Maronius Ear - 1% (In Progress)]

    When Ian faced Eredith''s question, memories of the lesson surged back like a strong dj vu, allowing him to easily pass the quiz.

    ''I... wasn''t wrong.''

    A thought he had harbored ever since the status window began to appear.

    The belief that he had a cheat ability from another world and that he would awaken it someday!

    This firm belief blossomed like a splendid flower, enduring the cold winter and dark nights.

    Another world cheat yer.

    I, Rise.

    "Hehe..."

    Lost in thought, Ian suddenly giggled like someone who had taken a happy pill.

    Eredith was a bit worried about her emotionally fluctuating student.

    But soon she reassured herself.

    It was natural for him to be happy after passing the first lesson''s test!

    "I''m hungry! Ian! Your master will make something delicious for dinner tonight!"

    "Wow! Something delicious!"

    Master and student, both in good spirits for different reasons, spent a warm and cheerful evening together.

    ---

    ---

    Ian, who had awakened his cheat abilities from another world, feared nothing.

    He easily kept up with Eredith''s daily 100-character lessons.

    However, summoning the status window proved unexpectedly difficult.

    The status window operated simrly to recalling past memories, consuming his concentration each time he summoned it.

    Too frequent use could exhaust him to the point of copse.

    Thus, Ian with the status window wasn''t entirely invincible.

    When in poor condition, he asionally made mistakes.

    But Eredith didn''t find anything odd about this.

    Ian''s scores fluctuated between 90 and 80.

    These were precisely the scores Eredith had when she studied magic.

    ''Quite intriguing.''

    Every time she saw Ian engrossed in his studies, Eredith was caught in a strange sentiment.

    Whenever she looked at Ian, it was as if she saw herself in her childhood.

    Although it''s said that a student often resembles their teacher, it was rather strange for Ian to mirror even the childhood grades of Eredith.

    Yet, she didn''t dwell on it much.

    It was the perfect timing for the all-powerful cheat key, the space-time wizard to appear.

    The space-time wizard.

    Since he rmended Ian, unusual was to be expected.

    If Ian had known Eredith''s thoughts, he would have been astounded.

    Ian, with the help of his status window cheat ability, had simr academic performance to Eredith, who studied unaided?

    Again, it''s important to emphasize that Ian was not a durd.

    He had attended a respectable university and a reputable department.

    But Eredith was a different kind of genius.

    After all, isn''t there a monster-like human who graduated from Seoul National University, went to Harvard just for fun, stopped by Caltech, and churned out papers effortlessly?

    A real intellectual, active at the forefront of knowledge.

    That was Eredith.

    ''How adorable.''

    Contrary to her brilliant intellect, Eredith''s emotions were like those of a middle-aged woman.

    It meant she just wanted to dote on the kids, finding them unconditionally adorable.

    Attentive in ss, diligent, not throwing tantrums.

    Loving his teacher.

    Ian was a good student, without any ws to dislike.

    "You''ve mastered the basicsst time, right? Now, we''ll start the real lessons."

    "Oh, Ian. You''re still keeping up, aren''t you?"

    "Alright. Today is the adjectives special! Let''s memorize 100 essential adjectives!"

    One year, two years, three years, four years.

    Ian continued his studies, going through three books a year.

    From the third year, he studied five books, and from the fifth year, he had to tackle six books.

    Ian ''Eredith'' Raven, sixteen years old, was mastering a book every two months.

    The workload was murderous, on par, or even beyond that of medical students.

    From waking up in the morning until going to bed at night, Eredith was constantly glued to him, driving him to study non-stop.

    "Master..."

    "Yes?"

    "I think I''m going to die..."

    Eredith granted him a day off every five days.

    But even that was far from enough.

    "We''re almost done. Just a little more to go."

    "Really?"

    "Yes! Just two more books, and you''ll master the Maroniusnguage!"

    "..."

    Indeed.

    For the past six years, Ian had been studying nothing but the Maroniusnguage.

    [Maronius Language - 100% (Perfect)]

    [You can now perfectly speak the universal magicalnguage of great wizards]

    Ian, having endured the nauseating volume of studies.

    If not for the cheat key of the status window, he would have long since fled.

    ''Really... These wizards. Crazy...''

    That was Ian, equipped with a cheat ability.

    How much effort would it take for an ordinary human to even ''begin'' learning magic?

    Either a genius or a madman bes a wizard.

    The truly chilling part is that Ian is still aplete novice in magic.

    In game terms, he''s just finished the tutorial.

    As the Maroniusnguage course came to a sluggish end, Ian turned from 16 to 17 years old.

    From the day the lectures ended, Eredith stopped using humannguage.

    She conversed with Ian only in Maroniusnguage.

    "Tzabel, Rus?"

    "Gog. Hina."

    Maroniusnguage.

    Devised by the great archwizard Maronius, mastering thisnguage alone was said to enable entry into all types of magical schools.

    Magic varied by school, each using its own magicalnguage.

    For example, to use fire magic, one needed thenguage of fire.

    Thenguage of fire was of no use in casting water magic.

    Thus, to use magic from different schools, a wizard had to master the various magicalnguages each school employed.

    The amount of study required was immense, needing a lifetime of dedication to achieve significant aplishments.

    However, the advent of Archwizard Maronius brought a seismic shift to the world of magic.

    While it had been normal for each school to use its ownnguage, Archwizard Maronius unified all thesenguages into one andpiled them into a book, creating his unique linguistic system.

    This was the Maroniusnguage.

    Of course, there were many parts where themonnguage was insufficient in advanced courses.

    But in unifying thenguage of magic, Maronius indeed proved himself a mad genius.

    "Excellent."

    Ian''s proficiency in Maroniusnguage was wless.

    With such skill, it was unlikely he would make mistakes whenmunicating with magical beings.

    "Ian."

    "Yes, Master."

    "My teachings are now at an end."

    Eredith smiled as she closed the book.

    It was the end of their final lesson together.

    A wizard must discover truths on their own.

    While a push is needed for the initiation, once begun, one must find their own path.

    It was a harsh reality.

    Yet Eredith desired to raise Ian as a true wizard.

    Not as a fake, imitating others'' magic without individuality, but as a real wizard, exploring his own mysteries...

    "Your mystery must be discovered by yourself."

    "Master..."

    "You''ve worked hard until now, Ian. Now, you are a wizard."

    "..."

    "Now, walk your own path."

    Ian didn''t know what to say.

    Eredith was bidding farewell.

    "Isn''t it... too early?"

    "Haha. You''re so smart, there''s nothing more I can teach."

    "Master..."

    "Now you are a seeker. Take pride in that."

    Seeker.

    A term of respect magicians use when addressing each other.

    Ian realized.

    This day was his graduation ceremony.

    "I''ll help you with the basic initiation into the schools. But the path beyond, you must find on your own."

    Ian had perfectly mastered the archwizard''s magicalnguage.

    But to be a true wizard, he had to use thatnguage to wield magic.

    Now Eredith intended to finish her role by helping Ian into the magical schools.

    "Let''s go outside."

    ---

    ---

    After six years, no, entering his seventh year, Ian left the house he had grown fond of.

    He was momentarily caught in a strange mncholy as he gazed back at his old home.

    Where there is departure, there is arrival.

    Memories are oveid with new ones.

    Such is life.

    ''Oh dear.''

    His teacher, by nature a wanderer, moved on without any hesitation.

    Ian hurriedly followed Eredith.

    "Which school of magic should I learn first?"

    Ian asked as they walked.

    There were many branches of magic, at least ten that he had briefly heard of.

    First, it should be Air magic.

    Eredith had prepared a curriculum for Ians introduction to magic.

    Air magic, the magic of controlling the wind.

    Earth magic, the magic of controlling the earth.

    These two schools of magic had an overwhelming advantagepared to others: they were easy to learn!

    "Start with the easy air magic and earth magic, then move on to ice magic, water magic, and fire magic in that order."

    The initiation into magic bes increasingly difficult.

    Ian, new to magic in both his past and present life,cked the ability to discern what was easy or hard.

    But he took Eredith''s word for it and moved on.

    "Air magic is really easy to learn, so let''s finish it quickly and move on to the next."

    "Yes, Master."

    Eredith took Ian to hike the Golden Mountains.

    They had lived at the base of the Golden Mountains for over six years, but they had never climbed to the higher regions.

    The hike was both challenging and fun after a long time.

    "Hmm. This spot seems good."

    Crack.

    At the peak of the mountain, with a clear view in all directions.

    The sight of clouds spread out like an ocean below was impressive.

    ''I wish I could take a photo.''

    While Ian was lost in admiring the scenery, Eredith prepared a spell.

    "Ian! Come here and stand!"

    "Yes!"

    Ian stood where Eredith pointed.

    Eredith shouted.

    [Rise!]

    A spellposed in Maroniusnguage.

    Suddenly, the ground trembled, and the earth where Ian stood was thrown high into the sky!

    "Aaaaah!"

    Ian, perched on a thin disc, shot up into the sky.

    Caught off guard by the sudden flight, Ian couldn''t gather his wits.

    "Ma, Master!"

    Ian, trembling, looked down below.

    His master appeared tiny like an ant.

    Not just the master, everything looked small.

    "Ah."

    The brightly shining sun.

    The majestic procession of flowing cloud formations.

    The pointed mountaintops capped with ice...

    It was beautiful.

    The world seen from above in the sky was so beautiful.

    ...But his moment of reverie was short-lived.

    What goes up muste down.

    Ian''s body began to sink downwards.

    He was falling!

    [Look!]

    [It''s a human! A human!]

    [He''s flying!]

    [Just like us?]

    ''...?''

    That''s when he heard it.

    Just as he was about to fall, a familiarnguage reached Ian''s ears.

    Maroniusnguage, as familiar as his mother tongue.

    ''Huh?''

    Ian felt the wind swirling around him.

    The voice of the wind was audible.

    The wind blowing from the peak of the mountain was chattering in Maroniusnguage.

    Simultaneously, the status window appeared.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Air magic]

    [The ability to utilize the magic of the wind.]

    ''Is this the wind?''

    The cold wind brushed past his ears.

    The mysterious voice whispered in it.

    "Ah."

    Ian, novice wizard.

    Listening to the voice of the wind.

    ---

    *Air magic, Earth magic, Ice magic, Water magic, Fire magic... Literal trantions equate to, respectively: Great Atmosphere Technique, Great Earth Technique, Cold Technique, Water Technique, me Technique

    So I have taken the liberty to adjust the names since it is about magic and uh the names are a little.. peculiar? for a magic novel anyway. Subject to change!Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 6:

    Chapter 6:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "Ta-da!"

    Eredith safelynded Ian.

    She had summoned a giant wind to cushion his fall.

    Seeing her disciple''s expression, she smiled slightly.

    Confused yet deeply contemtive  not the face one would make after merely an exhrating experience.

    "Did you realize something?"

    Ian nodded nkly.

    "The wind... it spoke in the Maroniusnguage."

    Eredithughed pleasantly.

    Maroniusnguage, a great magicalnguage devised by an archwizard, was indeed a wonder to witness in its true form.

    "That''s the first step of magic."

    "The first step?"

    "A wizardmunicates with the mysteries of nature and borrows their power. Language is the bridge between humans and nature."

    This was why Ian had spent six years rigorously studying Maroniusnguage.

    Magic ismunication.

    Communicating with nature and borrowing its power is the essence of magic.

    But what if Ian made a mistake and asked for something absurd?

    Or angered them?

    Disaster would ensue.

    That''s why he was forbidden frommunicating with nature until he could perfectly handle Maroniusnguage.

    "How was the voice of the wind?"

    Ian recalled the recent memory.

    The high sky and thousands of freely swirling strands of wind.

    "It felt free."

    Eredith nodded.

    Wind is a free element.

    "We call the process of hearing that mysterious voice ''initiation.''"

    Eredith gently stroked her disciple''s head.

    He was nearly an adult, but in her eyes, he still seemed young.

    "Congrattions on your initiation into Air magic."

    ---

    ---

    A wizard canmunicate with all things.

    Thanks to the mysterious magicalnguage, Maroniusnguage.

    For wizards, the moment they hear the mysterious voice marks their ''initiation.''

    Novice wizards must focus on traveling the world and listening to the voices of various mysteries.

    This is because it helps them discover which magic suits them best.

    Each person resonates with different mysteries.

    Some are attuned to Air magic, others to Earth magic.

    Ice magic, Water magic, Fire magic, and even Summoning, Transmutation, Transformation, Creation, Necromancy, Space-time magic, and so on.

    Since each person''s aptitude varies for each magical school, one must try and experience them firsthand.

    "Next is Earth magic."

    Eredith led Ian into a deep cave.

    To hear the voice of the earth, being buried deep in the ground is ideal.

    But since burying Ian alive would be deadly, a cave was the next best option.

    "Initiation into Earth magic is a bit more challenging."

    Eredith exined.

    "Try to listen to the voice of the earth."

    "Yes, Master."

    "But don''t push yourself too hard. You''ve already initiated into Air magic, so bing an Air wizard is enough."

    Though she said this out of concern for her disciple, learning a variety of magic is always beneficial.

    Between a wizard who handles one kind of magic and one who handles ten, it''s obvious who receives more respect.

    Ian, aware of this fact, entered the deep cave willingly.

    ''It''s scary.''

    Just like when he learned Air magic.

    A wizard essentially needed to be fearless.

    Would Ian have been able to learn Air magic if he had acrophobia?

    Simrly, if he couldn''t endure the gloominess and ustrophobia of the cave, he couldn''t be an Earth wizard.

    Ian focused on listening to the voice of the earth, even extinguishing his torch to aid his concentration.

    [...And thus flows]

    [What does not move cannot be seen flowing]

    [It is no different from something solidly set]

    ''What is it talking about?''

    The earth rambled on nonsensically.

    Its voice was much harder to understand than the air''s.

    It meant Ian''s aptitude for Earth magic wascking.

    Normally, to improve Earth magic skills, one had to study the specializednguage of the earth to enhancemunication uracy.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Earth magic]

    [The ability to utilize earth magic]

    ''Oh.''

    The skill window appeared as soon as he heard the voice of the earth.

    [Bonus Skill Points!]

    [Invest skill points to increase the progress of magic]

    [Unused Points: 100]

    [*Skill points can be acquired by collecting mysteries]

    But Ian had the status window.

    A system where investing skill points increases proficiency in magic.

    ''Who am I? A cheat yer.''

    Ian invested a few points into Earth magic.

    The change was immediate.

    [Little human]

    [Below here flowsva]

    [Be careful, for it will erupt in case of an earthquake]

    The voice was much clearer and more precise.

    Ian realized.

    Ah, this is magic.

    The process of talking with mysteries.

    That is magic.

    Having learned Earth magic, Ian packed his things and prepared to leave the cave.

    ''Wait a minute.''

    But since he had learned magic, why not use it to leave?

    The cave was deep and dark.

    Impossible to exit without a torch.

    But what if he used Earth magic to ask the earth to guide his way?

    ''Let''s try.''

    Initiation may be guided by Eredith, but the achievement of magic must be done by oneself.

    Now a wizard himself, Ian had to increase his magical achievements bymunicating with all things.

    "[O Earth]."

    Ian chanted in the magicalnguage.

    His six years of honed Maroniusnguage skills shone brightly.

    [What is it, little human?]

    ''It works!''

    The earth responded to Ian''s call.

    Ian smiled involuntarily, thrilled by his achievement.

    "[I, outside, go]"

    [Outside? What is outside?]

    "[Outside, cave]"

    [The cave is this ce? But outside, what does that mean? Difficult to understand.]

    "[Leave]"

    [Do you mean to walk?]

    ''...Damn.''

    Amunication failure.

    Ian instantly realized the problem.

    The earth had no concept of inside and outside.

    Inside and outside are human constructs, tooplex for the earth to understand.

    Moreover, Ian realized a significant issue with using the Maroniusnguage in practice.

    There were no particles in the Maroniusnguage.

    The role of particles was reced by the will of the wizard.

    The more skilled the wizard, the clearer they could convey their will.

    But Ian, a novice among novices, found it challenging to even choose the right words.

    This is hard.

    He had a realization.

    He shouldn''t ask the earth to guide him.

    To it, the entire world was the same as its body, so asking for directions was pointless.

    ''Should I ask the wind?''

    Ian pondered what request to make to the wind.

    Should he ask to move from a narrow ce to a broader space?

    This seemed reasonable.

    However, Ian quickly thought of the risk of being led into a deep underground chamber.

    This is tricky.

    He was beginning to grasp what magic was.

    Communication required a linguistic sense, while the content ofmands needed a coding-like approach.

    Issuing precisemands to eliminate variables and achieve the desired result...

    Wow!

    It''s just like coding!

    But without knowing anymands, it was useless.

    ''Let''s just leave.''

    Right, forget magic.

    Hey, Mr. Lee!

    Stop the nonsense and light a fire~

    Ian gave up on magic and lit a torch.

    That''s when it happened.

    [No!!!]

    [It hurts!!!]

    ''Sh*t!''

    A sudden, frail scream echoed.

    Ian, startled, extinguished the fire.

    ''What was that?''

    The voice was no longer audible.

    Ian listened attentively to the voices of all things, but only the heavy voice of the earth was heard.

    The strange voice he had just heard was gone.

    ''A hallucination?''

    Ian shook his head.

    What kind of hallucination would produce such a chilling voice?

    No choice.

    Ian settled down cross-legged.

    He concentrated fully, listening to the voices of all things.

    After some time passed.

    A new voice began to reach Ian''s ears

    [... It''s quiet here, I like it.]

    [I don''t like noise.]

    [I don''t like pain either.]

    A very, very small voice.

    He wouldn''t have noticed it if he hadn''t extinguished the fire.

    Not knowing what it was, Ian decided to initiate a conversation.

    [Hello]?

    The response came immediately.

    [What? What!]

    [A human! It''s a human!]

    [He said hello! So cute!]

    [Who are you]?

    The voice then whispered.

    [Darkness!]

    Ah.

    Darkness.

    Why didn''t he think of something so obvious?

    In a pitch-dark cave, what else could there be besides the earth but darkness?

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Dark magic]

    [The ability to utilize the magic of darkness and shadows]

    Dark magic.

    A school not mentioned by his teacher.

    Lucky me.

    A school he stumbled upon purely by chance.

    Not bad at all.

    Better than nothing, he thought.

    ...If its darkness?

    Ian''s interest in magic was rekindled.

    While he might not know much about earth and wind, he had a clear idea of what to ask of darkness.

    "[Light! Where?]"

    Simply asking where the light is would do.

    [Eek! The light is over there!]

    [I don''t like the light!]

    Like a quest marker, a twinkling light appeared before Ian''s eyes.

    It meant there was light at the end.

    Does this really work?

    Ian, for the first time, sessfully utilized a mystery through Maroniusnguage.

    Riding on this momentum, Ian decided to test another spell.

    "[Earth, where?]"

    [Earth is everywhere!]

    [I step, I walk]

    [Ah! Humans walk!]

    [If it''s walking earth, it''s right here!]

    The darkness specifically marked a path where Ian could walk.

    ''Wow...''

    In the pitch-ck darkness, an unnaturally prominent path appeared.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Dark Magic  Dark Vision]

    [Allows you to see in the dark as if it were daylight.]

    A new magic was added to the skill window.

    It was a spell Ian discovered and used himself.

    "[Thank you!]"

    Ian expressed his gratitude to the darkness and walked steadily through it.

    ---

    ---

    After a while, an exit appeared.

    ''Light...''

    Bright light weed Ian, but he didn''t feel happy about it.

    Somehow, he felt morefortable in the darkness...

    "Ian!"

    Eredith, upon spotting Ian, ran towards him, then tilted her head in confusion.

    "Where''s your torch?"

    "I didn''t use it."

    "What? Then... did you use magic to get out?"

    Eredith quickly realized that Ian had used magic.

    She was amazed.

    It would have been difficult to escape the cave with just Earth magic and Air magic.

    For someone who had just initiated, his ability to utilize magic was extraordinary...

    "I learned Dark magic from the darkness."

    "What?!"

    This time, she was astonished.

    Darkness?

    The shy and timid voice of darkness?

    How?

 Chapter 7:

    Chapter 7:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Darkness inherently possesses the attribute of concealment.

    It hides, obscures, and renders things invisible.

    Listening to the voice of darkness, which is concealment itself, is extremely difficult.

    Dark wizards, who wield darkness, are as rare as space-time wizards.

    Such a challenging power it is.

    Eredith was surprised that her disciple had awakened to the power of darkness.

    "Did you hear the voice of darkness?"

    "Yes."

    Ian answered with a slight hint of pride.

    He didn''t realize what he had aplished.

    He was simply happy about the addition of a new magic.

    "Incredible..."

    On the other hand, Eredith marveled at her disciple''s unexpected talent.

    Dark magic is undoubtedly a branch of magic, attracting many wizards who wish to delve into it.

    But the attribute of darkness, being inherently secretive and shy, seldom reveals itself.

    Deep caves might be a favored ce for darkness.

    But the voice of the earth is too loud there, making it a poor location for hearing the voice of darkness.

    Wizards aspiring to be Dark wizards prepare massive darkrooms, avoiding all external stimuli, and repetitively immerse themselves in darkness alone.

    This process spans months, and in severe cases, wizards invest years.

    Such is the difficulty in initiating into dark magic...

    ''He must have a natural affinity.''

    Just as people have different natural talents, wizards have different affinities for elements.

    For example, Eredith had a high affinity for the fire element, hence her specialization in Fire magic.

    It seems Ian has a high affinity for the dark attribute.

    A fitting affinity for someone nicknamed ''Raven.''

    "Good for you. A wizard is better the more types of magic they can handle."

    Air magic, Earth magic, and now dark magic.

    Her disciple had already initiated into three schools.

    Even if their exploration stopped here, it was enough to be called a wizard.

    But Eredith had no intention of stopping here.

    A wizard must always test their limits.

    "Let''s continue, Ian."

    "Yes, Master!"

    "It''s going to be more difficult from here. But I''ll be watching over you, so have confidence!"

    "Yes!"

    Ian responded energetically. Learning magic was starting to be fun.

    ... However, with the introduction of Ice magic, Ian''s interest began to wane rapidly.

    ---

    ---

    "Ugh..."

    The summit of the Golden Mountains.

    The ce, cloaked in perennial snow, averages sub-zero temperaturesand of extreme cold.

    Eredith stripped Ian bare and threw him into a pile of snow.

    "So, so cold!"

    It was to initiate him into Ice magic.

    "Concentrate, Ian! Listen to the voice of cold!"

    Ian gritted his teeth. He couldn''t hear his master''s voice at all.

    What is the voice of cold!

    Damn it!

    Humans are warm-blooded animals!

    It''s impossible for the cold to converse with a creature born with warm blood.

    Eredith lowered Ian''s body temperature to forcibly acquaint him with the cold.

    Let''s set aside the minor issue of dying from hypothermia due to a lowered body temperature.

    A wizard who seeks the mysteries must always be filled with a spirit of challenge.

    [Human]

    [My body is cold]

    [I''m about to die...]

    "Get lost!"

    Ian shouted this and then fell silent. No, this wasn''t right.

    "[Hello!]"

    No matter how much you dislike something, there are times when you have to pretend to be friendly.

    It''s like the rtionship between a superior and a subordinate.

    Cold is the superior, and Ian, the subordinate.

    The one in need has to pretend to smile.

    [Yes. Hello?]

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Ice magic]

    [The ability to wield cold ice magic]

    "Master! I did it! I spoke with the cold!"

    "Oh! That was quick!"

    Eredith eximed in admiration as she pulled Ian out of the snow.

    This foolish disciple had also easily initiated into the magic of ice.

    Her curiosity grew stronger.

    His affinity for elements is extraordinary, isn''t it?

    How many kinds of magic can he handle?

    To satisfy her curiosity, the next attribute needed to be tested.

    "Next is Water magic!"

    Eredith took Ian to ake and submerged him in the water.

    She even gave him a snorkel, so he wouldn''t drown.

    Eredith cared deeply for her disciple.

    Bubble, bubble...

    In the middle of theke, Ian (forcibly) heard the voice of water.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Water magic]

    "Excellent, Ian!"

    As expected.

    Ian had seeded again.

    Eredith smiled contentedly.

    "Pant... Pant..."

    After spending an entire day submerged in water, Ian felt like dying just from breathing.

    But the teachings of the master were endless.

    "Come on! Thest one! Fire magic!"

    "...Master, about Fire magic."

    Ian broke out in a cold sweat.

    He had entered the snow to learn Ice magic and the water for Water magic.

    So, to learn Fire magic?

    "Do I... have to enter fire..."

    Is that it?

    Reading Ian''s expression, Eredith burst outughing.

    "Correct! I''ll get a fire going, so go inside!"

    "..."

    That evening.

    Eredith lit a massive fire and roasted Ian alive.

    It was spring.

    ---

    ---

    Ian''s initiation into magic was roughlyplete.

    [Skill Summary]

    [Initiated into 6 schools]

    [Air magic  Lv 1, Earth magic  Lv 2, Dark magic  Lv 1, Ice magic  Lv 1, Water magic  Lv 1, Fire magic  Lv 1]

    Eredith''s guidance for initiation ended here, as these were the magics she had initiated into.

    "Ian. To me, it seems like you are loved by the mysteries."

    "... What''s that?"

    Mysteries, he didn''t quite understand.

    But he realized the status window was useful.

    Ah,e to think of it, perhaps the status window is a kind of mystery too.

    "Yes. Normally, nature bes friendly with one attribute and distant with others. But you have initiated into 6 schools without any difficulty."

    It wasn''t just ttery.

    Ian truly possessed exceptional affinity for various elements.

    It was rare for a wizard to embrace so many different elements in such a short period.

    Considering that most wizards spend at least a month initiating into just one school, Ian''s speed of initiation was almost abnormal.

    To use a clichd analogy, he was ''like a sponge'' absorbing magic.

    ''Is it thanks to the status window?''

    Ian believed that the secret of his learningy in the status window.

    Without it, he would still be struggling in the Maronius Sea.

    ''This otherworldly cheat is amazing! Incredible!''

    Ian nodded in satisfaction.

    "I''d like to introduce you to other schools, but..."

    "Ah, Master."

    Ian abruptly asked a question.

    "But is it okay to initiate into so many schools? Aren''t there any side effects..."

    Eredith didn''t understand what her disciple was talking about.

    "Do you get side effects from making too many friends?"

    "Uh... I guess not."

    "It''s the same. The more mysteries youmunicate with, the better."

    To put it in an analogy, Ian was a huge socialite in the world of mysteries.

    If we were to assign him an MBTI type, it would be ESFP.

    Considering Ian''s actual personality was introverted, this was quite ironic.

    "Anyway. I have to attend a Fire magic meeting at the college now."

    "A Fire magic meeting?"

    It was something he had heard about in sses.

    Wizards from each school regrly gather for meetings.

    Officially they are meetings, but it''s mostly just an asion for socializing and chatting.

    However, this process is surprisingly important.

    Not only do they report their survival, but it''s also a time to resolve tasks assigned to each school.

    The reason wizards, who hardly do anything productive, can enjoy a life of luxury is all thanks to the patronage of nobility.

    And the reason nobles sponsor wizards is to use them when needed.

    Unless it''s an extremely secretive and exclusive gathering like a space-time wizard meeting, worldly matters are somewhat dealt with in these wizard meetings.

    But, as with all group projects, someone had to do it, but nobody wanted to.

    In the meetings, tasks are assigned in turns, and refusing a task could result in losing the sponsorship.

    "I''ve already skipped it twice, actually. If I don''t show my face soon, it could be dangerous."

    The Fire magic meeting is held once every three years.

    Eredith had missed it twice under the pretext of training her disciple, all the while continuing to receive funding.

    "Then, should I...!"

    "No, Ian. You should travel the world and gather mysteries. Initiate into more schools, and if possible, try to establish your own school."

    Eredith highly valued Ian''s magical talent.

    He was not a wizard to be buried in just one kind of magic.

    In Eredith''s case, it was like sharing a deep and genuine friendship with one friend.

    As a master of Fire magic, she had a close bond with fire.

    Even rather difficult requests would be fulfilled by fire if they came from Eredith.

    Most wizards follow the same path as Eredith.

    They delve deep into one specific type of magic.

    Consequently, wizards who learn a broad but shallow range of magic be the subject of ridicule.

    ''What''s the use of having 100 chat rooms? Do you have a friend who''d lend you a million won when you''re in trouble?''

    A wizard who has established a rtionship with mysteries to the extent they would fulfill even the most difficult requests is called a ''Grand wizard''.

    But what if you''re juggling 100, 500, or even 1000 chat rooms?

    Someone who messages 50 people might be a social butterfly thirsting for superficial friendships, but one who converses with 100 people is seen as having impressive social skills.

    Someone who manages 500 chats is considered a monster obsessed with human rtionships.

    And 1000?

    That''s a realm of madness beyond theprehension of mere intellect.

    In Eredith''s view, Ian could potentiallymunicate with 1000 mysteries.

    There''s no need to find a friend who would lend him a million won.

    Why bother when he could borrow a thousand won from each of a thousand people?

    "It''s important for you to learn magic that suits you."

    "If I learn Fire magic too..."

    "Fire magic is dangerous. And it''s not particrly necessary in this world."

    Despite being a fire wizard herself, Eredith did not hold Fire magic in high regard.

    Present-day Fire magic was a magic used solely for destruction.

    "Ian, let''s descend the mountain now."

    Eredith announced the end of their lengthy magic lessons.

    The seasoned fire wizard and the novice wizard once again set foot in the mundane world.

 Chapter 8:

    Chapter 8:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    ''It''s been... what, 6 years? No, 7 years.''

    As Ian gazed at the peaceful roadndscape, he became lost in thought.

    It felt like just yesterday he had ascended the Golden Mountains to study magic.

    The kid from back then had now returned to the world as an adult.

    And as a wizard, no less.

    "It''s time to part ways, I suppose."

    Eredith had apanied him to the base of the mountains, but they could no longer travel together.

    Dranheim, where the Council of Fire wizards was to be held, was in the opposite direction of Ian''s next destination.

    "Ian. You are to participate in the Space-time wizard Council."

    "What?"

    Eredith had marked Ian''s next destination as apletely unexpected ce.

    The Council of Space-time wizards.

    "Space-time wizards gather in a ce called Chronolic, somewhere in the northernmost reaches. I''ve heard there''s a portal to Chronolic there."

    Eredith'' instructions were vague.

    Go to an unknown ce to meet unknown people.

    Ian didn''t understand, but Eredith exined calmly.

    "If you''re destined to learn Space-time Magic, you''ll meet a Space-time wizard there. If not, try learning dimension magic or photon magic. The pr regions often have auroras, so it should be easier to learn."

    Isn''t this a bit disorganized?

    "That''s just how Space-time wizards work."

    While Ian felt uneasy, Eredith sensed a very strong flow of destiny in him.

    She was convinced that Ian would embark on Space-time Magic.

    Although Eredith had not learned Space-time Magic herself, she had the intuition of a wizard who had conversed with numerous mysteries.

    Ian had a natural affinity for the mysteries.

    He was destined to wield the power of time.

    "Ian."

    "Yes, Master."

    "In three years, at the next Council of Fire wizards, let''s meet in Dranheim."

    In three years, in Dranheim.

    Eredith nned to introduce her disciple to the other Fire wizards.

    Proudly presenting Ian, who had grown into a proper wizard.

    "I will remember."

    "Hehe. Then, let''s meet again in three years."

    With a smile, Eredith bid farewell to Ian.

    She could have taken Ian straight to Dranheim, but that would have brought him too close to Fire magic.

    He might choose to follow his master into bing a Fire wizard.

    ''... One Fire wizard is enough.''

    She hoped her disciple would gain more experience in the wider world.

    If he still wished to be a Fire wizard in three years, she wouldn''t stop him.

    ''May you be a great wizard.''

    Alone, Eredith walked along the straight path.

    Wandering the world was one of the things she did best.

    ---

    ---

    ''What a pity.''

    Just as Eredith had thought, Ian was considering Fire magic as his future specialty.

    Fire magic!

    The magic of burning things with fire!

    Fire wizards mostly use their magic to burn enemies, about 99% of the time.

    Some wizards use it for purposes like burning trash, but almost all Fire magic is used to eliminate enemies in front of them.

    Ian, a Korean by heritage, loved the idea more than anyone else.

    The idea of burning enemies to death with magic?

    Just the thought of it filled his heart with grandeur.

    Of course, Ian, still an innocent soul, had yet to experience taking a life.

    But as he traveled the world, there would inevitablye a time when he''d have to kill someone.

    Whether it be a murderer, a robber, or an assassin acting on someone''s orders.

    When someonees at him with a knife shouting, "Die, wizard!"

    He had no intention whatsoever of obliging with a "Yes, I, Ian! Will happily die for you!"

    That''s why he wanted to specialize in Fire magic.

    But Eredith didn''t seem keen on having Ian follow in her footsteps as a Fire wizard.

    "Starting out was a bit tough."

    The sensation of burning alive in a pit of fire was truly horrific.

    It was only Eredith'' magic that prevented his body from burning.

    Otherwise, he would have suffered terrible full-body burns.

    "I''ll think about thatter..."

    He could slowly decide what to specialize inter.

    For now, he had to focus on the quest given by his master, "Meet a Space-time wizard."

    Since he was supposed to meet one in the north, heading north was the first step.

    Ian knew that Space-time wizards were those who toyed with the future.

    They would likely know in advance about his journey north ande to meet him.

    If they didn''t show up?

    It meant he wasn''t destined to meet a Space-time wizard, and he could simply move on and learn another type of magic.

    "We''ve arrived!"

    "Thank you."

    Ian offered a modest fee to the old man who had given him a ride to the vige in his cart.

    It was a copper coin,monly circted in the Empire.

    In other words, a coin.

    "What''s this?"

    "...It''s money."

    But the old man didn''t recognize what a coin was.

    Having lived his whole life in a small vige, solely farming, that was to be expected.

    "This is for the ride. It''s all I have..."

    The old man examined the coin from all angles, then clicked his tongue in disapproval.

    "Keep it. I don''t know what it is, but take it back. How can an old man like me take something from a young one?"

    Had the old man recognized the value of the coin, he would have swiftly pocketed it.

    However, currency was amodity handled by those engaged inmerce, not something familiar to those like the old man who dealt with grain.

    To exchange the coin for goods, he would have to travel to a distant city where the Merchant Guild was located.

    For his aged body, traveling to another city was too demanding.

    In other words, the coin was useless to him.

    Ian, having unexpectedly saved his money, felt upset.

    "How far have I traveled that I''ve reached such a backwater vige?"

    Eredith had given Ian a generous amount of money as travel expenses, nearly all that was left of the funds she had received for her magical activities.

    But lo and behold.

    He had already reached a primitive countryside where his money turned into mere metal scraps.

    In reality, this was a misconception on Ian''s part.

    The Empire''snd was so vast that there were regions where currency wasmon and others where it was not.

    So, the vige in front of him, called Apple Hill, was just one of the many that didn''t use money.

    Anyway, Ian walked through the streets, expecting only rural viges ahead of him (which wasn''t true).

    "Huh?"

    As if to prove his misconception, Ian saw a crowd of people gathered like clouds.

    "Come on,e on! It''s cheap! It''s a bargain!"

    "Not an everyday urrence, this market! Choose, choose!"

    "Kitchen knives, sickles, nails, hammers! We''ve got everything!"

    A huge open-air market was underway in the center of the vige.

    The vigers were frantically choosing items, as if possessed.

    "Wow."

    Ian felt he knew what these merchants were called.

    They were peddlers, known as ''Jack-of-all-trades''.

    They were trading industrial goods like hardware and household items for the vigers'' treasures  real valuables like honey, medicinal herbs, animal horns, and skins, but also junk like turnips plucked from the fields or amateurish statues made at home.

    "Young man! Looking for something?"

    "No, just looking around."

    "If you need anything, just tell me!"

    Taking advantage of the crowd, Ian asked the vigers for directions to the next vige.

    "North? What''s up north?"

    "Oh, River Ville is to the north."

    "River Ville? Is that north?"

    "What''s with this guy? Don''t you know north?"

    Actually, even the vigers weren''t too sure.

    In this era, traveling wasn''tmon.

    The roads were always teeming with bandits and monsters.

    Just stepping out of your house could be a life-or-death situation; who in their right mind would roam the world?

    But still, knowing the location of a neighboring vige was something.

    It wasn''t a total loss.

    "Hey! Tom! This guy here is heading north!"

    "North? How far north?"

    "Way up north, he says!"

    An overly curious viger shared unexpected information.

    "Rick is heading north. Why don''t you go with him?"

    "Who''s Rick?"

    "Rick! He''s at the Horse Urine Tavern!"

    No. Why on earth would a tavern be named like that?

    Ian felt sick but didn''t question it.

    It''s up to the owner what they name their establishment.

    Whether it''s called ''Dog Poo Tavern'' or ''Cow Dung Tavern'', what''s it to him?

    Ian headed to the tavern, as directed by the vigers.

    It was the only tavern in the vige, so it was easy to find.

    The ''Horse Urine Tavern'' was a ce you''d inevitably visit while sightseeing in the vige.

    There was quite a crowd gathered, chatting and socializing.

    "Are you a customer?"

    Ian chuckled at the state of the tavern.

    A shabbily constructed fence, much like the makeshift tforms where guests ate meat and drank liquor, and guests sprawled out inside the rooms.

    This ce was unmistakably...

    ''A tavern, right from the Joseon era.''

    In fact, it was exactly that.

    The fancy two-story taverns seen in fantasy novels were high-end establishments found only in cities.

    "Do you have gukbap?"

    "Excuse me?"

    "I mean, stew."

    "Yes, we do. Please have a seat."

    There he was, Ian, ordering gukbap at a tavern.

    He sat down at a random spot.

    It seemed like the ce wasn''t originally set up for outdoor business but had hastily expanded its seating due to the sudden influx of customers.

    The tavern owner, or rather, thendy, ced a bowl of some red porridge in front of Ian.

    Ian poked at the porridge with his spoon.

    What did they put in it to make the porridge red?

    Was it safe to eat?

    Ian nced at the kitchen but couldn''t identify the ingredients of the stew.

    What he received was the ''Eternal Stew'', a recipe quite famous in its own right.

    The Eternal Stew, as the name suggests, is a stew that''s perpetually cooked.

    First, a pot was ced on the fire, and any avable ingredients were thrown in to make the stew.

    As the quantity diminished, more random ingredients were added.

    That was the nature of the Eternal Stew.

    Surprisingly, the taste was decent, albeitcking in spices.

    Potatoes, oats, carrots, some kind of meat  all boiled and salted.

    Ian tried a spoonful of the Eternal Stew and was amazed.

    Ah.

    It was a taste of health and ndness.

    It had a richer vorpared to the asional stews his mother made at home.

    The variety of ingredients contributed to that.

    But even the thrilling medieval style food, made without a single speck of spice, always left a profoundly healthy taste in the mouth.

    Only the taste of salt.

    The saltiness of salt was everything.

    ''Master must have been an excellent cook...''

    Eredith, a bizarre character who shamelessly indulged in the activities of medieval travelers and entrics, had excellent cooking skills thanks to her experiences with various cuisines across the empire.

    The master had used ''spices'' like onions and peppers in her cooking.

    Unlike these folks, who simply added salt to salt, she never settled for such monstrosities, indicating her superior culinary skills.

    "Here''s some bread."

    "Thank you."

    Thendy graciously dropped off some bread and butter before disappearing.

    This butter, in a sense, was the kimchi of medieval people.

    A greasy spice made of fat.

    No joke, these medieval fantasy folks really enjoyed their meals with the vor of butter.

    Butter was always a cheat-code ingredient.

    in potatoes?

    Dry and nd.

    Butter-fried potatoes?

    Oh, delicious!

    But then, butter itself is essentially a mixture of oil and salt.

    So, in the end, there''s no escaping the clutches of salt.

    Biting into the bread smeared with butter and dipped in stew, it felt like Latin words would spontaneously erupt from his mouth.

    Excessively creamy.

    Where''s the kimchi?

    Where did the sense of bnce on the dining table disappear to?

    For a Korean used to wrapping roasted garlic in kimchi and peri leaves, a diet drenched in animal fat was almost like torture.

    No wonder medieval people were crazy about pepper.

    Such uncivilized folks.

    "First time seeing you here. Where are you from?"

    Looking up, Ian noticed that thendy had seamlessly joined him at his table.

    Ian was impressed.

    The Western sense of personal space is different!

    Such a natural way to join a table!

    "I''m a traveler. I came looking for someone named Rick."

    "Ah! You''re heading north!"

    He hadn''t said anything yet.

    How did she know?

    "Rick! You have a guest!"

    "...?"

    Suddenly, thendy called out for someone named Rick.

    Ian, being an introvert, was taken aback by thendy''s impromptu behavior.

    He found new encounters somewhat burdensome.

    "Oh, a traveler, are you?"

    But before he had time to feel uneasy, a new face joined Ian at his table.

    The difort almost made him sick.

    "Pleased to meet you. I''m Rick of the Rabbit Foot Company."

    "Company...?"

    "Huh? Didn''t you see our guys trading in the vige?"

    Recalling the traders he had seen earlier, Ian nodded.

    So, this person was their boss.

 Chapter 9:

    Chapter 9:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Rick''s Rabbit Foot Company, in a nutshell, is simply a lucky peddler.

    In this disastrous world where traveling equals suicide, venturing to another vige to sell goods is an act of great madness.

    Who would dare travel carrying valuable goods, when safety isn''t guaranteed even for a small journey?

    It''s like having a golden goblin or a golden carriage.

    However, on the flip side, if one manages to evade all sorts of thieves and monsters and safely reach another vige, they can make a killing and earn a fortune.

    With limited goods and many buyers, the profits are immense!

    Thus, traveling from vige to vige, one could return to their hometown after 3-4 years as an incredibly wealthy individual.

    This ismon knowledge among merchants who deal in market trends.

    However, the likelihood of this bing reality is extremely low.

    First of all, the idea of getting through thieves and monster hordes is absurd.

    Even if one somehow amasses wealth and dreams of bing a great merchant, they are often cut down by nobles.

    ''Oh, you''re a wanderer? But you have a lot of money? Then hand it over.''

    Nobles are like robbers who forgot to carry swords.

    Sometimes they do carry them, making them no different from ordinary robbers.

    They snatch away money from anyone wealthy on theirnd.

    Therefore, merchants, as their businesses start flourishing, seek the backing of nobles.

    They conduct business only in ces sanctioned by nobles, offering a significant portion of their earnings to them.

    The nobles, who do nothing but indulge in leisure, are wealthy for a reason: they seize the hard-earned money of merchants.

    That''s why bing a great merchant takes an incredibly long time.

    But it''s not an entirely impossible feat.

    Today, aspiring great merchants like Rabbit Foot Company continue to load their wagons with goods and travel across the empire.

    ''So, that''s why there are so many people here.''

    The reason for the crowded tavern?

    It was due to Rabbit Foot Company.

    Thepany''s workers and a considerable number of escorts.

    Let''s call them mercenaries instead of martial artists, to avoid sounding like a martial arts novel.

    ''So, you''re nning to cross to the north?''

    ''Yes, that''s the n.''

    ''Why not join us?''

    Rick proposed joining forces.

    For a very rational and valid reason.

    ''That mountain you see ahead is called Earth Dragon Mountain.''

    ''Dragon Mountain?''

    There are many ces named Dragon Mountain in the empire, named after ces where dragons live or lived.

    By the way, there''s also a Dragon Mountain in Korea, called Yongsan (it''s true).

    Anyway, while Yongsan is amon name, there are only a handful of ces where dragons actually reside.

    Unfortunately, the Dragon Mountain ahead was not one of them.

    ''Earth Dragon Mountain is known for its drakes.''

    Shouldn''t it be called Drake Mountain then?

    But whether it''s dragons or drakes, the danger level is insanely high.

    ''Drakes...''

    Ian recalled stories Eredith would share during sses.

    Whenever the ss became tedious, Eredith would liven up the atmosphere with tales from the world.

    Scaled monsters are mostly dangerous, but the mostmon and perilous ones can be narrowed down to three types.

    First, dragons.

    ''Dragons are evil beings that should not even be associated with.''

    Dragons, with their cruel and wicked nature, have a habit of killing creatures for fun.

    And they''re disgustingly strong, so much so that even a considerable army might only barely manage to defeat one.

    Therefore, if a dragon''s den is discovered, it''s absolutely forbidden to approach it.

    In unavoidable situations, nobles would unite and summon knights for an attack.

    Second, wyverns.

    ''Safe if you don''t approach them, and it''s hard to even get close.''

    Wyverns, also called lesser dragons, reside at the top of high cliffs.

    They enjoy soaring on strong winds and detesting down to the lower mountains.

    To encounter a wyvern, one had to seek out the rugged cliffs of treacherous mountain ranges.

    Despite their carnivorous and ferocious nature, their killings of humans were extremely rare.

    Lastly, the third type, drakes.

    True to their nickname of wingless dragons, drakes dwell in deep underground caves.

    Although milderpared to dragons or wyverns, they killed humans as frequently as dragons did.

    The reason was their proximity to mountain trails, leading to frequent encounters with humans.

    Still, thanks to their rtively mild nature, one could be safe if they passed quietly.

    Ian seemed to understand why Rick wanted to take travelers with him.

    It was like the logic of gathering people before crossing a mountain in the Joseon era.

    Back then, mountains were infested with tigers, and crossing alone was a surefire way to be a tiger''s meal.

    Hence, the norm was to gather about a dozen people to cross together.

    ''Looking for people to cross Huldaeng Pass! (7/10)''

    ''Warning: Legendary tiger spotted ahead!!!''

    Of course, against a tiger as big as a house, even ten people gathered together wouldn''t stand much of a chance.

    But while one became tiger food, the rest could escape safely.

    Rick''s reason for recruiting travelers could be seen in the same light.

    "Crossing together increases the chances of escape."

    As Ian spoke, Rick nodded.

    "That''s one reason. But there''s also those who act tough and end up provoking a drake."

    "Ah, I see."

    Plus, it''s a troll prevention tactic.

    "Business is almost wrapped up. nning to cross tomorrow or the day after."

    Rick looked at Ian with a ''you''reing along, right?'' expression.

    There was no reason to refuse.

    "Yes, I''ll join you."

    ---

    ---

    The next day.

    As nned, Rabbit Foot Company set off towards Dragon Mountain.

    Thepany had seven people, four mercenaries as escorts, and three travelers.

    Despite being fourteen people with four armed mercenaries, the chance of winning against a drake was zero.

    Drakes are among the empire''s most infamous monsters, feared even by other formidable creatures.

    They are were the rulers of Dragon Mountain.

    All they could do was pray that nothing happened.

    "Let''s take a short break."

    Dragon Mountain, by Korean standards, was like a neighborhood hill.

    Despite its name, it didn''t quite feel like a mountain.

    To the locals here, it was a mountain, but Ian hardly felt the same.

    His perspective was shaped by his origin from a country with 70% mountainous terrain.

    "Phew. This is tough."

    As they took a break, a woman named Emily took off her boots to reveal her bare feet.

    Thepany''s people nced sideways, while the mercenaries tantly stared at Emily''s white and pretty feet.

    "My legs feel like they''re going to break."

    "Our pretty girl, are your legs hurting? Should I massage them for you?"

    Among the three travelers gathered to cross Dragon Mountain, surprisingly, two were women.

    One was Emily.

    The redhead was a courtesan apanying the mercenaries.

    She had joined them in the previous vige under a contract and was nning to part ways in the next.

    "Hmm, could you touch my calves, then?"

    "Of course."

    The mercenary leader John kneaded Emily''s legs like dough.

    Emily flirtatiously provoked John''s lust.

    A courtesan gets paid for each encounter.

    Sensing that the mercenaries were beginning to tire of her body, she was aiming for onest profitable engagement.

    "Hey, Cassie! How about a massage for you too?"

    A lecherous glint shed in John''s eyes.

    The woman called Cassie was incredibly beautiful.

    Even though she half-covered her face with a travel hood, everyone had already seen her bare face.

    Her delicate features and mncholic eyes exuded elegance, a purity far from a worn-out courtesan like Emily.

    An unblemished purity that one yearns to tarnish and defile.

    "John? What are you doing? Massage harder."

    As John''s attention shifted to Cassie, Emily, with a coquettish voice, fiddled with John''s chin.

    Her heart was boiling with jealousy towards Cassie, but she couldn''t show it outwardly.

    Whether Emily flirted or not, John''s gaze was fixated on Cassie.

    Emily bit her lip secretly.

    "Thanks, but I''ll pass."

    Cassie, like a haughty cat, refused John''s offer, only further inming his desires.

    ''Damn, ying hard to get. B*tch.''

    Just yesterday, John had propositioned Cassie for prostitution, offering money for her to sleep with him.

    But Cassie had declined.

    John couldn''t understand why a woman traveling alone would refuse a man''s protection.

    It would be much safer for her to apany the mercenaries.

    Why refuse?

    Just one night would ensure her protection.

    Yet she declined.

    ''I''ll have her undressed before we cross the mountain.''

    John was about to stand up to intensify his efforts in seducing Cassie.

    But an unexpected voice interrupted at the most unexpected moment.

    "What?"

    It was Rick.

    And the person Rick was talking to...

    ''A kid?''

    The third traveler, exuding an air of naivety.

    It was Ian Raven.

    Just moments ago, Ian and Rick had been engaged in light chitchat.

    Rick, being the owner of the tradingpany, had no friends, and Ian, as an outsider, knew no one.

    Naturally, the two becamepanions in conversation.

    "So, what do you do that has you wandering around alone?"

    From appearances alone, Ian''s identity was a mystery.

    Not a knight, it seemed.

    A noble?

    But he would have been treated with disdain if he were.

    Then, a bard?

    Or a schr?

    Ian''s next words took Rick by surprise.

    "I''m a wizard."

    "...What?"

    The word "wizard" carries a profoundly powerful resonance among the empire''s citizens.

    Upon hearing it, Rick automatically switched to formal speech as if under a spell.

    Huh?

    Speaking formally to a wizard is justmon sense.

    "A, a, a wizard, you say?"

    Ian tilted his head, puzzled at the suddenly malfunctioning Rick.

    Just the word ''wizard'' and this guy breaks down.

    How fragile.

    But Ian didn''t know Rick''s circumstances.

    In the empire, wizards are like nobles.

    No, they are nobles.

    Formoners like Rick, a wizard is someone who could erase them with a mere gesture.

    "Is there a problem?"

    "No, no... I was just too rude..."

    "Just speak as you were. I''m amoner. Ian, a farmer''s son."

    Ian spoke as gently as possible, still not fully adjusted to the ss system.

    However, Rick was already shuddering, recalling the 39 mistakes he had made towards Ian so far.

    ''Damn it...! What have I done...!''

    How dare he speak informally to a wizard.

    How dare he offer a wizard a poor bed.

    How dare he feed a wizard pig slop!

    Truthfully, the greater faulty with Ian for not starting the conversation with ''I''m a wizard,'' right off the bat.

    Rick isn''t a mind-reader; how was he supposed to know Ian''s thoughts?

    But Ian, still unustomed to this medieval fantasy world, hadn''t thought of that simple fact.

    Whether Ian used formal speech or not, Rick was obliged to use honorifics with him.

    That''s the special status of wizards.

    And another thing.

    Among the citizens of the empire, a certain false belief wasmonly epted as truth: ''All wizards are entric lunatics.''

    This misconception has bizarrely evolved into ''A wizard who doesn''t act strangely isn''t normal.''

    Absurdly, a kind, polite, and sensible wizard is disregarded by the public.

    ''It''s impossible for my wizard to be this nice!'' was the prevailing sentiment.

    Conversely, when a wizard does something insane, peopleugh it off, saying, ''Yes, that''s how a wizard should be!'' and feel relieved.

    It was a seriously twisted image.

    ''But is he really a wizard?''

    Rick was slightly skeptical about Ian.

    Because... Ian didn''t seem entric at all!

    Rick was a victim of this misguided belief.

    However, he wasn''t foolish enough to voice his doubts out loud.

    If Ian were a real wizard, he''d definitely be a crazy entric, and Rick feared that any hint of suspicion might provoke Ian to kill him.

    "Ah, no, not at all..."

    "Really, can''t you just speak casually like before?"

    Ian, still loosely grasping the concept of a ss-based society, wanted to remain simply travelpanions with Rick.

    However, now that Rick knew Ian was a wizard, it was impossible for him to speak informally.

    ''Aigo! If I did that, I would be putting my life at risk!''

    Nobility are like campfires.

    They illuminate the darkness, ward off beasts, and provide warmth.

    But if you get too close, you get burned.

    Throughout history, those who crossed the line with nobility have perished.

    It has always been this way, and it will continue to be so.

    Rick had no intention of walking a tightrope with Ian.

    "Do as you please, then."

    After several attempts at persuasion were ignored, Ian simply gave up.

    ''... Huh?''

    Feeling the weight of many gazes, Ian looked around.

    The way people looked at him had changed.

    In their eyes, he sensed fear and suspicion.

 Chapter 10:

    Chapter 10:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "Sir Wizard! Did you enjoy your meal?"

    After revealing himself as a wizard, Ian became an outcast.

    There seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, preventing people from approaching.

    No one dared toe near Ian.

    ''It''s strange.''

    Ian felt slightly hurt by the way people looked at him as if he were a monster.

    If Ian had been an easy target, perhaps they would have shouted, ''Yikes! A monster! Get out of our establishment!''

    However, there was no one bold enough to openly reject Ian.

    Not even one person tried to verify if Ian truly was a wizard.

    As soon as Ian dered ''I am a wizard,'' he became one.

    There was a reason for this.

    When someone ims to be a noble, there are specific people designated to verify this truth.

    Amongmoners, it''s the intellectuals, and among nobles, it''s other nobles or clergy.

    However, questioning someone''s status is considered extremely rude and dishonorable.

    For instance, if someone says, ''I am a knight,'' and someone else asks, ''Are you really a knight?'' it would be taken as a grave insult.

    It''s like saying, ''You don''t seem like a knight. How dare you im to be one? I don''t sense the soul of a knight in you!''

    This would immediately lead to a duel.

    That''s why nobles memorize the names of other noble families'' members.

    At least having heard the name, they avoid the rudeness of questioning someone who ims, ''I am a noble.''

    Still, it''s impossible to memorize all the lesser-known families...

    But in a low-life party made up of petty merchants and thugs, there''s no such thing as a nobility detector.

    So the moment Ian dered himself a wizard, he was epted as one.

    No one could dispute it!

    "Here, give me your dishes. I''ll wash them up nice and clean."

    A woman clinging to Ian with a nasal voice.

    Her name was Emily, wasn''t it?

    As if to prove she was a prostitute, she used the term wash instead of clean.

    Who in their right mind would wash dishes?

    Ian, not prejudiced against prostitutes, found Emily bothersome.

    She was nning to improve her life by getting physically close to an innocent wizard!

    The end goal for a prostitute is marriage, ideally marrying up.

    So, it was natural for Emily to set her sights on Ian.

    "No need. I''ll do it myself."

    "Aww~ How can a wizard like you do such a menial task like dishwashing~ Dishwashing is a woman''s job~"

    Seeing Emily wink, Ian felt a chill run through his body.

    He had no intention of sharing a bed with Emily.

    Primarily for psychological reasons.

    He was ufortable with affectionless sex.

    Secondly, for hygienic reasons; he was afraid of catching some disease.

    Ian wasn''t sure if there was magic to cure diseases, nor had he learned it.

    Thest thing he wanted was to die of an STD after all the trouble of bing a wizard.

    "Just give it here."

    Ian preferred to take care of his own dishes.

    He couldn''t trust the hygiene standards of these people.

    He spotted some clean, stagnant water nearby.

    Picking up his dishes, Ian stood up.

    He heard snickeringughter behind him.

    "Sir Wizard is so kind. Doing the dishes himself to spare our Emily the trouble."

    "Let him be. He seems to like doing dishes."

    Ian nced back briefly.

    Who were these swollen-headed fools daring to mock a wizard?

    But his mockers were indeed swollen-headed fools - mercenaries.

    Living day-to-day on the edge of a sword, these people would only tremble when a de was in their face.

    To them, Ian being a wizard... ''So what?''

    Moreover, they were the core strength of the party, so Ian couldn''t just dismiss them.

    "..."

    Ian pondered seriously.

    Should he maintain his dignity by having Emily do the dishes?

    But fluctuating between decisions would likely look worse.

    Ian shrugged.

    What did it matter if he looked good to the mercenaries?

    He decided to ignore them and walked away, dish in hand.

    ---

    ---

    Solo actions were typically forbidden, but this rule didn''t apply to Ian, the wizard.

    He found some water collected in a rock crevice and whistled.

    "[Rise.]"

    As Ian spoke in thenguage of magic, the water in the puddle began to stir.

    He brought his dish near, and the water moved to it.

    "[Move.]"

    The water spun around, cleaning the dish automatically.

    Moving a small amount of water like this was a piece of cake for him.

    Some might say, did he learn magic just to do dishes?

    To that, Ian would respond:

    Ah, this is why I learned magic.

    The water cleans the dish on its own?

    How can one not get excited about that?

    If this isn''t a dreame true, then what is?

    Ian was smiling contentedly when he heard a voice behind him.

    "So you really are a wizard?"

    Startled, Ian turned around.

    "Ah! You scared me!"

    He paused as he faced the speaker.

    Was her name Cassie?

    One of the three travelers.

    Unlike Emily, who had a cheap aura, this woman exuded a sense of nobility.

    But why was she here?

    "Do wizards get scared too?"

    "Have you never seen a surprised wizard before?"

    "Well, it''s my first time seeing a wizard, so I don''t really know."

    Cassie removed her hood, revealing her beautiful ck-blue hair cascading down like a waterfall.

    She was as stunning as an elf, a race known for their beauty.

    But her attitude was far from pleasant.

    "You. You''re so different from what I thought."

    "What are you talking about?"

    Ian was at a loss for words at Cassie''s blunt words.

    Ian wasn''t someone to fulfill others'' fantasies.

    Why should he care if he didn''t meet her expectations?

    "Stalking me and then saying I''m not what you expected?"

    "I told you, until a moment ago, I thought you were a fake."

    "...Why?"

    Ian was genuinely curious.

    What criteria did these fantasy world inhabitants use to judge a wizard?

    "You''re too ordinary."

    That was still eptable.

    "And too nice."

    That was the problem.

    "Being nice is a problem? What kind of nonsense is that?"

    Ian raised his voice in utter disbelief.

    But Cassie''s response was something else.

    "Oh."

    ''Oh'', she stopped with that exmation.

    "That was kind of wizard-like."

    "...What exactly do you think a wizard is?"

    "Prickly and entric."

    Ian was speechless at the fantasy world''s stereotypes.

    A wizard isn''t some foul-mouthed olddy.

    They don''t enjoy or excel at swearing!

    What do you people think wizards are!

    "Still, you seem a bit weak."

    Cassie slightly furrowed her brows, even that looked pretty.

    "You. You don''t usually curse, do you?"

    "...Of course not."

    "I thought as much. You should swear a bit. What did you do until you became a wizard that you didn''t even learn to swear?"

    Her words were like scratching at Ian''s insides.

    He felt so wronged he wanted to introduce her to Eredith.

    "The mercenaries are ignoring you. You know about that, right?"

    "Sort of."

    Cassie lightly tapped Ian''s shoulder.

    His shoulder twitched slightly under her touch.

    "Go and create a fuss. Stir things up to establish some discipline."

    "Why should I?"

    The mercenaries'' disregard wasn''t important to Ian.

    As long as he safely passed through here, that was enough.

    They were people he''d never see again in his life, so what did it matter if those mayflies gossiped about Ian?

    However, he couldn''t help but pay attention to Cassie''s next words.

    "You need to do it so that when something happens, the mercenaries will protect you."

    "..."

    That was indeed, a piece of solid advice.

    ---

    ---

    Ian admitted that he had been mistaken about something.

    Merchants like Rick naturally feared him.

    A wizard has connections with nobility, and merchants can''t survive without bowing to nobles.

    But the mercenaries were different.

    They are loyal only to their employer and often betray even them.

    If the party''s situation turned dire, would the mercenaries fight to the death or flee?

    Obviously, they''d flee.

    Even if a hundred Ians'' lives were at stake, they''d still run.

    A mercenary is a force, but an uncontroble one.

    And in this ce, Ian was the only one who could control the mercenaries.

    ''Yeah. Let''s create a fuss... make a scene...''

    Cassie''s advice was simple and clear.

    Instill fear in the mercenaries with aggressive behavior.

    If they fear Ian more than the enemy, they won''t run away and will fight to protect him.

    "Sir Wizard! Did you enjoy your meal?"

    Despite being rebuffed multiple times, Emily did not give up on Ian.

    She was tenaciously clinging to him.

    This was a good opportunity to instill fear in people.

    Ian steeled himself and acted aggressively.

    "Hey. This dish. Go wash it."

    He... actually threw the dish!

    Emily''s eyes widened in shock.

    Not because she was impressed by Ian''s charismatic act, but because of his sudden awkward behavior.

    From a distance, Cassie was seen sneakily turning her head.

    Ian couldn''t understand.

    Why?

    He was doing well.

    And why was his face turning red?

    Was he embarrassed?

    However, Ian was confident.

    In front of everyone!

    He had actually thrown a dinner te!

    How cruel!

    Could this lead to murder?

    ...Not at all.

    Emily, long ustomed to being disrespected, found Ian''s behavior perfectly natural.

    Yeah!

    That''s more like a wizard!

    "Yes, Sir Wizard! Leave it to me!"

    "...?"

    Ian couldn''t understand why his action had no effect.

    Doesn''t she have any self-respect?

    Is this really okay?

    Ian, not a true medieval person, was still unaware of the terrifying aspects of a ss-based society.

    The beautiful way in which various forms of violence were ingrained in a society that strictly distinguished between the lowly and the noble.

    "Hehe. Sir Wizard is giving orders."

    "Lucky, Emily."

    The mercenaries didn''t bat an eye.

    They still did not fear Ian.

    ''Ah, what to do?''

    To solve this problem, he had to dredge up anger from deep within.

    If he was genuinely angry, he could sufficiently lose it.

    But how could he be angry now?

    He was the one oppressing.

    Ian, being an introvert, found it overwhelming even to express anger.

    However, the breakthrough came from an unexpected ce.

    "Ptui..."

    "...?"

    Ian couldn''t believe his eyes.

    What... what did he just see?

    Emily, who had taken Ian''s dish, spat a sticky saliva into it while locking eyes with him.

    She then sensuously smiled and ced a leaf in the dish.

    And began to rub it clean...

    Ian''s eyes flipped.

    That crazy woman!

    She spat in my dish!

    "Aaaaaah! What are you doing! You b*tch!"

    "Wh... what?"

    "You b*tch! I told you to clean it! Who told you to ruin my dish!"

    Krrrrrr...

    Ian dredged up energy from deep within, unleashing a terrifying roar.

    This crazy woman!

    As Ian, a wizard, exploded in genuine anger, the mystery of nature resonated with his fury.

    Krrrrrr...

    "Ugh!"

    "What, what is this?"

    The wind howled, the ground trembled.

    Leaves fluttered, producing a sinister sound like screams.

    "Sir Wizard! I''m sorry! I was wrong!"

    A startled Emily prostrated herself on the ground.

    In truth, she didn''t know what she had done wrong.

    When the wizard got angry, she reflexively begged for her life!

    "Who the hell! Damn it! Told you to spit in my dish!"

    "But! To wash the dish, moisture is needed..."

    "Then wash with water! You crazy woman!"

    "But, the water is dirty!"

    Oops.

    Ian grabbed the back of his neck and copsed.

    He had fallen victim to his longstanding ailment: [Medieval Hygiene Standards]...

    The mercenaries watching this scene felt a spine-chilling fear.

    ''What, what''s this?''

    The skill with which he berated a servant trying to do dishes was no ordinary feat!

    ''That wizard is... entric!''

 Chapter 11:

    Chapter 11:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Where did it all go wrong in this world?

    Ian, true to his role as a wizard who explores mysteries, set out to find the reason behind Emily''s twisted concept of hygiene.

    The reason was not hard to uncover.

    Firstly, among the medieval folks, there were indeed those who genuinely believed water was filthy.

    Proudly, Emily was one of them.

    ''Water is so dirty, full of lime, mud, parasites... absolutely filthy!''

    A fastidious medieval person with strict hygiene standards.

    Thus, these ''clean'' medieval people, like modern folks who always carry hand sanitizers and alcohol, and manage hygiene solely with personal items, acknowledged only the pure water from the sky  that is, rainwater  as true water.

    Water from othernds?

    Oh, its dirty.

    Contaminated.

    But just as modern people who vigorously scrub surfaces with disinfectants might be thought ''crazy'',

    Most other medieval folks thought those who actually lived on just rainwater were ''out of their minds''.

    Most people just casually drank well water, spring water, or river water.

    Of course, they didn''t think the water was clean but rather thought, ''It''s dirty, but boiling it should make it okay''.

    Indeed, drinking water directly from the wild could soon lead to parasitic infections and food poisoning.

    Naturally, boiling water was the correct approach.

    However, Ian and the Rabbit Foot Company had not lit a fire for several days now.

    They were close to the end of their journey, and lighting a fire might provoke a drake, a risk they didn''t want to take.

    In other words, Emily''s conclusion that ''water fallen on the ground, dirty and unboiled, cannot be used'' was a perfectly logical decision.

    To top it off.

    Second reason.

    Emily was a prostitute (not an insult).

    Most men she met had no qualms about exchanging saliva with her.

    In fact, they enjoyed it more when Emily licked her lips and spat.

    That''s why she assumed Ian would be fine with it.

    "Amazing, these medieval folks."

    "...Yes?"

    Ian decided not to tackle the hygiene issue anymore.

    It was just a pain. Only a loss for himself.

    "From now on, when you do the dishes, just fetch some water in a pot."

    "But, Sir Wizard. The water..."

    "I''ll boil it, so just bring it."

    Ian grumbled and took care of his own dish.

    The thought of that damned woman spitting in it made him feel disgustingly ufortable.

    During their walk, Ian stealthily collected some water to rewash his dish.

    "Sir Wizard. It''s about time for our meal..."

    "What?"

    "Eek! No, nothing!"

    Rick now openly regarded Ian as a monster.

    Up until now, Ian had always used politenguage, but as Rick''s reaction crossed the line, Ian''s desire to be polite vanished.

    So, he spoke as he pleased.

    "Hey, mister. Got a problem with me?"

    "No! No! How could that be! Hehe."

    Rick forced a sycophantic smile, the same one he had often shown before the nobility, that smile of the ss system.

    Having confirmed that Rick hadpletely masked his true self, Ian decided not to invest any more emotions in him.

    ''I thought we could bepanions on the road.''

    In a society with a strict ss system, it wasnt easy for just anyone to be friends.

    While creative works often depict friendships transcending social status, these are rare in reality and thus be notable stories.

    "Sir Wizard! Is the meal to your liking?"

    "Is there anything ufortable?"

    "If there''s anything you need, just tell us!"

    Ironically, after distancing himself from Rick, the servility of the workers and mercenaries increased significantly.

    ustomed to a hierarchical society, they instinctively recognized Ian as the most powerful person there.

    Ian''s entric wizard performance also contributed to solidifying his status.

    ''What''s really going on?''

    Ian was baffled.

    When he was polite and treated them well, they ignored him.

    But after he showed anger, they groveled as if ready to sacrifice anything for him.

    Ian still didn''t understand.

    That it wasnt warm kindness but cold fear that moved human hearts.

    "Sir Wizard! Ive brought water!"

    After being scolded by Ian, even Emily, who came from a lower social background, approached him with an ingratiating attitude, used to serving those above her.

    "Gather some twigs and start a fire."

    Upon Ian''smand, one of the workers made a cringing face.

    "But Sir Wizard... won''t lighting a fire attract the drake''s attention?"

    The worker''s gaze was fixed solely on Ian.

    His original employer, Rick, didn''t even register in his eyes.

    "It''s just for a moment, so don''t worry."

    "Yes, sir! I''ll light it then!"

    The worker immediately created a small fire.

    Despite the risk of attracting a drake, they followed the wizard''smand, showing immense trust in Ian.

    They believed Ian would handle everything, even if a drake appeared.

    But Ian... had no such concerns.

    ''It should be fine.''

    They were close to descending the mountain.

    Nothing had happened so far, so he assumed nothing would happen going forward.

    And besides, the drake wasnt some kind of forest ranger.

    Would it really attack them over a small fire?

    Ian began chanting in the magicalnguage in front of the small fire he made with a flint.

    [Ignite].

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, the mes zed up.

    The sight of arge fire emerging from a small bundle of twigs was nothing short of mystical.

    Ian boiled the water Emily had fetched.

    "Wow!"

    "That''s real magic!"

    The mercenaries, witnessing the marvel before their eyes, each eximed in awe.

    "Be quiet."

    "Yes, Sir Wizard!"

    And as Ian curtly rebuked them, they shut their mouths, seemingly pleased.

    ''Masochists.''

    He couldn''t fathom why they enjoyed being scolded by a wizard.

    Trembling, Emily finished washing the dishes with the hot water.

    "Ah... this is it... this cleanliness! This is what I wanted!"

    Ian, holding the warm dish,ughed wickedly.

    Making Emily wash the dishes with boiling water and chuckling at her struggles, he looked like a mad wizard from afar.

    The mercenaries trembled in fear once more at the sight of Ian.

    ''To wash dishes with that hot water...!''

    ''Such a bizarre wizard...!''

    ''I thought he was a bit odd before... but now I see he''s the real deal.''

    To the mercenaries, Ian was the epitome of ''real.''

    ---

    ---

    For several days, Captain John of the mercenaries had been in a foul mood.

    "Cassie, have you thought about my offer..."

    "Didn''t I tell you it''s not necessary?"

    ''That damn woman.''

    It was all because he was making no progress with the beautiful Cassie.

    If things had gone as nned, he would have secretly called Cassie out every night, sweet-talked her, threatened her, and by now, he should have achieved his goal.

    But Cassie, that woman, treated mercenaries like nothing.

    No matter what John said, she ignored him and only focused on her duties.

    John was genuinely infuriated by her disrespectful attitude.

    Do my words sound like a joke to her?

    Is Captain John of the Bloodied Brotherhood to be taken lightly?

    I''ve made it this far by pushing aside the capable and disposing of the weak.

    Cassie, I have a heart too.

    If you trample on my feelings like this, I''ll turn into a thug!

    The women John had encountered before usually didn''t resist to this extent and stripped at hismand.

    Who in their right mind wouldn''t strip when threatened with a knife?

    That''s why John had never failed to get a woman he set his eyes on.

    This time too, he nned to threaten Cassie with a knife to undress, just like he always did.

    Once he seeded in sleeping with her once, everything else would follow smoothly.

    If sheplied, he would keep her as his toy; if not, he would hand her over to his men.

    With Cassie''s looks, she could rival any noblewoman, so he had even thought about making her his wife.

    In this era, being a wife wasnt much of anything.

    Once she''s pregnant, how could she run away with a child in her belly?

    They would end up living together somehow.

    Once she gets attached, she wouldnt think of running away.

    After all, being a mercenary, isn''t it all about getting a pretty wife and living well?

    So he was trying to get a pretty wife...

    "Hey, what are we going to do about Cassie?"

    "Erhm. About that, Captain?"

    If he got Cassie, he promised to share her with his men.

    That was part of the deal.

    But as the journey neared its end, his men showed no sign of action.

    "Hey r*pe is a bit..."

    "What?"

    "I mean, we''re not criminals..."

    John was dumbfounded by his suddenly righteous men.

    What happened?

    Did they all attend Saint Francesca''s moral lecture in their dreams?

    Had they all forgotten those beautiful days in the vast ins, where John and his men rampaged through the viges like a herd of bison, ravaging country maidens?

    But soon enough, John grasped the situation.

    "Got cold feet?"

    "Erhm, it''s not that..."

    "Scared, you cowards!"

    His men were now wary of the wizard!

    When Rick was the leader of the group, there was nothing to worry about.

    Rick and Cassie were strangers, and as long as the mercenaries fulfilled their duties, they wouldnt interfere with each other.

    However, now that the wizard had be the center of the group, things were different.

    That dark-haired wizard was a quirky psycho, just as themon rumors suggested.

    Unpredictable, it was only natural to be cautious around him.

    Picking a fight with a wizard over a woman would be foolish beyond measure.

    "You idiots. Are you going to miss out on a precious woman like Cassie just because you''re scared of that damn wizard?"

    "uh, ''damn wizard''?"

    The mercenaries shivered.

    They were afraid of the wizard.

    Their fear of the wizard stemmed from two main reasons.

    First, there was a rumor that if you offend a wizard, you get cursed.

    Being superstitious, the mercenaries were particrly sensitive about curses.

    The second reason was more practical.

    Wizards were closely connected with the nobility, and offending one could ruin your life.

    No matter how young he was, they couldnt underestimate Ian.

    Who knew what powerful archwizard or noble Ian might be close with?

    "And Cassie. She doesn''t seem like an ordinarymoner..."

    "So damn it, we have to take her now!"

    John was fervent in his speech.

    "If shes hiding her noble identity, why the hell do you think shes hiding it? Because revealing it would screw her over!"

    "Then maybe we can slowly investigate after we descend..."

    "Shell run away by then!"

    The men shook their heads.

    John''s argument was hard to buy.

    It seemed like just an excuse to justify his desire for Cassie.

    "Alright, alright, Captain."

    Even if John acted like a sex-crazed parrot, he was still their captain.

    The captain can throw a tantrum.

    What''s the point of being a captain if you can''t?

    The wizard might be a concern, but maybe they could get away with it if they were discreet.

    After all, the wizard was aplete stranger to Cassie too.

    "When are we doing it?"

    "Tonight."

    "If it goes south, we''ll pretend we knew nothing. I''ll take over as the next captain."

    "Fine, damn it. You talk too much for someone whos getting a piece."

    Deciding there was no more time to waste, John nned to stealthily assault Cassie that very night.

    His ''kind heart'' was trampled upon, and he became a thug.

    In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.

    The mercenaries, having drawn the night watch duties to themselves, moved secretly.

    "Wheres Cassie?"

    "She went down to pee for a bit."

    "Damn, the heavens are helping us."

    John, with a full smile, followed after Cassie.

    Rustle, rustle.

    In the darkness, a moving figure appeared.

    ...?

    John''s eyes widened.

    What is this?

    It wasn''t Cassie.

    The figure was toorge to be her.

    It was an assant.

    An unknown assant was carrying Cassie off...?

    Who''s there!

    One of the mercenaries shouted angrily.

    The moment John realized what was happening.

    Choke!

    A flying dagger, cutting through the darkness, pierced the neck of the mercenary.

    Uh... what?

    The subordinate, like a wine bottle with its cork removed, gushed blood profusely.

    A three-second pause in thought.

    And then.

    You bastard!

    John, with a face twisted like a demon, drew his sword and charged at the assant.

 Chapter 12:

    Chapter 12:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    ''Bloody John'' is not a name won in a card game.

    It''s because he usually messes around like a s*x maniac.

    John is a skilled mercenary.

    "Die! Die!"

    John charged at the bandit in the lead.

    Although the bandit''s face was covered with cloth, John realized that his opponent was also a sellsword, just like him.

    "Damn you, you little sh*t, for my brother!"

    John swung his sword at the bandit like a raging boar.

    With no choice, the bandit threw their target onto the ground and drew his sword to block John''s attack.

    "Boss! We''re going in!"

    "Yaaaaaaah! Damn bastards!"

    John''s brothers also charged fiercely, following their leader.

    They didn''t care how many enemies there were or who they were targeting.

    It was too dark to see anything anyway.

    They just clung to anyone who looked like an enemy and beheaded them.

    That was all.

    The sound of cold steel shing, human screams, and blood spraying were chaotically loud.

    Perhaps because of that.

    In the midst of the turbulent chaos, the mercenaries failed to notice a woman escaping the battlefield.

    Having gained her freedom, Cassie sprinted through the darkness with all her might.

    Screech!

    "The target is escaping!"

    The bandits chased after Cassie like mas.

    "Where do you think you''re going, you bastards!"

    Leaving the mercenaries behind, Cassie ran.

    Heading straight for the wizard.

    She didn''t stop her legs.

    ---

    ---

    "Sir Wizard! Sir Wizard!"

    Startled by the urgent calls, Ian opened his eyes.

    ''What''s going on?''

    As soon as he regained his senses, Ian heard the ground thumping.

    The earth seemed to be warning him with a roar.

    [Humans! Humans areing!]

    "What''s happening?"

    "Big trouble! Bandits! We''re surrounded by bandits!"

    Rick rambled in panic.

    The other workers were hastily preparing to flee with the bare minimum of their belongings.

    ''Bandits?''

    It seemed strange, but Ian thought it was possible.

    This area was known for Drake sightings, but for someone starving and near death, a Drake was the least of their concerns.

    They had chosen to gamble their lives - either die at the hands of a Drake or survive.

    Ian and his group were just unlucky.

    ''The mercenaries... they must be fighting.''

    Ian guessed the mercenaries'' situation from the rumbling sound.

    Judging by the sound of people scrambling nearby, they seemed to be still fighting.

    "The mercenaries are buying us time. You need to get to safety now!"

    Rick ruthlessly wrote off the mercenaries.

    No one thought Rick''s decision was strange.

    Mercenaries are hired precisely for such situations.

    It''s good if they repel the enemy; if not, so be it.

    ''Sigh. This sucks.''

    Ian slowly regted his breath, calming his pounding heart.

    Being attacked by a band of armed robbers in the middle of the night was a truly unique experience.

    ''Unique'' is too mild a term.

    It was closer to a terrible experience.

    As if drenched in cold water, he painfully realized the fact that he had reincarnated in this godforsaken medieval fantasy world!

    "Rick."

    "Yes, yes! Wizard sir!"

    "If we get caught, we''ll die, won''t we?"

    "... They probably won''t kill us. But they will sell us into very."

    A dark shadow fell across Rick''s face.

    Freemen captured by bandits usually end up as ves.

    Unless their rtives pay a ransom, they must work off their value throughbor.

    Most of the Rabbit Foot Company''s men are the breadwinners of families with no other source of ie.

    If they fall, their families spiral into ruin.

    Wives resort to manualbor or prostitution.

    Children are sent into unpaidbor in exchange for food and shelter.

    That''s often the grim fate of a family without its head.

    "Then we need to escape as quickly as possible."

    The thought of the future was daunting.

    However, Ian''s calm tone filled Rick''s heart with hope.

    Ordinary men from thepany would have little chance of escaping from the brutal bandits.

    But here, they have one of the Empire''s top talents, a ''wizard.''

    The wizard''s alias is ''the miracle worker.''

    He turns the impossible into possible and weaves miracles into reality.

    The workers quickly gathered only the most valuable items, leaving the rest to distract the bandits.

    The n was to make a swift escape while the bandits were preupied!

    "Has everyone got what they need?"

    "Yes!"

    Ian was about to lead the workers away from the site.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Pant... Pant...!"

    Cassie emerged from the darkness.

    "Wizard!"

    Gasping, she ced her hand on Ian''s shoulder.

    "Please... help me."

    Ian, looking at her drenched in sweat, nodded.

    It seemed she was being chased by bandits.

    Naturally, he had to help.

    It wouldn''t be right to just leave her behind and escape, would it?

    "Follow me closely."

    "Okay!"

    Thepany workers and travelers all looked towards Ian.

    Ian closed his eyes momentarily, focusing his mind.

    [Humans! Come this way!]

    [y with us!]

    [Let''s do something fun! With us!]

    The yful whispering voices were directed at him.

    Usually barely audible, but in pitch darkness, their shy voices faintly reached him.

    The voice of darkness.

    "[Darkness]."

    As soon as Ian chanted in the magicalnguage, pitch-ck darkness gathered around him like a cloud.

    "Eek!"

    "Wha, Wizard Sir?"

    The innocentpany workers screamed in fright at the chilling sight.

    The faint moonlight had made it possible to just discern the outlines of objects, but the darkness summoned by the wizard turned the surroundings into a realm of perfect darkness.

    "Everyone, hold onto the person in front of you. We''ll escape in this direction."

    "Yes... Yes! Everyone, hold hands with the person next to you! Quickly!"

    After summoningplete darkness, Ian then cast the next spell.

    "[Darkness, light the way!]"

    [Dark Magic  Darkvision Cast.]

    A spell that allows one to see in the dark as if it were broad daylight.

    As the casting finished, Ian could see the people fumbling around him.

    In the pitch-ck darkness, they couldn''t even find the hand of the person right in front of them.

    Ian kindly helped those who couldn''t find a partner and connected them.

    Cassie, too, was wandering, so he lent her his coat''s edge.

    "Let''s go."

    "Okay!"

    Ian walked through the night, shrouded in pitch-ck darkness.

    Soon, a band of bandits was trailing them.

    "Damn."

    Ian watched as the bandits openly panicked.

    A curtain of ck darkness, as blinding as being blindfolded, blocked their path, and they dared not jump into it.

    One bandit bravely stepped into the darkness.

    "[Earth, rise!]"

    Ian summoned a small stone to trip the bandit, causing him to fall.

    Blinded and now tripped, the bandit''s morale plummeted, and they dared not continue the chase.

    "Sir, Sir Wizard..."

    "Everyone, keep quiet. Don''t make any noise and follow slowly."

    Thepany workers were asionally startled by the sound of footsteps, but they trusted Ian and moved slowly.

    The strategy was paying off.

    Moving quietly, shrouded in darkness, and confusing the enemies...

    They scattered in all directions, unable to continue their pursuit.

    "Damn it! Find them! Find them somehow!"

    The bandits lit torches btedly, but there weren''t many.

    A few torches were no match for Ian''s magic.

    "[Wind, arise!]"

    Ian created gusts of wind to snuff out each torch as it appeared.

    Groans and cries like screams filled the air among the bandits.

    "A wizard! It''s a wizard!"

    "Damn it! The wizard is over there!"

    "Light the torches again! He must have his limits!"

    Despite the odds, the bandits persisted like mad dogs, refusing to give up the chase.

    At this point, Ian became curious.

    Really, what''s with these guys?

    Thepany has a wizard, yet they still don''t give up.

    What honey did they put on thepany?

    "Over here! This way!"

    Finally, one of the bandits managed to dispel the darkness with a torch.

    [Ouch! No!]

    The darkness cried out shrilly.

    Ian immediately targeted the torch-bearing bandit and uttered the magic words.

    "[Fire, ze up!]"

    Whoosh!

    The torch red up explosively, gruesomely burning the upper body of the bandit.

    "Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!"

    The sizzling sound and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the dark forest.

    ''It''s time to escape.''

    Ian sighed.

    After showing off such a performance, burning a man alive.

    Will they stille at us?

    You fools?

    However, while theirrade was burning alive, the rest of the bandits were stealthily approaching.

    "Here! Kill the wizard!"

    ''Are theypletely insane?''

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Strangely, the bandits didn''t flee.

    What kind of bandit risks their life to attack someone?

    Is this the norm for bandits in this era?

    "Everyone... prepare forbat."

    Ian took a deep breath and calmly issued thebat orders.

    Now that they were this close, they had to resolve the situation through closebat.

    Yes, thest resort of a wizard who has used all his magic... bes a warrior wizard.

    Breaking the enemy''s skull with a weapon!

    As Ian''smand was given, thepany workers drew their daggers and clubs, their hands trembling.

    Amidst the suffocating tension...

    "Kill them!"

    The bandit''s order was issued.

    And in that moment, as the bandits charged in unison...

    Crunch!

    Out of the darkness, a massive maw snapped forward, tearing apart the upper half of a bandit.

    "...Huh?"

    The light from the burning corpse illuminated the monster.

    Glistening scales.

    A terrifying face that sent shivers down the spine, and a massive body like a moving boulder...

    It was a Drake.

    The true master of the mountain appeared, crunching the bandit''s torso like a chicken leg...!

 Chapter 13:

    Chapter 13:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Drake is a monster.

    This is a fact assured by his master, Eredith.

    Drake''s danger had been drilled into Ian''s ears frequently enough to be annoying.

    ''Never! Never fight! Don''t even look back, just run! Always think only of escaping!''

    Drake is a monstrous beast powerful enough to confront an army alone.

    A body as massive as moving rocks.

    Thick scales that deflect axes and hammers.

    Acidic liquid secreted from poison lines throughout his body when stressed.

    Even his breath contains hallucinogenic bacteria.

    At this point, it''s doubtful if he''s a naturally born creature or a bio-weapon created for a specific purpose.

    A handful of bandits and some merchants'' workers.

    Along with a wizard, a traveler, and a prostitute.

    Against such a small pile of humans, there''s no way to subdue this fantasy  this monster.

    Drake finishes chewing a bandit he was eating and lets out a ferocious roar.

    [Krowarararara!]

    Everyone, including Ian, felt an extreme fear as if their blood had frozen.

    It''s only natural to feel fear when a monster that chews humans like gum is right in front of you.

    "... Kill the wizard as quickly as possible..."

    "Son of a b*tch, are you crazy, you f*cked-up bastard!"

    The bandit leader muttered, causing a rift among the bandits.

    Although the leader sent amand an attack, almost everyone turned their backs, except for a few subordinates.

    "Run, all of you! Run if you want to live! Idiots!"

    As his subordinates turned to flee, the bandit leader had no choice but to follow.

    He hesitated, looking around, and then btedly moved.

    But he hesitated for too long.

    Crunch!

    Drake easily plucked the bandit leader''s head like picking a raspberry.

    Pressing him down with a paw and sweeping his head into his mouth, the bandit leader instantly turned into a tasty snack.

    "Ugh... Ughhh."

    "Aaaahhh!"

    The merchants'' workers screamed and retched.

    Drake''s feasting was too much for them to handle.

    Ian was shocked too.

    ''...''

    But unlike others, Ian''s mind was half-focused elsewhere.

    [You have witnessed the mystery of the primordial!]

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Summoning]

    [The ability tomunicate with and summon mystical creatures]

    A status window suddenly appeared before his eyes.

    Seeing the status window for the first time in a while, Ian found a moment of relief from his fear.

    ''Summoning?''

    Communicate with mystical creatures.

    That''s what was written in the skill window.

    Based on his experiences so far, Drake was some kind of ''mystery''.

    And if that''s a mystery.

    Through the summoning skill, he could... talk to it!

    ''There''s no other way.''

    Ian made up his mind.

    The only option Ian could rely on now was to persuade Drake using the summoning skill.

    If this fails, Ian will be killed by Drake.

    ''Decide firmly. Act confidently.''

    Ian knew that the mysteries of the world were favorably inclined towards him, though he didn''t understand why.

    Maybe it''s because he is a reincarnated being, perhaps even a human crafted from the mysteries themselves.

    One thing was certain, the mysteries had never betrayed Ian so far.

    Ian''s eyes widened.

    "[Drake!]"

    Fluent Maroniusnguage spilled from Ian''s lips.

    "Grrrr..."

    Drake turned his head in response to Ian.

    "EEK!"

    "Sir wizard...!"

    The merchants'' workers copsed on the spot, their legs giving out.

    Facing overwhelming fear, human will to fight breaks down.

    One just entrusts their fate to the mercy of the enemy.

    However, the workers were not relying on Drake''s mercy, but on Ian''s abilities.

    Believing in the miracle of the wizard.

    "[I am! Your! Friend!]"

    Ian articted the Maroniusnguage deliberately, hoping his will would be conveyed to Drake.

    "Grrrr..."

    "[Friends! Do not harm!]"

    "Grrrr..."

    "[Dislike! Fighting!]"

    "Grrrr..."

    ''No, what is he saying?''

    However, Ian''s will hit a wall.

    It seemed that Drake was reacting, so Ian''s will must be getting through.

    But Drake''s will wasn''t being conveyed to Ian at all.

    ''Is this the limit of my aptitude...''

    Ian recalled the magical knowledge taught by Eredith.

    Just as people are better at some things and worse at others, wizards also have mysteries they resonate with and those they don''t.

    In Eredith''s case, she peculiarly understood the voice of fire perfectly, bing an excellent fire wizard.

    In Ian''s case, he generally understood the voices of all mysteries.

    Probably, thanks to the skill window.

    However, he faintly felt that he was quite good at hearing the voice of darkness.

    Ian had an aptitude for dark magic.

    The important point was that Ian''s aptitude for [Summoning] was not that great.

    "Grrrr..."

    Drake still didn''t move an inch.

    Desperate measures were needed.

    ''Ah, whatever.''

    Ian summoned the skill window.

    And he invested all the bonus experience points he had umted so far into summoning.

    [Your summoning ability has greatly increased!]

    [LV UP!]

    [LV UP!]

    [Skill: Summoning  Lv 3]

    [You are quite a decent summoner]

    It was a bold investment.

    Ian didn''t know what kind of magic summoning was, but that was entirely unimportant.

    What''s the point of saving skill points when he''s about to be gum for a monster?

    As the ancient sage said, saving leads to waste.

    Having raised his summoning to level 3, Ian attempted to converse with Drake once again.

    "[Drake.]"

    Hisnguage became smoother and more natural.

    The Maroniusnguage, previously just a series of words, had be more conversational, responding to Ian''s will.

    [Damn. How many times are you going to call? If you have something to say, then say it!]

    Drake erupted in annoyance.

    He had been responding all this time, but theck of mutual understanding was frustrating.

    ''This is really effective.''

    Ian was genuinely impressed.

    Just raising the skill level a bit had led to such smoothmunication!

    What about other magics?

    Would raising their skills make conversations with mysteries easier?

    "[I do not wish to fight you.]"

    Ian started the negotiation with a calm and polite tone.

    This negotiation involved his life, the lives of the merchant workers, and the travelers.

    [Fight? That''s a joke. To me, you''re nothing but mice. Mice that dirty my house. Do you fight with mice?]

    "[You''re right, Drake. To you, we might be no more than insignificant vermin. But, Drake, if we leave cleanly on our own, there''s no need for you to engage in the worthless task of killing such trivial beings.]"

    [Hmph. Begging for your life, I see. As you said, there''s no need to bother catching and killing each one of you.]

    Ian did not smile.

    The killing intent from Drake was so intense, it felt like it was piercing his skin.

    Drake had no intention of sparing the humans yet.

    [But! Lately, I''ve been in a really bad mood. I feel like killing you to relieve my stress.]

    Drake''s gaze bore down on Ian.

    A palpable intent to kill, as if he could tear Ian apart any moment.

    ''... A head-on approach it is.''

    Ian overcame the chilling intent and continued to speak.

    "[May I ask what has upset you so much?]"

    [Hmph! Why should I? To a worthless human like you?]

    Ian immediately whispered in Maronius, invoking mysteries.

    The sky, earth, darkness, and mes moved in response to Ian''s voice.

    It was the mystery of a wizard.

    "Hmm...?"

    Drake''s killing intent lightened.

    In its ce, curiosity filled the air.

    "[As you can see, I am a wizard exploring the limits. If possible, I would like to offer my humble skills to assist you, Drake.]"

    [Ha, you have an interesting talent.]

    ''... The immediate danger is averted.''

    Drake withdrew his killing intentpletely.

    This meant he would not crush Ian immediately.

    But the negotiation had just begun.

    Ian had only sparked curiosity to buy time; he still had no idea what Drake might demand.

    ''First, keep the atmosphere light.''

    Ian recalled the magical knowledge he learned from Eredith.

    Beginning a conversation with a mystery is like taking the first step in magic.

    However, magic is onlypleted when the wizard shows his will to the mystery and realizes his intentions.

    In short, magic is a process of establishing a rtionship between the wizard and the mystery.

    This rtionship could be a friendship, a superior-subordinate dynamic, or even a strictly profit-driven business partnership.

    Each mystery has its own preferred type of rtionship...

    For a wizard, what''s crucial is their ability to navigate these rtionships.

    It''s no coincidence that wise people be wizards.

    ''Come forth, my versatile skill window!''

    Ian opened the skill window and browsed the [Summoning] section.

    There was useful information written there.

    [The most important aspect of Summoning is forming a bond with the mystical creature. The thought processes of high-intelligence mystical creatures are mostly simr to humans. Therefore, offering appropriate rituals and sacrifices can yield astonishing results.

    Excerpt from - You Can Do It Too! Summoning for Dummies! by Demonite]

    ''Rituals and sacrifices!''

    These two aspects were already emphasized in his education by Eredith.

    However, Eredith specialized in elemental magic, so he only taught about rituals and sacrifices preferred by the elements.

    Ian quickly checked the necessary rituals and sacrifices for summoning.

    ... And he couldn''t believe his eyes.

    [How to Excel at Summoning]

    [First, prepare some damn good booze and feed it. Stronger drinks for bigger creatures, aromatic ones for smaller ones.

    And tter like hell - Demonite]

    ''What the hell?''

    This is the ritual and sacrifice?

    Feeding excellent booze and ttering...?

    Ian, an introvert, was dumbfounded.

    This seemed like a ritual only extroverted people could perform!

    But Ian steeled himself once more.

    If he failed here, his life would be at stake.

    Trusting his summoning skill level, he decided to go all in.

    "[Drake, I have prepared a gift for you.]"

    [A gift?]

    "[Yes. Have you ever received a gift from a human?]"

    Drake burst intoughter at Ian''s question.

    [Not at all! Never!]

    He would need to have met a human he couldmunicate with first.

    Ian responded with a smile.

    "[I''m sure you''ll like it.]"

    Click!

    "Rick, could you go down with the people and bring some alcohol?"

    "Alcohol, sir?"

    "Yes. Preferably something strong."

    "Understood!"

    Ian watched Rick hurriedly run towards the wagons, catching his breath.

    The first step had fallen into ce.

 Chapter 14:

    Chapter 14:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Can beasts get drunk too?

    Animals in the wild would unanimously agree that they can.

    You might wonder how creatures without hands or feet can get drunk, but surprisingly, natural alcohol exists in the wild.

    Alcohol is produced when sugars ferment.

    Neglected fruits on trees, sticky tree sap, and honey-infused rotten flowers are typical sources of natural alcohol.

    Of course, this natural alcohol is not easily produced, and the quantities are quite small.

    It''s hardly enough for regr drinking and revelry.

    However, once beasts acquire a taste for alcohol, they be connoisseurs of human-made liquor.

    Whether they obtain it willingly, steal it secretly, or even break into homes to snatch it.

    Beasts that know the taste of alcohol can gulp it down quite effectively.

    Much like the Drake in front of him.

    [Ha, haha! This is great! Alcohol, I love it!]

    Drake babbled in his drunken state.

    Despite nearly finishing the entire cartload of alcohol, he didn''t copse, showing his remarkable tolerance.

    Initially, Drake was indifferent upon seeing the pile of alcohol before him.

    [A modest gift, isn''t it.]

    ssic beastly behavior from Drake, judging the quantity first.

    Ian responded calmly,

    "[Isn''t it typical for precious things to be scarce?]"

    It was a clichd sweet talk, but partly true.

    The alcohol brought by the workers was a prized possession secretly hoarded by vige brewing masters.

    Sadly, the masters'' wives had traded them for things like iron pots, and the drinks had ended up in the merchants'' hands.

    And, as expected from a vige nestled against a hill, there was a particrly high proportion of honey liquor.

    Honey liquor might sound like a sweet beverage, but it''s actually a potent spirit.

    Again, alcohol is produced when sugar dposes.

    Meaning, the sweeter the raw material, the higher the alcohol content.

    In this medieval fantasy world, the mostmonly enjoyed drink is beer, with a very low alcohol content, due to limited brewing technology.

    Had the workers brought ordinary beer, Drake might have crushed Ian underfoot, scoffing at the weak drink.

    But what was piled before Drake was the valuable honey liquor.

    "[Would you like a drink?]"

    [It smells a bit off... You''re not ying any tricks, are you, wizard?]

    Ian demonstrated by taking a sip first.

    It felt like his esophagus was burning.

    No doubt, it was a terribly strong liquor.

    After seeing Ian was fine, Drake tentatively licked the liquor.

    [Hmm... It tastes as strange as it smells. Seems like it''s gone off.]

    Despite grumbling about the odd taste and seemingly spoiled nature, Drake emptied a bottle cleanly.

    "[How do you find it?]"

    Ian waited for Drake''s reaction, maintaining his smile.

    Drake seemed displeased with Ian''s gift, grumbling in a disappointed tone.

    [This isn''t exactly delicious food. Do humans really value this stuff?]

    "[Yes, they do.]"

    [Well, I appreciate the gesture of offering something valuable.]

    Drake''s reaction was ambiguous.

    It was like gaining a meager +1 point.

    ''... But I have to keep going.''

    Trusting the advice of a summoner named Demonite, Ian decided to continue the drinking session.

    In truth, he trusted his Level 3 summoning skills more than this Demonite fellow.

    "[Have another drink. This one will taste better than thest.]"

    [Hmm? Really?]

    Enticed by the promise of a tastier drink, Drake eagerly licked his lips.

    This time, it was wine.

    The wine seemed to suit Drake''s pte better than the honey liquor, and he happily gulped down what Ian offered.

    After three, four, five bottles...

    Drake, initially indifferent, began to show a reaction.

    [Strange... I feel quite good...!]

    ''Is he drunk?''

    After downing six bottles, Drake finally started to enjoy itself.

    [Hahaha! Wizard! You''ve brought some strange stuff! Amazing!]

    "[Do you like my gift?]"

    [Yes! I like it!]

    Drunk Drake cheerfully finished off the remaining wine.

    Watching Drake in his drunken state, Ian felt a strange sense of aplishment.

    ''Well, bears get drunk. Elephants get drunk. Why not?''

    Even though he was a creature from a fantasy world, it seemed his nervous system wasn''t immune to alcohol.

    ''Halfway there...''

    Having gained Drake''s favor with the gift, just a bit more effort and Ian would be free.

    "[Drake, are you feeling better now?]"

    [Ha, ha... Feeling? Yes... I''ve had some nasty experiences recently. Damn it!]

    Drake snorted and leaned in close to Ian.

    Ian saw a bit of an ''ajusshi'' (middle-aged man) in the drunken Drake.

    ''Could it be...''

    Being drunk makes it hard to control emotions.

    One mightugh and chat over trivial things, but also get angry or depressed over them.

    And when someone in a bad mood gets drunk...

    They usually make a scene.

    [There''s this female down in the vige below, you see?]

    "[Are you talking about a drake?]"

    [Of course, a drake. Did you think I meant a human woman?]

    That made sense.

    Ian nodded.

    [She has shimmering scales and a very delicate voice... a truly lovelydy.]

    "[Ah... I see.]"

    [It''s mating season for both of us... I tried talking to her, you know?]

    Ian couldn''t believe what he was hearing but didn''t show it.

    He mentioned having a bad experience recently.

    But who would have thought it''d be a love story?

    A tale of a giant lizard''s mating woes was perhaps interesting to other scaly creatures, but it stirred no emotion in Ian.

    But Drake, drunk as he was, excitedly rambled on about his own concerns.

    [At first, she seemed interested in me. I showed her my nest, and the mood was great. But then that woman...! Suddenly she''s frolicking with some feeble-looking guy!]

    "..."

    Oh dear.

    Lizard NTR, that''s heart-wrenching.

    [I was so frustrated, I confronted her. What does she see in that guy that''s better than me!]

    Ian almost fell for Drake''s assertiveness.

    Oh my, such a manly man!

    This oppa!

    [But what she said...! Ahhh!]

    "[Calm down. Tell me, what did that cunning woman say?]"

    [She said my nest! My nest is too small and rough to live in together!]

    Drake wailed sorrowfully.

    Startled, Rick and the workers hugged each other, trembling.

    The workers'' eyes asked:

    ...Is it over, Wizard?

    Ian''s eyes shot back a response like cursing.

    Not even close.

    He''s just getting drunk and whining.

    "[That''s terrible. I''m sorry to hear that.]"

    [The nerve! ying with my feelings! In the end, she chose someone with a bigger, better nest!]

    Ian sighed deeply.

    A mix of pity and relief.

    He pitied himself for almost getting killed by Drake, who was upset over a woman.

    But he also felt relief, understanding the emotional hurt Drake experienced.

    "[I can understand her perspective.]"

    [What? You! Are you taking her side? That awful woman''s side!]

    Drake growled threateningly, causing the workers to panic again.

    Knowing the context, Ian was unfazed, but for ordinary humans, it must feel like their lives were hanging by a thread.

    Regardless, Ian calmly continued.

    "[It''s the same with humans. During youthful romance, a mere nce is enough to fall deeply in love. But when it''s time to raise a family, one has to think of a realistic future.]"

    [But...]

    "[Put yourself in the female drake''s shoes. Would you want your child to grow up in a house as big as a 50-square-meter ser field, or in a cramped room costing 15,000 won a month?]"

    [Ugh... Ahhh...]

    Drake shed tears the size of chicken droppings.

    He might not have understood the specifics about 50 square meters or 15,000 won, but the general idea was conveyed.

    That''s the perk of being Level 3 in summoning.

    [But...! My nest is the best you can find around here! It''s clean, quiet, not damp! And there are hardly any humans, how great is that!]

    Hisst words were almost a wail, causing the workers to shiver like quaking aspen.

    Ian pondered for a moment.

    As a modern man, Ian began to feel a bit sorry for the giant lizard who had lost his girlfriend to NTR.

    Imagining your girlfriend leaving you over a house issue...

    ''Sorry, honey! I just don''t feel anything looking at your semi-basement apartment! Now, I can''t live without a Gangnam apartment!!!''

    Chilling.

    Ian nodded in agreement.

    Although the analogy was a bit extreme, the pain caused by housing issues was real.

    Whether for citizens of South Korea or for Drake.

    It always came down to housing.

    "[Drake, please don''t cry.]"

    [...?]

    "[Just renovate that nest of yours. Even a bad house can be YouTube-worthy with some remodeling and interior work.]"

    [There are many words I don''t understand... So, you mean to renovate my nest? Is that what you''re saying?]

    "[Exactly.]"

    Drake asked incredulously.

    [Is that... possible?]

    Ian snapped his fingers lightly.

    At that moment, Drake realized.

    There was an unfathomable mystery associated with this young wizard.

    "[Turning the impossible into possible. Isn''t that what a wizard does?]"

    An indescribable emotion swelled in Drake''s chest.

    [If you fix my house, I''ll never forget this favor!]

    Ian smiled wryly.

    "[Let''s go to your nest together.]"

    ---

    ---

    "... So, you all can go ahead."

    After promising to help with Drake''s nest, Ian led the people and travelers down the path.

    As soon as they reached the wagon, everyone copsed on the ground, groaning as if dying.

    Though they hadn''t done anything, just being in the same space as Drake had stressed them out immensely.

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, he was engulfed in a soft embrace.

    "Aaah! Wizard! Wizard!"

    "What''s all this fuss about?"

    "Waaah~ I really thought I was going to die! No, I definitely died mentally!"

    Emily hugged Ian, crying out.

    Usually, Ian would have told her to stop overreacting, but seeing her genuinely happy to be alive softened his heart.

    It was the constant clinging and begging for attention that was irritating.

    But this hug, Ian didn''t mind it.

    "Wizard!"

    As Emily started her ruckus, others joined in themotion.

    Leader Rick led the charge.

    "Wizard, you are our hero!"

    "Absolutely! Wizard, you are the savior of our lives!"

    The workers each vied to express how cool Ian had been, and how close they hade to a total meltdown.

    To summarize their sentiments:

    ''From today, we move beyond the superior-subordinate rtionship with the wizard, to be one with Ian Eredith Raven. Any attack on the wizard is an attack on us. End of statement.''

    ...

    Ridiculous...

    All Ian had done was listen to the pathetic Drake''s worries and promised a bit of help.

    But to ordinary people, it lookedpletely different.

    ''Ian Eredith Raven, the Great Wizard, engaged in a deep conversation with Drake, using his extraordinary abilities! And that too, over a shared drink!''

    ''When Drake roared fiercely, Wizard Ian scolded him!''

    ''Touched by the Wizard''s reprimand, Drake wept and reflected on his mistakes!''

    People couldn''t help but admire the mysterious abilities of a wizard who, with just a few words, managed to send away the fearsome Drake, a monster even an army might struggle to drive off.

    "Wizard! Long live! Long live Ian!"

    "Ah, jeez. Stop it now! We''re not done yet!"

    In truth, only Ian''s work was not finished; the rest had been given permission to leave.

    Therefore, everyone but Ian was in high spirits.

    "Typical of the Wizard! Always so entric!"

    "As entric as his skills! Hahaha!"

    "..."

    Are they nuts?

    Due to the erroneous rumor that more skilled wizards are more entric, people didn''t take Ian''s words seriously no matter what he said.

    "Rick, go see where the mercenaries have gone. If they''re alive, bring them back. The rest of you, prepare to leave. Don''t go ahead without me while I''m away."

    "Yes, Wizard!"

    Ian set off to finish his task at Drake''s nest.

    The others went to look for the missing mercenaries.

    Maybe because everyone was so busy...

    No one noticed a hooded female traveler quietly following Ian.

 Chapter 15:

    Chapter 15:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    After meeting Drake again, Ian felt a sudden wave of fatigue.

    He had been running around and tensed up all evening, not to mention the drinks he had.

    In the brief time apart from Drake, the forgotten fatigue surged like a flood.

    [You look tired.]

    Drake quickly noticed Ian''s state.

    "[Ah, a bit...]"

    Unbeknownst to Ian, using the Maroniusnguage was a mentally exhausting task.

    It allowed mysteries beyond humanprehension to flow through the hidden pineal nd in the skull, naturally inducing more fatigue than regr speech.

    After all, just speaking a foreignnguage for a few hours can be tiring, let alone thenguage of mysteries.

    Ian would realize in a few days how exhausting it is to speak in Maronius - it''s incredibly draining.

    [Climb on my back.]

    "[Is that okay?]"

    Ian hesitated briefly, but then understood Drake''s intention and nodded.

    Drake carrying Ian on his back was like a human picking up a cat or a dog.

    From the pet''s perspective, it might wonder, ''Is it okay for me to be carried sofortably? Won''t the human get tired?''

    But from a human''s point of view, there''s no issue in carrying a cute creature.

    "[Sure.]"

    Ian sat behind Drake''s neck.

    As Drake raised his head and started moving,

    ''Wow...''

    It felt like riding on a moving building.

    [Hmm. Next time, I should get a saddle.]

    It was fascinating that Drake thought of getting a saddle for Ian and that he even knew what a saddle was.

    He probably learned it naturally from observing humans riding horses.

    As Ian dozed off on his back, Drake soon reached their nest.

    "[Is this the ce?]"

    [Yes. Can you fix it?]

    Drake waited anxiously for Ian''s response.

    Ian casually surveyed the nest, estimating what needed to be done.

    ''Surely cozy without any bugs or dampness.''

    Insects and moisture are detestable threats to reptilian nests, potentially spoiling the eggs.

    Therefore, reptiles carefully choose their nesting sites.

    ''But as the female Drake mentioned, it''s a bit cramped for two.''

    The problem was a protruding rock inside the cave.

    Removing it would double the nest''s size.

    ''Just press this down and smooth out the walls.''

    While Ian was unsure about Drake''s aesthetic preferences, his past behavior suggested a preference for smoothness.

    He hadined about the rough walls, so that was likely a correct assumption.

    "[Drake, I need to focus. Could you step aside for a moment?]"

    [Of course, do that!]

    As Drake stepped aside, Ian''s Maroniusnguage could fully concentrate on the mysteries of the earth.

    Ian closed his eyes and summoned all his concentration.

    "[O Earth.]"

    Being in the cave, the earth readily responded to Ian''s call.

    [What brings you here, young human?]

    ''...''

    Ian''s brows slightly furrowed.

    The voice of the earth was quite peculiar.

    It responded to his Maroniusnguage, but there was a reluctance in its tone.

    ''This isn''t good.''

    One can discern someone''s mood just by their voice tone.

    Bright or somber tones can generally indicate whether someone is in a good or bad mood.

    Based on the big data umted so far, the earth''s mood seemed to be sinking today.

    "[I, request, a favor.]"

    [I''m not interested. Is that all you have to say?]

    ''As I thought.''

    With a sharp refusal, Ian opened his eyes.

    If Ian had been a more proficient earth wizard, he might have engaged in a deeper conversation with the earth to resolve the issue.

    However, his earth magic level was merely one.

    He would have leveled up if he had any points left, but unfortunately, all his skill points had been invested in raising his summoning level.

    His master, Eredith, had warned that if the mysteries refuse to heed a human''s will, one should never force it.

    Angering the mysteries could lead to a lifetime ban from practicing magic, or worse, losing one''s life to an enraged mystical force.

    "[I apologize.]"

    The earth disappeared without acknowledging Ian''s apology.

    ''Sigh.''

    Ian felt the heavy burden of delivering bad news.

    [Oh, wizard! How did it go?]

    Rushing over, Drake awaited Ian''s response.

    "[The earth refuses tomunicate. I''ll try again when its mood improves.]"

    Drake fell silent for a moment.

    Then, speaking in a somewhat deted tone, he said,

    [Can''t help it. If the earth refuses. Maybe she''s not my destiny after all.]

    "[Drake...]"

    [Still, I''m grateful you worried about me. Wizard, you''re a good soul.]

    Drake smiled warmly, flicking his tongue.

    [I''ve never been able to converse sofortably with any other Drake. Who would have thought a human would be the one to understand me? Truly remarkable.]

    Ian genuinely felt regret for not being able to help Drake.

    It was a true connection with a mystical being, a life form beyond humanprehension.

    A status window shed before his eyes.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Summoning Magic  Drake Summoning]

    [Call upon your friend, Drake, for assistance. If it''s a friend''s request, he will dly respond.]

    Ian had acquired his first summoning skill.

    Drake Summoning.

    A fitting skill for a wizard, who ought to be able to summon at least one fearsome monster.

    Despite gaining a new skill, Ian wasn''t particrly thrilled.

    All he felt was the regret of not being able to give anything back to his new friend, Drake.

    [Wizard, what''s your name?]

    "[Ian. Ian Eredith Raven.]"

    [Ian Eredith Raven. I am Drake Longtail. I hope we can share a friendship from now on.]

    "Longtail."

    Instead of Maronius, Ian pronounced Drake''s name in the Empire''snguage.

    Surprisingly, Drake seemed to understand and growled softly in response.

    Ian smiled quietly.

    [As a token of our new friendship, I''ll give you a gift.]

    "[I have... nothing to give in return.]"

    As Ian muttered, Drake Longtail burst into a heartyugh.

    [If I expected something in return, what kind of friend would that make me!]

    His words made sense to Ian.

    Ian decided to graciously ept Drake''s gift.

    After all, it would be rude to refuse when offered so generously.

    [Come! Choose whatever you like!]

    Drake led Ian to a corner of the nest, piled high with jewels.

    Drake, being a cousin of dragons, shared many simrities with them, including the hobby of collecting gems.

    The difference was that dragons would raid human viges and forcefully take their jewels, whereas Drakes would only asionally take what caught their eye.

    The nest, fittingly for a Drake, was filled with a vast array of jewels.

    Among the multitude of gems, one in particr caught Ian''s eye.

    Arge opal.

    Shaped like a pristine white egg, the beautifully crafted opaly rolling on the ground.

    ''This... wait a minute.''

    Ian recalled a lecture on magic by Eredith.

    Mysteries are capricious entities, their moods fluctuating.

    When in a foul mood, they might refusemunication, as Ian had just experienced.

    A skilled wizard might be able to persuade an ill-tempered mystery to cooperate and achieve their desired oue.

    But not every wizard can be on friendly terms with mysteries, right?

    Novice wizards, who haven''t yet mastered the exploration of mysteries, rely on magic circles in such situations.

    Magic circles!

    Drawing a magic circle is quite simple.

    Draw a circle and inscribe it in Maronius.

    Then, the mystery discovers the circle and fulfills the desired request.

    The difference between a magic circle and a spell is simr to the difference between a letter and a conversation.

    A magic circle conveys the will to the mystery using written words.

    It''s more unteral and restricted in conveying non-verbal messages.

    Most importantly, it allows for a bold and one-sided delivery of a gift.

    When someone asks, "I''ll buy you a meal. What would you like to eat?", it might be awkward to honestly state your preference for various reasons (fear of seeming greedy, reluctance to admit a liking for unhealthy food...)

    But if the other person sends a gift card for your favorite food?

    It feels like they''ve read your mind and it''s immensely gratifying.

    If you''re wondering, "What''s the difference? Aren''t both just buying a meal?" then...

    Unfortunately, youck the natural talent of a wizard.

    Anyway.

    Mysteries prefer gifts offered through a magic circle rather than direct gifts.

    If you draw a formal magic circle and ce a gift that the mystery likes on it?

    Oh boy, thats a real game-changer, like a perfect side dish to a bowl of rice.

    Even a deeply offended mystery would quickly soften up to such a generous offering.

    ''The earth likes gems...''

    Gems are so closely linked to the earth they are often referred to as the bones of the earth.

    Especially gems refined by human hands; they are highly favored by the earth.

    Ian thought of therge opal.

    Offering it to the earth... could bring about magical results?

    With a sacrifice of this magnitude, he was sure to achieve the desired oue.

    "[Longtail, can I have this opal?]"

    Pointing to the white opal, Longtail snorted.

    [Of course. It''s yours now.]

    "[Thank you, Longtail.]"

    Seeing Longtail generously hand over the precious gem without a word ofint, Ian felt a wave of quiet emotion.

    Having received such a wonderful gift from a friend, it was now his turn to reciprocate.

    Ian began drawing a magic circle on the ground, using a stone.

    Drawing a circle, he filled it with words that mysteries like.

    [Dear Earth, May hase, bringing warmer weather. The blue sky and the cool breeze make me keenly aware of the passage of time...]

    And so on.

    Although it turned out somewhat like the preamble of a school newsletter, such ''formality'' was liked by mysteries.

    ''That should do it.''

    Ian gazed fondly at his creation.

    A magic circle, just like those seen inic books, with magical words circling around it, wasplete.

    To the uninitiated, it might look like a bona fide magic circle.

    But to a fellow wizard, it would seem like a poorly written piece, worthy of a scoff.

    It couldn''t be helped.

    Ian''s previous life had been in science, not arts.

    Why bother with a literary subject likeposition?

    To Ian, such trivialities didn''t matter.

    What''s the use of writing skills?

    He had an incredible skill window at his disposal.

    [Friend, what are you doing?]

    Longtail showed curiosity towards Ian''s magic circle.

    To a creature like Drake, the magic circle probably just looked like nonsensical scribbles.

    "[Magic.]"

    [Huh? What kind of magic...]

    Ian concentrated once again.

    "[O Earth!]"

    Then, something astonishing happened.

    The opal in the center of the magic circle sparkled and then shattered, disappearing into the ground as if absorbed by the earth.

    The earth had epted Ian''s offering.

    [What brings you here, young human?]

    The voice of the earth, now much softer, greeted Ian.

    With a triumphant smile, Ian shouted.

    "[Move the rock! Smooth the walls!]"

    [Heh. If that''s your wish...]

    Rumbling sounds began...

    As the earth vibrated, Drake raised his head in surprise.

    But that was just the beginning of his astonishment.

    [No way...!]

    Drake''s eyes widened in shock as he looked at his nest.

    The grotesque rock that had been in the middle of the nest was transforming as if it were liquid, melting into the ground!

    And that wasn''t all.

    The walls too had changed, bing so beautifully smooth and stunning!

    [Incredible! How is this possible!]

    The nest was now spacious and beautiful.

    It looked as if an interior designer had been paid a fortune to transform his home.

    Longtail was speechless at the sight of his unrecognizable nest.

    Havingpleted the magic, Ian spoke with a smile.

    "[There, that''s the value of the gem I received. How do you like my gift, friend?]"

 Chapter 16:

    Chapter 16:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: BlessedCursed

    Schedule:

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Longtail, having acquired a new home, underwent a remarkable transformation.

    It wasn''t that his appearance had changed, but rather the ambiance around him.

    Doesn''t someones air itself seem different when a person gains confidence?

    This had a simr effect.

    Gazing at his reflection in the still water, Longtail mused to himself.

    Who am I?

    He was Longtail, the owner of Hannam The Hill. [1]

    With Ian''s help, Longtail, now the proud owner of an amazing nest, had nothing left to do but seduce women and sire Longtail II, III, IV - bing a distinguished male.

    [I owe you a big debt.]

    Longtail''s gratitude towards Ian was immense, beyond words.

    Yet, Ian had no intention of holding this debt over Longtail.

    "[A debt? If friends start tallying debts, are they truly friends?]"

    [Hahahaha! You''re right!]

    Ian and Drakeughed happily together.

    Suddenly, Ian felt a peculiar ringing in his ears.

    ''...Huh?''

    A sharp chime, followed by a sticky sensation under his nose...

    ''What?''

    Startled, Ian wiped his upper lip.

    He found that blood was streaming from his nose.

    ''Why...?''

    Thump!

    Ian copsed, unconscious, as he struck his head on the floor of Longtail''s nest.

    [Friend! Are you okay? Wake up! Friend!]

    Longtail, panicking, called out to the unconscious Ian.

    ''What should I do?''

    Being a drake, Longtail was clueless about human health.

    So, with Ian lying there, all he could do was pace around, filled with worry.

    That''s when she appeared.

    A human woman emerged from the bushes.

    She was likely one of Ian''spanions, but Longtail, who was not the best at remembering human faces, didn''t recognize her.

    "Wait! Drake! Listen to me!"

    Krurrr...?

    "I''m a friend of Ian''s! Don''t eat me, I''m a friend!"

    Longtail couldn''t understand her words, but he had caught one familiar name  Ian.

    Just as humans looked upon the mysteries, the mysteries also looked back at humans.

    Longtail, like Ian who had mastered summoning magic, remembered the name of his summoner, something that bridged thenguage gap.

    Longtail watched silently as the woman approached Ian.

    Seeing no threat from Drake, she cautiously approached Ian, checking under his nose for his breath, and confirming whether he was alive.

    ''Thank goodness. He''s still breathing.''

    The woman, Lucy Talian, sighed in relief.

    ---

    ---

    ''...What time is it?''

    Ian''s eyes fluttered open in the dark nest.

    To a drake, it was a splendid house, rivaling a luxury apartment, but for humans, it was merely a spacious cave.

    Ian instinctively reached for his smartphone.

    But, someone gently held his arm back.

    "Are you awake?"

    "Huh?"

    Ian lifted his head. The cave was dark, but Ian, who had an affinity for darkness, could see everything as clearly as in daylight.

    "Cassie?"

    It was Cassie.

    The woman who had always concealed her hair and face under her robe, only revealing asionally a stunningly beautiful face.

    Ian was puzzled.

    Why was Cassie here?

    Cassie had gently ced Ian''s head on herp, a soft alternative to the hard ground.

    ''Its soft.''

    Ian, feeling slightly embarrassed, tried to sit up.

    "Stay down for a bit."

    "No, I feel bad. How long have you been here?"

    "Don''t worry about it. I''m fine."

    Talking with Cassie always gave Ian a peculiar feeling.

    She seemed like a medieval fantasy character, yet she radiated an intelligence that transcended the era.

    The only other person with such wisdom that Ian had met was his master, Eredith.

    "Are you a wizard?"

    Cassie''s eyes widened at the sudden question.

    "No?"

    "Then how did you get here? Past Drake?"

    "He let me in after I said that I was your friend."

    Ian was now even more curious.

    How did shemunicate with Drake?

    Did she know Maronius?

    An awkward silence ensued.

    Cassie eventually broke it.

    "Wizard Ian. I have something to tell you."

    "A confession?"

    Ian sat up, knowing it was important to listen attentively to such serious matters.

    "Hmm. Go on, speak freely."

    Seeing Ian''s eager demeanor, Cassie felt slightly annoyed but continued.

    "...The attackst night. It was my fault."

    Ian was taken aback by her admission.

    "Were you working with the bandits? I knew something was wrong!"

    Her beautiful face, he thought, was perfect for deception.

    So, Cassie was one of those cunning women who lured in unsuspecting victims for bandits!

    "No! How could you think that I''m a bandit!"

    "...Because of your face?"

    Ian, influenced by modern misconceptions, believed that, in fantasy tales, beautiful female bandits were a staple of the genre.

    But she had a beautiful face and was not a bandit?

    In his view, that was almost like a betrayal of expectations.

    She should be reprimanded for not fulfilling the stereotype!

    Cassie, blushing, rified.

    "My real name is Lucy! Lucy of Talian!"

    "Your real name? So, Cassie was a pseudonym?"

    "Yes! And it''s an important secret, so please don''t mention it to anyone!"

    Ian, recalling the previous night''s events, pondered over this revtion.

    "Could it be that they were kidnappers, not bandits?"

    "...Not bandits, yes, kidnappers."

    These individuals knew Lucy''s name.

    And they had been there to take her.

    "Why would kidnappers be after you?"

    "...You really don''t know anything... Ah, right. You''re a wizard."

    Lucy Talian marveled at Ian''s ignorance, before remembering that he was an extraordinary wizard.

    It made sense that he wouldn''t know the name Talian.

    Why?

    Because he was a wizard.

    Wizards often lived in a world of their own.

    With a deep sigh, Lucy began to exin.

    "I''m betrothed."

    "Already? How old are you?"

    "Eighteen."

    "So the same as me?"

    "Nobles often marry young."

    Ian was surprised by Lucy''s revtion.

    "You''re part of the nobility?"

    "..."

    Lucy was truly shocked.

    This wizard was remarkably talented but knew so little of the world.

    "For the Talian family, I was engaged at the age of seven."

    "To some crazy pedo... No."

    Ian quickly corrected himself.

    "It was a political marriage, then."

    "That''s not it either."

    He had momentarily lost hisposure, shocked by the idea of a seven-year-old being married.

    But, even in a medieval setting, it seemed unlikely that anyone would eagerly marry a child.

    Lucy''s engagement was clearly a political move.

    "My fianc is a knight, a former mercenary. He''s thirty-three."

    "Hmm... Congrattions?"

    The age gap was significant, but it wasn''t unheard of in modern times.

    However, Lucy continued, grinding her teeth,

    "But, that bastard...! He poisoned my parents!"

    "!"

    Ian was stunned by this unexpected medieval family drama.

    Wow!

    A noble''s son-inw poisoning his inws?

    Was this Crusader Kings? [2]

    "But why?"

    Lucy exined:

    The Talian Family, a baronial family overseeing the Pianleb Region, had too few knights to defend theirnds.

    Threatened by external forces and fearing that they might be puppets to some rising knight, the Talians nned to marry their daughter to the leader of a renowned mercenary group for protection.

    The mercenary leader, upon seeing the 7-year-old kawaii loli bride, did not fall in love at first sight... but agreed to the engagement after seeing the baron''s wealth.

    For a mercenary, finding a ce to settle down whilst having a spouse was only a dream for most, one that offered them a chance to leave behind a perilous life.

    And this leader was no exception.

    Initially, he was content with being the son-inw of the baron.

    However, human greed was not so easily satisfied.

    Naturally, when one sat down, they would want to lie down, and when lying down, they would want to sleep.

    That was human nature.

    Having be the son-inw of a baron, he had realized that he could never truly integrate into noble society.

    It was a realization that came naturally to anyone who sat at the same table with nobles for even a day.

    He was not really the son-inw of nobility; he was just a dog guarding their property.

    Naturally, the mercenary leader began to build his own power after realizing the fact.

    For over ten years, a strange standoff ensued.

    A standoff between the baron family, who used the mercenaries as a shield to protect their territory, and the mercenary leader, who was trying to increase his power as the baron''s son-inw.

    And, the first to draw their swords was the baron.

    "My parents wanted to annul my marriage with that man, and the reason they gave was his promiscuous affairs with other women."

    "..."

    It was a ridiculous reason actually.

    After all, was a man who was engaged to a seven-year-old girl really supposed to wait like a monk until his bride grew up?

    Even if you looked to the other side of the coin, if he did something inappropriate with his teenage fiance (a minor), that would then mark him as a crazy man.

    As an adult male, it was natural for him to seek out women to satisfy his desires.

    But, the baron used that as his reason for the annulment.

    Of course, that was just a superficial reason.

    The real reason was likely that he couldn''t just stand there watching the mercenary leader build up his own forces.

    However, the fact that a man engaged to someone was fooling around with other women remained unchanged...

    Thus, the mercenary leader found himself at risk of being chased out of thends he had toiled in for ten years.

    Therefore, the mercenary leader chose a ninja-style response.

    Assassination.

    Yep. If you didn''t know them anymore~ Then you could just kill them all~

    So, at a banquet, the mercenary leader poisoned the baron and his wife.

    Officially, it was a case of food poisoning, but even a five-year-old could figure out that the mercenary leader was the culprit.

    Naturally, the baron''s faction rebelled.

    Unfortunately, the mercenary leader, along with his subordinates, wiped out the opposing forces.

    After all, how could those with pens stop those who ruled with their swords?

    The mercenary leader wasn''t stupid; he had spent ten years cultivating a force that would support him.

    In the end, it seemed like his bloody coup was sessful... but then a problem arose.

    Lucy Talian, the mercenary leader''s fiance, had escaped the territory with the help of her nanny!

    The mercenary leader thus found himself in a dire situation.

    He needed to marry Lucy to be a noble; without Lucy, the mercenary leader was just amoner with a sword.

    In the eyes of the nobles, amoner with a sword was no different from a bandit.

    Oh?

    So there was no baron in the Talians Territory, and only a bandit lived there?

    As most readers of fantasy novels knew, bandits equaled experience points.

    And so it meant that the first to the hunt would gain the most.

    Thus, for the sake of farming experience points, the neighboring barons and counts would hurriedlye running, making it obvious what would happen next.

    Now, the mercenary leader, facing the risk of losing the territory he had dearly cultivated for thest ten years to neighboring nobles, had to risk his life to find Lucy.

    "So, the peoplest night were..."

    "They were his men."

    Lucy Talian''s words carried a mix of anger and bitterness.

    "And they''re trying to recapture me..."

    ---

    [1] (PR/N: A high rise luxury apartmentplex in Seoul.)

    [2] (PR/N: Old medieval video game.)Toggle New Ads

    Heya guys! I got a proofreader! Uhm this novel was supposed to get regr releases but I''m testing out some stuff and figuring out the pr process so releases are going to be a bit sporadic.

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 Chapter 17:

    Chapter 17:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "This is really something..."

    Ian shook his head.

    To Ian, who had lived as a normal citizen in the modern world, her tales of medieval power struggles were entirely foreign.

    Had Ian been born as the youngest son of a chaebol family, perhaps he would have understood the ruthlessness of those in higher positions.

    But, as a normal citizen through and through, in both his past and present lives, Ian could not understand the mindset of those in power.

    What was power to them?

    What made it so great that it drove people to cast out their son-inws and poison their father-inws?

    Seeing a bride-to-be in danger of being kidnapped by her future husband, Ian felt an indescribable emotion.

    However, apart from that, Ian realized that he held an important piece of the puzzle in his hands.

    "Hmm. I''ve listened to your story."

    As Ian attempted to rise, Lucy firmly grabbed his hand, refusing to let go.

    It seemed like it was time for him to pay his entrance fee for this medieval soap opera.

    "If anyone else hears this story, I''m dead."

    "Ah,e on. You won''t die. Just marry your fianc..."

    "I''d rather die than marry that bastard!"

    At that outburst filled with intense emotion, Ian closed his mouth.

    Indeed.

    The thought of living with the man who killed her parents was horrifying.

    "Why tell me all this, then?"

    "...You saw it, right? They''ve already caught up."

    Lucy''s eyes reddened.

    Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

    "I don''t think I can get away on my own..."

    Sniffling, Lucy spoke firmly after wiping her tears.

    "Wizard Ian! Please help me escape! On the honor of the Talian family, I promise to reward you for your efforts!"

    Ian scratched his cheek.

    "Hmm. And you haven''t considered the possibility of me betraying you?"

    "That scoundrel would probably give you at most a few silver coins. But I can give you everything."

    "Everything?"

    Lucy said with a stern face.

    "If you want, I could even give you the Talian Family."

    Despite her rigid expression,

    Her voice trembled pitifully.

    ''The Talian Family...''

    Even as a wizard, Ian wasnt dense enough to not know the significance of that offer.

    To offer him the Talian Family meant that she was proposing a marriage with him.

    It meant giving Ian what the mercenary leader desired.

    Thus, this was an enormous opportunity.

    Though now somewhat hazy, Ian''s origins were humble, as originally, he was the son of a serf.

    To be born as the son of a serf in a medieval fantasy world, to then bing a quasi-noble at a young age?

    It would be considered a remarkable sess.

    For Ian the Third, the son of a serf, that would be the case.

    But...

    What about Ian Eredith Raven, the disciple of the wizard Eredith?

    ''Bing a noble isn''t bad, but...''

    Ian had a talent for magic.

    Specifically, the ability to manipte a status window.

    Living as a noble and engaging in politics was one thing, but having been born into a fantasy world, shouldn''t he seek out the pinnacle of magic?

    Ian let out a wryugh as his thoughts reached this point.

    The fact that he wasn''t greedy for a chance to climb the socialdder might have meant that he was a born wizard.

    Ian organized his thoughts.

    Helping Lucy would definitely be a good way to gain experience as a wizard.

    It was also a good opportunity for him to earn some travel money.

    After all, he needed to make money.

    No matter how much money Eredith had given him, more was always better.

    It was certainly more cost-effective than having to turn to mercenary work due to ack of fundster on.

    He decided to help her shake off her pursuers, and then she would be on her own.

    Ian told Lucy,

    "Honestly, if you''re looking for an escort... it might be better to find someone who knows how to wield a sword. Wizards arent reallybatants."

    Wizards were those who explored mysteries and conversed with the world. They werent killing machines that ughtered people indiscriminately.

    "Then..."

    Lucy clenched her fists, her voice breaking.

    Ian continued,

    "But if you''re willing to pay, I''ll help you escape. You''ll have to take care of the rest on your own."

    "Sob... Sob..."

    At that, Lucy burst into tears.

    Ian was a bit taken aback.

    ''I only agreed to help, yet she made such a fuss...''

    "Thank you! Ian! Thank you so much...!"

    Lucy hugged Ian and cried until she was exhausted.

    Only then did Ian realize that the girl in front of him was a young woman who had just be an adult.

    She was not the noble Lucy of the Talian Family, but merely an eighteen-year-old girl who had to flee from the murderer of her parents.

    Ian lent her his shoulder until Lucy was okay.

    ---

    ---

    [The story has gotten long, my friend.] [1]

    Stepping outside the nest, a sunbathing Drake greeted Ian.

    Drake wasn''t a fully cold-blooded creature, but still, being a creature covered in scales, he seemed to enjoy sunbathing.

    It was in his nature.

    "[Ah, Longtail.]"

    [How''s your body feeling?]

    "[Well...]"

    Ian already knew the condition of his body upon waking up.

    The source of his knowledge, naturally, was his mentor Eredith''s teachings.

    ''If youe into contact with mysteries beyond a wizard''s abilities, it will strain your body.''

    ''Ah, but at your current level, there''s absolutely no way that''ll happen!''

    ''But, as you gain experience andmune further with the mysteries, you might overexert yourself beyond your abilities, so be careful!''

    Ian had figured out why he had fainted.

    It was because he had been using level 3 summoning spells carelessly while talking with Longtail.

    He had instantly raised his skill level through the skill window, so his body hadn''t yet adapted to the level of magic.

    "[I used too much energy trying to understand your words.]"

    [Oh no!]

    Longtail immediately understood what had happened to Ian.

    It was thanks to Ian''s magic that they had been able to converse so naturally up to now, so it made sense that it had taken a toll on him.

    "[I think I need to go down now. You must have other things to do as well.]"

    [Yes, let''s do that!]

    Longtail had no intention of demanding more magic that would strain his injured friend.

    [Take a few more gems from the nest. And don''t say that you can''t ept them since I gave you some yesterday.]

    "[I wasn''t nning on refusing. Why wouldn''t I take them if you''re offering?]"

    Ian chuckled and picked out a few gems, prioritizing the crafted jewels that were clearly looted from humans over raw stones.

    Gems were pretty, valuable, and sometimes, could be used in magical rituals.

    They were a useful gift.

    As Ian collected the gems, Longtail lowered its body to make it easier for Ian to climb on, intending to carry him down the mountain.

    [Ian''sdy! You should get on too!]

    Lucy tensed up in front of the growling drake.

    Ian didn''t bother tranting Longtail''s words.

    "Lucy. Hurry up and get on."

    "Oh, no... I mean... Is it safe? It won''t eat us or anything?"

    Lucy asked, sending anxious nces at him.

    "What if it gets out of control?"

    Ian couldn''t help butugh at the absurdity.

    What control?

    The reason Longtail was carrying Ian had nothing to do with him being under control or anything like that.

    Ian didn''t bother exining that in detail.

    It was pointless to exin magic to someone who wasn''t a wizard.

    "It''s 100% safe. Just get on."

    "Uh. Uhm..."

    Ian extended his hand to help Lucy up.

    As soon as she had climbed onto Longtail''s back, she tightly hugged Ian''s waist and did not let go.

    She was quite scared.

    [Then, let''s move!]

    As the drake moved its massive body, it created a rumbling noise like that of andslide.

    Thud, thud...

    The steps of the wingless dragon sent tremors through the ground.

    ---

    ---

    The Rabbit Foot Company was facing its most unprecedented crisis since its inception.

    "Boss! Let''s just leave!"

    "No, we should wait, shouldn''t we?!"

    Rick, the owner of the tradingpany, sighed in despair as he looked at the dividedpany.

    Ah, how on earth were they supposed to navigate through this predicament?

    A day had passed since the wizard Ian had disappeared following the drake. He hadnt returned even as the sun rose.

    The tradingpany was now split into two factions.

    One side argued to wait for Ian, while the other insisted on leaving.

    The tradingpany, after executing Ian''sstmand the previous night, had been demoralized by the dreadful carnage.

    ''Mercenaries! Are you alive?''

    ...

    ''Where are the mercenaries?''

    The tradingpany''s people went searching for the mercenaries, hoping that they were just hiding somewhere.

    After all, despite being attacked by bandits, they were seasoned mercenaries ustomed to surviving by their swords, so thepany had hoped that they had simply fled rather than having been killed.

    But the sight that met the tradingpany was horrific.

    ''My God...''

    The mercenaries seemed to have fought a fierce battle in the dark, and all of them were found as cold corpses, riddled with wounds.

    As experienced travelers, the traders sensed that something suspicious was happening.

    As mentioned before, in fantasy worlds, bandits = experience points, being neck and neck with goblins as top sources of experience points.

    In fact, mercenaries, bandits, and goblins, being fantasy worlds weakest trio, often squabbled at the bottom of their list of inhabitants.

    However, mercenaries had a higher strengthpared to the other two.

    Consider the type of person Mercenary Leader John was.

    He was known as Bloody John, and was a somewhat famous mercenary who had been guarding their group.

    If even a capable fighter couldn''t escape and was killed...

    It meant only one of two things.

    Either the bandits were exceptionally skilled beyond ordinary bandits.

    Or they weren''t just ordinary bandits.

    Either way, it was a terrible situation for thepany.

    "You saw the drake yesterday! Who in their right mind would wander around after seeing a drake?"

    "What do you expect from bandits? They''re mad! They''ll follow us no matter what!"

    Both points had merit.

    Logically, no bandits would cause trouble knowing a drake was in the vicinity.

    And expectingmon sense from a bandit was foolish.

    The two opinions shed sharply.

    "Mr. Rick!"

    "Mr. Rick!"

    Ultimately, the decision fell to Rick.

    This was the crux of the matter.

    Whether to evacuate thepany safely or to wait for the wizard out of loyalty.

    "Ugh."

    Rick groaned in anguish.

    The decision was solely in his hands.

    This was the pain of being a person in power.

    Rick now had to make a call.

    "We''ll wait for the wizard!"

    "No, Mr. Rick!"

    "We''ll follow thepany leader''s decision!"

    Rick chose to wait for Ian.

    There was no special reason, just that he wanted to make a good impression on Ian so that he could benefit from trades with nobility.

    It was a risky decision, but Rick believed in Ian''s abilities.

    He had magic that summoned darkness, controlled the wind, and ignited fire!

    And the charisma to boldly confront the monstrous drake!

    Such a person, who confidently followed the drake, was unlikely to have just gone and died.

    There was probably just something that was dying him.

    Probably.

    10 minutes after Rick''s bold decision.

    "Ah! Company Leader! Its the bandits!"

    "What? Damn it...!"

    Rick immediately regretted his decision from 10 minutes ago.

    ''I should have just left!''

    "Everyone, stop. Drop your weapons and raise your hands."

    "Oh no! Please, bandits, spare our lives! You can have everything we own!"

    "We don''t need it!"

    "???"

    True to the character of people who dared to rob in the mountains of where a drake roamed, they were not in their right minds.

    They were bandits that were refusing loot!

    "We know that a woman with dark blue hair is here."

    "Dark blue... hair?"

    "Yes. Hair that is the color of the night sky. And she''s beautiful."

    When looking for someone, ordinary people needed detailed physical descriptions, like having a big nose, elongated ears, or arge mole on their face.

    But for beauties, none of that was necessary.

    Their beauty was a feature itself.

    A very rare feature.

    That was why the beautiful spies in stories were all nonsense.

    After all, what good was a spy''s beauty if it only made them easier to catch?

    "Ah! It''s Cassie! Cassie!"

    "Cassie? Hmm..."

    At the mention of them searching for a beauty, Rick nodded.

    They weren''t bandits, but human traffickers!

    "Where is she then?"

    "...?"

    The workers were puzzled.

    They knew that she''d gone somewhere, but... why wasn''t she back?

    "Well, I don''t know, I''m not sure where she went..."

    The bandit, no, the human trafficker kicked Rick in the chest.

    "Ack!" [2]

    A pain that felt as if his ribs had been broken overcame him.

    Really though, he was just exaggerating.

    Nothing was broken.

    "Hmph! Seeing as youre not opening your mouth, it seems that you''ve been paid with some money."

    "What money! We haven''t received a penny!"

    "Don''t lie!"

    After another kick from the human trafficker, Rick let out a tear.

    It was out of injustice.

    ''If I was actually paid, I wouldn''t be feeling so wronged...!''

    Cassie was just a traveler they met; why would she have given money to thepany?

    "Where is this Cassie! Speak up!"

    "We don''t know! We really don''t!"

    "Ah, so you''re going to be like that, huh?"

    The moment the human trafficker raised his fist.

    Thump, thump...

    Everyone there felt an unnatural vibration.

    It was the sound of a drake passing by.

    "..."

    The human traffickers suddenly became silent along with the hostages, as if they had made a pact.

    If they were caught by the drake, they would all just be delicious snacks.

    But then,

    "Aaah! Aaaaah! Wizard! Wizard!"

    "This guy''s gone mad!"

    Rick screamed with a voice filled with all the injustice in the world.

    The amount of injustice he was feeling right now was bone-deep, making it sound all the more heart-wrenching.

    Aside from his screams being touching to the soul, they were also incredibly loud.

    "Shut up!"

    The human traffickers, trembling at the thought of attracting the drake, tried to silence Rick.

    But it was toote.

    The drake was approaching.

    "...Run!"

    ---

    [1. PR/N: Like, a korean way of saying You sure took your time.]

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 Chapter 18:

    Chapter 18:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "Ahh~ Sir wizard~"

    With a ground-shaking boom, the drake revealed its massive body.

    The people of the Rabbit Foot Company instinctively froze upon facing the drake.

    They knew that wizard Ian had disappeared with the drake, but they feared that something had gone wrong.

    What if this drake was not under the wizard''s control?

    Well, what can they do?

    Just desperately run away.

    If they can''t escape, they die.

    But fortunately, the drake was with the wizard.

    And he was riding on the drake''s back.

    ''...Awesome!''

    Rick stared up at the wizard riding the drake with fervent admiration.

    What kind of trick had he pulled offst night, for the drake to offer its back to him?

    The wizard, riding on the drake''s back with a nonchnt expression (actually, it was an expression of someone dying from exhaustion), had something that stimted a man''s fantasy.

    ''Indeed, a wizard is a wizard!''

    The drake lowered its head to make it easier for Ian to dismount.

    "Rick. There were people running away in that direction earlier. Who are they?"

    "Ah! Those bastards! They''re really bad people! Despicable human traffickers!"

    "Human traffickers?"

    Rick babbled about what had happened.

    The traffickers hade looking for Cassie, and luckily, she wasn''t there so she was safe.

    "Ah! Cassie! That''s really fortunate!"

    Rick sighed in relief upon seeing Cassie (Lucy) with Ian.

    "Isn''t it too much? We''re all followers of the same Heaven''s Faith!"

    Feeling wronged, Rick grumbled.

    In this medieval fantasy world, ''Heaven''s Faith'' was a major religion that had firmly established itself as a spiritual pir.

    Like other religions, Heaven''s Faith preached ''the way to live rightly in this filthy world,'' remembered throughmandments that essentially said, ''do not do such things.''

    There was amandment in Heaven''s Faith that said, ''Do not enve followers of Heaven''s Faith.''

    While most Heaven''s Faith followers strictly followed thismandment, human traffickers and ve traders often ignored it due to the nature of their upations.

    That''s why they were despised by Heaven''s Faith followers as ''filthy ve traders.''

    "All ve traders are the same."

    "Right? Ptooey! May they receive divine punishment!"

    Rick, holding a grudge, continued to swear, cursing the ''human traffickers.''

    Hearing the curses, Lucy''s expression soured.

    It wasn''t good news for Ian either.

    ''They saw a wizard and a drake and they''re not giving up?''

    The tenacity of the human traffickers, no, Lucy''s pursuers, was admirable.

    At this point, it was curious what Baron Jin had promised in exchange for capturing Lucy.

    ''This won''t do.''

    If they let the pursuers go, they would be followed 100%.

    Not confident in escaping with pursuers hanging onto him, Ian decided to act.

    "[Longtail. Can you do me a favor?]"

    [Of course. Don''t hesitate to ask. Friend.]

    "[I would like you to drive some people away. If necessary, kill them.]"

    Mentioning murder made Ian''s heart a bit uneasy.

    But it was a necessary choice.

    The opponents already had a history of killing mercenaries.

    They mercilessly killed the mercenaries, so would they have spared Ian?

    If the drake hadn''t appeared, Ian too would have likely been killed.

    This ce was a medieval fantasy world where killing and being killed were a part of daily life.

    To survive as a resident of such a barbaric world, one needed to be ustomed to murder. Only then could killing be chosen as an efficient option when appropriate.

    [Ah. Those humans from earlier.]

    "[Do you know where they are?]"

    [Of course. You want some of them killed and the rest driven away, right?]

    "[Please do that.]"

    Longtail readily agreed to Ian''s request.

    [If it''s a friend''s request. dly.]

    Following Ian''s request, Longtail set out to eliminate the pursuers.

    A wizardmanding a drake with just a few words.

    Thepany workers admired the wizard''s miraculous skills.

    ''Wow... Did you see?''

    ''He''smanding the drake like his own limbs?''

    ''Such an incredible wizard!''

    All Ian did was ask the drake for a favor, but to ordinary people, it seemed as though Ian had performed a great magic.

    How could it not be amazing to see someone talking to andmanding a drake as big as a house?

    "Ian!"

    Ian staggered after finishing his conversation with Longtail.

    He had overused the Maronius Language.

    Lucy rushed to support Ian.

    "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

    Seeing this, Rick nodded.

    ''They look close. They must be dating.''

    Rick also knew to some extent that Lucy was no ordinary woman.

    He had no idea, however, that her true identity was that of a noblewoman on the run.

    ---

    ---

    With the help of thepany workers, Ian slowly descended the mountain.

    Though he was riding in a cart, no one pointed it out.

    During the descent, Ian learned that the drake had been diligently hunting down the humans.

    It was the power of the Summoning skill.

    ''So far, eleven...''

    The number of pursuers identified so far was fourteen.

    Eleven of them had lost their lives to the drake before even a day had passed.

    Despite its house-sized bulk, the drake was incredibly fast. Lacking wings, the drake could instead sprint at an astonishing speed of up to 60 km/h in bursts.

    Moreover, this was the drake''s home ground.

    There''s a saying that even a mongrel acts boldly in its own house.

    Much more so for ''Longtail the House Owner,'' for whom the Earth Dragon Mountain was nothing more than a yground slide, equipped with a Banpo Xi* nest.

    Thus, a one-sided massacre ensued.

    The drake had intended to ''moderately'' kill, but humans were so weak that he couldn''t control his strength.

    He ended up killing them all.

    ''Killed another one.''

    The status window popped up just when he was about to forget about it.

    The summoning skill continuously reported the drake''s status and actions to Ian.

    Moreover, if Ian wished, he could convey his will over any distance, thanks to the summoning skill.

    However, it wasn''t like in RPG games where you could shout, ''Yap! Summon Drake!'' and the drake would suddenly pop up in front of you.

    This was inevitable because summoning originally referred to the act of calling something forth.

    It wasn''t up to the summoner to decide how the summoned entity would arrive.

    For instance, if you summon a ghost, the ghostes on its own, not brought directly by the summoner.

    If Ian were to summon the drake?

    Longtail would have to walk.

    If urgent, he could run.

    This was the limit of the Skill: Summoning.

    If Ian had made a contract with a formless being or one that traversed dimensions, it would automaticallye to where Ian called...

    But for a physical monster like a drake,bining summoning with spatial teleportation magic was necessary to perform summoning like in RPG games.

    ''It can''t be helped.''

    Unless Ian learned spatial teleportation magic from a space-time wizard, summoning the drake in the middle of a city was impossible.

    But Ian wasn''t particrly disappointed.

    While the drake was a powerful force, it wasn''t something to be carried around.

    Longtail himself was busy bringing over a girlfriend who had been stolen by NTR.

    And how was he supposed to feed and take care of such a huge body?

    Unless supported by a great noble, he wasn''t suitable as apanion for a journey in search of mysteries.

    "Wizard sir, we''re just a little further from the vige."

    [Ian. I''ve driven away all the humans.]

    "[Thanks, Longtail. You''ve saved me a lot of trouble.]"

    [Hehe. It''s good to have a friend.]

    In fact, there were only one or two humans driven away.

    The rest were all killed.

    Anyway, the pursuers sent by Baron Jin were all repelled.

    Even if additional pursuers were dispatched, they wouldn''t dare to cross Earth Dragon Mountain.

    "[It''s time for us to part.]"

    [Though our meeting was brief, it was fun, and I''m grateful, friend.]

    "[I hope you meet a slender, scaled drake.]"

    At the edge of the mountain, Ian bid farewell to the drake.

    Though their meeting started by chance, it ended with gaining a good friend. This too was a joy of the journey.

    [Ian. You must be very interested in the mysteries of the world, right?]

    "[Eh?]"

    Although the drake couldn''t follow him beyond the mountain range, it provided Ian, who was traveling alone, with a piece of simple information.

    [Somewhere in the northern ice mountains, there''s a tale of a Frost Phoenix living there.]

    Frost Phoenix.

    The phoenix was a type of monster, literally an ''undying bird'' that, upon nearing death, would transform into an egg to be reborn.

    However, contrary tomon belief, not all phoenixes were made of mes.

    Ice Phoenix, Wind Phoenix, Rock Phoenix, and so on...

    Phoenixes had quite a flexible biology, altering their physical structure depending on their living environment.

    After all, the ''fire'' in ''phoenix'' refers not to mes but to undying.

    [I''ve heard many wizards seek phoenixes... If you''re interested, why not look for one?]

    The drake didn''t understand why wizards were hunting for the Frost Phoenix.

    It had merely heard from other drakes that many human wizards were doing so.

    However, since Ian was also a human wizard, the drake passed on the information...

    The problem was that Ian himself didn''t quite understand the value of a Frost Phoenix.

    ''Could I make it a summoned beast?''

    But having advanced his summoning skill to level 3, he thought it would be nice to persuade it to be his summoned beast.

    Or, just experiencing the mystery and earning bonus skill points would be fine too.

    "[Thanks. I''ll definitely go look for it.]"

    [In the Ice Mountains lives my friend, Whitefang. Ask for help from him. Mention my name, and he''ll treat you kindly.]

    "[Whitefang. I''ve remembered it.]"

    Ian and his party were now walking on smooth ins.

    They had crossed the Earth Dragon Mountain.

    ---

    ---

    While Ian was lost in the afterglow of farewell, a sharp smack sounded from somewhere.

    Based on his experience with dramas, this was the sound of someone pping another person.

    By the time Ian looked up, thepany workers were rushing towards the source of the noise.

    "Stop it!"

    "What are you doing!"

    The source of the noise was none other than two women.

    And there were only two women: Emily and Lucy.

    Both women, with disheveled hair, were ring and fuming at each other.

    "You filthy whore!"

    Emily shouted at Lucy with a re.

    Lucy retorted without backing down.

    "The whore is you!"

    "You...! What did you say! b*tch!"

    Shockingly, it was a fact.

    Emily was a prostitute who sold her body for money.

    She was of a lowly status that couldn''t even speak to nobles like Lucy.

    But Lucy was strong-willed.

    Her full name was Lucy Talian.

    It could be said that ''Lucy was hiding her status.''

    Emily, knowing nothing, insulted Lucy as she pleased.

    However, Lucy was in a dilemma, as revealing her true identity could entangle her in troublesome affairs.

    Thus, a match that should never have happened, happened.

    "Why are they like this?"

    As Ian appeared, Emily clung to him with a whining voice.

    Seeing her movement of clinging to a man without hesitation, a professional prostitute was indeed different.

    "Sir Wizard~ That woman keeps picking fights with me~"

    "...You started the fight in the first ce!"

    Lucy cried out in injustice.

    Her words were true.

    Since Lucy returned with Ian, Emily kept nitpicking Lucy over trivial matters.

    The reason Emily disliked Lucy was out of jealousy.

    Throughout the journey, Emily had been tending to the wizard.

    Whenever she had the chance, she flirted with the wizard, hoping to gain his favor.

    Then, like a thieving cat, Lucy swooped in and took everything, which infuriated Emily.

    "Sir Wizard~ She''s the one in the wrong, right~?"

    "Ian. Who do you think is right?"

    Faced with the res of both Lucy and Emily, Ian sighed deeply.

    ''Why are they asking me this nonsense?''

    In truth, thepany workers already knew whose side Ian would take.

    No matter how pretty, a prostitute who sells her body to mercenaries vs. ady with an elegant aura.

    ''Haah. Know your ce.''

    ''As usual. Women are desperate totch onto someone higher up.''

    Emily knew thepany workers looked at her unfavorably, but...

    There are times when a woman, despite knowing her chances were slim, must not back down!

    That''s when aiming for a rise in status!

    Somehow managing to be the wizard''s wife would be a massive turnaround in her life.

    Wizard Ian might be the highest-ranking person Emily would ever meet in her life.

    "What kind of nonsensical thing are you fighting over? Are you both three-year-olds?"

    "Ian."

    Lucy pointed to her swollen, red cheek with a sullen expression.

    It was a wound from being hit by Emily.

    ''Haah.''

    Ian was Lucy''s escort.

    Though it might seem strange for a wizard to take on such a role, Lucy had requested it, so he was indeed her escort.

    Annoying as it was, he had to fulfill his duty as an escort.

    "Emily. Apologize to Lucy. And don''t bother her again."

    "...Sir Wizard!"

    When Ian made his decision, Emily''s face turned to one of shock.

    The workers nodded, knowing this would be the oue.

    Everyone except Emily had expected this.

    "I, I was just trying to do my best for Sir Wizard! But that woman dares to talk back! Ah! Sir Wizard, don''t tell me... You like someone with a rude attitude...? Ah!"

    "???"

    "Emily, you bastard!"

    Before Emily could finish her sentence, thepany workers swarmed her, covering her mouth.

    "Hey, you crazy woman! If you want to die, die alone!"

    "Mmph! I know men well... Mmph! Sir Wizard likes it when you''re rough with him...! Mmph!"

    "Just shut up, will you!"

    While Emily was ranting, Lucy stealthily moved closer to Ian and linked arms with him.

    It was so natural that Ian didn''t even realize his arm had been taken.

    "Why did she suddenly act like that?"

    When Ian asked, Lucy responded with a beaming smile.

    "I don''t know. Maybe she caught syphilis."

    ---

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 Chapter 19:

    Chapter 19:

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    "This is convenient."

    "What is?"

    Lying side by side in the wagon, Lucy giggled as she spoke to Ian.

    "Pretending to be your lover. It was annoying having to deal with those fools one by one. But now that I''m with you, it''s all taken care of, right?"

    Lucy casually referred to thepany workers as ''fools''.

    Such behavior was normal in these times.

    As a nobledy, the workers were considered so beneath her that they shouldn''t even step in her shadow.

    Until now, she had to behave and keep quiet.

    But since hiring Ian as her escort, Lucy regained her confidence and asionally showed her aristocratic attitude.

    From a modern perspective, she was incredibly arrogant.

    "But don''t get it twisted, wizard. I''m only pretending to be your lover, not actually trying to date you!"

    "..."

    "Well, if you want to be the son-inw of the Talian Family, I might consider dating you from now on..."

    Chatter, chatter.

    Lucy''s mouth never stopped.

    Ian wanted to cover his ears.

    It wasn''t that he didn''t understand her feelings.

    For someone who had been pursued all her life, meeting someone who could be on her side was exhrating.

    Just let her enjoy it.

    That''s just how excited she was.

    But that was one thing, and this was another.

    Since he couldn''t cover his ears, maybe he should cover Lucy''s mouth.

    "Can you please shut up? It''s noisy."

    At Ian''s words, Lucy burst intoughter.

    "Ah! You sounded just like a wizard!"

    "...F*ck."

    Nothing he said made a difference.

    Even cursing was considered a virtue of a wizard to her.

    Getting seriously angry felt foolish.

    Since Lucy was talking anyway, it might be best to pry some productive information out of her.

    "So, what''s the n going forward?"

    If she was running away without a n, Ian was ready to abandon her right then and there.

    Time was not infinite.

    He didn''t want to waste it.

    "We''ll pass through a few viges, then we''ll reach a territory ruled by my uncle."

    "Your uncle?"

    "Count Catina is my uncle."

    Lucy''s n was as follows:

    For her, the fastest and surest way to get help was through Count Catina.

    She nned to tell him of her parents'' poisoning, expecting that Count Catina would naturally lend his soldiers...

    That was Lucy''s n.

    "Hmm."

    Ian pondered, tilting his head.

    The n wasn''t bad, but it wasn''t perfect either.

    "I have a few questions. First, how was the rtionship between Count Catina and your mother? Were they close?"

    "It wasn''t bad."

    It was a vague answer.

    If Lucy''s mother and Count Catina had been close since childhood, the Count would draw his sword in anger over the death of Baroness Talian.

    But if not?

    It''s a harsh reality, but in this era, women were often treated as outsiders once married, almost like strangers to their own families.

    To put it coldly, the death of Baron and Baroness Talian was seen as the death of someone else''s family members.

    It wasn''t something considered worth getting one''s hands dirty over.

    ''I have a bad feeling about this...''

    If Count Catina were to lend troops to Lucy, that in itself would be an ominous sign.

    On the surface, Count Catina''s deployment of troops was unproblematic.

    An uncle raising an army for his niece who has lost her parents painted a perfect picture.

    The justification is so solid that other lords in the vicinity wouldn''t dare to interfere.

    However, what if Count Catina decides to take some of Lucy''s territory?

    Or worse, attempts to swallow it whole?

    There would be no one to stop the Count!

    Once Baron Jin is dealt with, the territory would have no one but Count Catina and Lucy.

    Then, whether the Count supports or exploits Lucy, what business is it of anyone else?

    "How about seeking help from another noble?"

    "Another noble? Who?"

    Lucy red at Ian with fiery eyes.

    "Someone who is more reliable than your uncle..."

    "Who in the world is more trustworthy than my uncle?!"

    "..."

    "Are you doubting my uncle now? Ian Eredith Raven! Even if you are a disciple of a famous wizard! I won''t tolerate such an insult!"

    Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    If she was that confident.

    Ian didn''t know Count Catina at all.

    On the other hand, Lucy said she met the Count a few times in her childhood.

    Lucy knew the Count better than Ian did. He had no choice but to trust Lucy.

    "Just be cautious. The piece of meat in your hand is too big."

    "...I didn''t even think about getting my territory back in full. I''ll have to give my uncle his share. But still, my uncle is better than some unknown noble. Other men... they would try to marry me."

    Lucy nced at Ian and then said,

    "But... if you, Ian, were to propose... it would be okay..."

    ''Here we go again.''

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Ever since signing the escort contract, Lucy had repeatedly asked if he would consider marrying her whenever the thought urred to her.

    It felt like a proposal driven by the determination to tie a wizard to her territory at all costs.

    Given the value of a wizard, it wasn''t out of ce for Lucy to act this way, even to the extent of offering herself in marriage.

    However, it''s difficult to ept such a proposal when the other party only sees it as a career move.

    At least for Ian, who holds modern values, there should at least be some affection in marriage.

    And for Ian, who wants to study the world of magic, marriage was still far off.

    "Our contract ends once we meet Count Catina."

    "Isn''t that too harsh, Ian? A noble is offering to live with you!"

    "There are plenty of women out there."

    This was a fact.

    Was there any possibility that Ian, a wizard, could not find even one for him?

    Considering the value of a wizard, marrying a noblewoman was entirely within the realm of possibility.

    People usually get hurt by the facts they can''t deny.

    While lies can be countered with a simple ''No, that''s not true'', facts are inarguable.

    That''s the harsh reality.

    So, Lucy was deeply offended.

    "...You''re the worst!"

    With her face flushed, she stormed off.

    Rick sneakily approached and said,

    "Women are such troublesome creatures, aren''t they?"

    "Are you talking about your wife?"

    "Ha! Yes, my wife!"

    "I don''t care, so shut up."

    "Ha ha ha! Oh! Of course!"

    Ian''s words didn''t affect Rick at all.

    The more Ian got angry, the more Rick enjoyed it, and Ian was getting increasingly aggressive.

    ---

    ---

    A thousand years ago, the world was ruled by a great ancient empire known as the ''Golden Empire''.

    The Golden Empire was the only empire to sessfully unified the world using its amazing technology and superior military.

    Under its fair rule, citizens led peaceful and happy lives (of course, this only applies to the citizens, not the ves, so technically not a lie).

    However, nothing in this worldsts forever.

    Despite bearing the name ''Golden'', symbolizing immortality, the empire decayed due to luxury and decadence.

    Gold became a name for corruption, not immortality.

    As corrupt officials exploited the people, the middle ss copsed, leaving only the poor and the rich.

    When the empire ran out of soldiers willing to serve, it could no longer sustain its massive size and shattered into pieces.

    It was the end of the Golden Age.

    As the giant fell, all sorts of creatures swarmed to feast on its corpse.

    The descendants of those creatures, pretending to be human, are raising their voices today; those are the current nobles.

    And of course...

    These creatures don''t understand the things humans have made...!

    "Rick. Isn''t there another way?"

    "Another way? What do you mean?"

    "A road where carriages can pass..."

    At Ian''s question, Rick smirked.

    Rick, a merchant, knew what Ian meant by ''road''.

    "Ah. If you''re talking about ancient roads, there''s one north of Riverville!"

    "..."

    Surprisingly, the concept of ''roads'' did not exist in this world.

    More precisely, the concept of building roads did not exist.

    Roads could only be built by the ancients...!

    So, what is the traffic like on other paths?

    The answer is, ''there is no traffic.''

    Other than the ancient roads, there was no traffic on other paths because they were too inconvenient.

    Then why not just pave new roads?

    The problem was, no one had the money for that.

    And because roads haven''t been paved for so long, there were no technicians capable of paving roads as well as the ancients did.

    So... they just stopped paving roads.

    People just use the roads made by the ancients!

    Because of this, this medieval fantasy world still uses the roads built by an empire 1000 years ago.

    A suspiciously advanced ancient civilization.

    People living miserably after its downfall.

    Ancient artifacts of suspiciously high value...

    Doesn''t this setting seem familiar?

    That''s right.

    It''s post-apocalyptic.

    This medieval fantasy is, in fact, post-apocalyptic...!

    "Let''s just go."

    "Yes!"

    It wasn''t apparent while he was with Eredith, but now it was clear.

    This era is one where exchange between domains was nearly impossible.

    Without roads, how could there possibly be any interaction?

    The realization of how insane it was to pack up goods like the Rabbit Foot Company and travel around trading hit anew.

    Passing through fields where the grass grew as persistently as green zombies, and ins where wild horses roamed, Ian''s group moved towards Riverville.

    Soon, they reached a river, and following its banks, they saw Riverville emerge.

    Riverville, true to its name, was a vige built along arge river.

    ''This isn''t just some rural vige?''

    Ian admired the well-made palisade.

    Riverville was surrounded by a high palisade without any gaps, making it impossible to enter without going through the guarded gate.

    By scale, it was at least twice the size of Hayhill Vige, where Ian was born and raised.

    "Stop!"

    As the Rabbit Foot Company approached, a guard came forward and shouted.

    The discipline of the guard was very reassuring.

    "Oh~ Hello there!"

    Rick greeted the guard slickly, presenting a gift.

    From a modern perspective, it was kind of like a bribe, but it wasn''t really a bad thing.

    Rick and the guard were meeting for the first time today.

    Even if the Rabbit Foot Company had passed through Riverville before, a brief introduction was necessary.

    A light gift was perfectly eptable to give.

    So, the guard casually epted the bottle of liquor Rick offered.

    "We are from the Rabbit Foot Company, we have traded here before!"

    "Ah, I see. But, is this all of you?"

    The guard was puzzled as he checked the number of people.

    For a traveling group of this size, it was natural to have armed escorts.

    Yet, there was not a single person carrying weapons.

    "Ah. We had mercenaries, but... they all died in an attack."

    "You were lucky then."

    Ian found the conversation between the two absurd.

    Rick, casually mentioned that all the mercenaries were dead, and the guard, saying it was lucky...

    Truly, it was a conversation fitting for a post-apocalyptic era.

    The guard allowed thepany to pass without any special inspection.

    Armed mercenaries were a threat, but an unarmedpany posed none.

    Instead, they were seen as beneficial for bringing necessary goods to the vige people.

    "What are your ns now, wizard?"

    Ian had joined the Rabbit Foot Company to cross the Earth Dragon Mountain.

    Despite various events (details omitted), they safely arrived at the next vige.

    It was now up to Ian to decide what to do next.

    "We are going to meet the lord now... Would you like to join us?"

    Upon arriving in a vige where a ruler resides, it was important to meet the ruler first.

    This was to avoid any issuester on.

    Rick naturally invited Ian to apany them.

    If they were with a wizard, even a lord would hesitate to cause trouble.

    It was also in Ian''s interest to meet the lord, as revealing his status as a wizard and requesting lodging would likely lead to the provision of a good ce to sleep and eat.

    However, Ian had a burden.

    "Ian..."

    It was Lucy.

    It was unlikely that the lord would harm Lucy unless he was mad.

    However, Ian was not keen on the idea of rumors spreading about ''a beautiful girl traveling with a wizard''.

    And who knows?

    What if the lord was mad and decided to harm Lucy?

    It was better to be cautious of all possibilities.

    "We''ll rest here before we depart."

    "Understood. It has been an honor to serve you, wizard!"

    Rick neatly bid farewell and went on his way.

    Just being saved by a wizard was a great fortune for him.

    "So..."

    "Let''s go to an inn first."

    After parting ways with thepany, Ian and Lucy headed to an inn to recover from their journey.

 Chapter 20:

    Chapter 20:

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    "Got a question."

    "What is it?"

    While going towards an inn, Lucy threw a simple question.

    "Why does Ian use formal speech withmoners? What''s the reason?"

    To Lucy''s eyes, Ian''s behavior was odd.

    A wizard of the empire is like a noble, so why use honorifics toward lowlymoners?

    Lucy had seen a wizard only once before in her life, and that person had used honorifics only towards her noble parents, speaking down to the servants.

    That''s why Ian was peculiar to her.

    And indeed, Ian was peculiar.

    "Well, I''m amoner. Ian, a farmer''s son."

    "But you''re a wizard."

    "So what."

    "..."

    As a wizard ofmoner origin, Ian became an existence detached from the usual social norms.

    It didn''t matter whether he used honorifics or not.

    "There''s no particr reason. Just imitating my master."

    "Ian''s master... Eredith?"

    "Damn it. Call her Master Eredith. Don''t be rude."

    "... Sorry. Master Eredith is like that?"

    Wizard Eredith was down-to-earth and polite.

    So much so, that she even used honorifics with Ian''s serf parents.

    Ian admired such character.

    And having not fully shed his modern sensibilities, he found it ufortable to be rude tomoners.

    Of course, he''d naturally adjust once he got used to the ways of the empire.

    "And. Is it a problem if I use honorifics? I want to."

    "No. Well... There''s no issue."

    If a noble used honorifics towards amoner, they''d be treated as if they were insane. It''s against the universally epted rules of this world.

    Like Lucy''s reaction, a wizard using honorifics was indeed strange.

    But for a wizard, that''s okay. In fact, it was preferable.

    Wizards are regarded more highly the stranger they appear!

    The more normally one acts, the more likely people are to underestimate a wizard''s power.

    ''Tsk tsk. Lacks skill, so he''s pretending to be modest!'' they''d say.

    But the stranger the behavior, the more they wonder, ''Wow! How amazing must he be to act so crazily!''

    In an era where myths and rumors were indistinguishable from truth, sometimes, even false tales had to be epted as truth.

    Look at Wizard Eredith.

    Despite her down-to-earth nature and using honorifics towardsmoners, no one criticizes her!

    They only admire, ''Wow! She uses honorifics towardsmoners! Truly strange!''

    Lucy decided to stop caring about Ian''s way of speaking.

    If the wizard himself wants to, then...

    "This must be the inn."

    "Oh. It really looks like an inn."

    The inn in Riverville resembled the medieval fantasy inns Ian was familiar with.

    Brick walls and open windows. Even the height of being two stories tall.

    Upon entering, a warm wee greeted the visitors. It was the warmth of a firece that also served as an oven.

    Fireces were why Western buildingsmonly had two stories. The heat from a fire on the first floor could rise to warm the second floor, making heating feasible even in taller buildings.

    However, in the East, and specifically in Joseon buildings, this was impossible due to the ondol [1] heating system, which couldn''t effectively heat buildings taller than one story.

    Therefore, Joseon''s inns were wide and t, while Western fantasy inns had multiple floors.

    "Wee!"

    The innkeeper greeted Ian and his party.

    It wasn''t the bushy-bearded man Ian had hoped for; he was a bit disappointed.

    The innkeeper was a middle-aged woman.

    "Will you be staying the night?"

    "Yes, for a day or two..."

    "The beds are on the second floor. Beware of thieves."

    The innkeeper proficiently delivered her weing spiel.

    Riverville, being by the river, saw frequent visits from outsiders.

    Merchants from the outside, like the Rabbit Foot Company, came often. To the innkeeper, the presence of travelers was nothing unusual.

    "Ma''am, is bathing possible?"

    "Bathing? It''s not impossible, but..."

    When Ian asked for a bath, the innkeeper naturally asked for an additional fee.

    Bathing wasn''t a service provided by the inn. There were no bathrooms to begin with.

    Bathing meant filling aundry cauldron with water, heating it, and then getting in instead ofundry.

    It was natural to charge for thebor of fetching water and burning fuel.

    "Bath, lodging, meals. For two, please."

    Ian had plenty of money. The travel funds given by Eredith were still enough, and the gem given by Longtail hadn''t been sold yet.

    When Eredith''s travel funds neared its end, he could sell the jewel in the city to replenish his funds.

    "Oh! Alright! I''ll get it ready!"

    The innkeeper''s face brightened upon seeing the money Ian offered.

    It was the golden smile of capitalism.

    "But what about thatdy?"

    Lucy, who had been listening, protested.

    "I''m not taking a bath!"

    Ian asked, half incredulous and half annoyed.

    "Why? It''s not like you''re paying. Aren''t you also dirty?"

    "There''s that, but!"

    She didn''t deny it, leaving Ian even more bewildered.

    Blushing, Lucy shouted in a voice full of injustice.

    "Do I really have to spell it out?"

    The bath was to be taken in the inn''s backyard.

    And it was an open space.

    Imagine a person in steaming water. And a pretty girl at that?

    Spectators would flock like clouds.

    The innkeeper didn''t mind people gathering. In fact, she preferred it.

    "Ah."

    Ian understood Lucy''s point.

    Bathing in this era was like a public humiliation y.

    For Ian, a man, it might be something tough off, but for Lucy, it was utterly impossible.

    "I''ll do it alone."

    Ian began to understand why people of this era didn''t bathe and roamed around as they did.

    Even if they wanted to bathe, there weren''t many ces to do so...

    Hardly anyone was willing to pay a hefty sum for the privilege of public humiliation.

    "Why would anyone even bathe here?"

    "Because it''s gross not to."

    "Really peculiar. Is it because you''re a wizard?"

    "..."

    To Lucy, Ian''s actions were entric. But since it was a wizard doing them, it wasn''t all that strange.

    Ah! So wizards enjoy being naked outdoors for all to see! (Not really)

    "Let''s just eat."

    "Sure!"

    Lucy giggled and took off her robe.

    Her beautiful ck-blue hair, reminiscent of the night sky, cascaded down like a waterfall.

    At that moment, nearly every man staying at the inn fixed their gaze on Lucy.

    ''Damn.''

    Ian quickly covered Lucy''s face.

    "Lucy. Put the robe back on."

    "It''s Cassie, not Lucy. And why the robe?"

    "Just put it on and stop whining."

    "I don''t wanna. It''s suffocating."

    Lucy pouted and grumbled.

    Her look was incredibly cute and lovely... not really, it was just infuriating.

    Does she even realize she''s a fugitive?

    "Are you trying to cause trouble?"

    "Hmph. Who here would recognize me? And Ian, you''re here. Can''t you handle a few thugs?"

    "You''re f*cking brilliant. No, I can''t."

    "... Really?"

    Lucy asked, incredulous.

    Of course, there was no way Ian would struggle against a few thugs.

    However, he could only handle two or three people with magic. If the situation escted beyond that, Ian wouldn''t be able to manage.

    Either powerful magic would have to be summoned, or they''d have to seek a noble''s help...

    Attracting unnecessary attention was an unwee oue.

    That''s why he lied about not being able to win.

    "No choice then..."

    Lucy pouted and reluctantly put her robe back on.

    "My escort is a weakling."

    "..."

    Ian seriously considered it.

    Should he just abandon her?

    He felt like he was stuck taking care of a disobedient little sister.

    ...

    Too busy ring at Lucy, Ian failed to notice.

    A few men were eyeing Lucy, their gazes gleaming.

    ---

    ---

    In a dark alleyway, Riverville''s troublemaker, shaggy-haired Willy, was excitedly chatting with his friends.

    "Are you lying again?"

    "I swear it''s true! That chick! She''s f*cking gorgeous!"

    "How pretty can she be..."

    Shaggy-haired Willy was a troublemaker.

    Meaning, being a troublemaker was his job.

    Willy spent most of his timezing around, indulging in idleness.

    He didn''t work or help anyone.

    He was somewhat good at fighting, though, earning money by beating people up for others.

    He was a professional troublemaker who rarely got dragged off by the city guards for brawling.

    He boasted a very high customer satisfaction rate.

    Thanks to that, he managed to scrape by with just enough to eat.

    Everyone around him pleaded for him to grow up and find a job, but Willy, inherentlyzy, would rather bolt from the vige armed than stoop to do farm work.

    "That chick, she only has onepanion. And it''s some fuckwit of a guy."

    Willy recalled the travelers he had seen at the inn.

    The woman with hair as dark as the night sky was more beautiful than any other woman Willy had ever seen.

    It was like seeing a nobledy in person, so breathtaking she was.

    On the other hand, her malepanion looked like a total loser.

    His head was as ck as hers, suggesting they were rtives.

    But the guy''s face was pale as flour, looking like he''d never seen the sun, a total wimp.

    How weak must his body be for his face to be so pale without doing any farm work!

    Definitely a f*cking loser.

    "But it didn''t seem like they were staying for long."

    Travelers without luggage orpany wouldn''t stay in a vige for long.

    Within a day or two, the woman would leave.

    The thought of the woman disappearing as soon as tomorrow made Willy unable to contain his excitement.

    "So, here''s the thing..."

    As Willy''s eyes sparkled, his friends understood his intention.

    A wordless understanding. It was telepathy.

    "Are we going to f*ck her?"

    "Exactly that!"

    p!

    A high-five that sounded like an explosive.

    As if Kang Baek-ho[2] and Seo Tae-woong were nothingpared to them.

    However, their passion was for r*pe instead of basketball, making them nothing but f*cking scumbags.

    The beauty with dark blue hair, Lucy Talian, was an appealing target for Willy.

    First off, she was an outsider.

    Messing with her meant no local backing to worry about.

    Sure, a backer might appearter, but by then, they could just run away.

    To Willy, a medieval era unemployed, running was nothing.

    Even as a troublemaker, messing with a girl from the same vige would bring the wrath of her father, brother, younger brother, uncle, brother-inw, the guy next door, and so on, rising up like a swarm to uphold justice in Riverville.

    But Lucy was an outsider.

    Dragging her to some dark ce to f*ck, who would stop them?

    And even if she cried injustice, who would listen to her, especially against Willy, known for his miscreant ways?

    Besides, it''s not like the woman would go around saying, ''I was raped!''

    Even in the civilized 21st-century Earth, it''smon sense to dissuade a woman from venturing alone into the wilderness.

    It''s not for no reason that women are cautioned to be careful when traveling to countries with poor public safety (like India) with other women.

    "F*ck, if she''s that pretty, should we give it a go?"

    As his friends were persuaded, Willy grinned.

    "Exactly why you''re my friends!"

    ---

    [1 raei: Ondol in Korean traditional architecture is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. (wikipedia)]

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 Chapter 21:

    Chapter 21:

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    The ruler of Riverville was a noble named Baron Kaltz.

    As befitting the lord of arge vige, Baron Kaltz built and lived in a house within the walls of a castle.

    Unlike other minor nobles who received their fiefs from a higher noble, the Kaltz family was a local that had been with Riverville from its beginning.

    The first Baron Kaltz was the vige chief of Riverville.

    He wielded his sword to drive out thieves and hunted monsters to expand his territory.

    He quarried stone to build a castle to prevent invasions from outsiders, and gradually erging it led to the current Riverville castle.

    Therefore, Baron Kaltz was a nobleman that even fairly influential lords would find difficult to meddle with.

    Although his territory was small, the loyalty of his subjects was tremendous, and owning even a small castle made military aggression a delicate matter.

    The constion was that he did not have enough soldiers to attack other territories.

    Someday, if Riverville grew and became wealthier, it might engage in wars to expand its territory, but that was another story.

    "So, you want to do business in Riverville?"

    Baron Kaltz nced sideways at the man prostrating before him and spoke indifferently.

    The man was the representative of a small trading group called Rabbit Foot Company. His name was Rick or something.

    "Yes! My lord! In fact, ourpany did business in Riverville three years ago as well..."

    "Ah, yes. I remember."

    In truth, he did not remember. It wasnt as if merchants wanting to do business were few and far between.

    Despite the difficult era for trading, the prospect of making a fortune ensured a never-ending stream of challengers.

    Thus, the empire today continues to see the birth and disappearance of tradingpanies.

    "Just don''t cause any trouble. Take care of things on your own."

    "Thank you for your permission, my lord!"

    Rick, a skilled merchant, sessfully concluded the meeting with the noble.

    He had to offer considerable wealth to see the high lord''s face, but as things went smoothly, it was all worth it.

    After all, there were times when one would offer money and still be kicked out.

    When that happened, one would feel so wronged theyd want to dive into the river.

    But what can you do about feeling wronged?

    Just a wandering merchant, after all.

    Cursing under his breath, he would have to head to the next vige.

    "Hehe. But, my lord. I have a story that I must tell Baron Kaltz..."

    "Something I need to know?"

    "Actually, the person I respect the most is Baron Kaltz! Every time I visit Riverville, I hear songs praising the merciful Baron..."

    "Ha. Enough with the gilding, get to the point."

    As Rick babbled away, Baron Kaltz couldn''t help but smirk happily.

    At the same time, the baron''s treasurer frowned.

    Since this lowly merchant made the baron happy, for the sake of the baron''s dignity, he had to be given some money.

    Otherwise, hed go around wailing to the whole neighborhood, ''After all Ive done for you! Baron! How could you do this to me!'' while whining and crying.

    Then bad rumors about the baron would spread that hes stingy and petty, offering nothing in return for loyalty.

    Naturally, merchants and travelers would be reluctant to engage in more conversation with the baron than necessary.

    It meant being cut off from news of the outside world.

    In an era where the only sources of information were merchants and travelers, being out of the loop was quite an irritating matter.

    Moreover, Rick cunningly started his story aftervishly praising the baron to put him in a good mood.

    It was to ensure he wouldnt be thrown out even if the story Rick was about to tell was unremarkable.

    "Actually, I met a wizard while I was traveling."

    "A wizard?"

    Baron Kaltz lent an ear to the merchant''s story.

    ''Is he trying to sell some rare item?''

    Wizards were rare, useful, and capricious beings.

    It wouldnt be surprising if the merchant had acquired some marvelous item from a wizard.

    "Yes! This person saved our lives with amazing skills!"

    Rick narrated with apelling voice, a skill honed from traveling the roads.

    After all, a merchant must sell well, right?

    Walking the fine line between a chatan and a merchant, a quack doctor is, after all, still a merchant.

    Baron Kaltz was entranced by Ricks story. Regardless of its truth, the tale of the wizard was too interesting.

    In an era devoid of novels orics, most entertainment was nd at best.

    The most interesting stories were usually about knights'' adventures, but how much more entertaining would be the bizarre adventures of a wizard!

    "What? Kidnappers attacked in the night, and a drake attacked them? And the wizard talked to the drake and settled the matter in a single fight, even scolding the drake?

    Wow! Super interesting!

    Who needs Nobel Prize literature when you have this?

    "Truly amazing."

    Baron Kaltz was genuinely astonished.

    A wizard whomands a drake like it''s nothing. How impressive must that be!

    "The truly surprising fact is... this person is currently staying in Riverville."

    "What!"

    Baron Kaltz was so startled that he stood up.

    The super interesting adventure story just drifted into horror thriller territory.

    It was fine when the wizard was adventuring and controlling a drake. But f*ck, that person is in my territory?

    Just the thought sent shivers down his spine.

    If, by some chance, an irritated wizard released a drake within the territory... what would be of Riverville?

    Baron Kaltz would end up being the former Baron Kaltz.

    Whether losing the territory or dying in a fight trying to defend it from the drake.

    "I absolutely must not! Absolutely must not reveal their whereabouts... but I respect you so much, my lord, that I had to tell you in secret."

    It was a lie.

    Ian had only mentioned staying in the vige to Rick.

    Butying this groundwork would make Rick''s sharing seem more valuable. Being a born merchant, Rick knew well how to embellish a product.

    Even trash can look like treasure if you add rarity to it.

    "...I salute your courage."

    Baron Kaltz genuinely thanked Rick.

    To ignore the wizard''s warning and still report to him. What a touching show of loyalty!

    Without Rick''s advice, today one less baron might have been in the empire.

    "Steward!"

    "Yes, Your Excellency."

    "Give this man a generous amount of gold, and let him stay in the castle until he leaves Riverville."

    "Th-thank you! My lord!"

    Baron Kaltz immediately issued themand.

    "Select reliable people to patrol the vige. We must not let anything happen that could cause us trouble."

    "Yes!"

    "Steward, send Sir Hansen to the inn."

    The elder steward asked politely.

    "Shall we bring the wizard here?"

    "No. Since he has decided to stay in the vige, we cannot force him toe to the castle."

    Baron Kaltz couldnt fathom why the wizard chose to stay at a vige inn.

    Wizards are such beings.

    Capricious and unpredictable.

    "However, bring the Santiago Knights."

    Currently, a quirky group called the ''Santiago Knights'' was staying in Riverville.

    Monks and martial artists, they were lunatics who took up arms with a devotion to serving God.

    As wealthy as they were to afford weapons, these madmen didn''t engage in the wars they were supposed to but roamed around hunting ''demons'' and ''monsters.''

    Baron Kaltz had offered to host them in the castle, but they refused, iming that as monks, they could not usefortable beds, which shows how tightly wound in madness they were.

    The Santiago Knights might be a group of madmen, but they were safe madmen.

    They only bared their teeth against demons and monsters, self-proimed ''protectors of humanity.''

    The problem was...

    When the wizard whomands a drake and the Santiago Knights collide.

    Would the Santiago Knights, the protectors of humanity, leave the wizard who controls a drake alone?

    It wouldnt be surprising if they attacked, threatening to rip out his tongue.

    Santiago Knights and the wizard.

    If the two shed in Riverville... Baron Kaltz would have to cry his eyes out.

    ''You f*cking bastards! If you''re going to fight, get out of my house and do it! You motherf*ckers!''

    Since both were madmen impossible to capture by force, it was unfortunate for Baron Kaltz...

    "Hurry. We need to separate them before any problems arise."

    "Yes! Your Excellency!"

    Unlike the wizard, who was madness itself, the knights, who were humans wearing the mask of madness, were at least beings you couldmunicate with.

    Therefore, the baron nned to summon the knights to the castle until the wizard left Riverville.

    Sensing that this was no ordinary crisis, the steward raced off, eyebrows flying, to summon Sir Hansen.

    "Sir Hansen!"

    "What''s the matter?"

    Sir Hansen, one of the four knights of Riverville, greeted the steward.

    Born a noble''s bastard, he was an exemry knight who, unlike themon rogue knights, knew honor and dedicated himself to chivalry.

    "It''s an emergency!"

    The steward briefly summarized the crisis in Riverville.

    Grasping the gravity of the situation, Sir Hansen, with a grim face, armed himself and headed to the stables.

    There, he encountered a person he was not at all pleased to see.

    "Young lord."

    It was Bernard, Baron Kaltz''s son.

    "Going to the vige, right? I''lle with."

    "...I am carrying out an important order from the lord."

    "I know! That''s why I''m saying let''s go together!"

    He must have overheard the entire conversation in the hall.

    Young Lord Bernard, still wet behind the ears, wanted to meddle in the affairs of the estate despite not having the capacity for it.

    If he werepetent, it would be one thing.

    But he was just a foolish boy ying at lordship, more likely to cause trouble.

    "If the lord finds out..."

    "Ha! As if getting scolded by my father is anything new to me? And! You say it''s important, right? What if something happens that''s too much for you to decide on your own?

    Will you run back to the castle?"

    "..."

    Bernard, now somewhat grown up, asionally made sense, which made him even more annoying.

    It seemed like he had only grown in cunning.

    "I''ll take responsibility! So, let mee with!"

    "However, Young Lord..."

    "Ha! Sir Hansen! Is that all your loyalty amounts to!"

    ''Bratty kid...!''

    Sir Hansen was furious but suppressed his anger.

    He had sworn to protect the people of thisnd, charmed by the peaceful atmosphere of Riverville.

    Even if the boss''s son is difficult, if you appreciate thepany, why consider leaving?

    me your fate fornding in such a family-like corporation!

    "Absolutely, do not interfere. This is for your own good, Young Lord."

    "What do you take me for! I swear to the heavens I won''t disappoint you, Sir!"

    Bernard''s apanying was not a bad thing for Sir Hansen.

    It''sforting to have someone of higher status with you when you''re out on a mission.

    That is, assuming Bernard didn''t pull any strange stunts.

    Praying that Bernard would behave, Sir Hansen rode his horse towards the vige.

    He headed straight for the only inn in Riverville, ''Misty Inn.''

    The inn where the monastic knights were staying.

    "What''s with the smoke..."

    Bernard muttered ominously.

    Sir Hansen''s heart sank.

    From somewhere around the back of Misty Inn, white smoke was billowing up.

    What else could cause such huge plumes of smoke outdoors?

    ''A fight!''

    There was no other exnation than a fire caused bybat.

    ng!

    Without hesitation, Sir Hansen drew his sword and spurred his horse forward, charging aggressively.

    The residents, terrified, hurriedly cleared the way.

    Whinnying loudly, Sir Hansen practically leapt from his horse and dashed into the inn''s backyard.

    He was immediately appalled by the horrific scene unfolding before his eyes.

    ''That, that''s... What on earth!''

    A potrge enough for a person to fit inside.

    Beneath it, firewood burned, sending plumes of white smoke into the air...

    But most horrifying was the fact that there was actually someone inside the pot...!

    And that someone was a naked young man!

    ''The wizard and the monastic knights!''

    The men surrounding the pot were knights from the Santiago Monastic Order.

    And naturally, the man in the pot was the wizard.

    The Santiago Knights looked at Sir Hansen with cold eyes, silently staring him down.

    Sir Hansen felt chills running down his spine, his stomach turning in horror.

    The monastic knights were... right now...

    Boiling the wizard alive in water!

    Witnessing such a shocking scene, Sir Hansen momentarily lost his ability to speak.

    Thus, he found himself utterly unable to scream at the monastic knights, ''What are you doing!''

    But Young Lord Bernard, who had followed him, was different.

    After clearly witnessing the barbaric and cruel actions of the monastic knights, he showcased his noble presence by shouting at them.

    "What the hell are you doing!"

    At that moment, Sir Hansen thought it was good that he had brought Bernard along.

    However, even after the young lord''s thunderous scolding, the monastic knights just looked at each other, heads tilted from confusion.

    The first to speak was the wizard.

    From inside the pot, the wizard being boiled said,

    "...I''m taking a bath?"

    "???"

 Chapter 22:

    Chapter 22:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    As the sun set, the innkeeper announced that the bath was ready.

    Coincidentally, dinner was also finished around the same time.

    Why cant these be done separately

    When Ianined, the innkeeper looked at him as if he was being absurd.

    Isn''t it because you said you wanted a bath that mealtime was dyed?

    Ian was the only one in the inn who had asked for a bath. Mealtime had been dyed because they had to prepare a bath just for him.

    Ian couldnt question the innkeeper further.

    Dont just sit there, go and start the fire.

    Me?

    I fetched the water, lent you the pot, and even prepared the firewood, and you cant even start a fire?

    The res from around were fierce.

    The guests were angry that dinner was dyed because of Ian.

    Especially fierce were the res from a group of burly men huddled at one table, who looked like mercenaries, each with forearms that were threateningly muscr.

    Whats that about? Is he the innkeepers son or something?

    Hold yourself back. Are you nning to turn this ce into a mess?

    As the atmosphere turned hostile, Ian finally moved as the innkeeper had ordered.

    Lucy. Ill go take a bath ande back. Stay put.

    Okay! Ill eat first and then go upstairs!

    Although reluctant, Ian trudged to the backyard.

    Damn medieval era.

    Taking a bath was such a hassle.

    "Haah.

    As Ian was transferring the embers he received from the kitchen to the hearth.

    A man quietly watched Ian from a dark corner.

    ---

    ---

    Things are going strangely well?

    As soon as Ian left the inn, the troublemaker Willy notified his friends that the opportunity hade.

    Originally, they had nned to wait until things quieted down a bit before secretly calling the two out for the n.

    But with the man away from the womans side, there was no better opportunity than now.

    Lets go!

    The most handsome among Willys friends entered the Misty Inn.

    Meanwhile,

    Lucy, relieved from Ians nagging, quickly took off her robe and started her dinner.

    Ian worries too much.

    Lucy, who wanted to restfortably at the inn, found it suffocating to keep her face covered with a robe.

    Even if it was right to wear a robe before crossing the Earth Dragon Mountain due to pursuers, there was no need to wrap her face up all the way to Riverville, right?

    As Lucys beautiful face was revealed, she could feel the mens gazes gathering on her.

    Lucy secretly enjoyed the attention.

    ''Hehe. Do you like my face that much, you peasants?''

    It felt like she was returning to the times when she was adored as a noble, albeit in a twisted way.

    Though crude, it somewhat filled Lucys need for esteem.

    However, Lucy was unaware.

    Among those looking at her, there were those with malicious intentions.

    ''That''s her?''

    Willys friend was mesmerized by Lucys elegant appearance.

    I thought Willy was just bragging again...

    But there really was an incredibly beautiful woman staying at the inn alone!

    Willy''s friend approached Lucy with a ''genuine smile''.

    His handsome smile, which had won the favor of the vige maidens, served to lower the woman''s guard.

    Beautifuldy. Are you by any chance traveling with a man with ck hair?

    ...? Who are you?

    Although he was a stranger, mentioning Ian made Lucy unwittingly lower her guard.

    Things are going well.

    I''m a messenger hired by that traveler. He told me he has a very important secret to tell you and gave me money to deliver it.

    He showed the coins he had prepared in advance.

    A prop to embellish his tant lie.

    Hearing that he was sent with money, Lucypletely believed the man''s words.

    An important message? What is it?

    I''m just a messenger, so I don''t know the details... but he said you shoulde to the wharf as soon as possible.

    The wharf? Where''s that...

    It''s urgent, so Ill guide you there.

    He helped Lucy with her robes and lured her out of the inn.

    To prevent Lucy from having second thoughts, aplices who were waiting in advance blocked her way as soon as she stepped out.

    They created amotion to confuse Lucy''s thoughts.

    Hurry up! We need to hurry!

    It''s urgent! We have to run!

    Lucy panicked at the nonsense the ruffians were spouting.

    Could it be... a pursuer?

    The first thing that came to her mind was a pursuer sent by Baron (Jin).

    Had they already infiltrated Riverville?

    Then what about Ian...?

    But after walking a few steps, she sensed something was off.

    ...Why would someone who went to take a bath suddenly...?

    This doesn''t make sense.

    And if he had run into a pursuer, he would havee back to the inn immediately...

    Huh?

    Just as Lucy turned the corner of an alley, she froze at the sight beyond the fence in the inn''s backyard.

    In the inn''s backyard...

    There was Ian, diligently lighting a fire under arge pot...!

    Why was Ian, who was supposed to be at the wharf, there?

    Wait...!

    Just as Lucy tried to stop, the thugs demonstrated amazing teamwork, lifting her up.

    One covered her mouth with a cloth, while the others grabbed her and stuffed her into a prepared sack.

    This was a ssic kidnapping!

    Throughout history, regardless of the era, a sack was the best tool for kidnapping a woman.

    This fact is recorded even in ancient history.

    Kyaaa... Mmph! Mmph!

    In the blink of an eye, the thugs who had kidnapped Lucy ran towards the river''s wharf.

    They ''borrowed'' a boat to drift on the river, intending to romantically share a moment of cloud and rain with Lucy.

    For your information, cloud and rain = intimacy.

    If ssical literature mentions something about cloud and rain, it''s safe to assume they became intimate and move on.

    In "The Tale of Chunhyang," whenever Lee Mongryong and Sung Chunhyang locked eyes, they would share a moment of intimate passion, imagine watching this scene in the live-action "The Tale of Chunhyang"... (omitted)

    Anyway.

    The thugs sessfully captured Lucy as nned.

    Now, it was Willy''s turn.

    Willy had been secretly watching Ian, ready to knock him down and escape if anything went wrong.

    With the thugs sessful, all that was left was to make their escape.

    However, Lucy''s scream, like ast breath, ruined everything.

    Lucy?

    Ian heard Lucy''s scream!

    Lifting his head, Ian sensed that something was terribly wrong beyond the fence.

    And he was instantly furious.

    How could Lucy have been kidnapped in the brief moment he looked away?

    I swear Ill never take another escort request again.

    It was just an attempt to mimic the ssic fantasy novel trope of VIP escorts.

    This escorting business was more stressful than he had anticipated.

    Especially when the one being escorted was such a pretty piece of baggage!

    Like a damn Princess Peach.

    In Ian''s eyes, Lucy was a dark-haired Princess Peach.

    Though, if anything, she resembled Princess Prin Prin from Ghosts ''n Goblins[1] more.

    Ian was about to leap over the fence to save Lucy.

    When it happened.

    Arghhh!

    Suddenly, someone burst out of the bushes.

    It was a face he had never seen before.

    Looking like a jobless man who hadn''t shaved in months, this person swung a club at Ian.

    An assassin...?

    Ian was slightly taken aback by the sudden attack.

    Could this be an assassin sent by Baron (Jin)?

    But what kind of assassin looked so shabby?

    The answer was simple. The attacker was not an assassin.

    Just a local rascal who wanted to share a moment of cloud and rain with Lucy.

    As evidence, the club flying towards Ian was clumsy and weak.

    Weak enough for Ian to prepare a spell!

    Ian closed his eyes and listened to the mysterious voices.

    A wizard who decides to use magic thinking, I should use this spell~, is one of a certain level.

    Famous wizards like Eredith, recognized by everyone, can use the magic they want at the timing they want.

    However, a novice wizard like Ian couldn''t just use magic whenever he wanted.

    Like when the earth magic he tried to use to fix Longtail''s house failed because the mysteries refused to lend their power, magic would fail if the mysteries declined to help.

    Therefore, Ian needed to see first which mysteries were willing to lend him their power.

    [Human! The light is fading!]

    [It''s a good time to y!]

    [Want to y together?]

    The first to respond was darkness.

    Ian strangely had a good affinity with darkness.

    Despite not having spoken much, darkness was eager to talk with Ian.

    Is this what master meant bypatibility?

    Just as people have different talents, the ability to receive and utilize mysteries varies from person to person.

    Darkness was ready to talk to Ian.

    In that case, there was no need to summon other mysteries.

    "[Darkness!]"

    As Ian picked up a branch from the ground, he conjured up thick darkness around him.

    The darkness that gathered around Ian turned the space into something darker than the deepest midnight, even though it was only dusk.

    "Wha... what?"

    The professionalyabout, troublemaker Willy, was taken aback by the sudden darkness and lost track of Ian''s position.

    Blinded as if his eyes could see nothing, Willy froze in ce.

    Thwack!

    Ian struck the defenseless Willy with the branch.

    No matter how much of a wizard Ian was supposed to be, physical force was necessary to take down an opponent.

    Yes. Ian was a force wizard (by necessity).

    In the ssic fantasy realm of "The Lord of the Rings," the Wizard Gandalf also beat his enemies with a staff, making Ian a wizard of solid tradition.

    Thump! Thump!

    "Argh! Ahhh!"

    Willy, joyously beaten up in the pitch darkness, was so startled that he lost the ability to think clearly.

    So startled that...

    He thought the reason everything turned dark was not because Ian conjured magical darkness, but because he had gone blind...!

    "I surrender! I surrender!"

    Thump! Thump!

    "Someone save me! My eyes! I''ve gone blind!"

    ''This guy?''

    As Willy screamed his lungs out, people started to gather one by one.

    Ian dispelled the darkness and grabbed Willy by the scruff of his neck.

    "You! Are you with those bastards?"

    "Uh...? My eyes...? I can see again?"

    Thump!

    "Answer the question I asked!"

    Just as Ian was about to continue interrogating Willy.

    "Enough of that, young man."

    A deep, powerful voice stopped Ian in his tracks.

    It was just as well.

    Ian was about to leave Willy behind and chase after Lucy anyway.

    But as Ian made to move, a dagger flew from behind him and stuck in the fence.

    "..."

    A sharp and precise throw.

    It was by no means the work of an amateur.

    Ian slowly turned his head.

    ''This is bad...''

    There, the burly figures he had seen at the inn were standing in a group, all armed.

    A white-haired, sturdy old man stepped forward.

    "That darkness just now... did you summon it?"

    As the words ''white-haired'' and ''sturdy'' suggest, the old man was no ordinary senior.

    His eyes were sharp as if honed to a fine edge!

    A threatening gaze that seemed to say he would cut off Ian''s head if he made a move.

    You might have guessed, but Ian had no skill in deflecting flying des.

    Even the most talented wizards die if stabbed with a knife.

    Wizards in this world were merely beings with unique linguistic abilities, not invincible superheroes.

    Ian had no choice but to start doing what wizards do best.

    That is, talking his way out of it.

    "Yes, I am the wizard who summoned the darkness."

    Willy whined and clung to the old man''s legs.

    "Please, save me, my lord! This crazy wizard tried to kill me!"

    "...Is that true?"

    Receiving the old man''s murderous gaze, Ian felt a chill run down his spine.

    But it wasn''t unbearable.

    Ian had already withstood the murderous intent of a drake.

    Unbeknownst to him, enduring the drake''s murderous intent had actually strengthened his courage.

    Ian smirked and responded.

    "Sir, could you lend me that sword?"

    "The sword?"

    Ian red at Willy with a cold gaze.

    "Let me kill this bastard."

    "..."

    Ian''s words unsettled the armed brutes.

    ---

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 Chapter 23:

    Chapter 23:

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    The brutes, noticing the situation was not simple, did not move easily.

    It was a positive situation for Ian.

    "Look here, young man. Did you do something terrible to that wizard friend?"

    "Ye... Yes?"

    Willy was momentarily flustered, then desperately shook his head.

    "Absolutely not! Suddenly, suddenly that wizard attacked me...!"

    "He attacked you while you were just standing there? Without any reason?"

    "Yes! That''s right!"

    Ian couldn''t help but let out a sarcasticugh.

    Is that supposed to be believable?

    Even a three-year-old wouldn''t buy it...

    "That could be possible."

    "?!"

    ''He believed that?''

    This time, it was Ian who was flustered.

    That crazy old man was seriously considering Willy''s insane babble!

    Is it because they''re from medieval times?

    "A wizard could certainly do that."

    As soon as the old man finished speaking, the brutes nodded as if they had agreed beforehand.

    Ian was even more incredulous.

    What the hell do these guys think a wizard is?

    "What do you mean ''that could be possible''? Look here, elder. Not everything that is said out loud will make sense! There has to be logic behind it!"

    Ian blurted out in anger, then slightly regretted it. He was worried about the crazy old man getting angry and swinging his sword.

    But Ian''s worries were unfounded.

    Upon hearing Ian''s words, the old man... just smiled.

    "Seeing you angry like this, your skills must be decent as a wizard."

    Ah. Right.

    This was the usual treatment for a wizard. Nothing special.

    This time, one of the brutes stepped forward.

    "Wizard! Why did you attack this man!"

    "Because that bastard charged at me?"

    "Was there a need to cast evil magic?"

    Evil magic?

    "...How is my magic evil?"

    Ian almost copsed upon hearing the brute''s logic.

    "To obscure the surroundings with darkness is to avoid the eye of the sky, the sun! If you were truly honorable, you would fight under the sacred sky. Why would you hide your body in darkness? Unless... you had evil intentions!"

    "..."

    Ian was speechless.

    Was he so stupid that he needed a detailed exnation about the tactical advantage of darkness?

    No, that wasn''t it.

    It wasn''t the actual point.

    The core issue was, ''Darkness is despicable because it rejects the sun.''

    This wasn''t a tactical issue; it was a religious one.

    Precisely, the religion of Heaven''s Faith.

    Ian realized that the brutes in front of him were followers of Heaven''s Faith.

    ''F*cking medieval times.''

    Right.

    It wouldn''t be a medieval fantasy without armed zealots.

    Ian grumbled but continued to speak with energy.

    "Doesn''t day and night coexist? If the will of the heavens lies in the light, then what is the reason for the existence of night?"

    "...That is."

    "Just as the existence of the sun creates light, its absence creates darkness, which is thew of the heavens. I didn''t create a neww; I merely borrowed the principle of the heavens for my magic. Is that wrong?"

    "..."

    The brute, having nothing to reply with, backed off with an awkward expression.

    Ian was even more bbergasted.

    How stupid can they be?

    How are these dumb f*ckers religious...

    Brute #2 made his entrance.

    "Night is a trial created by God to test our faith. It''s a time to see if our faith wavers even in the absence of God''s gaze!"

    Oh, that sounds usible.

    A trial, huh?

    Religious folks do love their trials.

    Yeah.

    "Therefore, we should refrain from activities after sunset, and must notmit vile and despicable acts. But your magic, which mimics night with darkness, is utterly evil!"

    Then, the brutes apuded.

    "Indeed, the Bord brothers."

    "As deep in learning as they are in faith."

    Ian sighed deeply.

    "The heavens allowed me my magic, and ording to the will of God, I merely gave that bastard a trial. That f*cker came at people swinging a club."

    "..."

    Brute #2 sheepishly backed away.

    "Our Bord brothers...!"

    "That wizard is no ordinary man...!"

    Ian wished this stupid ordeal would end quickly.

    The religious were as stubborn as the dead, they didn''t know the word ''give up.''

    Brute #3 made his appearance.

    His eyes were clear and bright, unmistakably the eyes of a lunatic.

    "Though the darkness was permitted by divine will, personal vengeance was not! How can you call attacking an enemy from within the darkness a divine trial!"

    p, p, p, p!

    "Indeed, Brother Dehitri!"

    "Hmm. Such a wise response. What will the wizard say now?"

    ''...These f*ckers.''

    Ian noticed the brutes were enjoying this pointless debate.

    He needed to find Lucy quickly...!

    ''But, do I really need to go?''

    Ian was unsure, but he concluded that he should go.

    He hadn''t received a penny from Lucy and still hadn''t decided what his reward for finishing the job would be... but he felt uneasy ignoring his promise to escort her.

    "If my actions were truly despicable, God would have taken away my darkness. But since God allowed both my darkness and my punishment, it''s as if God is testing him through me."

    "..."

    Brute #3 looked momentarily confused.

    After grunting to himself for a moment, his eyes soon sparkled with rity and he said,

    "That is... truly, your words are correct."

    Then, the other brutes nodded as well.

    "We misunderstood."

    "After all, how could darkness descend under the sun if God did not allow it!"

    "This too is the will of the heavens! Hahahaha!"

    "Praise the Almighty!"

    "..."

    ''Crazy medievals.''

    "Heh, you have a way with words. Have you studied theology?"

    ''Theology my ass... Your level is... No, this isn''t the time.''

    Ian''s eyes sharpened.

    "My... my sister has been kidnapped. At the same time, this f*cker attacked me."

    "Sister?"

    The old man''s eyes also lit up.

    The sister scenario was Ian''s idea, inspired by the simrity in hair color between the two.

    Lucy had argued, "If we''re going to make up a story, let''s say we''re fiancs."

    To which Ian replied, "Lucy, quit your bullsh*t and eat your food."

    "Dehitri."

    "Yes, Master!"

    "You stay here and keep an eye on this man."

    The clear-eyed lunatic saluted with dignity.

    It was a trust-inspiring sight, almost bringing tears to eyes.

    "Wizard, sorry for stealing your precious time. We thought you were a troublemaker making a mess."

    Ian considered throwing a fit, wizard-style, but changed his mind after seeing the long sword hanging by the old man''s side.

    That thing was a miraculous object that could instill manners even in a wizard.

    "...Misunderstanding resolved, then."

    "As an apology, we''ll assist you until this matter is concluded. Find your lost sister, right?"

    Before Ian could respond, the brutes smashed through the fence (...) and ran into the street.

    The scared onlookers helpfully pointed out the direction the suspicious individuals had fled.

    "To the naruter! They went towards the naruter!"

    Not Naruto. That''s a ninja.

    Naruter refers to a small dock built for boarding boats along the river. In Riverville, a vige built along the river, such facilities aremon.

    "Righteous citizens!"

    The old man bellowed in a robust voice.

    "Has anyone seen this traveler''s sister? A sturdy young man is weeping in sorrow over the loss of his kin! He needs your help!"

    "Oh no..."

    "Lost his sister?"

    "Let''s help search too!"

    The crowd, initially there to watch a fight, now began to assist in the search.

    From Ian to the old man, the brutes, and the vigers, Lucy had managed to trouble everyone all at once.

    In some ways, Lucy was a genius.

    A genius in being a nuisance.

    "There! Over there!"

    Thanks to many people joining the search, Lucy''s kidnappers were found.

    A boat that had departed at dusk most likely had Lucy and her abductors on board.

    "Oh no. What do we do now..."

    A few vigers stomped their feet in frustration.

    They had found the kidnappers, but the boat had already drifted too far.

    Launching a boat after sunset was dangerous.

    However, this didn''t apply to the old man and the brutes.

    "Gentlemen. Who are you?"

    "The Swords of Santiago!"

    "And who is Santiago?"

    "A saint who protects travelers and citizens!"

    Ian was surprised by the resounding voicesing from beside him.

    ''What the f*ck is this all of a sudden?''

    "Right. The Knights of Saint Santiago. Protecting travelers and aiding people in distress is your mission."

    "Oh!"

    "Knights. For an unknown maiden, will you brave the perilous darkness with me?"

    "We will dly join you!"

    ''Saint Santiago''s Knights?''

    He had thought they weren''t ordinary travelers but knights?

    Ian had never seen a knightly order since hended in this medieval fantasy world.

    Honestly, he was surprised.

    The knights really fought for the weak and acted for honor?

    Maybe it was a bit... cool?

    Ian approached the old man and said,

    "Elder, there''s no need to dangerously take a boat."

    "Ha, no need to be so formal. Feel free to speak your mind as you usually would."

    "...?"

    Ian was puzzled.

    ''Isn''t this how I usually speak?''

    "I heard from the vigers earlier. There''s a hook."

    "A hook?"

    This time, it was the old man''s turn to be puzzled.

    Sure, there would naturally be hooks on the boats at the dock, but what about it?

    "I''ll pull the boat closer, and you can hook it."

    "Pull the boat closer...?"

    The old man pondered Ian''s words and then asked incredulously,

    "Do you, by any chance, know how to use water magic?"

    Ian was a bit surprised by the old man''s question.

    "You know about water magic?"

    "Know about it... How old do you think I am?"

    The old man was forty-six years old.

    He was also a veteran warrior who had traversed battlefields for a long time.

    On the battlefield, he had witnessed a wizard''s magic several times.

    Wizards were the battlefield itself.

    They created wind, ignited fire, twisted thend, and changed the weather, boasting god-like omnipotence on the battlefield.

    "But aren''t you a dark wizard?"

    The old man naturally thought Ian was a dark wizard, having seen him summon darkness.

    "I''m a dark wizard, but I can also handle water magic."

    "Is that possible?"

    "?"

    The old man thought Ian was bluffing.

    ording to his understanding, a wizard should only be able to handle one type of magic.

    Wizards he had seen on the battlefield each had their specialty.

    If one was a fire wizard, then only fire magic.

    If one was a water wizard, then only water magic.

    asionally, there were wizards who could wield more than one type of magic, but they were exceedingly rare and valuable.

    Ianughed, understanding what the old man meant.

    "Ah, if you specialize, that''s the case. But I haven''t specialized in anything yet."

    "No specialization... what does that mean?"

    Ian, just for today, decided to talk at length about wizards.

    "It means I haven''t delved deep into any particr magguage. I''ve just dabbled a bit in various schools."

    "...?"

    The old man found Ian''s words even harder to understand.

    ''If he''s just dabbled... shouldn''t he be unable to use magic at all?''

    ''A person who''s merely dabbled, performing that level of Dark magic in a ce without shadows?''

    Deciding to show rather than tell, Ian fluently chanted in the magguage.

    "[O River!]"

    Ian focused his mind on the boat drifting far away.

    "[Come to me!]"

    The magguage echoed sharply.

    Not just the vigers, but also the Knights of Saint Santiago and the old man, felt an unknown force emanating from Ian and shivered.

    "My goodness!"

    "Look, look at that!"

    As the magic concluded, the river began to flow in Ian''s direction, the water surging upstream against its natural flow!

    The vigers were astounded.

    The old man was equally shocked.

    Only the Knights of Saint Santiago remained unfazed.

    For the first time in their lives, the vigers saw the river "flowing backward" and were thrown into shock.

    What the hell is that? How is that even possible???

    The old man was shocked for his own reasons.

    ''That''s... beyond the level of a war water wizard?''

    The wizards employed by nobility,monly known as ''war wizards,'' couldn''t easily use magic at the level Ian had shown.

    And that''s supposed to be beginner level?

    "Ah, aaaaaah!"

    Ssh!

    The violently swirling wave hit the dock.

    Unlucky onlookers were swept away by the wave and fell into the river.

    The rowboat carrying the kidnappers was quickly pushed to the very edge of the dock.

    "Hook!"

    The Knights, who regarded Ian''s magic as merely a marvelous skill, calmly began to act.

    People who had snapped back to reality brought hooks.

    In no time, the rowboat was hooked and tied to the dock.

    The kidnappers were tied up one by one, and Lucy was safely rescued.

    "Waaaah~ Ian~"

    Lucy, covered in tears and snot, ran towards Ian, sobbing.

    The vigers, the knights, everyone turned their gaze towards Ian.

    The old man smiled and said,

    "What are you doing? Your sister is waiting."

    "..."

    Though he was reluctant,

    Ian gently hugged the dirty Lucy.

    She smelled strongly of the river.

    ''When we get back... a bath is in order.''

    ---

    ---

    Ian decided to finish taking his bath.

    No sooner had Ian mentioned bathing had the Knights of Saint Santiago sprang up, eximing,

    "Bathing! That''s our specialty!"

    "...?"

    Wondering what nonsense they were on about now, Ian understood after the old man exined.

    "The Knights of Saint Santiago venerate thews of the ancient Golden Empire, enjoying cleansing themselves. If you''re not skilled at bathing, it might be an idea to let them assist."

    To Ian, it sounded absurd.

    "Come on, who in the world is bad at bathing..."

    "Zzz..."

    Ian looked at Lucy, who had fallen asleep with her head on the table next to him.

    Hmm.

    If there are people who don''t bathe, then there must be people who are bad at it.

    "A wizard taking a bath! How can we not assist!"

    "Bring the oils! Bring the oils!"

    ''Stop it, you maniacs...''

    Before Ian could intervene, the Knights of Santiago had volunteered to assist with his bath.

    "They want to get closer to you, so don''t push them away too much."

    Though indifferent to Ian''s magic, the knights, who had shown great enthusiasm during their brief discussion, clearly looked forward to engaging in theological debates with him.

    Ian was incredibly, utterly annoyed, but he couldn''t just tell them to piss off.

    Technically, he could have, but then the old man would dislike that.

    Anyway, the old man was peculiarly bothersome.

    So, Ian was about to start bathing with the assistance of nearly ten men when...

    "What the hell are you guys doing!"

    Suddenly, a man who looked younger than Ian burst out yelling.

    Judging by his well-dressed appearance, he seemed like a young master from a noble family...

    ''Ah. Could bathing be illegal here?''

    Worried about possibly having to pay a fine, Ian responded,

    "...I''m taking a bath?"

    "???"

 Chapter 24:

    Chapter 24:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "A bath?"

    Now that the empire had fallen, the only ones who cared to bathe were the northerners.

    It wasn''t exactly due to the influence of the empire; it was more like bathing had always been a custom of the northerners.

    The warriors of the north considered it virtuous to wash their bodies in the river every weekend.

    However, the original proponents of bathing were indeed the Golden Empire.

    Their ancient citizens also enjoyed bathing.

    They utilized a technology called aqueducts to supply clean water to their baths.

    It was a whole different dimensionpared to the barbaric northerners who washed in cold river water.

    But the people of the current Holy Empire didn''t particrly enjoy bathing.

    Although it shared the name "empire," the Holy Empire was in fact,pletely different from the ancient Golden Empire.

    Different race, different history.

    It was only recognized as an empire by the pope.

    Just look at Lucy; unless it was a special day, she didn''t usually take a bath.

    Therefore, it took Bernard a long time to understand the situation in front of him.

    ''The surroundings are chaotic, and the rtionship between the knights and the wizard is weirdly close.''

    The wizard simply ended his exnation with ''taking a bath,'' but there must have been more to it.

    Bernard was the young lord of Riverville.

    If something happened, he naturally had the right to know.

    Even if it involved travelers, not his serfs.

    Because his family has jurisdiction.

    "Wizard! Report in more detail!"

    Bernard demanded confidently.

    He had every right to do so.

    Wizard Ian responded leisurely.

    "My lord. Please, allow someone else to exin."

    "Yes."

    Bernard was bbergasted as an elderly man stepped forward.

    "What?"

    I clearly... ordered the wizard to report?

    You delegate it to someone else, in front of the lord of this ce?

    Insult! This is an insult!

    In my 15 years of life, this is the first time I''ve been treated like this!

    How dare they! Are they ignoring me?

    There are actions that are eptable in front of nobility, and those that are not.

    The wizard''s actions clearly crossed the line.

    Nobles do not tolerate insults.

    Those who insult a noble must pay the price with their blood.

    "Now, now. My lord. The situation is like this..."

    "Who are you?"

    To Bernard''s question, the old man bowed calmly and said,

    "Please, call me Elder. I was a mercenary in my prime, rolling around in the dirt, and now I''m retired, helping young friends with their chores as a pastime."

    "Elder..."

    Obviously, it was a nickname or a pseudonym.

    Elder means an old man or a senior.

    But how can a person''s name be Elder?

    It was as thoughtless a pseudonym as ''Old man Kim'' in Korea.

    "Elder?"

    "Yes, my lord. So, the reason this friend is bathing is..."

    "Why are you answering my question?"

    Bernard interrupted, and Elder''s brows slightly furrowed.

    He didn''t make it obvious, but there was a hint of displeasure in his expression.

    "I asked that wizard."

    "He''s a wizard, isn''t he? I''ll speak on his behalf..."

    "No! I want to hear the answer directly from the wizard!"

    As Bernard shouted, Elder cocked his head as if he was deep in thought.

    But soon, he guessed what Bernard wanted.

    The noble wants to speak directly to the wizard...?

    "Ah, is that so?"

    Elder chuckled.

    At the same time, Sir Hansen whispered urgently.

    "My lord. Leave the wizard be and ask that mercenary instead."

    "Quiet!"

    Bernard roared, and Sir Hansen felt a pain as if a skull mark was flying into his chest.

    No, it was more like irritation.

    Does this little sh*t even know what he''s spewing out!

    For a noble to confront a wizard first means...!

    "Wizard! I am the rightful heir of the Kaltz family, destined to inherit Riverville! And you dare greet your ruler in the nude! Come out of the water right now, get dressed, and show some manners!"

    "..."

    Elderughed quietly, and Sir Hansen covered his face with his hands.

    Ah, that guy. Did he really go and do it...

    Ian looked at Bernard''s face for a while, then casually threw out a word.

    "Now?"

    "..."

    Bernard looked incredulous.

    Everyone else, except Bernard, had a ''told you so'' expression.

    "Yes! Right now!"

    "I don''t want to."

    Elder murmured in a soft voice.

    "It''s started."

    Wizards are rated higher the more entric they are.

    And there''s only one reason a noble would pick a fight with a wizard: to check the extent of a wizard''s ''entricity.''

    A noble picks a fight, and the wizard throws a tantrum...

    This was precisely an ancient imperial noble ceremony known as ''Calling a Wizard.''

    ---

    ---

    Lucy Talian was a noble.

    Despite often doing somewhat unintelligent things, she had a noble upbringing.

    It wasn''t surprising at all that among the teachings she received was ''how to behave when meeting a wizard.''

    Lucy analyzed the wizard handling methods she knew and, conversely, taught Ian ''how a wizard should behave when meeting a noble.''

    When a noble and a wizard meet, they perform a show called ''Calling a Wizard.''

    "Calling a Wizard?"

    "Yeah. Simply put, Calling a Wizard is a process to discern a wizard."

    The origin of Calling a Wizard was unclear, but it''s believed to have started around the era of Archwizard Maronius (yes, the same guy who created the Maroniusnguage).

    In times when magic was still unfamiliar, there were many fake wizards.

    These fake wizards would pretend to have learned threatening magic, intimidate nobles, and extort arge sum of money from them.

    Thus, the nobles devised a procedure to deliberately provoke wizards to verify their magical prowess.

    That is ''Calling a Wizard.''

    When a noble encounters an unfamiliar wizard, they publicly insult and humiliate them.

    Then, the wizard either leaves quietly or shows off their magical prowess and rebukes the noble in return.

    A wizard who leaves quietly eithercks skill or is a fraud.

    If the wizard demonstrates their power, the noble apologizes for their mistake and treats the wizard with great respect.

    Because this ''show'' was popr during the ancient Golden Empire era, ''Calling a Wizard'' became a sort of tradition among the nobles.

    Conversely, not performing ''Calling a Wizard'' became interpreted as not treating the wizard properly.

    Evenmoners, as ''Calling a Wizard'' became too famous, thought that quiet and gentle wizardscked skills.

    "That''s why I thought you were an weak wizard when I first saw you."

    "..."

    From Ian''s perspective, it was an exceedingly tiresome custom.

    Anyway, now.

    As Bernard grumbled and raised his voice, Ian thought ''that custom'' had started.

    ''This must be... Calling a Wizard, right?''

    "Wizard! I am the rightful heir of the Kaltz family, destined to inherit Riverville! And you dare greet your ruler in the nude! Come out of the water right now, get dressed, and show some manners!"

    As the kid, who would barely be in his second year of middle school, yelled, annoyance surged.

    For the record, Bernard was currently going through puberty.

    The horror of a pubescent boy''s voice was indescribably terrible.

    My inner entricity popped out.

    "Now?"

    "Yes! Right now!"

    "I don''t want to."

    As Bernard looked shocked, Ian was impressed.

    Oh.

    He''s quite a good actor?

    Can''t lose to this.

    Impressed by Bernard''s performance, Ian put his all into ying the entric wizard.

    "Why should I, noble sir? Am I your subordinate?"

    "How, how dare you! Who do you think you''re speaking in front of!"

    "In front of you, my little lord. Who are you to order me around? Just a little lord."

    Hahaha!

    The spectators burst intoughter.

    ''Calling a Wizard'' was not an everyday spectacle.

    It was even more so because it was a legal way for a noble to be insulted.

    Therefore, nobles usually performed ''Calling a Wizard'' in a special space where only their vassals could see.

    Naturally, because it was embarrassing.

    Only a masochist would enjoy being insulted in front of others.

    But Bernard started ''Calling a Wizard'' in the backyard of an inn where everyone could see.

    This was too entertaining a spectacle to miss.

    Passersby sat around in groups to watch ''Calling a Wizard.''

    The crowd that had gathered because of the recentmotion was enormous.

    As theughter of themoners reached him, Bernard''s face turned red.

    These people, have all these people gone mad!

    How can youugh when your lord is being insulted?

    Huh?

    Do you all want to be executed?

    Sir Hansen sighed deeply as he saw Bernard''s face turn red.

    ''That idiot...''

    It was too obvious what would happen if a noble insulted a wizard in the middle of a crowded street.

    Did he think the wizard would just bow and say, ''Oh, sorry!'' just because a noble raised his voice?

    Instead, the wizard would turn the tables.

    In ''Calling a Wizard,'' the noble ys the role of getting thrashed.

    This is an unwritten rule that not even the emperor can change.

    If a noble initiates ''Calling a Wizard'' and one side breaks the rules, the wizards would immediately spread the word.

    ''That bastard is aplete ass.''

    A noble who is on the bad side of wizards has no future.

    This has been an unchanging truth since the birth of magic.

    "Sir Hansen! Drag that insolent wizard here at once! Pull him out and make him kneel before me!"

    "..."

    The expressions of the people who were watching the show with smiles worsened a bit.

    That was a statement that clearly crossed the line.

    This wasn''t the progression people wanted.

    ''Calling a Wizard'' was a kind of show, so the audience''s judgment was inevitable.

    It was directly tied to a noble''s dignity.

    Sir Hansen intervened before the situation worsened.

    "My lord."

    "What!"

    "This is not how it''s done."

    "...?"

    "Calling a Wizard. That''s not how it''s done."

    "Su, Calling a Wizard?"

    As expected.

    Bernard didn''t know how to perform ''Calling a Wizard.''

    No, he didn''t even realize he was performing ''Calling a Wizard''...

    Sir Hansen sighed deeply and stepped forward.

    He hated being made a spectacle in front of others, but an employee has to clean up the mess their boss makes.

    What can you do?

    If you don''t like it, be the boss yourself.

    Sir Hansen cleared his throat and stepped forward.

    "Ahem. Listen, wizard! Judging by your bizarre appearance, you don''t seem like a proper wizard! It''s not toote, leave before the young lord deres his displeasure!"

    A ssic, clean, and perfect remark.

    With Sir Hansen''s intervention, the spectators smiled, the knights smiled, and both Lucy and Ian smiled.

    Oh, someone who knows how to have fun.

    Every show has its rules.

    Whether it bes a masterpiece or kindling depends on how well these rules are followed.

    In other words, one had to ''understand the rules.''

    Hansen clearly ''understood the rules.''

    And it would lead to greatness.

    "What? Did you just call me a fraud!"

    Ian shouted, recalling memories from his childhood.

    Thinking back, he had said to his master upon meeting, ''You don''t seem like a real wizard.''

    Wasn''t that a mini ''Calling a Wizard''? Ian suddenly felt apologetic.

    "[Run wild!]"

    As Ian uttered the words, the mysteries around him tumultuously stirred.

    The wind blew fiercely, the firece exploded, and the sand crawled eerily.

    "Wow!"

    "The wizard is angry!"

    As if on cue, the spectators all gave a standing ovation.

    This was the climax of the show.

    Now that the angry wizard had shown his prowess, it was the noble''s turn to show respect.

    "Stop! I understand your power! We apologize for our rudeness!"

    Sir Hansen shouted, and Ian stopped the magic.

    He wasn''t actually angry or sorry, but one side apologized and the other epted the apology.

    ''Calling a Wizard'' had ended.

    "I apologize again for not recognizing such an exceptional wizard as yourself."

    "As long as you recognize it now, it''s fine."

    Ian spoke like a true wizard.

    He might have sounded a bit rude, but since the atmosphere around was like, "Yeah! That''s how a wizard should be! Ha ha!" Ian nodded to himself.

    No matter how he thought about it, everyone here was crazy.

    "...My lord."

    Sir Hansen poked the dazed Bernard in the back.

    "Uh, huh?"

    Bernard was in a state of shock, having witnessed magic for the first time in his life.

    The sight of nature moving at the will of a human was shocking.

    ''What, is that still not enough?''

    Ian was puzzled by Bernard''s lukewarm reaction.

    Hadn''t ''Calling a Wizard'' ended?

    ''Ah, I get it. They want to see more of my magic!''

    "Hey, kid!"

    "Me, me?"

    "Yes! You, standing there dumbfounded! Why are you standing like that? Do you want more of my magic?"

    Ian summoned a pitch-ck darkness and entwined it around his fingertips, intending to wrap things up.

    To an onlooker, it might have seemed like a terrifying curse-filled magic, but as anyone who has seen Ian''s dark magic would know, it was just darkness.

    But for Bernard, who was witnessing magic for the first time, the experience was terrifying.

    That pitch-ck darkness!

    It felt as if touching it would rot the flesh off his bones with its wickedness!

    Bernard looked at Ian, terrified.

    With his hair and eyes both pitch-ck, he looked like an evil wizard bringing misfortune.

    "I, I am Bernard, the heir to Baron Kaltz! If you, youy a hand on me, father will not stand for it..."

    "A grown man still looking for his daddy. Aren''t you ashamed? Or are you such a kid that it doesn''t bother you?"

    Ha ha ha ha!

    Laughter from themon folk poured out. Bernard''s face turned red.

    He was a boy in the throes of puberty, rich in emotions but poor in controlling them.

    "...Sob."

    "???"

    "Waaah~"

    Overwhelmed by a surge of sorrow, Bernard burst into tears.

    Ian was genuinely puzzled.

    ''Why the hell is this kid crying?''

    Bernard crying was not something Ian had ounted for.

    Beside him, Elder burst into heartyughter.

    "You really are peculiar! Even so, making the young lord cry in front of everyone! Hahaha!"

    "You crazy old man. You find this funny?"

    Ian swallowed hard.

    This is f*cked.

    Am I going to be executed by a pissed-off Baron Kaltz?

 Chapter 25:

    Chapter 25:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule:

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    Join the discord! Here

    The ident caused by the boss''s son had to be cleaned up by an employee.

    As usual, it was Sir Hansen who took care of Bernard''s aftermath.

    "This is not a good ce for conversation, Wizard, and knights. Won''t youe with us to the castle?"

    At first, Ian intended to refuse Sir Hansen''s offer.

    He felt guilty, but he was hesitant to readily ept an offer from a knight he had just met.

    He also didn''t want to waste the effort he had made to take a bath...

    "I''d rather not..."

    "Excuse me?"

    When Ian showed reluctance, not only Sir Hansen but also Elder and Lucy looked at him with puzzled expressions.

    "Um, Wizard friend, I think it might be okay to stop now..."

    "Yeah, Ian, it''s time to stop calling a wizard."

    "...? What are you talking about?"

    Ian realized that they thought he was still pretending to be a quirky wizard.

    Elder couldn''t understand Ian, but Lucy, who had spent some time with Ian, quickly caught on to what he was thinking.

    Lucy whispered.

    "That nobleman called for a wizard, and you responded."

    "Right?"

    "Responding to the call for a wizard means epting the noble''s invitation."

    Ian nodded.

    He understood why Sir Hansen found it strange.

    It was odd to ept a noble''s invitation and then do differently afterward.

    ''Damn...''

    Being a wizardes with its nuisances, Ian thought as he got out of the bathwater.

    "Then, have a good trip."

    "What about you, Elder? Aren''t youing with us?"

    The knights and Elder showed no signs of moving.

    Elderughed happily and said.

    "We''ve already said we won''t go. What''s refused once can be refused twice."

    Elder''s jest made Sir Hansen give a wry smile.

    It was a bit disappointing that the knights weren''ting along, but it wasn''t a big deal.

    The important thing was the wizard, not the knights.

    "I''ll... stay here as well."

    Lucy chose to stay at the inn.

    She was ufortable with her presence being known to the lord.

    "Your sister will be well looked after by us."

    Lucy''s face turned slightly red at Elder''s words.

    Ian waved his hand casually and followed Sir Hansen to the castle.

    Upon arrival at the castle, Ian was led to Baron Kaltz''s audience chamber.

    "Thank you for epting the invitation, Wizard."

    Baron Kaltz was slightly surprised when he saw Ian. The wizard was younger and more refined than he expected.

    He had imagined a quirky and willful savage controlling a Drake, but a neat-looking young man appeared, which was surprising.

    In fact, the typical summoner was not different from what Baron Kaltz had imagined.

    The mystery required by a summoner lies in the wilderness and the strong life that breathes within it.

    Naturally, one must stay close to nature, and staying close to nature inevitably leads to losing the appearance of a civilized person.

    They looked like cavemen with bushy beards.

    "Don''t mention it."

    It waste, and after various events, Ian was quite tired.

    So, he casually brushed off Baron Kaltz''s greeting.

    Considering Ian''s status, his insolence could have warranted execution, but Baron Kaltz didn''t mind Ian''s attitude at all.

    Look at that confident and arrogant attitude!

    Isn''t he an excellent wizard!

    "I heard you were staying at the inn, so I wanted to offer you a nice ce to sleep."

    "Thanks for the offer, but there''s something missing."

    "What''s missing?"

    Ian smirked and said.

    "I left my bath at the inn midway, feeling a bit grimy. Could you provide some hot bathwater?"

    Baron Kaltz didn''t fully understand why Ian insisted on soaking in hot water, but he let it slide.

    He''s a wizard, after all.

    He must have his reasons.

    ''Indeed. He''s definitely a wizard capable ofmanding a Drake.''

    The baron ordered a bath to be prepared and provided Ian with a ce to sleep.

    While Ian was bathing, Baron Kaltz received a report from Sir Hansen.

    "So, what was the atmosphere like between the wizard and the knights?"

    "It wasn''t dangerous, but... I think it was a good decision to bring the wizard here."

    Sir Hansen summarized the situation when he met the wizard.

    Of course, he reported every tiny detail about the cute mess Bernard had caused, without leaving anything out.

    After all, the only person who could discipline the boss''s son was the boss himself.

    "Ah... I told him not to act rashly."

    Baron Kaltz managed to overlook the part where Bernard made a few mistakes during the wizard calling.

    In fact, Baron Kaltz himself didn''t know how to properly call a wizard.

    He wasn''t a nobleman affluent enough to invite one.

    No matter how much wizards are called gods of war, that only applies to battlefields where hundreds of men are entangled inbat.

    Just four knights and Baron Kaltz, whomands a few dozen soldiers, had no reason to invite such a distinguished wizard.

    However, the part about bursting into tears because of the wizard''s magic was hard to overlook.

    "It''s my fault for not educating him properly..."

    "No, my lord. It''s my fault for not properly assisting the young lord."

    Baron Kaltz shook his head at Sir Hansen''s words.

    "How can I me you, Sir Hansen? You''ve worked hard today. I''ll give you a day off tomorrow, so rest well."

    The reward for taking the boss''s son on a business trip was, incredibly, a paid leave.

    Sir Hansen, who had been told by the boss, "Hansen, don''te to work tomorrow," desperately suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up.

    No, boss. I loveing to work soooo much~

    Baron Kaltz, after dismissing Sir Hansen, was left alone with his thoughts.

    Bernard, the future lord of Riverville.

    In the experienced eyes of Baron Kaltz, Bernard was a sessor with too many shorings.

    He thought it was because Bernard was too young to know much... but he worried whether Bernard would continue to make foolish mistakes even as he aged.

    The baron sighed, wondering if there was anything else in the world as uncontroble as one''s own children.

    ---

    ---

    After bathing in warm water, Ian woke up from a sleep that was as sweet as honey.

    He had slept for so long that the sun was high in the sky, but nobody hade to wake him.

    Most people were extremely reluctant to involve themselves with a wizard.

    Having slept in, Ian wandered around the spacious castle.

    "Is this a castle?"

    Ian yawned widely as he looked around the castle.

    Riverville Castle was small and unimpressive.

    It felt like a wall of stones had been piled up to make it difficult for people to climb over.

    Even then, it was so small that about a hundred soldiers could easily take it down.

    But no matter how small and unimpressive, a castle is a castle.

    Since it could easily fend off bands of thieves, the residents of Riverville trusted their lord''s castle.

    "Wizard!"

    Someone called Ian. It was the young lord Bernard.

    His eyes were puffy, probably from crying and sleeping, and his gaze towards Ian was awkward.

    He still feared magic.

    "Did you sleep well?"

    "...Yes. I''m d you seem to have slept well too."

    Bernard managed to act quite dignified.

    Despite his young age, he was still a young lord.

    Honestly, he seemed a bit better than Lucy...

    "I showed you a disgraceful side of me yesterday. I was rude to you. I apologize."

    Bernard apologized with a flushed face for his behavior the previous day.

    Ian was a bit surprised by this.

    He had expected the nobility to be stiff-necked, but this kid was surprisingly willing to humble himself.

    Ian remembered Baron Kaltz from yesterday.

    He was also quite a dignified man.

    It seemed he had received good home education from the baron.

    No matter how quirky a wizard''s actions might be, one couldn''t be rude in front of someone polite.

    That would just be insane.

    Ian smiled and said,

    "An apology? That''s not necessary at all. On the contrary, I''m sorry for showing you too much magic."

    As Ian apologized, Bernard grinned.

    The quirky and arrogant wizard had humbled himself first, which made him feel good.

    The young lord had a simple side.

    "It was the first time I''ve seen a wizard''s magic. Magic... It''s much more amazing than I imagined."

    "...Is that so?"

    Ian was puzzled by Bernard''s words.

    He hadn''t shown any impressive magic?

    If Bernard saw a level 3 summoning spell or Eredith''s fire magic, he''d probably faint.

    "If a talent like you stayed in Riverville, it would be very reassuring."

    Bernard smoothly suggested Ian settle down there.

    Wizards being scouted by nobility wasnt something new.

    Ian had to get used to it.

    My cousin is twenty this year, quite beautiful and lovely. If you are interested, perhaps an engagement could be

    Ill have to decline.

    Ian politely refused Bernards proposal.

    This breathtakingly natural proposal for marriage, no matter how many times he experienced it, never became familiar to him.

    Be it Lucy or Bernard, they all hastily brought up marriage to tie Ian down.

    Alright. Take your time to think... Oh, you haven''t had breakfast yet, have you? Lets eat together.

    You too, young lord?

    I woke upte too.

    ...

    For nobles, waking upte didnt matter.

    While Baron Kaltz, as a lord, might have had his duties, Bernard truly had nothing to do.

    If he had to pick something, it was causing trouble under the guise of learning to be a lord.

    Bernard led Ian to the dining hall.

    Given how often they had brunch, the chef served the food as if it was routine.

    Here, enjoy to your heart''s content!

    Ian checked the food served on the table.

    Well-cooked fish, soup fragrant with onions, white and soft bread...

    Certainly, the food was of better quality than whatmoners ate.

    But...

    How is it, tasty right? Our chef is excellent!

    I did my best.

    As the chef smiled and spoke, Ian responded with an awkward smile.

    The cooking was 2% short of satisfying Ians taste.

    I mean, arent you nobles?

    Shouldnt you be eating fancy, high-ss cuisine?

    The dishes before Ian, while made with fresh ingredients and tasty, didnt possess the culinary skills that made them delicious.

    After all, how much skill can go into grilled fish, onion soup, or white bread?

    To Ian, who remembered modern dietary habits, medieval cuisine was too crude.

    Food must always be grilled!

    Hardly any spices used!

    Seasoning always means salt!

    Yet, this was considered a noble meal, somethingmoners couldnt afford.

    If only I had reincarnated into a martial arts world...

    Even in the same medieval era, protagonists of martial arts novels enjoyed luxurious food from medieval China...

    Medieval Western barbarians.

    Ian sipped his wine gloomily.

    White bread and wine.

    The only drugs allowed by the Middle Ages...

    After finishing the meal that brought on a reality check, Ian went to meet Baron Kaltz.

    Not for any particr reason, just because.

    Since Ian was a guest invited through the calling a wizard, and Baron Kaltz was the lord of Riverville.

    So, wizard. How did you find Riverville?

    Its a very nice ce.

    I have a niece, shes twenty this year...

    I have no intention of marrying.

    After finishing the medieval-style greeting (marriage proposal), the baron engaged in small talk with Ian.

    A disciple of Wizard Eredith?

    Yes.

    Ive heard of the Rising Star of Drawald.

    Ian and the baron.

    Since neither had any expectations from the other, their conversation was fun and fruitful.

    The baron picked up some minor magical knowledge, and Ian learned news of the empire.

    Your master must have headed south.

    Because theres a magic college there.

    The baron looked surprised.

    He hadnt known that Eredith had gone down to the magic college.

    He had a different reason for assuming Eredith had headed south.

    I thought she went towards the Duchy of Fargar or the Duchy of Ron.

    Why is that?

    This time, it was Ian who looked surprised.

    The baron calmly exined.

    The atmosphere between the two dukes is not ordinary.

    The atmosphere...

    It seems the Duke of Fargar has his eyes on Ron.

    Ian immediately understood.

    War.

    In this medieval fantasy world, wars, bothrge and small, urred endlessly.

    Large-scale wars were between kingdoms, while smaller conflicts urred among the nobility.

    Wars between kingdoms were rare.

    There were hardly any nobles powerful enough to be called kings in the first ce.

    However, nobles constantly waged war against each other.

    Nobles fought to establish their hierarchy, and the noble strong enough to subdue all others would earn the title of king.

    Both the Duke of Fargar and the Duke of Ron were among the empire''s top nobles, known as the Five Great Dukes.

    In other words, they were dukes of the same Holy Empire.

    However, for nobles of such rank, the empire and everything else barely registered in their considerations.

    Rushing into war would not sit well with the emperor.

    True. But the Duke of Fargar must have something in mind.

    While the specifics were unknown, from the barons words, it was likely that war would break out soon.

    If war erupted, the demand for war wizards would skyrocket.

    Will you also head south?

    No. Im going east.

    The baron found it odd that Ian, a wizard, was not heading towards the battlefield, but he realized not all wizards enjoyed war.

    Seeking mysteries, I presume.

    Yes. I still have much to learn.

    The baron nodded and then called for his steward.

    Steward. The item.

    Yes, my lord.

    Shortly after, the aged steward brought a luxurious wooden box.

    Upon opening the box, a staff resembling a tin rod was revealed.

    Whats this?

    Ian asked, and the baron replied with a smile.

    A gift for you.

    Ian epted the staff offered by the steward.

    Holding the staff, he looked even more like a wizard.

    It was used by a grand wizard. Its called [Windwalker].

    Ian tightly gripped the staff.

    Instead of feeling a surge of magical power from within, he felt as if he had just acquired another cosy item for a wizard.

    Staffs are like that, aren''t they?

    Aren''t they used to lean on during travels to lessen the leg pain?

    A wizard''s staff was no different.

    This is in return for teaching my son the Calling a Wizard.

    In truth, it was more of a bribe, suggesting not to cause trouble in Riverville...

    To the baron, a staff once used by a wizard held no value.

    That''s why he casually passed it on to Ian as a gift, to make a good impression.

    Ian didnt know much about what this staff was, but receiving a gift made him feel good anyway.

    Thank you, Baron. Ill use it well, thinking of you.

    If you do, it would please me.

    The baron smiled slyly.

    Someday, if Wizard Ian became a well-known figure, the name of the generous Baron Kaltz would also be widely known.

    Then, more merchants and more knights would visit Riverville!

    Baron and Ian exchanged handshakes with a smile.

    It was a gift-giving ceremony that left both parties satisfied.

 Chapter 26:

    Chapter 26:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    After wrapping up the fruitful conversation, Ian walked out of the audience chamber in high spirits, only to be startled by the sudden appearance of a fresh-faced youth.

    "Hey, wizard! Are you done now?"

    "..."

    The one showing unabashed familiarity was none other than Bernard.

    The sight of his smug face had be familiar, which was frightening in its own right.

    "Going back to the vige? I''ll walk you there!"

    "Is that really necessary? I could just ask that knight from yesterday..."

    "Ahh, Sir Hansen is on leave today. He went out for an outing with his wife for a change."

    Tch.

    Ian clicked his tongue briefly.

    Sir Hansen, was it?

    Ian had wanted to see that knight.

    He was a hundred times more reliable than Bernard.

    "Today, I''ll personally introduce you to Riverville!"

    Ian found Bernard''s offer bothersome.

    The reason for staying in Riverville was for rest, and following Bernard around would mean no rest at all.

    What?

    Roaming outside during rest?

    That''s not resting at all!

    However, Ian couldn''t rudely dismiss Bernard.

    He had just received a gift from Baron Kaltz.

    He had handed him a gift in an attempt to make a good impression, and showing disdain right after would surely not please the baron.

    It was courteous to at least pretend to mingle.

    Touring the vige wasn''t a difficult task after all.

    "Alright. Let''s go."

    Ian followed Bernard back to the Mistwater Inn.

    The two strolled leisurely through the streets.

    It was already lunchtime, and the aroma of food wafted from house to house.

    People were buying and selling goods with vigor, children were running around the streets joyfully, and parents were watching them with smiles...

    "This is a nice ce."

    Ian spoke his mind as the thought came to him.

    It was his honest impression.

    Riverville was a good vige.

    Though still at a vige level, as the poption increased and the farnd expanded, it would reach the status of being called a city.

    Riverville was a vige with such potential.

    "Of course, it''s a nice ce! Whose lordship do you think it is!"

    Bernard''s tone dripped with pride for his father.

    Emerging nobility, especially contract lords who receivednd from a lord, didn''t have much love for their domains.

    They saw their vigers not as people but as moneybags.

    To be shaken for money, and to be broken if in a hurry.

    However, local nobles like Baron Kaltz, who built themunity, felt differently about their domains than the emerging nobles.

    It wasn''tnd received from someone else, but the right to govern a vige they had always ruled, recognized by other nobles, hence a strong sense of ownership.

    The vigers took off their hats and bowed their heads whenever they encountered Bernard.

    There was no resident who showed mockery, contempt, or fear in the process.

    They had already recognized Bernard deep in their hearts as the sessor to Baron Kaltz.

    "In that sense, if you settle down in Riverville, my cousin might..."

    "I said I''m not getting married."

    Amid their casual chat, the two arrived at the inn.

    But as they approached, they heard quite amotion.

    "Ian!"

    Lucy came running breathlessly.

    Ian nced at Lucy with an exasperated look.

    "What''s the matter? Did you cause another problem?"

    "I, I didn''t cause any trouble?! What do you take me for!"

    Elder slinked over as well.

    "Thought you''d being around now."

    "Why? I could have had lunch at the castle, you know?"

    To Ian''s question, Elder brazenly replied.

    "Aren''t you a wizard? You wouldn''t miss out on something like this."

    "...?"

    Something like this?

    "Ian! We need your opinion!"

    Lucy eximed with sparkling eyes.

    "So, what''s all the fuss about?"

    Elder cut in before Lucy could answer.

    "Hunters went for a stroll in the forest this morning and caught a bird. They asked the innkeeper to cook it, but guess what, thisdy intervened and stopped it?"

    "???"

    Ian''s expression became confused.

    Even after hearing the exnation, he couldn''t grasp the situation.

    Lucy shouted out of frustration.

    "You can''t just call it a bird! It''s a crow! A crow!"

    "A crow or a bird. It''s all the same."

    Ian couldn''t understand why Lucy interfered with the hunters'' lunch.

    What''s wrong with wanting to eat some bird meat?

    Why stop them?

    Could it be...!

    Is Lucy, that girl, a vegan?

    "Cassie. Do you think eating meat is violence?"

    "What...? What do you mean? I, I don''t understand? Why would eating meat... be violence?"

    "Ah. It was a joke."

    Fortunately, Lucy wasn''t a vegan.

    And, in Ian''s opinion, Lucy wasn''t smart enough to grasp the concept of veganism.

    "Eating meat is violence... Wizard, youe up with quite unique expressions."

    "Elder, what did Ian say?"

    "Well, to eat meat, you need livestock. To raise livestock, you need wide pastures. And pastures, aren''t they acquired through war?"

    "Ah..."

    "So, eating meat symbolizes violence... That seems to be the idea."

    Elder smirked and looked at Ian.

    A smug expression that seemed to say, ''See? I''m pretty smart too.''

    Ian, not wanting to bother with a response, just agreed and moved on.

    "So, what about the crow?"

    "Ah, yes. Lucy thinks this crow came to meet Ian here."

    "... What?"

    Ian looked at Lucy in disbelief.

    Lucy faced Ian''s gaze head-on with a confident expression.

    "Yeah! You''re Ian Eredith Raven! And that''s a crow! And both of you ended up at the same inn? Do you think this is just a coincidence?"

    Uh. I totally think it''s a coincidence.

    No matter how much he thought about it, it was normal.

    Crows are amon bird found in forests. There was no issue with hunters catching one out of boredom.

    But Lucy thought differently than Ian.

    "Don''t you feel some sort of magic to it? It''s fate! This is!"

    "Wow..."

    "What do you think, Ian? It''s magic, right? Right?"

    Ian was amazed by Lucy''s astonishing ability to jump to conclusions.

    Just because ''Raven'' was part of his name and a crow ended up at the same inn, it''s magic?

    If that''s true, then Lucy is a space-time wizard.

    "You should apologize to the hunters."

    "What! Why!"

    "Am I the wizard, or are you? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

    Elder smiled wryly, and Lucy''s face turned red.

    Ian left them behind and entered the inn.

    "So, you''re Raven."

    Two hunters weed Ian.

    Poor people who couldn''t have their lunch because of Lucy.

    "Thatdy said, the crow we caught came to meet you..."

    "It''s nonsense, you can ignore it."

    As Ian gave a firm answer, the hunters grinned.

    "Then, for lunch..."

    "Mr. Wizard, would you like to join us?"

    The hunters, who were scared off by Lucy''s threat, had been keeping the crow carefully aside, worried they might provoke trouble by mishandling it.

    But now, there was no need for concern.

    One hunter took the crow out of a makeshift cage made of twigs.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    As if sensing its fate, the crow cried sorrowfully.

    Everyone heard the crow''s cries, but.

    It sounded a bit more clear to Ian.

    [Please save me! Human!]

    "...?"

    Wait a minute.

    Did that little f*cker just speak...?

    "Hold on."

    The hunter, about to wring the crow''s neck, paused and looked puzzled as Ian intervened.

    "Yes?"

    Ian, just in case, spoke to the crow in thenguage of magic.

    "[What are you?]"

    "Caw!"

    [Please save me!]

    However, the crow didn''t understand thenguage of Maronius.

    It was due to ack of mystery.

    Creatures like Drake, who had a strong level of mystery, couldmunicate through level 3 summoning spells, but minor beings like crows couldn''t understand Ian''s words.

    Though Ian could understand the crow''s speech.

    "...Mr. Wizard?"

    Suddenly, as Ian uttered strange pronunciations, the hunters reacted cautiously, a bit scared.

    Ian tried to calm the hunters with an exnation.

    "Ah. It''s nothing. The guy suddenly started talking to me."

    "???"

    The hunters were stupefied by Ian''s response.

    The crow... started talking?

    ''What, what''s this? Is it some metaphor I don''t understand? Or... did the crow really start talking?''

    The hunter suspected Ian might be using a metaphor only a wizard could understand.

    So, to verify, he asked again.

    "The crow... talked to you, Mr. Wizard?"

    Ian nodded his head.

    "Yes. It''s asking to be saved."

    "..."

    The hunters looked at each other''s faces in disbelief, speechless.

    I mean, the crow was just cawing, and he understood what that meant? Even for a wizard...

    ''... I guess it''s possible. Damn.''

    Absurdity aside.

    The hunters reluctantly epted Ian''s exnation, swallowing their tears.

    It wasn''t something they were capable of understanding.

    How could local hunters easily grasp the words of a wizard?

    If the wizard says so. Well...

    Maybe it''s possible tomunicate with a crow...

    "[Hey. Crow]"

    [Please save me! Please don''t kill me!]

    "[I''ll save you, so just shut up for a moment]"

    [Please save me!]

    "Ah, for f*ck''s sake! I said I''m saving you! Just shut up!"

    Ian raised his voice in frustration when the crow didn''t understand Maronius, getting pissed off.

    I mean, aren''t crows supposed to be smart?

    But it doesn''t know Maronius?

    However, this was a prejudice born from Ian''s experience of talking with powerful monsters like Drake.

    Maronius is anguage of mystery.

    Only those well-versed in the mystery can understand it.

    The crow didn''t know Maronius, but it sensed that Ian was getting angry.

    Unless it was an idiot, it wouldn''t miss the fact that someone was raising their voice at it.

    [...]

    As the crow shut up, the onlookers murmured in admiration.

    "Wow... That wizard is actually talking to a crow?"

    "That''s really amazing..."

    The innkeeper cautiously approached and asked.

    "Mr. Wizard... Are you going to spare that one?"

    Ian stared intently at therge crow.

    ck feathers.

    Big, bright eyes.

    And the cooperativeness to shut up when Ian said so.

    He had no obligation to heed the request of an animal, but Ian decided to spare the crow.

    Simply... because it was interesting.

    "Yes. It doesn''t feel right to eat it."

    As Ian made his decision, the hunters smiled bitterly.

    Lucy cheered from behind.

    "See? I told you there was something unusual about that crow!"

    "Hehe. Having a wizard as a brother, thedy knows how to recognize mystery, indeed."

    "That, that''s right! I may not have learned magic, but I think I have a talent for it!"

    Lucy boasted, and the knights and Elder babbled something.

    It was roughly in praise of Lucy.

    Ian couldn''t help butugh at the absurdity.

 Chapter 27:

    Chapter 27:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

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    Crows are intelligent animals.

    They were so smart that they''re considered to have the intelligence level of a 6-year-old child.

    Crows can handle tools, socialize, and have the ability to analyze and understand phenomena.

    For example, when crows find the corpse of arade, they call others to loiter around it.

    This behavior, known as a "crow funeral," involves analyzing the wounds on the crow''s corpse to discuss the cause of death.

    This means crows have the ability to reason about injuries and idents and share this information socially with their peers.

    Thus, groups of crows can be a severe nuisance, forming local cartels.

    They use their intelligence and social skills to rummage through trash and attack other animals.

    Therge crow Ian found was also a smart fellow.

    Among the crows, this particrly clever one quickly noticed that Ian was the only one among the humans who did not treat it as an enemy.

    It also realized that Ian understood its will and was speaking to it.

    "Could you lend me some medicine and bandages?" Ian asked Bernard.

    Without changing his expression, Bernard repeated the request to the innkeeper.

    "Bring some medicine and bandages, please."

    "Oh, yes!"

    The innkeeper quickly brought over first aid supplies and clean bandages.

    Although these items were usually sold for money, that wasn''t really an issue here.

    After all, who would do such business with the son of a lord?

    Ian applied medicine to the wounds on the crow''s wing and wrapped it with bandages.

    The injury was caused by an arrow from a hunter.

    ''For now... I''ll have to take it with me until it''s fully healed.''

    Ian intended to care for the crow until it could fly again.

    Releasing it into the wild as it was would only result in it ending up in someone else''s mouth, which was no different from being preyed upon.

    "I''ll be stepping out for a bit with the young lord, so please take care of this one."

    Ian left the crow with the innkeeper and was about to go out.

    But as soon as Ian turned his back, the crow hopped and bounced, following Ian.

    "Caw!"

    [Let''s go together!]

    "What. You stay here. You can''t even fly because you''re hurt."

    "Caw! Caw!"

    [The people here are scary! Please don''t abandon me!]

    "Who''s abandoning you? Just stay here and don''t worry."

    "Caw!"

    [Please!]

    "... You''re a nuisance. Really."

    Seeing that the crow was likely to keep following him, Ian picked it up and ced it on his shoulder.

    The crow seemed much morefortable then.

    "Hey, Ian."

    "Yeah?"

    "Do you... understand what the crow is saying?"

    Lucy asked, her eyes sparkling.

    Looking around, other people were also staring at Ian as if they found him fascinating.

    Wizards were like miraculous beings to ordinary people.

    "Yeah, I understand."

    "That''s really cool!"

    "..."

    Lucy''s admiration was a bit odd.

    She hadn''t reacted this strongly when he was talking with Drake.

    It seemed the fact that one could converse with regr animals stimted the girl''s emotions.

    "What''s its name? What will you name it?"

    "This one?"

    Ian looked at the crow sitting on his shoulder.

    Now that he had unexpectedly taken in a bird, he needed a name to call it by until it was time to release it.

    Ian blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

    "Dumbhead."

    "... That''s too insulting."

    Lucy opposed the idea, but Ian genuinely thought the crow was stupid.

    How dumb do you have to be not to understand even the simplest Maroniusnguage?

    If the crow understood, it would have been a misunderstanding worthy of crying over.

    "How about Obsidian?"

    "Obsidian?"

    "Its eyes are as ck and beautiful as obsidian."

    Lucy spoke softly, and the crow cawed happily.

    "Caw!"

    Not because it understood Lucy''s words, but because it sensed that she was looking at it fondly.

    The very cunningness of a crow!

    "That''s hard to call out. Let''s just call it Oberon."

    "Oberon? That''s nice! Sounds like a wizard''s crow!"

    Ian gently stroked the crow''s head.

    "Your name is now Oberon."

    And so, the crow lord, Oberon, cawed.

    [Bring me offerings to gain my favor!]

    "...?"

    "Ian, can I hold it for a bit?"

    "Sure."

    Oberon purred in Lucy''s embrace, looking just like any other ck chicken when snuggled up against her chest.

    "Hmm."

    The more I think about it, "Dumbhead" seems more correct?

    ---

    ---

    Ian stayed in Riverville for a few days, entertaining Bernard.

    Bernard would have protested, "We yed together, what do you mean you entertained me!"

    But it was true that Ian entertained him.

    He could have left at any time, but he stayed for a while for the sake of maintaining rtions with the nobility.

    While Bernard took Ian around various ces in Riverville, the aftermath of the previous incident was smoothly handled at the castle.

    The viins from Riverville who had attempted to kidnap Lucy were all punished, turned into ves.

    Originally, they were to be executed, but the families of the viins begged for mercy, sparing them from death.

    They would suffer forcedbor until they repaid their ransom in full.

    "Ian. I''ve been seriously thinking."

    Despite the rough experience, Lucy remained bright and cheerful.

    She''s a girl with strong mental fortitude.

    "What if we go with the knight order?"

    "The knight order?"

    It wasn''t a bad idea.

    If they were apanied by more than ten heavily armed men, most robbers wouldn''t dare to even look their way.

    Since they were faithful men, there was no chance they would attack Ian.

    "If our paths coincide, that would be fine. But do you know where they''re going?"

    At Ian''s question, Lucy grinned.

    The answer came from an unexpected source.

    "We''re headed to Count Catina''s territory."

    "Elder?"

    The old man who appeared after opening the inn door was Elder.

    Ian quickly understood what was happening.

    It was clear that Lucy and Elder hade to an understanding.

    "Even if you''re a wizard, it''s very dangerous to walk the roads filled with threats. It''s just the two of you and even ady."

    "I''m aware."

    Ian said, puffing up a bit.

    Ian was a wizard, not a knight.

    There was no way he could fend off a mob of knife-wielding murderers.

    Moreover, Lucy was a traveler who attracted trouble.

    Her pretty face was the reason for that.

    Already having to deal with the kidnappers sent by Baron Jin, they also had to face bandits drawn by Lucy''s beauty.

    The attackers in Riverville were ipetent, but on the road, anything could happen.

    "So, how about we make a deal?"

    "A deal?"

    Elder nodded with a smile.

    "We''re going to hunt a monster that appeared in Count Catina''s territory. Have you ever heard of a manticore?"

    "Yes, I know it."

    Manticore.

    A creature second to none in wickedness, causing lords to grind their teeth and the people of theirnds to tremble in fear.

    The manticore was infamous for its cruel nature and enjoyment of killing.

    "What... you want me to help you hunt the manticore?"

    If Ian was being asked to apany them on the condition that he help, he nned to politely decline.

    No matter how dangerous the road was, fighting a manticore was a different issue.

    Wizards were seekers of mysteries, not hunters.

    As if seeing through Ian''s thoughts, Elder responded.

    "No. I wouldn''t stop you if you wanted to help, but I don''t want to involve you in something so dangerous you could lose your life."

    Elder spoke as if he was casually testing Ian.

    If Ian was a prideful wizard, he might join the hunt to gain fame.

    But that''s a very warrior-centric way of thinking.

    While warriors might find glory in blood and ughter, wizards have no interest in such pointless tales of heroism.

    "Ah. Then I''ll pass."

    "Ha. Listen till the end. What we want to ask of you isn''t hunting."

    "Then what?"

    "We already have a wizard who has promised to help us. But, the way we obtained that promise was... somewhat forceful."

    The exnation went like this:

    The Santiago Knights are a knightly order created by the Santiago Monastic Order, connected through a certainwork with the clergy of Heaven''s Faith.

    When news reached that the Santiago Knights wereing to Count Catina''s territory to hunt the manticore, the priests of Count Catina''s territory ''forcefully'' asked a wizard living nearby for cooperation.

    In short, the wizard who ended up cooperating in the manticore hunt was a poor soul who was forced to participate due to the priests'' threats.

    "They must be quite upset by now. Ian, you''re a wizard too, aren''t you? We were hoping you could appease that wizard on our behalf."

    I understand.

    So, Ian was... meant to soothe the offended wizard instead of the Santiago Knights.

    Ian slightly tilted his head.

    "Would my words make any difference?"

    Considering the part about being threatened by the priests, the damage was already done.

    However, Elder was confident Ian could be of use.

    "Even if it''s unpleasant, words from a wizard carry a different weight than those from a knight. That wizard might know you or your master''s name."

    "My master''s, maybe."

    Elder nodded with a smile.

    "And if by any chance the wizard uses magic against us, you could warn us in advance, couldn''t you?"

    The logic was that a wizard would be able to see through another wizard''s schemes.

    Ian nodded.

    ''Not bad?''

    It was more than just not bad. It was a very good offer.

    In exchange for the protection of the Santiago Knights, all Ian had to do was pacify the disgruntled wizard.

    Even if things went awry and failed, Ian had nothing to lose.

    Ian''s goal was to take Lucy to the count''s territory safely.

    "If you change your mind along the way, you''re wee to join us in hunting the manticore."

    Elder winked, making a gesture with his eye.

    Receiving a wink from an old man made Ian feel a bit queasy...

    "I''ll pass."

    "And what about persuading the wizard?"

    "I can do that."

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, Lucy sprang up and high-fived Elder.

    "Yay! Thanks in advance, Elder!"

    "Ha. It''s we who should be thanking you."

    And so, Ian''s journey with the Santiago Knights was decided.

    The next morning, Ian left Riverville.

    Despite the early dawn, Bernard insisted on seeing Ian off, following him to the edge of the residential area.

    "Come visit again, Ian!"

    Maybe they had be somewhat close during this time?

    Ian didn''t find the impetuous young master Bernard too disagreeable.

    "Yeah. See you again soon, Bernard."

    "...!"

    As Ian waved, Bernard smiled brightly and waved back vigorously.

    "... Safe travels, friend!"

    Sir Hansen watched Bernard''s actions and slowly nodded.

    ''Excellent, young lord.''

    Friendships from childhood are precious treasures that can only be acquired in one''s youth.

    If it''s a friendship with a wizard, people would pay any price to have it.

    What Bernard had gained was an experience of such value.

    Sir Hansen felt a slight relief from the stress caused by Bernard''s foolish actions, thinking that the future of Riverville had brightened a bit more.

    Thanks to a promising young wizard.

 Chapter 28:

    Chapter 28:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    This medieval fantasy world could be described in another term as the era of "Post-Apocalypse."

    An era where an ancient civilization, suspiciously advanced in technology, perished, and the surviving inhabitants engaged in a struggle of all against all over limited resources!

    In a stable civilized world, violence lost its meaning.

    If someone tried to steal from your house, you simply called the police.

    The police, having received your report, woulde and fold the culprit into a pretty star shape and throw them into a detention center.

    But what if the country was sort of messed up, and public authority vanished?

    The cop, who would have been waiting just 5 minutes away for you, was no longer there.

    Both you and the thief knew this.

    If a thief broke your skull and stole your stuff, there was nothing you could do about it.

    In an era where you couldn''t survive without getting your hands bloody, what must you do to survive?

    The answer was "to arm yourself."

    The priests of Heaven''s Faith knew this well.

    After the fall of the Golden Empire, the priests of Heaven''s Faith became powerless and weak targets in the post-apocalyptic era.

    As the soldiers of the Golden Empire, who had protected the priests, disappeared, looting targeting the priests brazenly urred throughout the empire.

    The weak survivors, as usual, were plundered by barbarians, and the priests of Heaven''s Faith cried and wailed for their mothers.

    "Aahhhhh! Somebody, please help~"

    In post-apocalyptic stories, the development of weak characters is divided into two main types.

    Either they be a warm motherly figure who, despitecking abilities, embraces other survivors with mental toughness.

    Or they be corrupted, staining their hands with blood and cynically epting that "Violence is essential in this cruel world!"

    The Pope of Heaven''s Faith followed the first clich.

    When Brifford, the founder of the Holy Empire, conquered all surrounding nations and rose as the champion of the continent, he quickly sided with the pope, securing the role of "the spiritual pir of the survivor group."

    The Pope was happy to have a protector, and the Emperor was pleased to receive the Pope''s recognition.

    When the Pope formed a party with the protagonist-like character of the Holy Empire, the Pope''s follower-level positions, the believers, also cheered.

    "Wow! Your Holiness! Does this mean the empire will protect us now?"

    "Yes. Now the empire will protect me."

    "...They will protect us, right?"

    Indeed, the Holy Empire protected the Pope from the barbarians.

    But they protected ''only'' the Pope.

    It was inevitable because, no matter how mighty the empire, it was impossible to protect all the followers of Heaven''s Faith scattered across the empire''snds.

    The followers of Heaven''s Faith cry out like supporting characters betrayed by the main character they believe in.

    "Why! Your Holiness! We believe in you! We believe!"

    "Heh. Can''t be helped. Those who must live, should live, right?"

    As the barbarians slowly approach, the Pope takes the empire''s hand and leaves for a distant ce...!

    The believers left behind shiver in loneliness and take up arms.

    Amidst zombies... no, barbarians approaching from all directions, it''s not like one can just choose tomit suicide just because they''ve been abandoned, right?

    So, the believers swing their weapons towards the barbarians.

    "Kekeke... Don''t worry, I''ll take a liking to you soon enough... Cough!"

    But surprisingly, the believers fought well against the barbarians.

    It wasn''t just the believers who were threatened by the barbarians.

    Passersby, retired soldiers (knights), and those who fight in the name of God...

    As such people gather one by one at a church, a surprisingly formidable armed group is born.

    "Could we... be strong?"

    Realizing their strength, they swing their weapons with the sole intention of ''saving the followers of Heaven''s Faith from the hands of barbarism!''

    It''s a clich of awakening their abilities after being abandoned by the survivor party...!

    The empowered ones defeat the barbarians and save the believers.

    The followers of Heaven''s Faith, swinging weapons in the name of God.

    They call themselves a ''Knight Order.''

    They follow the will of Heaven but are not priests, nor do they follow the Pope''s will.

    They name their knighthood after a saint who shares their ideals.

    The Knights of Saint Santiago.

    It''s the name of the monastic knight order that Ian was traveling with.

    ---

    ---

    Traveling with the Knights of Saint Santiago was extremely pleasant.

    Unlike typical knight groups, all members of the Knights of Saint Santiago were individuals of character.

    Ordinary warriors tended to be rough.

    There was no reason for them not to be rough.

    "I''m strong, I''m the thug, so why should I be a wimp and mind others?" This thug mindset was basically installed in the average warrior of this world.

    But the Knights of Saint Santiago were different.

    They had a reason not to act rough.

    Because it was "wrong" to do so...!

    "Bullying the weak? Why would you do such a damn cursed thing?"

    "Under heaven, all people are equal. Thend is just a ce we pass through for a while, and when the timees, everyone must ascend to heaven."

    "We are all life created directly by the Lord in heaven. We should all be respected equally and loved equally."

    When it was time to camp and the sun had set, the knighthood would sit Ian in the middle and recite the doctrine of Heaven''s Faith.

    Hearing the doctrine of Heaven''s Faith, Ian feels a thrill as if the hairs on his body are standing on end.

    ''These guys... are really good people, aren''t they?''

    Traveling through this medieval fantasy world, it was the first time he had met proper religious people.

    So, Ian was confused.

    Why...? Why are they good?

    Isn''t ''corruption'' the default for religious people?

    Like, indulging in alcohol, women... blinded by wealth...

    But the minds of these knights were very different from typical medieval people.

    A goodness that seemed to have swallowed Mother Teresa and Nightingale[1]!

    Ian nodded his head.

    These guys. They''re pretty crazy...

    Originally, in a vige of one-eyed people, a person with both eyes intact would be treated as a madman.

    In a selfish and barbaric world, if someone was wandering the world solely with altruism, that person was considered mad.

    "Have you ever read the Bible, wizard?"

    A knight with particrly bright and sparkling eyes asked.

    His name was Dehitri.

    "No, I haven''t."

    "Oh no!"

    Dehitri showed an overly expressive reaction, like something you''d see in a cartoon.

    The fact that this reaction came sincerely from the heart was madness itself.

    "Isn''t a wizard someone who explores mysteries? Then why don''t you explore the will of Heaven, which is a mystery itself!"

    Ian responded while chewing and swallowing a piece of roasted meat.

    "I do explore the Heavens."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. I explore the wind, the clouds, the stars..."

    Dehitri sighed deeply at Ian''s answer.

    "That''s not the real heaven. What you see is just the surface, like iming to ''know'' a person just by looking at their face."

    "Then what''s the real deal?"

    Dehitri said seriously.

    "The soul. It''s the soul of a person."

    "..."

    "It''s not the visible sky that''s important. You need to see the soul of heaven. The soul of heaven is the Almighty Himself. The way to see the soul of heaven is written right in the Bible."

    Dehitri grabbed Ian''s hand firmly.

    "Let''s study the Bible together!"

    "..."

    Ian was reminded of a nightmare from his college days.

    Back then, he was incredibly annoyed by those damn religious fanatics who kept sticking to him, insisting on studying the Bible together.

    Especially since they disguised it with activities like ''psychological tests'' or ''survey assignments,'' making it all the more insidious.

    "Not interested."

    "Why not! Are you saying the mysteries of the Bible aren''t mysteries?"

    "There are plenty of mysteries to explore besides the Bible. Why specifically the mysteries of the Bible?"

    "Because the mysteries of the Bible are great!"

    As Dehitri whined and threw a tantrum about "the Bible~ Bible study~",

    The rest of the knighthood members also started throwing a collective tantrum, saying, "Ian, study the Bible with us~"

    Ian sighed deeply.

    The sight of grown adults throwing tantrums en masse was truly ugly...

    Ian realized one fatal drawback of traveling with the monastic knights.

    That is, the constant religious solicitation!

    "How about reading the Bible just this one time?"

    "Are you also a person of the monastic order, Elder?"

    When Ian asked, Elderughed and answered.

    "I''m just halfway involved."

    "You said you were a former mercenary, right?"

    "Yes. I''vemitted many sins when I was young, so now I''m pretending to be good in my old age."

    There were many people like Elder in the empire.

    Those who lived by the sword when young and quietly started worrying about hell as they aged.

    Even if one is close to death, the desire to go to heaven is human nature, which is why some start doing good deeds only in theirter years.

    Morally, there''s a lot to think about, but the people of the monastic order weed these retired mercenaries.

    Because their skill as seasoned warriors remained unchanged.

    "Do you know? If you hear the voice of God, you could be a cleric of the faith."

    In Heaven''s Faith, there are wizards called clerics.

    The mystery that clerics deal with is the mystery of faith.

    They perform miracles by hearing the voice of God and making petitions.

    However, to be a cleric, one needed to read the Bible extensively and possess a wealth of theological knowledge.

    "Hmm..."

    Ian pondered for a moment.

    After all, God is a kind of mystery, and Ian is a man beloved by mysteries.

    Hearing the voice of God... might not be so difficult?

    God felt very different from the other mysteries.

    Why Ian was reincarnated into this other world, what the status window that Ian uses is aboutGod might provide answers to these questions.

    "Dehitri."

    "Yes?"

    "That Bible study thing. Can I try it?"

    No sooner had Ian expressed his interest in studying the Bible than the monastic knights swarmed around him like bees.

    "Of course!"

    "You''ve made a very good decision, Brother!"

    Shivers ran down his spine.

    The look in their eyes was like that of veterans eyeing a newbie who has just fallen into the deep end.

    Ian got goosebumps.

    "You know ancientnguages, right?"

    "Yes."

    Dehitri said as he opened a book.

    In this medieval fantasy world, fittingly a post-apocalyptic setting, they still used thenguage of the ancient, now-fallen Golden Empire.

    Or rather, they used nothing but the ancientnguage (thenguage of the Golden Empire).

    The reason was absurd...

    Because the Church of Heaven''s Faith was the only group that wrote anything!

    "Ah. Cassie, would you like to study with us too?"

    Cassie.

    No, Lucy, smiled bashfully at Dehitri''s suggestion.

    "No, I don''t know how to read."

    "..."

    Ian looked at Lucy with cold eyes.

    What kind of noble doesn''t know how to read?

    Isn''t it obvious that nobles should know how to read?

    In fact, that wasn''t the case.

    Most nobles did not study letters.

    Why bother with the headache of learning to read?

    Just kidnap someone who knows how!

    Most people who knew how to write were priests of the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Therefore, priests naturally carried out administrative support tasks for the nobles.

    In this era, skills like writing were actually of little use.

    Is there a book to read?

    No.

    Is there administration to be done?

    No.

    Most tasks were handled orally.

    Only the results needed to be documented, and that was done by priests.

    Of course, high-ranking nobles might need writing skills, but they employed professional administrators, so there was no need for them to know how to write themselves.

    "What. Why? What!"

    Lucy looked at Ian as if making excuses under his sharp gaze.

    "Study some when you get home."

    "Why should I?"

    Lucy''s point was valid.

    Running a rural barony didn''t require knowledge of letters.

    But why does a valid point feel annoyingly irritating?

    "I''m a woman! Women don''t need to study!"

    "My mentor was a woman."

    "That''s because she''s smart!"

    Ian just shrugged.

    If she doesn''t want to study, there''s no need to force her.

    She''s a noble, so she''ll manage somehow.

    "It''s okay. I''ll exin it well verbally."

    "No, I''m not really into studying..."

    "How about thinking of it not as studying, but as practice?"

    Lucy tried crying out, "Is it okay for a woman to study?" with a tearful face.

    But such a shoddy excuse wouldn''t work on Dehitri, a madman with clear eyes.

    "Is there gender in learning the will of Heaven?"

    "Hiiing..."

    In the end, Lucy also sat down next to Ian to study the Bible.

    Lucy was bored to death, but for Ian, who had studied rigorously under Eredith, Dehitri''s teachings were nothing.

    [That''s right. Good posture.]

    "Thank you for thepliment."

    As Ian murmured, Dehitri tilted his head.

    "What did you just say, wizard?"

    "... Yes?"

    Ian also tilted his head, confused for no reason, and Lucy followed suit.

    The education circle plunged into chaos.

    "I just received apliment for my posture..."

    As Ian spoke, Dehitri''s eyes widened.

    "I didn''t say anything! My goodness, wizard! What, what voice did you hear!"

    "Huh? Suddenly someone spoke to me..."

    Ian stopped talking and jumped up from his seat.

    That wasn''t a human voice...!

    [Well, can I even be considered a human being?]

    "[God! You''re God, right?]"

    [Hehehe. Perhaps?]

    Ian was astonished.

    It was clear.

    A divine entity of the Church of Heaven''s Faith had spoken to Ian!

    Perhaps the very being who had thrown Ian into this medieval fantasy world!

    Excited, Ian blurted out in Maroniusnguage.

    Where is this ce? Who are you? Why did you reincarnate me into this world?

    And so on.

    But no answer came back.

    The deity had left.

    "Come back! God! Come back!"

    That bastard, who does he think he''s toying with...!

    Ian, agitated, let out sphemous words.

    "Hey! God! Come back right now! If you get caught by meter, you''re dead!"

    "!"

    The monastic knights rushed over to calm Ian down.

    "Stay calm! Brother!"

    "Bring the Bible! Recite some damned holy verses to me!"

    As chaos ensued, Elder also came over to see what was happening.

    "Why''s the wizard acting like that? Has he gone mad?"

    There were many wizards who lost their sanity after improper contact with mysteries.

    Suddenly going mad wasn''t unusual for a wizard.

    Brother Bord crossed his arms and exined calmly.

    "...You heard the voice of God."

    "The voice of God?"

    There was no way to prove whether Ian had truly heard the voice of God or not.

    However, after that incident, Ian began to obsess over memorizing the Bible to an eerie extent...

 Chapter 29:

    Chapter 29:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

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    Join the discord! Here

    When Ian began to diligently recite the scriptures, the result appeared quickly.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Holy Magic]

    [The ability to converse with the absolute ruler of this elegant, dignified, holy, and beautiful world. Lucky you, Ian!]

    ...

    He had acquired Holy Magic.

    But why the hell was the skill description like that?

    Ian examined the Holy Magic skill.

    Like other magics, there was some advice written on Holy Magic.

    [Give attention to the gods. Study more, understand more. The more attention you give, the happier the gods will be  the elegant, dignified, holy, and beautiful rulers of this world.]

    Ian felt a surge of anger.

    Was the person who bestowed this skill really a god?

    If so, does that mean the god had dropped Ian into this unfamiliar world and was watching him move and act from high above, snickering?

    Unless he elevated Holy Magic to a higher realm or had a direct conversation with the god, it would remain an unknown matter.

    Son of a b*tch.

    He was annoyed, but there was nothing he could do right now.

    The only option was to seek more mysteries and gather more points to strengthen Holy Magic.

    Ian threw the scripture aside and stood up.

    ---

    ---

    Ian and his party set foot in Count Catinas territory.

    They were attacked by a band of thieves along the way, but the Santiago Knights neatly repelled them.

    Normally, they acted so virtuously that it was easy to forget, but in battle, the Santiago Knights were the incarnation of violence.

    Brothers! Let us defeat these vile band of thieves!

    Oh!

    More than half of the knights were d in chain mail.

    Chain mail might be considered just a step below te armor in the hierarchy of armors, but in fact, the chain mail of this era boasted defensive capabilities worthy of being called the ultimate in armor.

    It was excellent armor that could withstand not only shes from swords but also stabs from spears and blows from hammers and axes.

    The only downside was its expensive price.

    Maybe they had wealthy patrons: a considerable number of the Santiago Knights were equipped with chain mail.

    Thanks to that, nearly forty thieves were swept away without being able to put up any resistance.

    A thief with zero resistance is a superconducting thief..."

    ?

    The Santiago Knights, who could be called the medieval LK-99 manufacturers[1], returned to Ian, covered in blood.

    Hey! Wizard! Nothing major happened, right?

    Not at all.

    What Ian did during the battle was just nothing.

    It was a fight they were bound to win, so why bother using magic?

    Battle is the domain of warriors.

    Wizards should just watch.

    There are guys like that everywhere.

    Elder also came back, swinging his sword, covered in blood.

    Got any injuries?

    Thats my line to ask.

    Ian looked at Elder curiously.

    Even if the knights were armed with chain mail, this man named Elder was only wearing light cloth armor.

    And he was carrying a sword without even a shield...

    Yet he didnt have a single injury.

    "Hehe. Even though I''m old, I''m not so feeble as to be taken down by foolish murderers."

    Ian had many questions, but he held back.

    If Elder wanted people to know about himself, he wouldnt have used an alias.

    Noticing Ian holding back his questions, Elder smiled.

    "A wizard holding back his curiosity. Thats rare to see."

    "Why?"

    "Wizards generallyck tact. They''re not a people mindful of others."

    Ian nodded.

    The more entric you are, the more recognition you receive as a wizard, making it easier for wizards to blurt out whatever they think.

    "Making a wizard hold back his curiosity, I feel a little guilty."

    "Then tell me. What did Elder do before?"

    Elder grinned and said,

    "I was a mercenary. Of a pretty famous mercenary group."

    "How famous?"

    "Famous enough to use an alias. There were too many fools rushing at me without thinking because of my name."

    Meaning, he was someone whose name alone was well-known.

    Famous enough that people wanted to challenge him to a duel to elevate their own honor.

    "Hmm. I see."

    But Ian''s reaction was lukewarm.

    What did it matter if he was a famous mercenary?

    Ian, being a wizard, had already been soaked in a wizards way of thinking.

    If it wasn''t rted to mysteries, no curiosity arose!

    Once Ian realized Elder was just a human good with a sword, his interest cooled rapidly.

    Elder was taken aback by hisck of interest.

    "This is the first time I''ve seen such an uninterested reaction."

    "What do you want me to do? Am I supposed to entertain you?"

    "Hehe. Hearing such a brash tone, you really are a wizard."

    Elder took a dig at Ian for being rude, but Ian quickly hid behind the ''wizard shield''.

    I''m a wizard, what are you going to do about it?

    "You might even one day meet a wizard who says they''re here to help you."

    As Ian said this, Elder made a strange expression.

    An expression of ''this is really troublesome,'' which he didnt even make while slicing through thieves.

    "I shouldn''t be saying this after bringing you all this way... but brace yourself."

    "Why?"

    "You''re about to meet a wizard. As you may know, wizards are inherently entric beings."

    Honestly, it wasnt something Ian could rte to.

    Ian knew only two wizards: Eredith and himself.

    Neither of them was entric or strange.

    Thus, the rumor that ''wizards are entric beings'' felt like a baseless rumor to him.

    Meeting another wizard would be a first for him.

    Are wizards really entric beings as the rumors say?

    "They must be quite upset. They''ll probably create an awkward situation to drive us away."

    "Hmm..."

    Ian had long since achieved his original goal.

    Now that they had safely brought Lucy to Count Catina''s territory, Ian could leave to meet the Count without any issue.

    However, it was different for the knightly order.

    They hade all this way to defeat a monster called the Manticore.

    If the meeting with the wizard went awry, it would put them in a difficult situation.

    "I''ll try to persuade them, but don''t get your hopes up."

    As Ian grumbled, Elderughed brightly.

    "Which way do we go?"

    The group had reached a crossroads.

    Heading east would take them to the Count''s castle.

    West led to the forest where the Manticore was said to appear.

    "Under normal circumstances, it would be polite to visit the Count first..."

    Elder looked at the knights with a meaningful smile.

    About half of the knightly order wanted to meet the Count, while the rest were indifferent.

    Mainly, the more worldly knights were interested in an audience with the Count.

    The Santiago Knights, being affiliated with a monastery, were difficult to join but easy to leave.

    Many knights, after building their reputation by hunting monsters, would find a suitable lord and settle down.

    "It would be a waste of time, wouldn''t it?"

    "That''s right."

    The most devout of the brothers, Dehitri spoke up.

    With a dangerous monster like the Manticore, giving it time was a foolish act.

    The knights who wanted to meet the Count were aware of this, so they couldn''t outright express their displeasure.

    "Hehe. Ian, my boy. What will you do?"

    "I will..."

    Ian nced at Lucy.

    His role was over the moment he safely brought Lucy to the Count''s territory.

    How to negotiate with the Count was up to Lucy.

    "Ian. I''ll go ahead."

    As expected, Lucy was not part of the Manticore hunt.

    In fact, there was nothing she could do even if she were to participate.

    Apart from her noble blood, she was no different from a corpse, so it was right for her to focus on what she alone could do.

    "Can you manage on your own?"

    "Of course. What do you take me for!"

    Lucy briefly said her goodbyes to the knightly order.

    The departure of Lucy did not concern Ian or the knights.

    They were about to go fight a monster, so her leaving on her own was a wee development.

    "See youter, Ian."

    Ian and the knightly order once again set off.

    Their destination was a secluded forest where a wizard lived.

    ---

    ---

    Mani Campbell was a wizard.

    Unlike other nomadic wizards, she preferred a settled life, a settler-type wizard, because the mysteries she dealt with were those of nts.

    Wizards position themselves as close as possible to the mysteries they seek to explore, undergoing the process of understanding those mysteries.

    Almost all mysteries of the world were a b*tch to understand.

    Even the seemingly simple mystery of wind required witnessing massive storms or tornadoes.

    If someone said that they''re heading to and ravaged by storms, instead of thinking, ''Ah. That person is crazy,'' think, ''Ah. That person is a wizard.''

    It makes more sense.

    The mystery that Mani Campbell studied, the mystery of nts, was a very convenient mystery to understand.

    All she had to do was watch the sprouts grow and the nts develop!

    There was a time in her youth when she wandered the continent to study the nts of the world.

    But now, approaching the age of 60, she had grown too old to travel as she once did in her youth.

    Now, she was just an old wizard who lived by cultivating her own garden and growing the nts she wanted to raise.

    Mani was an old woman.

    And old people, for the most part, disliked change.

    "Mani Campbell! In the name of God! We need your help!"

    One day, priests from Heaven''s Faith suddenly invaded the peaceful home of Mani.

    Mani was sick of them.

    "What now! Is it another goddamn famine or what?"

    The priests frowned at Mani''s irreverent tone.

    There was amon belief that the more entric a wizard, the more skilled they were, but not everyone loved the entric nature of wizards.

    Especially priests, who had no need to bow their heads to wizards.

    Priests are those who serve the greatest mystery of all, the God of the Heavens.

    This was far more significant than the trivial mysteries of fire, ice, or wind.

    There''s a hierarchy even in cold water, so why should wizards, who study lesser mysteries, disregard priests who serve the highest mystery in the world!

    But the wizards saw it differently.

    Priests liked mysteries, but they were not the ones who handled them.

    There were unique cleric-wizard hybrids, but aside from them, the rest were merely enthusiasts of mysteries.

    Real researchers, the wizards, were looked down upon by these arrogant fools who strutted around with stiff necks!

    That''s why wizards and priests didn''t get along.

    "If you''re just going to refuse by spouting nonsense about the heart of nts or whatever..."

    "Shh. Be quiet."

    The priests murmured theirints loud enough for all to hear.

    As a wizard who studied the mysteries of nts, Mani knew how to revive dying nts.

    So, when there was a poor harvest, priests woulde to her and ask her to save their crops.

    But Mani found such requests extremely ufortable.

    Life and death were part of nature.

    How dare those who cram nts closely together, overfeed them with nutrients for overgrowth, then talk about poor or bountiful harvests as if they''ve done somethingmendable.

    Indeed.

    The nt wizard Mani was an activist for nt rights.

    Just as animal rights activists pity chickens, sheep, and cows exploited by humans.

    She felt sorry for the nts that were gically modified and forced to grow in densely packed fields.

    That''s why Mani didn''t like human-made fields and gardens much.

    To her, they were scenes of cruel nt abuse.

    Farmers, too, didn''t like Mani very much.

    Beyond mere dislike, they thought she was crazy.

    If crops aren''t grown in fields, how are people supposed to feed themselves?

    Do they expect their ancestors to send down food from heaven?

    Since Mani was a wizard, a certain level of madness was understandable.

    That was precisely why she wasn''t tied to a stake and could live quietly in the forest.

    "Faithful knights wille to hunt the Manticore. We hope you can assist them with your magic."

    "And if I refuse?"

    "Do not forget that this forest is lent to you by the Church."

    "...Damn it."

    Dirty power-mongers.

    Mani''s magic was useful for keeping nts healthy, but it was useless against mercenaries burning down the forest.

    Due to her political indifference, she didn''t have any noble allies either.

    Reluctantly, Mani had toply with the Church''s brats.

    ''Hmph! Let''s see who tries to make a fool of who!''

    However, her pride wouldn''t allow her toply meekly.

    She would pretend to follow their orders on the surface...

    But!

    She nned to hold a very enthusiastic wee party for the knights.

    A sharp, stinging, thrilling wee party.

    If the knights could get through the wee party, she would cooperate with them withoutint.

    But if they couldn''t?

    She would drive those fools away, and they wouldn''t be able to raise any objections!

    "Kekeke..."

    Maniughed like a witch in the kitchen, clutching a white vegetable.

    Her hands were filled with nts to be used for the ''wee party.''

    Could the knights withstand ''this''?

    The white, spicy nt Mani had chosen was...

    Garlic.

    ---

    [1. raei: LK-99 is a grayck, polycrystallinepound, identified as a copper-doped leadoxyapatite. A team from Korea University led by Lee Sukbae () and Kim Ji-Hoon () began studying this material as a potential superconductor starting in 1999.

    So uh ties in with the superconducting thieves.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 30:

    Chapter 30:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Regarding the cuisine of this medieval fantasy, Ian would go so far as to call it "barbarians who know nothing but the taste of salt," but this was only half true.

    As one traveled northward, the prevalence of what Ian called "salted cuisine" increased.

    Meat was salted, fish was salted, cabbage was salted...

    The appearance of even vinegar or butter felt like discovering a new world of taste.

    The northern part of the continent truly was thend of barbarians.

    However, the situation in the South differed, as the South had many dishes that had spices.

    Not just spices, but real Western-style food made with a variety of vegetables, seafood, grains, and meats could be tasted in the southern part of the continent.

    In fact, there are many delicious foods in the world.

    Ian was just being unfairly critical.

    Perhaps it was Ian''s fault for being born a citizen of the Holy Empire.

    But Ian also had opportunities for gourmet experiences.

    Unlike imperial citizens, wizards, who inevitably wandered the world, could taste the diverse foods that existed in the world.

    It was not for nothing that Eredith was good at cooking.

    In that sense, the wizard Mani Campbell also had a deep understanding of food.

    In her youth, she traveled the world to collect seeds of rare nts.

    While traveling in the southern continent, she came across a spice called "garlic" in a kingdom beyond the Coral Sea.

    Garlic, a vegetable with a unique pungent and spicy taste, was a favorite ingredient in the cuisine of the Coral Sea people.

    Mani was shocked the first time she tasted garlic.

    This tingling scent and spicy taste!

    Garlic was a stimting spice not found in the north.

    Fascinated by the taste of garlic, Mani brought it to the north and grew it in her garden.

    Garlic was difficult to cultivate there, but for Mani, a wizard who grew sunflowers in caves and cacti in snowfields, it was as easy as pie.

    "Giggle giggle..."

    Mani chuckled eerily, holding the garlic.

    At first, she wanted to share this delicious garlic with her neighbors.

    But the imperial citizens, these northern barbarians, refused to eat it,ining it was too spicy and smelly!

    They would eat it, but only in such a small amount that it barely added a hint of aroma to the dish.

    This was outrageously insufficient to satisfy Mani, who had already be an ardent garlic aficionado.

    "If you want my help, you should at least enjoy the meal I prepare!"

    Mani personally prepared a meal for the knights who came to seek her help.

    She put a whole chicken in the pot and boiled it thoroughly.

    Up to here, it was a normal chicken dish.

    But then...

    She added ginseng brought from the east and a lot of garlic from the south and boiled it!

    "Giggle giggle..."

    Mani couldn''t help but burst intoughter at the nose-stinging smell of garlic.

    She used so much garlic that it almost overflowed from the pot!

    She added garlic as if it were potatoes!

    When the unique, bitter scent of ginseng was added, an indescribably pungent smell enveloped the area.

    If a passing farmer had smelled it, they would have clutched their nose and run away.

    The garlic smell emanating from Mani''s cabin was so horrendous that it was unbearable for the naive nostrils of northerners.

    It was the result of infuriating a wizard.

    Mani felt a tiny bit sorry for the knights.

    They wanted to catch a manticore, righteous guys.

    What did they do to deserve such an ordeal?

    But soon, she shook her head.

    She had to act up like this so the priests wouldn''t take Mani lightly.

    People who treated wizards as mere tools were utterly disgusting.

    She felt a bit sorry for the knights, but...

    She had no choice but to feed them Manis special Garlic Ginseng Chicken Soup!

    Mani boiled the soup for a long time until the smell of garlic permeated deep into the chicken.

    She expected the knights to run away just from smelling the soup.

    ...But.

    She hadn''t anticipated that among the knights would be the ck-haired alien, Ian Eredith Raven.

    ---

    ---

    The wizard lived alone in a cabin in a secluded forest.

    The Elder exined about the wizard while they were heading to her house.

    "Mani Campbell is a famous herbologist."

    "Oh. A herbologist?"

    Herbology.

    The magic of handling shrubs and trees.

    Ian was aware of the existence of herbologists.

    They were eerily skilled at handling nts, yet strangely, they seldom helped with farming.

    Instead, they were proficient in various medicinal herbs and rare nt knowledge, making them capable wizards favored by the nobility.

    Well.

    What kind of wizard would be disliked by the nobility?

    "To hunt a strong monster like a manticore, a powerful poison is needed."

    Herbologists were also skilled poison masters. They knew how tobine nt toxins to create terrifying venoms.

    "Then it should be simple. We just go and get the poison, right?"

    As Ian said this, the Elder smiled bitterly.

    "It won''t be as easy as you think. Since the church forced her cooperation, she''s probably full of spite."

    "It''s funny. Why do we have to clean up the mess the church made?"

    "...Because the knight order took the churchs money."

    Money.

    Then it can''t be helped.

    Ian shrugged.

    The knight orders suspiciously well-armed background hid the secret of the churchs financial support.

    "Well, it won''t kill us! When she sees your face, she''ll probably go easy on us!"

    "No..."

    The Elder seemed to think of Ian as a sort of talisman to ward off a wizard''s anger.

    Actually, it did serve that function.

    She likely knew of the name Eredith.

    While they chatted, they soon approached the wizard''s cabin.

    "...What is that smell?"

    One of the knights grimaced, covering his nose.

    An indescribable stench wafted from the wizard''s cabin.

    "Must be the herbologist at work. Smells like boiling nts."

    Suddenly, everyone became less talkative.

    All were too busy covering their noses.

    Except for one.

    Ian was the exception.

    ''...Ginseng chicken soup?''

    There was an oddly familiar smell of ginseng chicken souping from the wizard''s cabin.

    And not just any soup, but one heavily infused with garlic!

    ''Ah... I want some chicken soup...''

    The smell of garlic chicken soup made saliva pool in Ian''s mouth.

    Since Ian hadnded in this uncivilized medieval fantasy world, he had been forced to eat nothing but super salty food.

    However, the soul of Ian, who was Korean in his previous life, constantly craved spicy foods.

    Spicy! Salty! Spicy and hearty!

    In fact, many Koreans don''t even like chicken soup. Why drown perfectly good meat in water?

    But Ian liked chicken soup as much as he liked chicken.

    No, he didn''t bother to differentiate between the two.

    Silly child.

    Chicken and chicken soup.

    Both are chicken.

    Why discriminate between the two?

    Stop the hate and discrimination.

    Peace and chicken.

    Amen.

    "Ugh...!"

    "Elder! Let''s just go back!"

    Unlike Ian, who was lost in deep nostalgia, the Santiago Knights were visibly shaken.

    They hadn''t even seen the wizard''s face, but some were already whining about going back.

    For northerners, who had lived without knowing spices, the pungent smell of garlic was too much to bear!

    "Want to go back? Fighting a manticore without the wizard''s deadly poison is foolish. And if we run away scared of a smell, what would the church think?"

    "But...!"

    As the knight order became unsettled, the Bord brothers stepped forward.

    "The heavens watch over us..."

    He began singing a hymn titled "The Heavens Watch Over Us."

    Amid the vibrating stench of garlic, he marched forward with the power of faith and belief.

    The knights looked at Bord''s back with moved expressions and joined in the hymn as they headed towards the cabin.

    "The sun shines brightly!"

    "God is with us!"

    ''Hmm. Is that all it takes?''

    Ian found the actions of the knights hard to understand.

    All this fuss over the smell of garlic.

    The knights bravely stepped into the wizard''s cabin.

    But as soon as they entered, they stiffened up.

    "Kekeke! I''ve been waiting! Knights of Santiago!"

    In an atmosphere where Latin background music seemed likely to y, an old wizard who looked like a witch greeted the knights.

    "Mani Campbell?"

    While speaking with Mani, Elder couldn''t take his eyes off the bowls and pots on the table.

    What in the world was this horrific smelling soup, as if boiled in the fires of hell!

    ''This is bad.''

    Even though the Elder himself had told the knight order not to retreat, seeing the ''meal'' Mani had prepared made him despise everything.

    In a way, Mani''s soup had magical power in it.

    It even instilled a strong will in the Elder, enough to make him want to catch a manticore without the wizard''s poison.

    The knights seemed to share the Elder''s sentiment, looking at Mani with expressions that said, ''Surely she''s not going to make us eat that...''

    But bad premonitions alwayse true.

    "You must be hungry after your long journey! I have specially prepared some food, so please enjoy!"

    Mani pointed to the food piled up on the table.

    The dish emitting the pungent smell of garlic was Mani''s ''Garlic Ginseng Chicken Soup''.

    Ian was surprised to see the dish.

    ''Ginseng chicken soup? It is ginseng chicken soup, right?''

    ...But let''s call it chicken soup to avoid sounding too Korean.

    It looked like ginseng chicken soup, but it was, in any case, chicken soup.

    The knights, upon seeing the chicken soup, grimaced.

    "Wizard Mani. We are already aware of your reputation as a distinguished herbologist. We think there''s no need to prove your abilities in such a manner."

    The Elder said, attempting to be diplomatic.

    In summary, he was essentially asking, ''Are you out of your mind?''

    Even if wizards take pride in their entricity, wasn''t this a bit too much?

    However, Mani snorted in response.

    "I don''t understand what you mean. I''m merely offering my guests my favorite food. I''ve prepared a valuable dish with crops I''ve grown with care. If you have any shame, you wouldn''t pretend not to understand."

    "..."

    "Well, if you''re not guests, then feel free to leave."

    Mani exuded the aura of a game master, adept at presenting devilish choices.

    Would they partake in the foul-smelling chicken, epting her hospitality, or forfeit their guest status and flee with their tails between their legs?

    Either option was a severe loss for the knight order.

    ''It can''t be helped.''

    The Elder sat down at the table with a grave expression.

    It was a ce where his spirit was needed.

    Once the Elder sat, the rest of the knight order hesitantly followed suit and took their seats.

    "Ke... Eat your fill!"

    Mani let out an evilugh and took a big spoonful of the ''Garlic Ginseng Chicken Soup''.

    ''Hmm...''

    After a moment, she made aplex expression.

    Was it too sharp?

    Maybe too much garlic was added...?

    Though it should probably be called garlic soup rather than chicken soup, Mani nheless enjoyed her portion.

    What does it matter if the garlic was a bit excessive?

    The sight of the knights in difort was worth it!

    "Cough, cough!"

    "Ughhh!"

    "...Water! Get me some water!"

    As expected.

    Following Mani''s lead, the knights who tried the soup were in utter turmoil, suffering terribly.

    The result of boiling garlic as if it were potatoes was this.

    The Elder, having sensed the crisis early on, pretended to eat while actually encouraging the others.

    ''...Huh?''

    But then, something out of ce caught the Elder''s eye.

    Above the table, where everyone was panicking due to the intense smell of garlic...

    One man was furiously devouring the garlic soup.

    Not furiously, but as if he had gone mad.

    The wizard.

    The act Ian Eredith Raven was performing transcended human reason and ventured into the realm of madness.

    "...You."

    Humans feel fear in the face of ignorance.

    For a brief moment, the Elder felt fear towards Ian.

    He looked at Ian as if he were a monster.

    "Are... Are you okay?"

    The Elder wanted to ask ''Is it delicious?'' but could not bring himself to shatter his worldview andmon sense, so he opted for the next best question.

    Because it was impossible to think that anyone could find the broth, saturated with the smell of garlic, ''delicious''.

    The word that came out of Ian''s mouth was pure chaos and disorder, enough to shatter the Elder''s sanity.

    "F*cking..."

    "F*cking?"

    "F*cking delicious, right?"

    "..."

    The Elder had forgotten.

    Ian Eredith Raven was an outstanding wizard who couldmand drakes like limbs.

    He had been acting so normally up until now that it slipped his mind...

    Ian was truly a wizard.

    ''Unspeakably entric.''

    The Elder, along with the knight order, put down their spoons and watched Ian eat as if they were spellbound.

    The entire knight order felt a simr sense of astonishment.

    Wow. That guy. He''s insane...!

    If Ian wasn''t a wizard, this level of madness was unexinable.

    With such madness, one could believe Ian was not a summoner of drakes, but the owner of a drake ranch.

    And it wasn''t just the knight order who was surprised.

    ''This is delicious?''

    Even Mani Campbell, who had cooked the meal herself, was shocked by Ian''s madness.

    It couldn''t possibly be delicious, right?

    While some were horrified and others sent incredulous looks...

    Ian was the most at ease at the table, happily enjoying the chicken soup.

    Wow! The taste of home after so long!

    Mani Campbell, was it?

    She might cook better than my master???

    Ian was the only one beaming, relishing the taste familiar to Koreans after so long.

 Chapter 31:

    Chapter 31:

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

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    Bnce is always important.

    Too much is as bad as too little.

    This is an expression often used by the elderly, but the essence of that golden proverb has not faded.

    It has been passed down to modern people as the beautiful phrase "don''t overdo."

    In short, it means everything should be done in moderation.

    Even if eggs go well with mild Shin Ramyun, does it still count as ramyun if you throw in three eggs?

    That''s egg soup, not ramyun.

    The same applies to spicy chicken noodles, Sichuan spicy noodles, and cheese.

    If you add too much because it tastes good, it bes an overdone dish.

    However, Koreans, who are suspiciously fond of things overdone, enjoyed making such dishes.

    They took pride in it, beyond mere enjoyment.

    Garlic was the victim.

    You''re making a dish and it calls for garlic?

    But what?

    The Italians just crush a clove and call it a day?

    Oh, please.

    How would that even begin to release any vor?

    Go get some peeled garlic. Throw in about three bulbs'' worth.

    Foreigners might be horrified by these Korean dishes, but Koreans devoured them with pleasure.

    It was a tradition of a spice-loving nation, dating back to ancestors who would chew on raw garlic and mugwort.

    Thus, the wizard from another world with ck hair, Ian, had no idea what was wrong with Mani Campbell''s "Garlic Ginseng Chicken Soup."

    Just a normal garlic chicken soup.

    Normal.

    It is said that in thend of the cyclops, those with two eyes are the abnormal ones.

    Likewise, a cyclops appearing in thend of the two-eyed would be considered mad by anyone''s standards.

    Mani, a fellow wizard, was horrified by Ian''s mad actions.

    "Stop, stop eating! You don''t have to eat anymore!"

    Mani understood Ian''s mentality.

    By serving a crazy dish, Ian would unleash even crazier madness, forcing Mani to surrender!

    A very wizard-like way of thinking.

    As Ian chewed on boiled garlic like a bear that had been trapped in a cave for 100 days, even Mani was taken aback.

    Mani, a nt wizard, had never seen anything like it.

    What kind of madman eats whole cloves of garlic like that!

    But contrary to Mani''s thoughts, Ian''s actions were not just for show.

    Ian was... sincerely enjoying the soft texture of the boiled garlic...!

    In fact, Ian, a hardcore Korean, could eat raw garlic as is.

    To him, a taste of something resembling Korean food for the first time in over a decade was incredibly delicious.

    As Ian continued to tear into the chicken with mashed garlic, Mani, unable to stand it any longer, yelled.

    "Stop eating?"

    "Yes. You have willpower. You''re really something else!"

    "...?"

    Ian looked puzzled but the knights were amazed.

    ''A very peculiar wizard, but...''

    ''...he''s helping us now.''

    Especially the Bord brothers, who had studied the scripture with Ian, were almost moved to tears by Ian''s self-sacrifice.

    To go to such lengths for the Santiago Knights, who were practically strangers!

    "In my 40 years as a nt wizard, I''ve never seen such a dreadful person like you."

    "What did I do..."

    Ian felt a bit wronged when he suddenly heard himself being called a "dreadful person," almost like a curse.

    Is it a sin to enjoy a meal in this town?

    Mani looked at the knights with a serious expression.

    She had no idea where this madman who enjoyed her food came from, but because of him, she had to treat them as honored guests.

    "What''s your name?"

    The atmosphere became so serious that Ian couldn''t continue his meal.

    Sadly, that was the end of the chicken soup.

    "Ian. Ian Eredith Raven."

    As soon as Ian introduced himself, Mani looked shocked.

    "Eredith? You mean you''re a disciple of the fire wizard Eredith?"

    "Yes."

    Ian nodded.

    As expected, Mani knew of Eredith.

    She was of the right age to know the wizard.

    "My goodness...!"

    Mani looked at Ian as if she was about to die of embarrassment.

    "What to do! I had heard rumors that Eredith had taken a disciple! I never dreamed you woulde to me!"

    Mani hurriedly got up and ran to the kitchen.

    "I''ll bring out some new food, so let''s eat and talk!"

    "No, I don''t need new food..."

    Mani didn''t listen to Ian and prepared new food anyway.

    Taking advantage of her absence, the knights gave Ian a thumbs-up with bright smiles.

    "Great performance! Brother!"

    "It''s so reassuring to have you as a wizard!"

    "..."

    All Ian had done was eat chicken soup.

    Anyway, the knights were acknowledged as Mani''s guests.

    ---

    ---

    The meal Mani brought out was ''proper food.''

    It consisted of meat sprinkled with pepper and grilled, a very small amount of vegetables, and bubbling hot beer.

    "Sorry for being snappy. This is my way of apologizing, so don''t hesitate to eat!"

    "Yes!"

    The knights cheered happily and clinked their beer mugs together.

    They were busy tearing into the meat and drinking beer.

    It was a diet heavy on meat, but no oneined.

    Vegetables?

    That''s just something to talk about.

    Were their ancestors born from a racing horse?

    Ian toyed with his meat with a gloomy expression.

    Ah, back to the super salty food again...

    The fact that the nt wizard had sprinkled it with pepper was a small constion. But in the end, it was just salted meat.

    ''My poor soup...''

    While the knights enjoyed their meal to the fullest, Elder, Mani, and Ian discussed future ns.

    "So... you''re going to hunt a manticore?"

    Mani''s expression darkened a bit when she mentioned the manticore.

    She knew how terrible the monster they were nning to hunt was.

    "It won''t be easy. Hunters have already fallen to it."

    From the moment the manticore appeared, Count Catina had issued a bounty for monster hunters.

    It would have been great if professional monster hunters like the Santiago Knights had volunteered, but unfortunately, only lower-quality hunters could be found.

    And all of them were defeated.

    It was around that time that the Santiago Knights began to hear about the manticore''s infamy.

    "We know. It''s a vile and cunning monster."

    "Have you ever caught a manticore before?"

    "A few times, when I was younger."

    Elder said nonchntly.

    "If you''ve caught them before, then this will be quicker. I''ll join as well."

    "Are you sure?"

    Surprisingly, Mani dered she would personally join in the hunt for the manticore.

    Both Elder and Ian were shocked that a frail-looking wizard was going to hunt a monster.

    However, Mani herself didn''t bat an eye.

    "Of course. A manticore is a beast that must not be left alone. For the sake of the forest, I must y my part."

    Elder felt the chances of hunting the manticore had significantly increased.

    To Mani, a resident of the forest, the manticore was an annoying beast.

    She too wanted to eliminate it.

    However, when the Count sent hunters, she did not actively cooperate.

    The reason was simple: she did not believe the hunters stood a chance.

    It was likely she too would die if she went along.

    So, she just handed them a little magic potion.

    As she predicted, the hunters failed.

    But with the Santiago Knights, it was possible to defeat the manticore.

    Not only was the knights'' level of armament reassuring, but the capabilities of the sturdy Elder in front of her were also extraordinary.

    "What about you?"

    "Me?"

    Ian smiled awkwardly.

    Having connected the knights and Mani, Ian had done his part...

    The problem was that Mani knew Eredith.

    "If Eredith has taught you well, you should be able to do a wizard''s job. Won''t you lend your wisdom to the knights?"

    "..."

    Mani was older than Eredith but considered her a friend.

    They had beenrades during their wandering days.

    Eredith had warned Ian that a time woulde when ''a wizard must do what a wizard must do.''

    Wizards, who wield mystical powers, inevitably find themselves entangled with the affairs of the world, regardless of their will.

    Mani''s offer was one such instance.

    From Ian''s perspective, there was no need to go hunting the manticore.

    He could ignore her offer, but that would make it awkward to face Eredithter on.

    It could also spread a bad reputation in wizard circles, making it difficult to receive help from other wizards in the future.

    Though wizards may act individually, in reality, they regrly hold gatherings, often led by a ''magic university.''

    It was a gathering created to protect wandering wizards and use the mysteries for righteous purposes.

    For Ian to act as a wizard in the future, it was necessary to strengthen his rtionships with other wizards.

    "It can''t be helped."

    From the moment Mani personally asked for help, it was already toote to back out.

    It was toote to withdraw.

    So, it was important to hide any displeasure.

    Showing anger here would be counterproductive.

    "In fact, I wanted to witness the wickedness of the manticore with my own eyes."

    "Oh? Are you exploring the mysteries of the beast?"

    Elder added to Mani''s question.

    "This guy. Rumor has it hemands a drake."

    "A drake?"

    Mani''s eyes sparkled with interest.

    There are those in the world who explore the mysteries of beasts.

    They are called ''summoners.''

    However, not many summoners, especially at Ian''s young age,mand a drake.

    Mani thought of Ian as a wizard beloved by beasts.

    Perhaps Eredith recognized his talent and nurtured it...

    "He can alsomand the river."

    "The river? You mean he can use water magic?"

    Elder briefly exined the events that had taken ce in Riverville.

    Mani couldn''t hide her astonishment.

    If the story wasn''t exaggerated, the magic Ian seeded in was truly difficult.

    Without the river''s love, it would have been hard to aplish...

    "Ah. He can also summon darkness."

    "...Darkness?"

    Mani looked at Ian incredulously.

    Summoning is one thing, but he handles water magic and Dark magic as well?

    When did he explore so many mysteries, and how? Ian deliberately ignored Mani''s curiosity-filled gaze.

    He could never exin that he was scamming with a status window.

    Even if that status window was somehow rted to a deity.

    ---

    ---

    "Variety in experiences is important for a wizard."

    Mani''s reason for dragging Ian into the manticore hunt was to see his magical abilities with her own eyes.

    Magic ismunication with mysteries.

    A wizard always needs to be close to the mysteries they are exploring.

    But even whenmunicating, proper justification is always necessary.

    If you made a new friend, and they kept calling you out every day for trivial reasons, how would you feel?

    At first, you might respond, but eventually, it would be tiresome.

    The same goes for improving magical skills.

    For a wizard to grow, they need ''appropriate'' situations to use magic.

    It''s like deepening a friendship not just by meeting to hang out aimlessly but by doing various activities together like watching movies, biking, ying games.

    In the situation of ''having to hunt a manticore,'' how will Ianmunicate with which mysteries and in what manner?

    Choosing the mystery tomunicate with and deciding on the content of the request is solely up to the wizard''s ability.

    Observing Ianmunicate with the mysteries and offering a few words of advice.

    That was all Mani hoped for.

 Chapter 32:

    Chapter 32:

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    Upon hearing the news of Ian''s joining, the Santiago Knights erupted in cheers.

    "There''s nothing to fear if brothers stand together!"

    "Let us fully unfold the will of the heavens!"

    From the perspective of the Santiago Knights, the more wizards, the better.

    It was always best to have as many cards in hand as possible.

    When the Elder smiled broadly, Ian felt slightly annoyed.

    "Elder, you knew this would happen."

    "Roughly. If you had connections with Mani, I thought you might join."

    Unable to stay angry at such an innocent expression, Ian let it go.

    In fact, it wasn''t too bad.

    The knights would fight.

    Ian and Mani only needed to use magic a few times from the back.

    Since Mani agreed to oversee Ian''s magic, it was like getting magic advice for free.

    A wizard does not need advice.

    I''m getting closer to the mysteries; why would I follow someone else''s advice?

    If you get along, you be friends.

    However, advice within the same school of magic could be helpful.

    Another mystery from the same school can be quite simr.

    It''s simr to how cats generally like Churu treats.

    There might be cats that dislike Churu (are there?), but since almost all cats like Churu, the advice "bring Churu to get close to a cat" was actually helpful.

    "Let''s rest up today, and set off as soon as day breaks tomorrow."

    Mani kindly dered that she would provide all the food and drinks for the knights.

    However, she couldn''t provide sleeping arrangements, so they had to camp in front of the cabin.

    "Since a friend''s disciple hase, I can''t just send him away. Ian, Eredith''s disciple. Is there anything you''d like to eat?"

    Mani asked kindly.

    Ian immediately replied.

    "Garlic chicken soup... I mean, soup."

    "???"

    Mani recalled the sight of Ian voraciously eating garlic chicken soup and was shocked.

    "You want to eat that?"

    "Yes. It was delicious, wasn''t it?"

    Ian''s eyes were pure and clear.

    A clear-eyed madman.

    Mani was shocked once again.

    I thought he was pretending to like it!

    That wasn''t acting?!

    ---

    ---

    The next day, the knights armed themselves and headed to the forest where the manticore was said to appear.

    They didn''t know how long it would take; they might find their prey today or tomorrow, but it could also take a week or two.

    Therefore, the knights thoroughly prepared their food and camping gear.

    "... Lucy will be waiting."

    Contrary to Ian''s worries, Lucy needed time too.

    Time for the Count to sort things out and summon mercenaries.

    There was no reason to be scolded for being a littlete.

    Well, if he waste, then just leave without him!

    "It''s eerie."

    The Elder summarized the atmosphere of the forest in a word.

    It was indeed a forest so eerie that it had no equal.

    "Mani, don''t you know any detection magic?"

    Ian asked Mani just in case.

    Being a more experienced wizard, Mani might have some unique skills.

    However, Mani looked at Ian with an incredulous expression.

    "How is a nt wizard supposed to find a manticore? It''s not like it eats nts."

    "Ah, is that so?"

    "Detection would be something you''re much better at than me. Aren''t you a summoner?"

    Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    Thanks to a certain drake, summoning had indeed be Ian''s best magic.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    Just then, Oberon pped his wings and cried out.

    "Damn it. You''re shedding feathers. You crazy bird."

    [Sorry! Master! But this ce is seriously scary!]

    "...?"

    Ian stared nkly at Oberon.

    But this guy.

    His wings have healed, so why isn''t he returning to the wild?

    "Why am I your master?"

    [Aww, why be like that! It''s you and me, Master!]

    What is this.

    Ian looked at Oberon disapprovingly, but Oberon shamelessly ignored Ian''s re.

    While perched on his shoulder, Oberon had almost perfectly learned humannguage, not because Oberon was a genius crow, but due to Ian''s summoning magic.

    As a Level 3 summoner, Ian could unconsciously project his will onto the animals around him.

    Oberon now easily understood humannguage.

    Once he understood the meaning, naturallyprehending the sounds came next.

    Oberon cawed.

    [Do you know how much food I''ve received from you, Master? I can''t leave until I''ve repaid my food debt!]

    "You''re full of yourself."

    In essence, Ian''s free meals meant Oberon didn''t want to leave.

    It''s like volunteering to be Ian''s servant because he likes it here.

    Suddenly, Ian felt gazes pouring onto him.

    Turning his head, he saw the entire knightly order, including Mani, watching him with bated breath.

    The Elder spoke on their behalf.

    "How about it, Ian? Did you find out anything?"

    "Ah."

    It turned out, they were waiting to see what magic Ian would use.

    Ian felt awkward.

    He had just been chatting with a crow.

    But he couldn''t just say that outright, so he sugarcoated it a bit.

    "This guy says he wants to earn his keep."

    "Oh. The crow speaks?"

    Even though they had seen the magic several times, the knights were still amazed by Ian''s magic.

    A human talking with a crow?

    The only person not fascinated by Ian here was Mani.

    Watching Ianmand the crow, Mani nodded in approval.

    ''Indeed, apetent wizard.''

    Being able tomunicate with animals without using the Maroniusnguage meant that Ian''s understanding of the mysteries was quite advanced.

    Mani thought it was fitting for a disciple chosen by Eredith.

    "Oberon. Are your wings fully healed? Can you fly on your own?"

    [Of course! Should I take a look around ande back?]

    Oberon confidently pped his wings.

    Ian sent Oberon to scout the surroundings, thinking he would return soon, but surprisingly, Oberon only came back as the sun was setting.

    "Why did it take you so long?"

    [Well, you see! It took some time to make new friends!]

    The knightly order, having finished their search for the day and started camping, quietly watched Ian talking to the crow.

    [I''ve made some friends. Should I introduce them to you?]

    "Are they here now? Bring them."

    Upon Oberon''s loud cry, more than ten birds fluttered down from the trees.

    Sparrows, quails, orioles, thrushes, etc.

    It was as if members of a bird club were having a meetup.

    "Hm. They are indeed ''new'' friends."

    Fortunately, no bird understood Ian''s sophisticated humor.

    Ah, if only Daesung Faker[1] were here. He would haveughed, for his taste in humor was as refined as his character.

    [All these friends have seen the manticore at least once!]

    As Oberon spoke, the birds each chirped in turn.

    Ian got the gist of it, but none of the birds couldmunicate as freely as Oberon.

    However, simplemunication was enough.

    Ian learned that the manticore was hiding deep inside the northern edge.

    "Hm. Good job, Oberon."

    [Hehe. I''m d you''re satisfied!]

    Oberon bashfully cawed.

    Let''s not ask how a crow could possibly look bashful.

    [Ah, but Master. My friends haven''t had anything to eat today because they were hanging out with me...]

    "Is that so?"

    It was clear as day.

    He was asking for payment for the information.

    Withoutining, Ian rummaged through his food bag and brought out bird feed.

    The information provided by the birds was worth more than the cost of the feed.

    After enjoying their meal, the birds left.

    The birds that left were mainly carnivorous species.

    The smaller birds like sparrows and quails didn''t want to leave Ian''s side.

    They didn''t want to be tomorrow morning''s breakfast for the birds of prey.

    "Aren''t these guys going home?"

    [Should I get rid of them?]

    True to the notorious temperament of crows, Oberon nonchntly said such words.

    Truly a member of the crow cartel.

    "No, Oberon. Since you brought these friends, you''re responsible for taking care of them. You understand what I mean?"

    [Of course! Just leave it to me! Master!]

    Ian shared the information collected through the birds with the knightly order.

    Everyone in the knightly order, including the Elder, looked at Ian in amazement.

    Even Mani looked at Ian as if he were a strange animal.

    "What."

    "Don''t take it wrongly, but this old man was just surprised by yourpetence."

    "Don''t say things you don''t mean, Elder. Competence, my foot."

    For Ian, chatting with birds was just a minor trick.

    But to others, it was not seen that way at all.

    How could a person possibly converse with birds?

    Yet, Ian did just that.

    It was the power of magic.

    ''Really an amazing young man.''

    The Elder looked at Ian and smiled contentedly.

    In his youth, nearly all the wizards he met on the battlefield were detestable.

    If they were enemies, their strange tricks were annoying, and if they were allies, their disregard for cooperation was frustrating.

    Wizards were peculiar beings.

    While a few only pretend to be entric, in truth, many who are genuinely entric be wizards.

    Spending more time with the mysteries than with humans, they often forget human social norms.

    But this young wizard, Ian Eredith Raven, was different from any wizard the Elder had known.

    He was capable but modest, a wizard who knew humility and manners.

    Wizards know they are special.

    Thats why they tend to show off.

    The fact that they are genuinely talented, not just pretending, was what made them so annoying.

    Wizards like Ian, who say ''my magic is nothing special~'' were extremely rare.

    Did he say his master was Eredith?

    The Elder had never met Eredith but thought they must be a fine wizard with good character.

    "Your achievements are truly astonishing. It took me over ten years of studying the mysteries of nts before I could hear the whispers of seedlings in my garden. Yet, you''ve managed tomunicate with birds in less than a year of bing a wizard."

    "Thank you for saying so."

    Mani smiled at Ian''s humble response.

    Among wizards, there was no need to unt entricity.

    That was a principle that only worked on the nobility.

    Among fellow wizards, courtesy and respect were much more important.

    And Ian''s modesty was exactly to Mani''s liking.

    Mani expressed her feelings with the highest praise she could offer.

    "Eredith would be proud of this."

    Ian smiled awkwardly.

    It was just a chat with the birds. Why is everyone making such a fuss?

    "Anyway... the manticore has hidden itself towards the northern edge. I dont know the exact location yet, but when daylightes, my new bird friends here will fly out and find the manticore for us."

    Ian''s new bird friends (?) chirped in response.

    "Having a wizard with us really is reassuring."

    "If we hade here on our own, imagine the trouble wed have had..."

    The next day.

    After paying the birds their daily wage in food, Ian deployed them to search for the manticore.

    Oberon, self-appointed work supervisor, led the birds to trace the manticore''s tracks.

    The result came quickly.

    [Master! Found it! Its the manticore!]

    "Oberon has found the manticore. Lets get moving."

    The knights, conserving their energy at the campsite, started moving, following Ian as their guide.

    As they approached the manticores hiding ce, Ian felt a chilling murderous intent.

    Such was the intensity that even without the birds'' help, this murderous intent alone would have surely led them to the manticore.

    "Ian."

    The Elder spoke, his expression much more serious than usual.

    "From now on, do not stray from my side. The same goes for you, Mani."

    "Understood."

    Wizards were weak in closebat.

    This ismon knowledge to anyone who has yed a JRPG.

    This peculiar mon knowledge'' that originated from Japan also applied to the wizards of this medieval fantasy world because they did not train inbat.

    But that was only natural.

    It would be stranger if someone who earned a Ph.D. in Korean Literature and became a university professor knew how to fight.

    Of course, there was the tiny benefit of being able to physically discipline students who disputed their grades if one practiced martial arts.

    Generally, it was more advantageous to spend that time studying to reach higher levels of mastery.

    "But Elder,"

    Ian said.

    "If the manticore is a monster... perhaps I could persuade it somehow?"

    The Elder looked unsure, while Mani thought it was impossible.

    "Ian, I understand you''re an excellent summoner, but a manticore is not something that can be persuaded with words."

    "But Mani doesn''t know much about summoning magic."

    "... I may not know summoning magic, but I know what the mysteries are! You little sh*t! Are you treating me like some old fool?"

    Mani might have specialized in a different field, but she was proficient in nt magic.

    Magic essentially manifests through dialogue with the mysteries.

    And in this world... there are plenty of beings who speak the same humannguage yet cannotmunicate at all.

    The manticore was such a being.

    "If by some chance you manage to persuade the manticore, I''ll immediately report it to Eredith."

    "...?"

    Ian didn''t understand what Mani was talking about.

    However, his question was answered after they met it.

    ---

    [1. uh well I only know of one Faker and I don''t know anything about LoL... So uhh dunno anything about this reference, sorry!]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 33:

    Chapter 33:

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    "He''s looking at us."

    The Santiago Knights primarily armed themselves with axes, hammers, and bows.

    They had left their usual swords at the temple.

    Swords were fine against humans but weak against monsters.

    How could one expect to fight 3-meter, 4-meter tall monsters with swords that snap like toothpicks?

    Against a lich, longbows and spears were far better.

    "I''ll cast a spell now. Everyone, apply poison."

    The knights coated their weapons with nt oil given by Mani.

    As Mani chanted something in Maronius, the oil soon transformed into a potent poison.

    The knights watched the darkness, tense.

    Despite it being broad daylight, the forest was gloomy.

    The manticore, hidden among the trees and shadows, was difficult to spot.

    But there were two wizards on this side.

    "East! Next to the big rock! By the twisted ck oak, there it is!"

    "...What''s a ck oak?"

    "Study some trees, you ignoramuses!"

    They might not know what a ck oak was, but they understood what a twisted tree meant.

    A knight fired an arrow into the darkness.

    Ian, who could see through the darkness, watched precisely where the arrow flew.

    "It hit but was deflected!"

    "!"

    Animal hides are thick.

    The physicalposition of an animal is hide  fat  flesh  bone.

    And the part that gets hurt is mostly the hide.

    The hide thickens especially in wild animals, and forrge ones like elephants, the hide alone can exceed 30cm in thickness (which is why ordinary guns can''t kill elephants).

    If real-world ''monsters'' like elephants have such thick hides, deflecting an arrow was hardly a feat for a fantasy world monster like a manticore.

    Grrrr...

    The manticore growled.

    The chilling sound of its growl was like a mad old man chuckling with a sinisterugh.

    Ian loudly chanted in Maronius.

    "[O Lord Manticore!]"

    A tense atmosphere filled the air as if walking on thin ice.

    Eventually, the manticore responded to Ian''s call.

    [Oh ho. A human speaks to me. Interesting.]

    As Ian attempted to converse with the manticore, the knights took the opportunity to catch their breath and form up.

    If Ian could persuade the manticore, they might be able to drive off the monster without any harm.

    Honestly, Elder harbored a bit of hope for this oue.

    "It would be good if things go well."

    But Mani knew it was absolutely impossible.

    "Ian will fail."

    "Why?"

    Mani chuckled.

    She, too, nned to prepare a new spell while Ian was buying time.

    "He''s too kind and polite."

    "...? And that''s a reason for failure?"

    "You''re not a wizard, so you wouldn''t know."

    Just because one speaks the samenguage doesn''t mean they''ll understand each other.

    This ismon sense and truth.

    After all, even in Korea, where everyone speaks Korean, there are plenty of Koreans who don''t understand each other.

    "[I''m d you understand me. I am the wizard Ian.]"

    Ian began with a friendly greeting, recalling the time he had persuaded Drake Longtail.

    It was a perfectly reasonable approach.

    It would have been a sufficiently effective opening if the other party had been anyone but a manticore.

    "F*ck off. Eat sh*t. F*cking human scum."

    "...?"

    [Oh! How fascinating. You understood what I said, didn''t you?]

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    What? What''s with this crazy f*cker?

    Insulting out of nowhere?

    "[I understood all of the Lord''s insults.]"

    [Oh. Really? How was it? My cursing?]

    "[It was savory.]"

    Despite being Korean, Ian couldn''t understand why he used the term ''savory'' to describe swearing.

    What, did it smell like soybean paste?

    That would imply it was somewhat shitty, though.

    However, Ian''s response was positively received by the manticore.

    [You liked listening to my cursing? Are you a f*cking idiot? You like being cursed at? Got no pride? What a loser.]

    "[That''s not what I meant, Lord Manticore...]"

    [Still going on with ''Lord'' this and ''Lord'' that. You an orphan with no parents?]

    "..."

    Grrrrrr.

    The manticore made a growling sound.

    The sound of the manticore''s growl was simr to humanughter.

    Ian thought the manticore was mocking him. And he was right.

    Ian looked at the manticore with calm, settled eyes.

    "[What are you?]"

    [Hahahaha! Now we''re talking! F*ck the formalities. Wizard Ian. What do you want from me?]

    Your scalp. If he said that, a fight would...

    "[Your scalp.]"

    ...obviously break out, but at some point, Wizard Ian had forgotten how to hold back.

    It was the result of being soaked in a sense of privilege that came with being a wizard.

    The manticoreughed happily upon hearing Ian''s answer.

    [There''s nothing I can''t give!]

    "[Really?]"

    [But what are you going to do with my hide? I have a better idea. Wizard.]

    "[A better idea?]"

    [You and I join forces, and tear those human bastards to shreds! I get to taste ughter, and you get to rake in money and women! How about that!]

    The power of Level 3 summoning was tremendous.

    It even made a monster like the manticore grow fond of Ian.

    However, the manticore''s fondness was utterly useless to Ian.

    "[What''s the condition?]"

    Ian asked, intrigued.

    However, he didn''t expect a proper answer at all. Again, the process of bing acquainted with a mystery is simr to making a new friend (not a friend of Oberon).

    The first condition for making a new friend...

    Having something inmon is essential for forming a bond.

    This could be gender, age, life experiences, areas of interest, hobbies, etc.

    There must be some ovepping aspects to create an opportunity for friendship.

    However, the condition proposed by the manticore to Ian was one of sheer shock and horror.

    "[I want to see you y hard! First, devour that old hag next to you.]"

    "..."

    "[And then, rape every woman youe across. I''ll kill all the men. Go to your hometown, whether it''s your sister, your younger sibling, or your grandmother. R*pe them all...]"

    "F*ck, this is too disgusting to listen to. Are you Krauser II[1]? Are you f*cking insane? Going on about r*ping 32 times a second?"

    "Grrr... You''re refusing my power? Well, I expected as much. I''ve eaten more than a few hypocrites who pretend to be good."

    In a nutshell, the manticore was a lover.

    The fact that grandmothers and children were included in its range was driving Ian''s sanity to the brink.

    Despising unusually polite people and liking grandmothers...

    The manticore seemed to share tendencies with certain website users.

    Perhaps if an expert from that side had reincarnated as a wizard, they might have summoned a manticore as their familiar.

    "??? You know how to speak the imperialnguage?"

    "I know how to speak it, but the meaning doesn''t quite resonate."

    The manticore smirked.

    A manticore was a monster with a human face on a lion''s body.

    It made expressions with a human face.

    When it smirked with a face twice the size of a normal human''s, the horror was indescribable.

    "I was curious if humans would properly fear my words... but looking at you, it seems like they would."

    "...!"

    Ian finally realized he had been used by the manticore.

    The manticore had no interest in making a deal with Ian.

    It was merely testing how well its imperialnguage would be understood by humans.

    If Ian had been a real viin, intending to use the manticore to ughter people, perhaps it would have agreed to the contract...

    Mani was right.

    The manticore was a monster full of murderous intent and evil, uncontroble unless it met another being of simr malice.

    "F*cking human-faced dog."

    As Ian spat out a curse,

    "Khhh... Now it''s getting interesting!"

    The manticore leaped towards Ian with arge leap.

    An attack that Ian''s pathetic physical condition, having neglected fitness, could never dodge.

    However, Ian was not alone; an experienced former mercenary and a wizard were by his side.

    "[Grow!]"

    While Ian was buying time, Mani, who had previously sown seeds, cast a spell of rapid growth.

    What grew at an astonishing rate was, in fact, the stem of a bean... specifically, bean sprouts.

    Beans have been a long-time friend of wizards, as documented in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.

    One might wonder how mere bean sprouts could stop a manticore...

    But Mani wasn''t foolish enough to overlook such a simple fact.

    Mani had nted enough beans to impede the manticore''s movement.

    A sh*t ton of beans, to be exact.

    "Hey, Elder! Wizard!"

    "What on earth... how could beans...!"

    The bean sprouts sown by Mani grew rapidly in all directions.

    The bean sprouts'' insane growth did not stop, filling the clearing and the forest.

    "Grrrrr!"

    Blocked by the wall of bean sprouts, the manticore couldn''ty a finger on Ian.

    So far, so good.

    The problem was that the Santiago Knights was separated from the rest of them.

    While the manticore was blocked, Elder couldn''t hide his dismay at being obstructed by the bean sprout wall.

    "Mani! What have you done!"

    "Don''t you have eyes? I blocked the damn manticore!"

    "What about the knights? How can we help them!"

    "Are they five-year-olds? They''ll figure it out!"

    Mani exhibited the entricity typical of a stereotypical cranky wizard.

    I created the bean sprout wall, but what happens next is not my problem!

    And this was the average for wizards of this era.

    Mani wasn''t particrly out of the ordinary.

    "We must go and help."

    As Elder moved, Ian joined him.

    "I''lle along too."

    Elder was somewhat pleased that Ian volunteered to follow.

    He had been worried Ian might have lost his motivation after failing to persuade the manticore.

    But contrary to Elder''s concerns, Ian''s fighting spirit was burning fiercely.

    ''That motherf*cker.''

    The manticore that had spat all sorts of f*cked-up curses at Ian.

    Now knowing the damn thing was a piece of evil sh*t, Ian felt he wouldn''t be able to sleep without ripping its tongue out.

    Unlike the two able-bodied men, Mani strolled leisurely as if on a walk.

    So, she was a bit surprised upon arriving beyond the bean sprout wall.

    "Ugh...!"

    "Take deep breaths. Rx your body."

    In that ce, marked by intense battle, several knights were rolling on the ground, severely injured.

    Some had arms and legs broken and twisted, others were poisoned by toxic spikes.

    "This is bad."

    Elder closed his eyes, feeling guilty.

    The manticore was a formidable enemy.

    After all, its body was that of a lion.

    Just like in certain peninsr countries in the East, where the appearance of a single tiger would cause a state of emergency, the monsters of this era were beings too overwhelming for human bodies to contend with.

    Let alone facing a manticore with over 3 meters of bulk, tremendous strength, and a venomous tail, it was impossible for an ordinary human''s physique to match.

    Elder felt he should have fought alongside the knights...

    "Quick, take the antidote!"

    Mani busily distributed medicine, prioritizing the antidote for those in immediate danger.

    "..."

    Mani stopped in front of one of the injured.

    It was Dehitri.

    With his belly ripped open, his intestines exposed, he was slowly dying.

    The uninjured knights all gathered around Dehitri.

    "Brother..."

    To Mani, and to the knights, Dehitri was beyond hope.

    The manticore had torn through Dehitri''s chainmail armor, and the torn pieces of metal had prated deep into his body.

    Dehitri weakly opened his eyes.

    "Pray..."

    The knights joined hands, forming a circle.

    It was a ceremony of Heaven''s Faith.

    As followers of Heaven''s Faith, they sought to send the soul to heaven ording to its precepts.

    Then, Ian abruptly grabbed Dehitri''s hand.

    "Ian...?"

    "Dehitri. When you taught me the scriptures, you said, didn''t you? That if one truly believes and prays, the heavens will open."

    Dehitri smiled faintly.

    "Yes..."

    Ian said with a determined expression.

    "Let''s pray together."

    Ian felt f*cking terrible.

    He never imagined he''d witness someone''s death this closely, especially someone he had grown quite close to.

    It was the weakness of a modern person.

    This was neither a world where peace was the norm nor one with advanced medical technology.

    It was a medieval fantasy world where monsters and wars overflowed, bing almost routine.

    Death, once a subject matter for movies and dramas, was now close enough to be clearly witnessed with his own eyes.

    Ian hated this changed proximity.

    "Almighty Lord of Heaven."

    Yes. The Middle Ages suck.

    [Yes, Ian. Your Lord of Heaven is here.]

    "...?"

    "Ian. You need to keep praying, right?"

    But fantasy...

    Isn''t as sh*tty as one might think.

    "[Lord of Heaven. Your die-hard fan is dying here, can''t you do something?]"

    [Hmm. If Ian wishes so. Shall we give it a try?]

    At that moment, the knights were astounded.

    Elder and Mani too.

    They couldn''t close their gaping mouths.

    "Ian?"

    "What in the world..."

    This was because a brilliant celestial light was pouring from Ian''s hand.

    It was the radiance of a God.

    ---

    [1. raei: Krauser II seems to be a character in the manga ''Detroit Metal City'']Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 34:

    Chapter 34:

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    Dehitri had a dream.

    Under the brilliant sun, he opened his eyes in a pce above the clouds.

    Having read the holy scriptures as regrly as eating, Dehitri realized that this ce was the afterlife of Heaven''s Faith, ''Heaven''.

    "So, I am dead."

    He felt proud.

    Indeed, there was merit in serving God with a pure heart.

    It was regrettable that he hadn''t caught the manticore.

    But wasn''t it because of his brothers'' care that he had reached Heaven?

    Now, he just had to wait for the angels blowing trumpets...

    Then, someone appeared before Dehitri.

    "A woman?"

    She was a beauty beyond words, like an exquisite piece of art.

    Overwhelmed by her beauty, Dehitri instinctively knelt.

    "My lord."

    The woman smiled faintly.

    Dehitri had guessed correctly.

    She was the lord of Heaven''s Faith.

    "I am pleased to see you in person, Dehitri. However, this ce is not yet where you belong."

    "...Pardon?"

    Dehitri was confused by the goddess''s words.

    "Didn''t you call for me, my lord?"

    "What are you talking about? Who died because of a manticore''s w piercing their belly? So, you''re saying I sent the manticore to kill you?"

    "???"

    Dehitri did not fully understand the goddess''s words.

    Literally, it was impossible for him to understand.

    It was like a dream or recalling a distant memory; the goddess''snguage did not fully reach Dehitri.

    She was the greatest mystery of the universe itself.

    Therefore, Dehitri selectively remembered her somewhat inappropriate, casual tone of speech.

    "I am not taking you in."

    "But my lord!"

    "Your time has not yete, my child. There is much left for you to do."

    "Left for me to do?"

    "Spread my will far and wide. Help the weak, perform good deeds. And..."

    The goddess said with a transcendentally beautiful smile.

    "Support my apostle, Ian, with all your might."

    "Ian...? Are you talking about the wizard Ian?"

    "Yes. That is what your goddess desires."

    Dehitri''s consciousness gradually faded.

    ...

    When he opened his eyes.

    "You''re awake!"

    "Brother! Are you conscious?"

    Many knights surrounded him, alternating between prayers and tears.

    Among them.

    A young wizard, covered in sweat, said with a grateful smile.

    "How does it feel toe back from the dead?"

    ''Ian...!''

    Upon seeing Ian, Dehitri realized.

    The great lord of the heavens had sent the wizard Ian to save him...!

    Dehitri eagerly grabbed Ian''s hand.

    Caught off guard by suddenly being grabbed by a man, Ian was startled and panicked.

    "Oh, why would you do something that would send you to hell...!"

    But to Dehitri, whose eyes had rolled back, nothing else was visible.

    In fact, Ian was the only one who minded such things.

    After everyone witnessed the miracle performed by Ian.

    "Wizard Ian! You! By themand of the great one, you have saved me!"

    Ian smiled awkwardly.

    Well, he couldn''t deny it.

    The reason Ian could use holy magic was that the goddess of Heaven''s Faith had lent him her power.

    So, he just agreed.

    "Yes. She said that Dehitri has much to do and must be saved."

    "!!!"

    Dehitri was shocked.

    Ian''s words matched exactly with what the goddess had said!

    Though it was actually a result of Ian''s rough improvisation, Dehitri would never believe that.

    This was a clear revtion from God.

    Dehitri tried to get up and kneel.

    Everyone stopped him, fearing his intestines, which Ian had barely kept in, might pop out again.

    "Wizard Ian! You are an apostle sent by God!"

    "... Pardon?"

    "A humble servant meets the apostle!"

    Others, including Ian, were puzzled by Dehitri''s deration.

    Suddenly an apostle of God?

    Everyone knew Ian had performed an amazing miracle, but calling him an apostle of God for just that seemed insufficient.

    That''s how divine magic worked.

    No, that''s how magic itself worked.

    If the divine powers lent a lot of their strength, an outstanding result was produced, and without it, there''s no gain at all, whether it was magic or divine magic.

    Ian''s divine magic was indeed exceptional, but... that might have beenrgely because the recipient was Dehitri.

    Gods were perceptive, showing more zeal in healing their own followers.

    In other words, it was a result of abination of Ian''s divine magic and Dehitri''s faith.

    It was impressive, but not to the extent of making a fuss like Dehitri...

    ''He must have seen some hallucinations while hovering between life and death.''

    ''That''s understandable. Let''s take good care of him for a while.''

    Understanding the situation, the knights just humored Dehitri.

    Dehitri kept talking nonsense about Ian being an apostle of God, but no one paid much attention.

    Chasing the escaped manticore was more urgent.

    "We couldn''t finish it off?"

    "...I''m sorry, Elder."

    "What''s there to be sorry for? It''s my fault. I should have fought alongside you..."

    The manticore had fled with injuries.

    When a giant monster decides to escape, it was impossible to chase.

    "Kek kek kek. I knew it."

    The wizard Mani acted as if she knew it all along.

    Her demeanor was extremely annoying.

    When you''re frustrated, thest thing you want is someone beside you making it worse.

    "Mani! If you hadn''t cast your magic..."

    "Ian would have been in danger."

    "..."

    With just one sentence, Mani silenced the knights.

    Indeed, a disy befitting the greatest intellects of the era.

    "Don''t be too discouraged. Didn''t we prepare weapons coated in poison just for such asions?"

    The knights nodded in agreement.

    It would have been great if they could have killed the manticore in one go, but since things had gone awry, they had to resort to n B.

    The nt poison magic prepared by Mani would steadily sap the manticore''s strength.

    "Let''s head back to the vige."

    Elder''s suggestion surprised the knights.

    "Are we letting it go?"

    But Ian understood Elder''s words perfectly.

    It was because, through conversation with the manticore, an entry in the summoning tome had been updated.

    Carnivorous monsters hunt humans when injured. Humans are an easy, plentiful, and delicious prey. - Demonite

    "It''s going to hunt humans."

    "..."

    Ian''s words silenced the knights.

    The manticore''s destination was clear.

    It was definitely heading towards a human settlement.

    It wasn''t just out to find food.

    As a cunning and cruel creature, the manticore would likely seek to devour humans in revenge.

    Simply to inflict pain on the knights. It was an act of retaliatory killing.

    "Elder. I''ll release the birds to chase after the manticore."

    "Are you sure? You might be putting yourself at risk."

    Ian slowly shook his head.

    Ian had grown to detest the manticore to the point where he wouldn''t be able to sleep without seeing it dead.

    "Now that I know it''s no ordinary bastard, we have to see it through, don''t we?"

    Ian''s response brought a pleased smile to the faces of the knights.

    Normally, the knights were not fond of wizards, but Ian was an exception.

    How could they hate arade and brother in faith who had studied the scriptures with them?

    "Thank you, Ian."

    "I''ll join as well!"

    "As long as you don''t overdo it with the heroics, that''s fine."

    "What?"

    The knights burst intoughter.

    They had wounded the manticore and saved Dehitri''s life, so the battle was a victory for the knights.

    It was a moment when tension could slightly ease.

    But the monster was still alive.

    "Oberon. Take the birds and follow the manticore''s trail."

    [I''ll do just that!]

    At the wizard''smand, the birds took off in unison to track the monster.

    After a brief rest, the knights re-armed themselves and resumed the hunt.

    ---

    ---

    As Elder and Ian had predicted, the manticore set off to attack a nearby homestead.

    This was a retaliatory attack, intending to send a message, "Dare to disturb me, who has been living in hiding all this time? I''ll make you regret it!"

    The monster''s mindset was shamelessly clear: if not hunted down, it would hunt humans whenever bored.

    However, aside from how evil the manticore was, it was better to prevent the homesteads from bing victims.

    "Monster!"

    At dusk.

    Farmers returning home from the fields were attacked by the manticore that suddenly leaped out of the forest.

    The manticoreunched its tail, whipping out venomous stings.

    The venom, containing a paralyzing agent, was a terrifying weapon that instantly impaired physical abilities upon contact.

    "Yikes!"

    Farmers struck by the venomous sting helplessly fell to the ground.

    A young farmer ran towards a fallen farmer instead of fleeing.

    "Father!"

    Clutching a rake in his hand, the young farmer blocked the path of the manticore.

    "Get out of our vige! You monster!"

    With all the courage he could muster, the young man shouted at the monster.

    It was truly remarkable courage.

    Wasn''t that line supposed to be used by an injured protagonist who had sneaked into the vige?

    The manticore, not expecting resistance from the young man, circled around him with a creepy grin.

    It could kill him right away, but the manticore was a naturally born bastard of evil, delighting in tormenting humans...!

    "Kuhuhu. Is that man your father?"

    "!"

    "I have a good offer for you. Kill that father of yours and bring him to me. Then, I''ll spare all the others."

    The young man was shocked and looked around.

    There were many farmers fallen in the field.

    To exchange the lives of his father and those farmers...?

    "You''re not a fool who can''t do math, are you? Ten humans versus one human. Which side will you choose to save?"

    The manticore''s words were lies from start to finish.

    No matter what choice the young man made, all the farmers would die.

    There was never any intention to spare them.

    It just wanted to watch humans struggle, suffer, and die in agony.

    However, humans driven to the edge lose their judgment and be desperate.

    "What are you doing! John! Just do what the monster says!"

    "Shut your mouth! You f*cking idiot! You believe what the monster says?"

    "Who are you calling an idiot! So, we should all just die here together?"

    Humans raised their voices and argued among themselves, not hesitating to hurt and me one another.

    The manticoreughed uproariously at the scene.

    Yes, manticores were troublemakers.

    An embodiment of chaos, a joker without makeup, and someone who loved grandmothers.

    The stress from being beaten by the knights was instantly relieved, and the manticore felt good.

    "Do you think I would heed the enemy''s words!"

    So when some young man swung his rake, it didn''t really spoil its mood.

    It would have been pleased if the young man had actually killed his father, but since he was smarter than expected, it couldn''t be helped.

    "Is that so? Then die!"

    The manticore swung its forelimb with augh.

    Just then.

    Whoosh!

    "Aaaargh!"

    An arrow flew from the forest, piercing the manticore''s eye precisely.

    Elder, having thrown his bow and rushed out, struck the manticore''s forelimb with his longsword.

    "Santiago Knights! Prepare for battle!"

    The knights quickly surrounded the manticore.

    Only then did the manticore realize it had been toocent.

    "You filthy bastards! Do you want to die!"

    The manticore contorted its face and roared, trying to intimidate its enemies.

    But the adversary was a group bound tightly by faith and conviction.

    "In the name of the heavens! We havee to condemn you, you vile monster!"

    "I will sever your head and offer it under the glorious sun!"

    "Argh! Get lost! Disappear from my sight!"

    The knight order persistently maintained their encirclement.

    Those close to the manticore would retreat, while those further away advanced.

    Proving their long history of hunting monsters, the knights coordinated their movements fluidly like water.

    Meanwhile, Ian annoyed the manticore from a distance with his babbling, scratching at its nerves.

    "Idiot. What difference does it make if you just babble with your mouth?"

    "Shut up! Wizard!"

    In fact... this was all a wizard could do.

    Wizards were essentially known for their big mouths.

    But if a few words could manipte the opponent''s emotions, couldn''t that also be considered magic?

    "So what can you actually do? Besides threatening to make me disappear, what can you do?"

    "I''ll chew your head off thoroughly...!"

    "Uh-huh. Can''t chew, can you? Can''t break the encirclement, can you? You''re destined to die here, aren''t you?"

    "Argh!"

    As Ian distracted the manticore and the knights maneuvered... the n progressed.

    The knights led the manticore to a wheat field (not where a wife awaits)[1]. In the field, freshly sown wheat seeds were just beginning to sprout.

    And here, there was an experienced nt wizard.

    "[Children of the green! Grow!]"

    As Mani chanted, the sprouts grew at a terrifying pace, entangling the manticore''s limbs.

    "This petty trick!"

    The manticore exploded in rage but couldn''t easily escape nature''s.

    Grass was inherently tough.

    Living grass was even tougher.

    That''s why soldiers call the persistently growing weeds the green monster.

    "Hah! Try to break free if you can, you monster!"

    Mani confidently shouted.

    The manticore couldn''t break free from the of wheat stalks.

    Mani''s nt poison had already sapped much of the manticore''s strength.

    It was a death sentence.

    "Now! Brothers!"

    The knight order pulled gourds from their bosoms and threw them.

    Inside the gourds was tree sap distributed by Mani.

    It was the sap that served as material for fire arrows.

    "Ian Eredith! It''s your turn!"

    Eredith, renowned as a fire wizard, had taught her disciple how to wield the mystery of fire.

    Fire magic is notoriously difficult to get started with, but Ian cheated his way through that part.

    Ian flicked his fingers towards the manticore.

    A ssic move for a fire wizard.

    The weather was clear today, and the mystery of fire joyfully danced across the field.

    It was a perfect day for fire magic.

    "[mes! Ignite!]"

    The low ignition point tree sap burst into mes.

    Covered in sticky sap, the manticore trapped in the green, zed fiercely.

    Burning at the stake.

    A fitting punishment for a monster that harmed humans.

    ---

    [1. raei: Interestingly, there is another popr novelpia novel called ''My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields.'' Though I don''t know if this sentence is a reference to that novel or just something from KR in general.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 35:

    Chapter 35:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Ian yawned widely as he watched the manticore''s body burn to ashes.

    No matter how big the monster was, it couldn''t resist the fire and died.

    Its muscles melted away, and its respiratory system was destroyed, leaving it powerless.

    "Let''s all be careful with fire, as it''s such a dangerous thing."

    "Ah! Thank you! My lords!"

    The knights busied themselves taking care of the farmers.

    The farmers, who had been as good as dead, shed tears of gratitude.

    Mani also did her part by neutralizing the manticore''s poison.

    There were farmers who were neighbors of Mani, so they did not skimp on their thanks.

    But... no one approached Ian.

    Except for one person.

    "Um... Thank you for your help, wizard."

    "...Ah. Yeah. Whatever."

    However, Ian, being an INFP[1], did not enjoy being approached by this stranger.

    Seeing Ian''s indifferent response, the farmer became scared.

    Honestly, Ian''s appearance was now unmistakably that of a wizard.

    His suspicious staff and the crow perched on his shoulder said as much.

    And what about his crow-ck hair!

    "Ah. Oberon. Get down, you''re heavy."

    "[How rude! How can you say something like that about a delicate bird like me!]"

    "Delicate my ass. You''re as big as a chicken."

    ...And then there was this bizarre sight of him talking with the crow!

    The farmer quickly left, fearing Ian''s displeasure before he burned him just like he did the manticore.

    For that reason, Ian did not receive the farmers'' gratitude.

    But he did not care at all.

    He hadn''t done this to receive thanks in the first ce.

    "Well done, Ian."

    "Ah. I didn''t do anything. The Elder worked much harder."

    Ian grinned as the Elder spoke.

    Knowing that physicalbor was the duty of the knights, Ian, who literally sat around and reaped the benefits, felt intoxicated with the sweetness of being a wizard.

    Damn.

    Learning was a b*tch, but once you''ve learned, wasn''t it just sweet?

    Everybody, be a wizard.

    Do it twice.

    "If you hadn''t helped, we would still be wandering around looking for the manticore."

    The Elder bowed his head.

    Ian jumped up, startled.

    Coming from a Confucian city where respect for elders was paramount, he was not used to seeing an old man bow before him.

    "I, I just followed because Mani told me to."

    "Heh. If you say so, it must be true."

    The Elder smiled pleasantly, looking at the wizard who was fumbling in front of him.

    Wizard and humility were words that did not go together at all.

    But just as unicorns exist, so did humble wizards.

    Ian was exactly that kind of humble wizard.

    Incredible talent and humble character...

    Both were points that would win over the nobility.

    ''This one will be a great person in the future.''

    The Elder was convinced that Ian would be a famous wizard in the future.

    If he met a good lord, he could be a power on par with the great nobility.

    "Now that things have gone well, why not stay in the vige tonight? The Count will likely send someone soon."

    The Santiago Knights and the two wizards stayed in a nearby farmer''s vige.

    As the Elder had predicted, a messenger from the Count came to verify the manticore''s corpse.

    "The Count has ordered that the distinguished guests be brought to the castle!"

    "Heh. Since he specifically asked for us, we have no choice but to go."

    Ian and hispanions headed to the Count''s castle.

    The Count, along with his vassals, priests, and... Lucy Talian, hade out to greet Ian and his party.

    "Wee! Brave warriors!"

    Count Catina weed the party with a generous smile.

    ---

    ---

    To celebrate the sessful hunt of the monster, the Count threw arge banquet.

    Servants sweated as they grilled a whole pig barbecue, and the knightsughed and chatted as they indulged in alcohol and meat.

    The atmosphere of the banquet was naturally good.

    First, Count Catina.

    The Count had managed to deal with the monster that could have been a headache for his domain for almost no cost.

    Considering the hunters he had sent before had failed, this was a significant achievement.

    Then, the priests of the domain.

    They were the ones who had rmended the Santiago Knights, so their shoulders were raised high.

    They were happy because they had saved the Count''s purse and caught the monster.

    Lastly, the Santiago Knights.

    Having risked their lives to catch the monster, they were due for a corresponding reward.

    How exhrated they must be.

    "By the heavens, to stand against a monster! What righteous people they are! Hahaha!"

    "You tter us, Count!"

    Among the Santiago Knights, the secr ones took ces by the Count''s side, exchanging drinks.

    "Ha. Hearing about your exploits is truly amazing."

    Count Catina, buoyed by alcohol,id on the praise for the knights.

    Is there anyone who dislikes being praised?

    The knights listened to the Count''spliments with pleased expressions.

    "It''s truly regrettable. If I had brave knights like you by my side, I would feel so much more secure..."

    "..."

    "However, how could I throw knights who follow the heavens'' will into the worldly mire!"

    The Count spat out his prepared remark while watching the knights'' expressions.

    Pretending to be drunk to praise the knights, and spouting nonsense about how regrettable it was, were all part of his n.

    Not all religious knights were solely devoted to their faith.

    They were human, too, seeking power, wealth, and women.

    Seeing some knights sway, the Count smirked.

    A few seemed ready to be swayed by a bit of nudging.

    However, there was no need to rush things, so the Count changed the topic.

    "Mani, the wizard. Thank you for helping the brave knights. I will take care of the barley crop the farmers lost."

    "I didn''t do it for you to feel good, Count. If you had paid more attention in the first ce, there wouldn''t have been a need for me to step in!"

    Mani, who had reluctantly participated in the hunt because of the priests, was not in the best of moods.

    Knowing this, the Count did not provoke the wizard further.

    "Now that it''s caught, it''s all good, isn''t it?"

    "Sure."

    The Count nced at Ian, who was sitting beside Mani, and then stood up.

    Clearly, he was seeing this wizard for the first time...

    It was time for ''that custom.''

    "But what''s this? I see a beggar who has stepped into my pce without permission?"

    The Count stared at Ian.

    It''s your turn now, Wizard.

    But Ian... was too busy stuffing his face with food to care about what the Count had said.

    Oberon cawed loudly.

    "[Is that guy calling for you, master?]"

    "What?"

    Ian responded to Oberon, but since the rest couldn''t hear the crow''s voice, they naturally assumed Ian was responding to the Count.

    ''Oh, speaking informally right off the bat.''

    ''Such boldness! That wizard!''

    The Count, not expecting the young fellow to speak informally, was slightly taken aback.

    However, heposed himself, thinking this too was part of the custom.

    "...I never invited you as a guest, so f*ck off. Crow."

    "Hey, Oberon. He''s telling you to f*ck off?"

    "[It''s you he''s telling to f*ck off, master!]"

    "Ah. Surely it''s not me he''s telling me to f*ck off, right?"

    The knights were used to such scenes, but for the Count and his vassals, it was bizarre.

    A wizard talking with a crow!

    To the others, he just looked like a madman muttering to himself with a bird.

    ''That wizard... why is he doing that?''

    ''He''s talking with a crow.''

    ''Talking? With a bird?''

    ''He''s a wizard, isn''t he?''

    ''Uh. Well...''

    The knights, who had seen Ian use a bird to track the manticore, understood his strange conversation.

    But the Count and his vassals did not understand Ian''s magic at all.

    Especially the Count.

    "Uh... um. Excellent magic."

    Well... the magic Ian showed didn''t seem much like magic at all!

    Sure, Ian had shown magic ording to the custom of ''Calling a Wizard''... or so it seemed!

    What the f*ck kind of magic is that?

    Ventriloquism?

    The ability to converse with animals is definitely magic.

    So, the wizard had shown his skill.

    But... with such an ambiguous demonstration, there was no way to tell if this guy was a fraud or not.

    Considering the purpose of ''Calling a Wizard'' is to distinguish frauds clinging to nobility, this was not a sessful calling.

    Logically, it should have stopped here.

    Whether Ian was a fraud or not, who cares?

    He was apanying the Santiago Knights and sitting next to Wizard Mani.

    But there''s always one idiot who has to make a scene at times like this.

    "Your Excellency. Such a fraud should be severely punished and driven away!"

    "...?"

    Both Ian and the Count looked at the vassal with displeased expressions.

    One of the vassals had decided that the ''Calling a Wizard'' was insufficient.

    This could be seen as a great insult to the wizard.

    Who would feel good being treated as a fraud after showing their magic?

    But the Count did not stop his vassal.

    Because... the Count was curious too!

    Even the Count thought Ian should show some more impressive magic (this is why ignorant fools are problematic).

    Since nothing visible was shown, Ian was perceived as an weak wizard.

    "Hmm. You''re right. It''s impossible to tell if he''s really talking to a crow or just pretending to. Moreover, if the magic is just talking to a crow, it''s trivial and insignificant."

    "..."

    Ian, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, started to feel a bit offended.

    He hadn''t shown any skill yet, but that didn''t mean he was using a magic that could be belittled.

    Are you underestimating summoners?

    Is magic a joke to you?

    Just because I''m chatting with a crow, does summoning seem trivial?

    If Ian were to show proper magic now...

    ''No, why should I?''

    Suddenly, that thought urred to him.

    Indeed, why should Ian perform like a jester in front of the Count?

    Ian had nothing to lose!

    After all, Ian was going to get hispensation from Lucy and go on his way.

    Lucy was the only person Ian needed to concern himself with.

    "Ah. I see."

    He wasn''t keen on using magic to be a spectacle like a zoo monkey.

    So, Ian stood up.

    "I understand that my skills seem insignificant to you. Since I have no more tricks to show, I will take my leave now."

    "...?"

    Ian''s sudden action confused everyone in the banquet hall.

    The most startled were the Count and his vassals, who had pressured Ian.

    "Oh, no! Wizard!"

    But the damage was done.

    When Ian made a move to leave the banquet, the first to react was Wizard Mani.

    "I can''t stand this anymore!"

    Boom!

    "My skills are also insignificant, so I too will return to the forest!"

    "Why are you acting like this!"

    "If you despise the humble skills of a wizard, how can I stay in thisnd!"

    Mani stood up abruptly and yelled with a clear voice.

    Ian tilted his head in confusion, watching her.

    ''Why is she doing that?''

    While it made sense for Ian to stand up after his magic was belittled, he didn''t quite understand why Mani had risen.

    But this was a tradition among wizards.

    When a wizard was disrespected, they all stood up together to protest in a beautiful tradition of solidarity!

    ''How dare these people disrespect a disciple of Eredith?''

    In Mani''s mind, her opinion of the Count had already dropped a notch.

    "Count. Your words were too harsh."

    Elder red at the Count and spoke.

    For a mere former mercenary to re at a Count was unthinkable, but Elder emitted such a powerful aura that he made the impossible possible.

    An aura that clearly did not belong to an ordinary person!

    "If it weren''t for Ian''s magic, hunting the manticore would have been impossible. Was it really necessary to speak so harshly?"

    Finally, the Bord brothers from the knightly order stood up and spoke.

    "Ian''s magic is by no means insignificant. He healed my wounds with the power of the heavens. This proves that Ian possesses a deep understanding of the heavens'' will and profound knowledge and faith."

    The priests were taken aback by Dehitri''s statement.

    "Are you saying Wizard Ian is also a cleric?"

    Then, the Santiago Knights hurried to testify about Ian''s divine magic.

    How diligently he studied the scriptures, how attentively he listened to the word of the heavens, how he performed miracles, and so on...

    At this, the priestspletely changed their stance.

    "Ahem... Perhaps we have offended someone who has studied the will of the heavens..."

    Although priests and wizards usually don''t get along, Ian was an exception.

    He had studied the scriptures and based on that knowledge, witnessed the mystery of ''divinity''!

    Count Catina realized the seriousness of the situation and his face turned pale.

    ''F*ck...!''

    The Count had not anticipated that a wizard would be the first to call off the ''Calling a Wizard''.

    He was filled with regret toote.

    How much did the Count''s attitude have to displease him for the wizard to give up on the calling first!

    The Count painfully realized his blunder.

    Damn, I should have just kept it to the first verse!

    Count Catina looked at Ian, hoping to mend the situation.

    There are two ways to handle a mistake: apologize ormit suicide.

    With the inte overflowing with people choosing thetter, a misguided notion has spread that ''Ah, it''s better to die than to apologize!''... but.

    This was still a medieval fantasy world wheremon sense hadn''t died yet.

    Being a Count, Catina knew how to bow his head for political gain if necessary.

    "Wizard Ian! It was my fault! It was all due to my foolish mistake, please, calm your anger and forgive me!"

    The Count bent at a 90-degree angle.

    It was quite remarkable, in several ways, that a person, not a flip phone, could bend like that.

    Seeing the Count bending over backward, Ian couldn''t just ignore it.

    "Alright, get up now."

    "But...!"

    "If you don''t get up in 3 seconds, I''m just going home, okay?"

    As the Count lifted his head, Ian slowly sat back down.

    Only then did the Count breathe a sigh of relief.

    Sacrificed his dignity... to change the future...!

    With the ''Calling a Wizard'' somewhat resolved, the banquet continued.

    Throughout the banquet, the Count and his vassals watched Ian with tense expressions, thinking...

    The whims of a wizard were terrifying indeed...

    ---

    [1. raei: I think I did a note on this before, but just in case, INFP is one of the sixteen personality types outlined in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Dude is introverted.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 36:

    Chapter 36:

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    The banquet continued for several days.

    The knights ate and drank to their heart''s content until they could no more.

    Eating a lot was a virtue among medieval knights.

    Just as a wizard''s reputation increased with their entricity, knights were also held in higher esteem the more they ate.

    The reasoning was... simplistically medieval.

    Eating a lot = being strong.

    Roughly, that was the logic.

    By such logic, food fighters like Tzuyang[1] would be nothing less than Herculean strongmen, reincarnations of Hercules himself...

    But without delving into thatparison, themon image was simply that strong men eat a lot.

    It''s something you just get the feel of, right?

    Hence, knights devoured food as if to showcase their physical prowess.

    Wow! To think someone ate an entire pig by themselves!

    How strong must that person be!

    That was the general sentiment.

    Ian, too, in his quest to cosy as an entric wizard, saw no reason why the knights couldn''t cosy as gluttons.

    "The Lungen brothers have decided to stay by the count''s side."

    Throughout the several days of the banquet, the count had gently persuaded the Santiago Knights.

    The Santiago Knights are a chivalric order of the capital.

    It means they are knights affiliated with the monastic order.

    To be a knight of the order, one must join the monastic order and, upon proving their worth, be awarded arms.

    This process was supposed to be stringent but often, due to various reasons, if one had the skills, their admission was somewhat expedited.

    If you''re good inbat, even if your faith iscking, they''d readily knight you.

    And the monastic order... in principle, allowed free withdrawal.

    While entry followed a procedure, most often, withdrawal didn''t require an exnation.

    Leaving the order was referred to as "returning to secr life."

    Knights like those of the Santiago Order often "returned to secr life" upon finding a noble lord.

    In fact, there were a few who from the start, became knights of the order to build their reputation.

    They made their names hunting monsters, then pledged loyalty to a fitting lord to be secr knights.

    From the monastic order''s perspective, this was clearly a loss of force.

    But... what could the monastic order do about it?

    Simply put, the monastic order was like a club.

    Like a hiking club or a cycling club. Just because a member doesn''t show up doesn''t mean the club can do anything about it.

    If they disliked the loss of force, they wouldn''t have let them roam the continent in the first ce.

    Thinking of it as receivingpensation for hunting beasts in the name of God without a penny was morefortable.

    Even when hearing about the Lungen brothers leaving the Santiago Knights, the other knights remained calm.

    "Actually, I''ve also decided to join forces with the Lungen brothers."

    "Not a bad choice. Count Catina seems generous and broad-minded."

    Just as a lord assesses their vassals, vassals also assess their lord.

    The rtionship between a lord and a knight was contractual for this reason.

    Therefore, for a lord, generosity and magnanimity were important virtues.

    It''s not for no reason that the guy with big ears in the Three Kingdoms[2] roamed around cosying as a man of character.

    To attract more followers, Count Catina was willing to do whatever it took.

    He summoned each knight individually, offering them generous rewards for their manticore hunt.

    Of course, this was bait to entice the knights to switch allegiances.

    The knights who took the bait became new vassals of Count Catina.

    The wizard Mani also received a satisfactory reward.

    She secured a promise from the count that she would not be interfered with by the clergy for some time.

    She would continue to live quietly, cultivating crops in the forest as usual.

    Ian, too, was gifted with riches and treasures.

    Among them, what stood out was a scroll adorned with gold.

    "How do you like it? Does it please you?"

    Count Catina, seeing Ian intently examining the scroll, smiled inwardly with satisfaction.

    This was among the real treasures in the count''s collection, an incredibly expensive item that could buy a whole vige if sold!

    Why so expensive?

    Because it was a magic scroll, a high-quality one made by the wizards of the ancient Golden Empire intended for royal tribute.

    ''He''s enraptured.''

    The count thought Ian was utterly captivated by the gift of the scroll.

    Of course! How expensive and precious it was!

    ...However, contrary to the count''s expectations, Ian felt only pure academic curiosity.

    "This is..."

    The count knew only that this scroll was from the era of the Golden Empire.

    But Ian, being a wizard, saw more.

    ''It''s written in Maronius.''

    The scroll detailed a plea to the wind, arge-scale wind-summoning scroll.

    Ian admired the working principle of the magic scroll.

    The scroll had sentences written in halves, which, when torn and extended, formed aplete sentence.

    Meaning, while intact, it had no effect; only upon tearing did it be effective.

    Moreover, being a creation of ancient wizards, the writing was elegant and beautiful.

    To someone like Ian, a science major, it was mesmerizing!

    ''Wow... This writing is incredible.''

    With such writing, it was as if even the divine would be moved and lend their power.

    "Thank you for this precious item."

    When Ian expressed his gratitude, the countughed it off as if it was nothing.

    "There''s plenty more magical items where that came from! Don''t feel too pressured!"

    Typical deception.

    ''Guys, I''ve got this gold scroll? Is this good? I have plenty more...''

    In an onlinemunity, this would have surely earned a ban.

    In reality, the count''s treasure vault was filled with magic scrolls.

    Overflowing with fakes, that is.

    "You''ve already done so much for me. Not only did you y the monster, but you also safely brought back my niece."

    At the count''s signal, a woman dressed in silk walked gracefully forward.

    It was Lucy Talian.

    Ian struggled to hold back hisughter at Lucy''s attire, finding her fashion sense utterly bizarre to a modern eye.

    The dress, with its fluttery design, could pass for something on a fashion show runway.

    But the long, pointed hat she wore on her head raised the question, "Why on earth would anyone wear that?"

    Wow! A female character with a pointed hat!

    No matter how pretty Lucy might be, Ian didn''t feel any emotions towards her...

    "My niece has told me a lot about you."

    Lucy Talian offered a small, polite smile.

    It was a cosy of a demure woman.

    Ian understood all of Lucy''s actions.

    After all, if he was cosying as an entric wizard, there was no rule saying Lucy couldn''t cosy as a lovable niece.

    "I have a proposal for you."

    "Please, speak."

    "I would like to borrow your power on the journey to assist my niece."

    This was the reason the count hadvished expensive gifts from the start.

    It was to create an atmosphere that made it hard to refuse.

    "If the matter is resolved satisfactorily, I will ensure you are wellpensated. What do you say?"

    ''So, this was a linked quest after all.''

    Although Ian had anticipated this to some extent, it felt like the linked quest wouldn''t beplete until after participating in a territorial battle.

    It was a proposition with no downsides for Ian.

    The mysteries could wait to be uncoveredter.

    It wasn''t as if Ian was being asked to risk his life on the battlefield.

    Hadn''t he experienced it during the manticore hunt?

    In battle, a wizard''s role was to provide magical support.

    And indeed, quests were all about the final reward being the sweetest.

    By helping Lucy reim her territory, Ian could expect decentpensation from both the count and Lucy.

    "If you believe the assistance of an insignificant wizard like me is needed."

    "Ah! Hold your tongue! Who would dare call you an insignificant wizard!"

    The count, fearing Ian might make a fuss, hastily praised Ian''s abilities.

    This is why modest wizards were harder to deal with than arrogant ones.

    Having secured Ian''s agreement, the count began preparations for the territorial conflict in earnest.

    And about 3 dayster, the Santiago Knights left Count Catina''s domain.

    ---

    ---

    Since the Count was busy with expedition preparations, Ian and Lucy saw off the knights.

    "So, that person is Baron Talian..."

    The Santiago Knights set off on their journey to find newmissions.

    With many members leaving, it was a journey to purely practice the teachings of scripture.

    The knights weren''t too surprised to see Lucy transformed into a noble.

    "Well, I did suspect the identity might be fake..."

    Lucy attempted to offer the knights additionalpensation, but they refused, citing that too much wealth would weigh them down.

    "When you visit Talian territory, I will ensure you are warmly weed."

    Elder smiled at Lucy''s words.

    "I hope that will be the case."

    This time, Elder extended his hand for a handshake to Ian.

    "Come visit Triphalos Ind sometime."

    "Triphalos?"

    "It''s one of the inds in the Coral Sea... It''s a bit far from here. But you''re a wizard, aren''t you?"

    As one who wanders in search of mysteries, Ian might someday visit the Coral Sea as well.

    "I suppose it''s alright to tell you. My name is Salvador of the Orcus family. If you mention you''re looking for Salvador, everyone will wee you."

    "Salvador... Yes, I''ll remember that."

    Lucy, who had been listening, suddenly eximed in surprise.

    "Orcus''s Salvador...! Are you ''the White Wolf'' Salvador?!"

    The White Wolf?

    Ian looked at Elder... no, Salvador.

    He wasn''t sure about the wolf part, but he could see the white, especially in his hair.

    "Haha. There''s no need to remember the name of an old man like me."

    Ian nudged Lucy slightly.

    "The White Wolf? Who''s that?"

    "You don''t know the White Wolf Brotherhood?"

    Lucy looked at Ian as if he were someone who had been holed up studying in the mountains... then realized that was indeed the case for Ian.

    Right. A wizard might not know.

    "That man is a famous ''Sword Master''."

    "...What?"

    Ian was taken aback. He had often heard the term "Sword Master."

    Wow!

    Sword Masters!

    Slicing through the air with their swords, fighting dragons with aura des!

    ... Of course, that was not the case.

    That was a story from old fantasy novels.

    The ''Sword Master'' Lucy referred to was a title.

    "Back in the day, during the wars of Emperor Shakraine the First with the feudal lords, the mercenary group that served directly under the emperor was the White Wolf Brotherhood."

    Therefore, the nickname for the White Wolf Brotherhood was the Imperial Army.

    The rtionship that started 50 years ago continues to this day, and the White Wolf Brotherhood still pledges allegiance only to the emperor.

    "The emperor bestowed the honorable title of ''Sword Master'' to the leader of the White Wolf Brotherhood."

    Lucy pointed at Salvador.

    "... This man is the former leader of the White Wolf Brotherhood, Sword Master Salvador."

    Lucy felt an indescribable aura emanating from Salvador.

    A figure worthy of being called a living legend, that''s Sword Master Salvador.

    He helped the emperor win numerous wars and climbed to the emperor''s side with just a sword.

    Yet, he threw away all he had achieved to wander the continent aiding knights for the sake of humanity.

    Even nobles from remote areas like Lucy knew his name, showing how famous Salvador was within the empire.

    That''s why Salvador had concealed his identity.

    Naturally, there was no TV or radio in these times.

    All stories were passed down orally, moving from mouth to mouth in the form of old tales.

    Lucy grew up listening to the heroic tales of the empire told by her nanny.

    So, for Lucy, Salvador was as if a character from superhero movies had jumped out right in front of her.

    "Hmm. I see."

    ...But for Ian, the story held no excitement.

    To a modern person reincarnated in another world, what does it matter if a hero from this world stood before them?

    To Ian, Salvador was just a remarkably healthy old man.

    A seriously healthy one.

    However, Ian''s nonchnt attitude was exactly what Salvador liked.

    "I thought you wouldn''t be bothered."

    "Sorry? About what?"

    "Haha. Just that."

    Salvador had seen too many fools who recklessly sought to elevate their reputation by challenging him.

    ''I beat the Sword Master lol''  idiots who threw their lives away for the sake of that one sentence!

    That''s why Salvador deliberately hid his identity.

    It wasn''t because he wanted to y some power-hiding game.

    To Salvador, who was tired of dealing with such fools, Ian''s straightforward reaction was truly refreshing.

    Indeed, a smart wizard is better than stupid knights!

    "When youe to Triphalos Ind, I''ll introduce you to some mysteries that might interest you."

    "Oh? Like what?"

    "Haha. If I told you, wouldn''t it spoil the interest?"

    Ian thought to himself that not telling might make him too frustrated to visit... but wizards typically have a very strong innate curiosity.

    Being creatures of such strong curiosity that they''d rather die than suppress it, Salvador was confident Ian woulde to Triphalos Ind.

    In reality, Ian was more curious about what the south of the empire was like than about the mysteries themselves, thinking of visiting as a tourist.

    "Well then... we''ll be off."

    With their farewells exchanged, the Santiago Knights slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.

    Ian waved energetically at the knights and Salvador until the very end.

    Dehitri, who had stayed by Ian''s side until thest moment, said,

    "Ian, you are undoubtedly an apostle called by God. I will report every miracle I''ve witnessed to the order without omission, so please make sure to visit the order."

    ''Not this again...''

    Dehitri had seen something at the brink of death, but no one knew what it was.

    Ian wasn''t too pleased with Dehitri''s nonsensical talk, but he had no intention of reprimanding him.

    After all, Ian knew very well what ''mystery'' Dehitri had experienced.

    ---

    [1. raei: Tzuyang is a South Korean YouTube vlogger known for her mukbang videos]

    [2. raei: The historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms described Liu Bei as someone with ears sorge he could see them.]Toggle New Ads

    1/5 Enjoy the chappy!

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 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    As Ian released a flock of birds to follow the manticore,

    Lucy Talian had already met with the Count and discussed the future.

    "...and that''s how I barely managed to escape alone."

    Lucy had initially resolved not to be swayed, a promise to herself.

    But as she began to recount the story of her murdered parents, her resolve quickly weakened.

    It was inevitable.

    She was just an eighteen-year-old girl.

    So, as she started to talk about escaping the domain, Lucy found it hard to control her emotions.

    Seeing his niece in tears, Count Catina felt a mix of emotions.

    ''I warned them about those greedy bastards...''

    The murdered Lady Talian was the Count''s sister.

    Even though she had left home when she was young, family was still family.

    It would be a lie to say there was no affection.

    The Count felt sympathy for his dead sister and her daughter.

    At the same time, he was furious with the mercenary usurper who had murdered the Talian couple and was trying to marry Lucy.

    The Talian couple might have made mistakes, but they were the ones who ended up murdered.

    The Count had a suitable pretext for revenge.

    ''...Making Lucy a Baroness isn''t a bad idea.''

    Meddling in the session of titles is clearly an external interference.

    However, if Lucy asks for help first, it''s a different story.

    The Count quickly finished his calctions.

    He would use Lucy to secure the domain and choose one of his vassals to marry her.

    Thus, the Talian Barony would naturally fall under Count Catina''s influence.

    It was a good opportunity to expand his power under a suitable pretext during these chaotic times.

    "I understand your feelings, Lucy."

    "Count..."

    "Call me uncle, not Count."

    "...!"

    Lucy was genuinely moved by the Count''s kind attitude.

    It was because she was in a very sensitive state.

    "Don''t worry about anything now. I will surely avenge your mother."

    "Uncle...!"

    The Count didn''t bring up the tiresome ''If I help you, what will I get in return?''

    Such unnecessary words would only raise Lucy''s guard.

    After all, it wasn''t toote to ask for what he wanted after everything was over.

    The Count''s army would have already upied the Talian domain; what choice would Lucy have?

    Being a ''kind uncle'' who ''voluntarily'' raised an army ''to revenge his sister'' was the best scenario.

    Once everything was settled, the not-so-subtle threat of ''After all I''ve done for you, you can''t do me this one favor?'' would work.

    The Count,forting a sobbing Lucy, began to prepare for war.

    After the Santiago Knights left,

    Count Catina gathered his vassals, knights, and the wizard Ian to dere his intentions.

    "You all know the story of my niece! I will execute the detestable usurper Graham[1] and restore thew and order of thisnd!"

    "Long live the Count!"

    Some timeter.

    The Count''s army marched out of the domain.

    ---

    ---

    Under the banner of Count Catina, 400 mercenaries gathered.

    In this era, wars were mostly fought by mercenaries.

    Maintaining a standing army was difficult and expensive.

    But mercenaries could be immediately utilized once paid.

    Especially for domain conflicts, mercenaries were essential because it was uneptable to sacrifice precious citizens (sources of ie) in the power struggles of the high and mighty.

    "What do you think, Raven?"

    Count Catina, with Ian by his side, proudly disyed his army.

    It was a characteristic of the rulers of this era to parade around with a wizard.

    "With this kind of military force, we can easily dispose of that damn usurper, can''t we?"

    The Count looked at Ian with an expectant gaze, seeking the wisdom of the wizard.

    As in the tales of old, wizards of this era often took on the role of lending their wisdom to monarchs.

    "Ah. Yes. Well."

    However, Ian, who knew nothing about military matters, had no advice to offer.

    Since the war was the domain of mercenaries and knights, he figured they would manage things on their own.

    So, Ian offered somemon-sense advice.

    "With such arge force, you should pay attention to food supplies, and if it rains, be mindful to prevent the spread of disease."

    "Hmm... So, as long as we''re not struck down by disease, we won''t be defeated. Is that what you mean?"

    It was a trivial piece of advice, but surprisingly, the Count nodded in satisfaction.

    "Raven. I would like you to be my eyes from now on."

    The Count made it quite clear he wanted Ian by his side.

    While the Count might have desired a wizard advisor, Ian found it nothing but a nuisance.

    "I''ll help where I can."

    "Good. I look forward to your achievements."

    Ian shrugged.

    Achievements?

    He might as well have received a magic scroll.

    He was just tagging along to earn his keep.

    After all, the fighting would be done by the knights and mercenaries.

    Ian would hardly have anything to do on the battlefield.

    "Ian!"

    Lucy also joined the expedition.

    Her role was essentially that of a mascot.

    More precisely, she was the living justification for the campaign.

    It was natural for Lucy to apany them on their mission to reim her usurped domain.

    "Hehe, we''re almost at the end!"

    "...Didn''t we just leave yesterday?"

    Lucy was already acting like they had won the battle.

    Lucy''s optimism was somewhat understandable, as intelligence reports suggested that the usurper Graham''s forces numbered only around 150.

    "Even if he uses his reputation as a former mercenary to gather additional forces, it''s said that it won''t exceed 200."

    The Count''s army was 400.

    Just by the numbers, it was more than double.

    It was practically a won battle.

    "So what! We have more numbers, and we have a wizard."

    "Indeed."

    Lucy was already acting as if she were the Baroness of Talian.

    Meaning, she was counting her chickens before they hatched.

    "Hmm... I wonder what kind of reward I should give Ian for his help~ Gold would be too much, wouldn''t it? Wouldn''t he be tired of it?"

    Me? Really?

    Ian looked at Lucy in disbelief, but Lucy had already decided that Ian was a wizard who had transcended the need for gold,rgely because Ian hadn''t been fussy about money.

    In reality, Ian wasn''t poor.

    He still had the travel money Eredith had given him.

    But that''s one thing, and this is another.

    It''s not that he needed money, but having more wouldn''t hurt!

    Unaware of Ian''s thoughts, Lucy skipped over the idea of a gold reward altogether.

    "Ah! I have something Ian would like. Do you want to take it?"

    "What is it?"

    "The magical sword said to be used by the first Baron Talian!"

    "...?"

    Anor-lsil[2]. A magical sword forged from sunlight and moonlight."

    Lucy chattered away, exining the family history.

    The first Baron Talian, in his youth, had fallen in love with a fairy he met.

    While fighting against goblins that threatened the fairy forest, the fairies made a magical sword imbued with the power of the sun and the moon as a gift for the baron, who then defeated the goblins and became the savior of the fairies... or so the story goes.

    ''What, is this some old fantasy novel?''

    It was embarrassing to even call it old.

    The scenario reeked of a 1900s Anglo-American traditional fantasy vibe.

    Could the author be a Tolkienist[3]?

    Listening to the story, Ian suddenly had a strange thought.

    "That... what''s it called? Anor-lsil? If you have such a great magical sword, why are you still barons?"

    "Baron? That sounds weird! That''s an insult, isn''t it?!"

    Ian shook his head.

    It was obvious.

    They''d probably bring out some kind of Bronze Age harp-shaped bronze sword and im ''This is the magical sword Anor-lsil~''.

    He knew it from the moment the storytelling felt outdated.

    If Anor-lsil was truly a magnificent magical sword, the Talian Family wouldn''t still be barons!

    "It''s been over 400 years anyway!"

    "Oh. Your family''s older than I thought?"

    "And... and!"

    Lucy''s face turned slightly red.

    "Anor-lsil is... in the tomb of the first baron."

    "What?"

    Ian was shocked.

    What, they''re offering a magical sword as a gift?

    As if it were just hanging on a rack in their room.

    The magical sword is in the baron''s tomb?

    As Ian reacted, Lucy''s face turned even redder.

    "So, to take it out... we have to open the tomb."

    "Wow..."

    Ian was fully alert now.

    A descendant digging up something sealed by the first baron in his own tomb to hand it out?

    Is this... the typical integrity of a medieval person?

    "Is the ancestral tomb some kind of time capsule? To be opened and closed whenever you feel like it?"

    "I''m the baron, what does it matter!"

    Ah, Ian sighed deeply.

    Digging up an ancestor''s tomb for treasure.

    For a man from a Confucian country, where the teachings of Confucius were alive and well, this was a shocking proposal that was hard to ept.

    And reopening a sealed tomb didn''t seem easy either.

    If it were, that unlucky tomb raider[4], wouldn''t have just dug around in Joseon and left empty-handed.

    In fantasy novels, tombs are dungeons teeming with all sorts of monsters and traps.

    Was this Lucy''s evil strategy to get rid of him by pushing him into a dungeon because she didn''t want to give him a reward...?

    "And you''re not even a baron yet..."

    "I am too! I just haven''t officially seeded yet, but I''m definitely a baron! So, it''s up to me to decide what to do with the things on mynd!"

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Judging by her eagerness to sell off her family''s possessions now that she''s be a baroness (not yet), it seemed the Talian baronial line might end with Lucy.

    "Magical sword or whatever, it''s a treasure, right? You''re giving it to a wandering wizard like me?"

    Ian, genuinely concerned for Lucy, tried his best to lecture her.

    "It sounds like a valuable item. Why not use it for your family? That would be much better than bragging about being a baroness and then squandering it."

    "..."

    Lucy red at Ian silently, her lips pressed tightly together.

    She seemed about to say something... then shook her head and yelled.

    "...I''m saying I''ll give that precious thing to you! You idiot!"

    "Lucy!"

    Lucy, like a character out of a romance novel, blurted out her piece and disappeared somewhere.

    Left alone, Ian awkwardly scratched his head.

    Did I say something too harsh?

    But no matter how much he thought about it, giving away a family treasure to aplete stranger seemed off...

    Even if it was a reward for his hardships, Ian felt uneasy taking the magical sword.

    ---

    ---

    Ian, embarking on a real march for the first time in his life, felt a very slight thrill.

    Wow!

    Medieval warfare!

    Soldiers marching to enemy territory!

    However, Ian''s excitement did notst more than three days.

    There was nothing particrly special about the war.

    The march was more boring than he had imagined.

    If this were a game or a movie, there would be grand BGM ying, unfolding the story of soldiers and generals facing war.

    But reality is not a work of fiction.

    Grand BGM my ass.

    Only suffocating silence, awkwardness, and the irritation of tired soldiers filled the air.

    The mercenaries stuck to their own groups, sharing stories they knew...

    Mercenaries from different factions treated each other likeplete strangers, awkwardly interacting as if they were neighbors at best.

    Their uniforms were mismatched, their armaments varied, creating a ragtag army with no sense of belonging to the so-called "Count''s army."

    This was the army assembled by a "Count" in this medieval fantasy world.

    ''I wonder if they can even fight properly.''

    They were mercenaries that lived by the sword, so they would charge at the enemy, but as for theirbat effectiveness...?

    Ian, now somewhat seasoned in this medieval fantasy world, had a rough idea of theposition of mercenaries.

    More than half were foolishmoners who had run away from their duties.

    Wearing nothing but linen armor and wielding a simple weapon, dering, "Hello~ I''m a mercenary~" made up more than half of them.

    Their role was essentially to serve as meat shields.

    They were extras, providing opportunities for the more experienced and better-equipped veterans to shine.

    Even among mercenaries, amoner remained amoner.

    The only constion was that their numbers reached 400?

    "Ian, what are you doing?"

    "Boiling spoons."

    Not a single mercenary dared to initiate conversation with Ian, the wizard.

    Ian''s presence had significantly changed since he first arrived in this world.

    He had a staff and even kept a crow.

    He reached a point where he didn''t have to announce he was a wizard; people just knew.

    "...Boiling spoons? Why?"

    Lucy was the only one, besides the Count, who would talk to Ian.

    Lucy visited Ian whenever she felt bored.

    "You''re not... nning to eat them, are you?"

    Unintentionally, Lucy spread rumors about Ian''s "entricities."

    Seeing Ian boil spoons in a pot, the mercenaries murmured, "The wizard is brewing spoon soup...!"

    Of course, Ian hadn''t gone mad enough to actually cook soup with spoons.

    Seeing Lucy''s horrified expression, Ian sighed deeply.

    "There''s this thing called sterilization."

    "Sterilization?"

    "It kills very tiny bugs that you can''t see..."

    "There are such things?!"

    Ah, they don''t know.

    These uncivilized people of another world.

    This is called "sterilization," the act of killing germs.

    Ian exined kindly, but Lucy couldn''t grasp the concept.

    "If they''re so small that you can''t see them... how do they stay alive?"

    Right?

    Ian didn''t know much about microbiology either. He just went along with what Pasteur[5] said.

    Fortunately, Ian was a wizard.

    He had the cheat key of making up exnations for anything.

    "It''s a mystery."

    "Ah... I see!"

    Lucy brought her spoon to boil with Ian''s.

    Bubbling away, the "Spoon Soup" simmered.

    Watching this, a few mercenaries approached and said,

    "Um... Mr. Wizard. Could you boil ours too?"

    What the mercenaries offered was salted meat.

    They were desperate to share in the wizard''s mysterious soup.

    ''...Dumbf*cks, it''s not for making soup.''

    It would take centuries for these uncivilized medieval folks to understand Ian.

    ---

    [1. raei: Graham is the name of the merc that took over Lucy''s territory. I originally thought the name was Baron Jin, many chappies ago, but it must have been a reference to something else back then, rather than the actual name. Whoopsy.]

    [2. raei: Anor-lsil is written in english in the raws, and is in the Elvish tongue in LotR(the lord of the rings), Anor means sun and lsil means moon, Anor-lsil meaning Sun and Moon?]

    [3. raei: J. R. R. Tolkien, author of lotr, in case ya didn''t know.]

    [4. raei: no idea who this is... LOL]

    [5. raei: Louis Pasteur, french chemist, ''renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization'']Toggle New Ads

    2/5 Enjoy the chappy!

    Please give the book a rating and a review on NovelUpdates.

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    If you''d like to make a one-time donation to support our trantions or subscribe to read up to 15 chapters or more (depending on the novel) ahead, you can do so via Ko-fi.

    Click here!

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    As they neared the Talian estate, Count Catina called for Ian.

    Lucy was also sitting beside the Count.

    "Hmm. Raven. I heard a peculiar rumor..."

    "A rumor?"

    "It''s about you crafting some mysterious potions... What exactly are you making with a spoon?"

    "..."

    Ian''s special spoon soup had somehow been twisted into a rumor about spoon potions.

    ''No, but how does one make potions with a spoon?''

    As the Count looked puzzled, Lucy excitedly exined.

    That''s her showing off what she knows.

    "There are tiny bugs on the spoon, invisible to the eye! Boiling them as ingredients...!"

    "Oh."

    Watching the excited conversation between uncle and niece, Ian sighed deeply.

    Ah. Where did this era go wrong...

    "Hm. Potion making is important, but I have something more pressing to ask of you."

    "...What is it?"

    Ian, who had been worried about what kind of insane medieval antics the Count might be up to next, was slightly surprised to hear a rtively normal request.

    "I want you to ensure the mercenaries don''t get too out of hand."

    Ian had a surprisingly strong influence within the Count''s forces.

    Ian''s personal hygiene practices, like boiling his spoon and airing out his bedding in the sunlight, were so peculiar to the mercenaries that Ian was known as a fairlypetent wizard.

    Ian''s wizard cosy was now quite good.

    It ensured he wasn''t disregarded.

    "We''ll soon pass through small viges. I''d like to prevent those mercenary scum from causing trouble."

    Ian frowned slightly at the Count''s request.

    "Wouldn''t the knights be better suited for such tasks?"

    The Count shook his head.

    "The knights tend to be in cahoots with the mercenaries, often covering up their crimes and pretending not to know."

    It meant it wasn''t a task to entrust to the knights.

    Once a battle began, the mercenaries had to follow themand of the knights.

    They were fighting under the Count''s banner, after all.

    For the knights, the mercenaries were soldiers under theirmand.

    They were reluctant to punish them harshly for mistakes.

    Of course, severe acts like rebellion would be severely punished, but looting a civilian home was seen as a grey area.

    From a modern perspective, looting civilians is a war crime. But talk of war crimes only applies in modern times.

    In a world where war = looting, mercenaries looting civilian homes was as natural as stores being looted during riots.

    Most mercenaries roamed around to loot civilians in the first ce.

    So, they were mercenaries when employed and bandits when not.

    "I''d normally allow looting to some extent... but this is my niece''snd."

    Lucy nodded vigorously, with the gaze of a monarch who sees their subjects as mere revenue sources.

    Why the hell are these lowlife mercenaries touching my money bag?!

    "If you step in and warn them, the mercenaries will likely be more cautious in their actions."

    It wasn''t particrly a difficult request.

    To Ian, who possessed modern sensibilities, preventing the mercenaries from looting felt somewhat like a righteous act.

    "Understood. I''ll warn them not to loot."

    As Ian responded decisively, the nobles smiled contentedly.

    A wizard is quite a useful being in many ways!

    After finishing the conversation, Ian left the Count''s tent.

    As Lucy was also leaving, Ian asked her something he was curious about.

    "Lucy. What''s this rumor about me making potions?"

    "Ahaha... that?"

    Lucy scratched her cheek and said as if making an excuse.

    "You know... the water from boiling the spoon... Some mercenaries were curious about it...?"

    "???"

    "So, I sold a little of it..."

    "Why would you sell that! You''re insane!"

    Selling boiled spoon water?

    Even the Chinese wouldn''t do such nonsense!

    Where is the hammer of the Food Sanitation Law for manufacturers of defective food products!

    But in a medieval fantasy world, there was no such thing as food sanitationws.

    And there were plenty of mercenaries willing to pay for the wizard''s mysterious potion.

    Thew of supply and demand.

    The shape of the graph of ruthless capitalism was cruelly brutal...

    "Sorry... I secretly sold some..."

    Lucy apologized, bowing her head.

    Ian couldn''t understand Lucy.

    Shouldn''t she be sorry from the moment she sold such nonsense?!

    ---

    ---

    As the Count predicted, the mercenaries showed interest in the civilian houses.

    Surprisingly, ''civilian houses'' were everywhere.

    If people lived there, it was a civilian house. And people generally settled wherever they wanted to live.

    Whether it was in a mountain valley, near a stream, or in a pasture...

    Living in such remote ces came with great freedom and heavy responsibility.

    You were free to live as you pleased, but when something happened, you had to deal with it yourself.

    For example, when greedy mercenaries sneaked in to steal.

    "If you don''t want a hole in your head, back off! You damn thieving scum!"

    A standoff urred between the homeowner and the mercenaries over a small civilian house.

    It was a fight between a normal civilian family and mercenaries who came to steal while passing by.

    "The one getting a hole in their head will be you."

    "Just hand over three chickens, and we''ll quietly go away."

    The homeowner growled fiercely at the mercenaries, but they weren''t the type to be scared off.

    After all, mercenaries, even if they''re not good at fighting, must know how to extort.

    This logic was like that of bullies in modern schools.

    Even if they''re crap at fighting, being able to intimidate kids and take their money was the bare minimum to be considered a bully.

    Being poor at fighting was eptable.

    Fights could be won or lost.

    But being unable to extort meant you couldn''t earn your keep.

    It signified ack of professional ethics.

    "Idiots..."

    Ian, watching from a distance, was so appalled by the thief mentality of the medieval era that he lost even the energy to get angry.

    No wonder the Count asked for help.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    As Oberon screeched, ring at the mercenaries, a few of the quicker ones flinched.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "No, that crow. Doesn''t it look like the one our wizard keeps?"

    "...It does seem simr."

    Then, fluent Imperialnguage came out of Oberon''s beak.

    "Caw! The master! Caw! The master ising!"

    "Sh*t! What the hell!"

    "The crow! The crow is talking!"

    The mercenaries were shocked.

    The civilian family was also shocked.

    How often do you see a talking crow in your life?

    Oberon had diligently learned the Imperialnguage over Ian''s shoulder.

    Havingpleted his own pronunciation training, he could utter simple words.

    Ian approached from behind the mercenaries.

    Seeing Ian, the mercenaries trembled and sat down on the spot.

    "What the hell are you doing now."

    "..."

    As Ian coldly interrogated them, the mercenaries mmed up like mute honey thieves.

    "Under the g of Count Catina, you dare to loot civilian homes like thieving cats. Do you dare to tarnish the name of Count Catina?"

    Oberon, sitting on Ian''s shoulder, screeched fiercely.

    "Caw! Punishment! Caw!"

    At that chilling sight, none of the mercenaries dared to raise their heads.

    "Ugh... f*ck!"

    "We''re screwed. Damn!"

    Looting on the battlefield had to be done discreetly.

    The legality of looting depended solely on the ruler''s decision.

    Turn a blind eye, and it''s legal.

    Otherwise, it''s illegal.

    Especially in situations like now, without any notable achievements, looting meant punishment, and no one could protest.

    "We''re sorry! Wizard sir!"

    "We''vemitted a crime worthy of death!"

    The mercenaries knew Ian was acting on behalf of the Count.

    So they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.

    In Chinese, it''s called "five-body prostration."

    In Japanese, "dogeza."

    While with a knight, they might have been able to sweet-talk their way out, it was clear that no such tricks would work on a smart and quirky wizard.

    "Good thing they understand reason."

    Ian nodded as he looked at the mercenaries lying t.

    Ian had the authority of the Count, but no special force of his own.

    If the mercenaries decided to attack, Ian would have had to run for his life.

    As long as the other party was behaving, there was no need for Ian to push too hard.

    "Given that Count Catina''s order to prohibit looting has been issued, there needs to be a punishment to serve as an example."

    "Oh no..."

    "However! Considering this is your first offense and that you haven''t yetmitted the crime, I will let it pass this time with a warning."

    "Wi, Wizard sir...!"

    The mercenaries were moved to tears by the wizard''s merciful decision.

    In a situation where it would have been okay to behead them on the spot, such a generous decision was truly remarkable!

    When he was going around making potions with a spoon, they thought he was just a peculiar human.

    They had no idea he had such a humane side hidden within him.

    "Thank you! I will never forget this kindness!"

    The mercenaries bowed repeatedly, but Ian felt no emotion towards it.

    He only wished they wouldn''t cause any trouble.

    "Remember, my eyes are everywhere."

    "Caw! Caw!"

    As Oberon pped his wings and cried, the mercenaries felt a chill of terror, as if their blood had frozen.

    The wizard was using birds to keep an eye on them!

    "Let''s return now."

    Ian led the mercenaries back to their formation.

    The civilian families hurriedly locked their doors and covered their windows with cloth.

    As if they intended to tell no one what they had witnessed...

    ---

    ---

    Ian, patrolling the formation, caught many mercenaries trying to loot.

    With Oberon''s active cooperation, surveince was not difficult at all.

    When short on hands, Ian recruited new part-time bird workers from the nearby forest.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    As Oberon sat at the end of Ian''s tent and cried, the mercenaries shivered.

    "That crow... it''s watching us...!"

    "Shh! Quiet! The wizard might hear!"

    As Ian appeared every time they tried to loot, the mercenaries no longer roamed around.

    Count Catina and Lucy were overjoyed at this news.

    Wow! Ian protected our precious money bag (the people)!

    However, Ian''s actions were not entirely positive...

    Ian''s surveince using the flock of birds was too perfect.

    Unintentionally, it created two problems.

    "The soldiers'' morale has dropped too much."

    Not being able to loot was one thing, but the mercenaries became excessively fearful of Ian.

    There were even talks of desertion, such was their dislike for Ian.

    "There''s another problem."

    Sir Diketo, one of the Count''s knights, said.

    "Our army is not applying any pressure to the usurpers."

    Ian was puzzled, not understanding what kind of nonsense this was.

    "An army of over 400 marching, and we''re not a threat?"

    "Yes. Our army is seen as perfectly harmless."

    Sir Diketo exined.

    War, by nature, is an act that continuously inconveniences others. Naturally, the army is the agent of this nuisance.

    When an army marches, it''s natural for the area to be devastated. Killing people, stealing goods, setting fires...

    The ultimate purpose of these nuisances is to put pressure on the enemy''smander.

    If an armymits atrocities, the people tremble with fear.

    And when the people are afraid, theyin to their leaders.

    In this case, it would be the usurper Graham.

    If the Count''s army had ravaged the territory as they advanced, there would have beenints for sure.

    If you im to be our king (or something like it)!

    What are you doing as the enemy invades?

    ording to feudal contracts, Graham, who calls himself a baron, has a duty to protect his people.

    But if he fails? The people rise up.

    Therefore, pressured by this obligation, Graham has no choice but to engage in battle.

    However, if the Count''s army marches as meekly as they are now...

    Graham has no need to fight right away!

    He can leisurely gather soldiers and wait for the enemy''s supplies to dwindle before engaging in slowbat.

    "Your Excellency. Perhaps it''s time to allow looting..."

    The Count fell into thought.

    It was he who had issued the order against looting.

    He didn''t want to reverse his decision within just a few days.

    "I''ll think about it. Once I''ve made up my mind, I''ll let you know."

    The Count dismissed the knights, leaving only Lucy and Ian in the tent.

    "Wizard. Is there no way?"

    The Count immediately sought the wisdom of the knowledgeable wizard.

    However, Ian didn''t have any bright ideas.

    Even if morale had dropped a bit, couldn''t they just push through with sheer numbers...

    Wouldn''t that work?

    Lucy, having no ideas either, stuck out her lip.

    "I''ll look for a solution... But looting is an option."

    Ian said this and then excused himself.

    And he gave it some thought.

    What could calm the mercenaries'' dissatisfaction and incite the people?

    "Um... Wizard sir?"

    "Hm?"

    But the clue came from an unexpected ce.

    "I wanted to ask you something."

    "What is it."

    "That... You haven''t been making potionstely, have you?"

    "..."

    It''s not a potion, you damn fools.

    Ian couldn''t understand the medieval people''s suspicious obsession with the boiled spoon water.

    Why on earth would they pay money for such water...

    ''... Huh?''

    Then, a bizarre idea crossed Ian''s mind.

    "Let me ask you something. What do you use the potion for?"

    Ian didn''t know why boiled spoon water was considered a potion or what its effects were, but he could understand the mercenary''s answer.

    "A battle is going to happen soon, right? We n to use it then..."

    ''Boiled spoon water?!''

    It seemed the mercenaries believed Ian''s ''potion'' had some special power...

    But there was only one person who could have sold such a scam.

    Lucy.

    It was clear that Baroness Talian had made a hefty profit selling this concoction.

    This presented a clear opportunity for Ian.

    "Potions... Hmm. Potions, you say."

    Ian grinned at the mercenary.

    The mercenary felt an inexplicable chill upon seeing Ian''s expression...

    "If I make a potion. Would you buy it?"

    "Of course... We would definitely buy it."

    "What if I give it away for free?"

    "... What?"

    The mercenary was visibly shocked by Ian''s words.

    Seeing his expression, Ian was convinced.

    Perhaps there was a way to boost the mercenaries'' morale at a low cost...!

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    After deciding on a n, Ian immediately sprang into action.

    Ian noticed that the mercenaries were suspiciously fond of his "potions."

    In this era, both medicine and magic potions were extremely precious, so it wasmon for them to be treated as valuable as precious metals.

    Again, this medieval era was like a post-apocalyptic period.

    Not looting a pharmacy during a post-apocalyptic era?

    That''s like screaming you don''t want to live long.

    Medicines are useful and valuable. Hence, people are crazy about them...!

    "Lucy, please ask the count to gather some salt."

    "Salt?"

    Lucy was puzzled by Ian''s request but went along with it.

    Ian was a wizard, after all.

    She thought he must have his reasons.

    With the count''s help, Lucy managed to collect a significant amount of salt.

    Salt was an expensive food item but essential, so many people carried it around.

    Once they had enough salt, Ian brought over arge pot, put his spoon in, and started boiling it vigorously.

    The mercenaries quickly showed interest in the wizard''s actions.

    "Is the wizard making a magic potion again?"

    "Even if he is, he''s just gonna use it himself."

    Until now, the mercenaries believed Ian had been hogging the magic potions for himself.

    There wereints but no grievances, as no mercenary was crazy enough to get angry about someone using their own concoction.

    As a crowd gathered, Ian recited Maronius''nguage, putting on a convincing performance.

    "[Fire! ze up!]"

    Boom!

    Suddenly, the fire under the pot surged, causing the mercenaries to scream half out of their minds.

    "Wow!"

    "Real magic!"

    The mercenaries knew Ian could summon crows and make magic potions, but they had no idea he could also control mes.

    Watching Ian skillfully brew the magic potion, the mercenaries spared no admiration.

    Making medicine with magical mes!

    Truly, he is a wizard!

    "What''s all that noise?"

    "The wizard is making a magic potion now!"

    "Again? Is the Lord going to sell it this time?"

    Before long, around a hundred mercenaries had surrounded Ian.

    It was natural for more onlookers to gather since Ian had prepared for a grand performance.

    "Hmm..."

    Pretending to chant a magic spell, Ian shouted loudly and clearly in Korean.

    "May the waters of the East Sea and Mount Baekdust until they dry and wear away!"

    "Wow!"

    "It''s a wizard''s magic spell!"

    "I can''t understand a thing!"

    The mercenaries were mesmerized by Ian''s magic performance.

    As the attention around him peaked, Ian poured the collected salt into the pot and boiled it vigorously.

    Only three things went into the pot: water, a spoon, and salt.

    Contrary to the mercenaries'' beliefs, no magical power emanated from the spoon; it was essentially just boiling water with salt.

    ''Haah.''

    Ian was boiling ordinary saltwater, pretending as if he was infusing it with magical power.

    So... what Ian made was a fake magic potion.

    ''To think I''d be a real quack.''

    Back in the days when the whole world was shrouded in the darkness of ignorance, quacks, who were called "medicine peddlers," would lead bands and circuses to gather people''s attention and then lie about their medicine being a rare cure-all, selling fake potions.

    Innocent people who didn''t know any better thought the medicine sold by these peddlers was genuinely precious and bought the fakes with good money.

    People carefully stored the fake medicine they purchased...

    And when a loved one fell seriously ill, they administered it confidently!

    "Drink this! The medicine peddler said so! This is supposed to cure all diseases!"

    People waited for the disease to be cured as the peddler promised.

    But, of course, it didn''t happen, and they realized toote that they had been duped...

    Enraged, people chased after the medicine peddler, grabbing the scammer by the cor and shouting.

    "Hey you scamming bastard! Where do you get off selling fake medicine?"

    From then on, selling medicine equaled being a scammer.

    ''Medicine'' came to be understood as something that might look usible on the outside but is essentially trash or a shoddy item.

    EX) A: "Isn''t that Jungle Teemo bullsh*t?[1]" B: "Where are you peddling your drugs, you quack bastard!"

    But Ian had to sell medicine now.

    If selling medicine could lift the spirits of his troops, why wouldn''t he sell it?

    "You there. Come forward."

    "Me...? Are you talking to me?"

    Ian singled out the nearest mercenary and called him over.

    The mercenary, clueless, stepped forward with a mix of anticipation and fear.

    "Have you been having restless nights and feeling downtely?"

    "That, well..."

    "Does food taste nd? And, do you keep having ominous thoughts?"

    At Ian''s question, the mercenary nodded in surprise and rm.

    "Yes, yes! But how did you...?"

    Oberon cawed just in time.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    "Eeeek!"

    Ian spoke nonchntly as if it were nothing.

    "Observing the movements of the heavens, it seemed like an ill omen was looming over the army, so I noticed."

    "My goodness...!"

    Of course, it was a lie.

    Movements of the heavens?

    Let the followers of Heaven''s Faith research that. Ian was just spouting a usible story that would fit the situation.

    It was natural to feel bad to just march without looting.

    And with a battle approaching, the fear of death would naturally make one lose their appetite.

    A sort of primitive - Big Data[2].

    Kind of like a human Chat GPT.

    It''s a little trick that can be understood if you know the method, but unfortunately, these mercenaries were people from a medieval fantasy world.

    They wouldn''t know about Chat GPT, let alone Akinator[3].

    "Take this potion with you."

    "This is...?"

    "It''s a [Potion of Vitality]."

    "What did you say?"

    "I said it''s a potion that brings vitality."

    Ian said with a smile.

    "I made this especially for you guys, seeing as you''re suffering from negative energy. Use it wisely."

    "Wizard...!"

    The mercenaries were moved by Ian''s words.

    All this time, they wondered why he was boiling a spoon for nothing...

    It was all part of a grand n to make and share a magic potion!

    Truly, he was a wizard!

    "Thank you! Thank you, wizard!"

    The mercenaries hastily filled their leather water bags with the magic potion Ian had boiled.

    Curious mercenaries approached Ian with questions.

    "But what do we use this potion for...?"

    "Use it when you need vitality. If you''re exhausted from sweating in the heat of summer, drink it. If you have a wound that''s bleeding, apply it. It will prevent the wound from festering."

    "Wow!"

    That the saltwater was a magic potion was a lie.

    However, the ''effects'' Ian mentioned were not lies.

    The reason is simple; that ''Potion of Vitality'' was just saltwater.

    Feeling dizzy from sweating too much? - It replenishes fluids and salts.

    Got a wound? - It acts as a disinfectant.

    The effects might be modest, but in a medieval fantasy world with post-apocalyptic level medical technology, even saltwater could be a great standby medicine.

    There''s also the cebo effect of believing it must be good for the body because magic was involved.

    Ian shouted loudly to the mercenaries scooping up the ''Potion of Vitality.''

    "Hear me, warriors! The Count is already aware of your hardships! He understands the frustration of not being able to im the spoils of victory but does not wish for the people of Talian to suffer!"

    The mercenaries stopped what they were doing and looked at Ian.

    "Therefore, he ordered the creation of this magic potion for you! Set aside your regrets for now and prepare for the uing battle! If we win, the generous Count will grant a great reward!"

    "Wow!"

    At Ian''s speech, the mercenaries sent up a fervent cheer.

    Although they were disappointed about the ban on looting, they had acquired a precious magic potion instead.

    The morale of the Count''s troops was boosted again.

    "Long live the Count!"

    "Long live wizard Ian!"

    ---

    ---

    While the morale of the soldiers had been boosted, Ian''s work was not yet finished.

    He led a few mercenaries around the houses, spreading ominous rumors.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    "What''s with that crazy crow cawing... Eek!"

    Upon spotting a human with a staff and a crow on his shoulder, ordinary farmers immediately panicked.

    When ordinary humans encounter a wizard, they fall into severe shock.

    This fact is recorded even in ancient chronicles.

    It was a magic reality shock.

    Eh? A wizard?

    Why, why, why?

    "Wizard...?"

    "Ah! This person is the disciple of wizard Eredith, Ian Eredith Raven!"

    "Oh, my! I''m so ignorant, not recognizing someone famous...! I''vemitted a grave sin!"

    In truth, the farmer was normal.

    Recognizing Ian would have been the real abnormality.

    How would you recognize me when I haven''t had a chance to be famous?

    Only a time-space wizard could recognize that.

    "Wizard, shall we teach that insolent one a lesson?"

    "Let it be."

    "Yes!"

    The mercenaries who received the magic potion became Ian''s fervent followers.

    They realized that, despite his odd appearance, he was actually a kind and normal person.

    Ian spoke to the farmer in a grim voice.

    "I''vee to warn you of a disaster that will strike in the future."

    "Disaster?"

    "Yes. Evil energies have enveloped thisnd, so now barley will not ripen, and wheat will rot from the root."

    "!"

    The farmer was startled by Ian''s warning.

    For a farmer, farming is everything. They live by it and die by it.

    But a prophecy that farming will fail...?

    "Why is that?"

    Ian looked up at the sky with a grave expression, like a seasoned wizard, and said in a serious voice.

    "It''s because the soul of the first Baron of Talian, unjustly deprived of hisnds, is angry."

    "Excuse me? The Baron is angry?"

    Ian kindly exined how Graham, the usurper, was a bastard and how Lucy Talian was the rightful owner of thisnd, in a way that was easy to understand.

    The truth is, the farmer, with his limited education, did not fully understand Ian''s words.

    What does a farmer know about the power struggles of nobility?

    However, one thing was clear...

    This year''s crops could be ruined because of a wandering mercenary who stole Talian''snd!

    "But don''t worry too much. If Lucy Talian inherits the barony and holds a memorial service for the ancestors, the first Baron''s anger will also disappear."

    "Ah, so..."

    "A war will break out soon. If the usurper wins, abandon thisnd and flee."

    "..."

    "This is the end of my warning."

    Caw! Caw!

    As Oberon cawed, the farmer trembled with fear.

    Whether Ian''s warning was true or not, the farmer, merely amoner, had no way of knowing.

    But the seed of anxiety was firmly nted.

    Ian returned to the Count''s formation with a smile.

    ---

    ---

    In the past few days, Ian had acted like a wizard.

    He had been busy talking.

    Selling fake magic potions to mercenaries, spreading propaganda among the farmers...

    With no way to distinguish whether Ian''s words were true or false, the people of the medieval fantasy world trusted Ian easily, to the point of absurdity.

    With a wizard going all out and even using magic to lie, how could they not be deceived?

    "Wizard! Did you sleep well?"

    "Yes. How about you?"

    "Thanks to the wizard driving away the bad energy, we slept soundly!"

    The mercenaries, once fearful of Ian, had now be his followers.

    "Ian! Look! The vigers have offered food!"

    "Food? Who sent someone to threaten them?"

    "No! They wanted to give it themselves!"

    Lucy said with a bright smile.

    "People are calling me the real Baron of Talian!"

    "Oh. That''s good for you."

    "Hehe. You see? Ian! Even those fools recognize that I''m the legitimate, real Baron! So, I should at least be allowed to open my ancestors'' tomb..."

    "..."

    Whether it was the effect of the rumors Ian spread, the people of Talian began to distrust the usurper, Graham.

    They hoped for Lucy to be the Baron and for Graham to be driven away.

    It was to avoid the ominous warnings of the wizard.

    Thanks to Ian''s talking, the Count''s army maintained high morale as they marched towards Graham''s stronghold.

    Lucy was happy, the Count was happy, and Ian was somewhat happy too.

    However, there were those who started to express their dissatisfaction with Ian''s actions.

    "That wizard... Isn''t he getting a bit too ahead of himself?"

    It was the knights of the Count who said this.

    ---

    [1. raei: Uhh I asked someone about this (league), apparently there was Teemo (league character/hero whatever they call it) was usable in jungle but it ended up being trash?]

    [2. raei: I think the author here is using how Ian is analyzing the situation to predict/guess human behavior and I think the author isparing that to how ai learns. Data-driven analysis, but a ''primitive'' form of it? Not 100% sure here guys, tried my best. Oh and big data ''refers to extremelyrge data sets... etc.'']

    [3. raei: Akinator is that app of a genie where it tries to guess the character you are thinking about. I never tried it but it was popr for a while.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    The knights did not have much fondness for wizards.

    Their first gripe was the underhanded tricks yed on the battlefield. The second was sharing the glory with them.

    Knights generally disliked wizards.

    However, to avoid the hassle of direct confrontation, they would only bad-mouth wizards behind their backs, in hidden ces.

    "Look here, wizard."

    A knight who had abruptly sought out Ian said so.

    "I hear you''ve been spreading dangerous rumors among the people."

    "Dangerous rumors?"

    "The rumor that thend will be diseased and rot if Graham bes the lord."

    Ah, I did spread such baseless rumors.

    Ian nodded in admission.

    "That''s right. But why do you ask?"

    Upon Ian''s affirmation, the knight narrowed his eyes and red at him.

    The reason was ridiculous.

    "Wizard Ian. Isn''t it a bit excessive to be casting such strong curses?"

    "...?"

    "If thend really does rot away, what then? How will you handle the aftermath?"

    Don''t use too strong a curse.

    ...Is that what this is about?

    Ian was momentarily speechless.

    "So, you mean, what if thend actually rots away?"

    "That''s right."

    Ian waved his hand with a smile.

    While his face was smiling, inwardly, he cursed the ignorant knight.

    This is why uneducated people are a problem.

    "Ah. It seems there''s some misunderstanding. There won''t be anynd rotting."

    "Why not?"

    "Because all this talk of curses and such isplete nonsense."

    "...Nonsense?"

    These ignorant knights had taken the ck propaganda meant to fool only the most gullible of peasants to heart.

    Ian cursed the knights for their abysmal level of intelligence, but in truth, it wasn''t their fault.

    This was the average level of information in this era.

    For modern people steeped in all kinds of media, including smartphones, knowledge is like a toy that can be easily obtained by simply turning on Namuwiki[1].

    It''s the kind of toy that YouTubers y with when they make shorts about "secrets you didn''t know about ~."

    However, in this medieval fantasy world, where information was extremely limited, rumors were often taken as truth because there was no way to distinguish true from false.

    Knowing this, people of the Middle Ages freely spread lies.

    After being fooled by such absurd lies a few times, listeners naturally learned to filter what they heard.

    The problem arises in situations like this, where biased knowledge leads to absurd misunderstandings.

    "Can you be sure of that?"

    What''s there to be sure about?

    Ian looked at the knight in disbelief, but the knight''s eyes were filled with a strange certainty.

    "I hope you won''t change your storyter."

    ''What the hell is this guy on about?''

    Ian wondered what nonsense the count''s knight had gotten into his head.

    But the real headache began after the army arrived at Graham''s stronghold.

    "Count! We do not wish to stand on a dishonorable battlefield!"

    The count''s knights had collectively dered a strike.

    "Is everyone serious?"

    The count looked back and forth between the knights and Ian with aplex gaze.

    Combining the count''s gaze and the knights'' peculiar attitude, Ian reached a conclusion.

    ''...Could it be?''

    "Wizard Ian has been loudly proiming that a curse will fall upon thisnd. This is no different from inviting a curse!"

    "If rumors spread that we are associated with a curse-calling wizard, our honor will be thrown into a mud pit, Your Excellency."

    The knights'' intentions were clear.

    They were scheming to exclude Ian from this war!

    "No, but the curse is all bullsh*t. How are you fooled by rumors I''ve spread?"

    Ian tried to logically persuade the knights, but they wouldn''t listen to him at all.

    "How can we believe the words of a wizard?"

    "It''s clear you''re trying to deceive us with your cunning tricks known only to yourself!"

    This was the knights'' logic.

    Ian was smart.

    He knows more than the knights, so if he uses tricks, they wouldn''t know.

    Conclusion: They think everything Ian says is bullsh*t.

    ''F*cking barbarians.''

    It was infuriating for Ian, but there was no clear solution.

    The main characters of the war were the knights.

    No matter how much a wizard might create and manipte the battlefield, in the end, it''s the knights who wield the swords.

    When the knights decided to dere a strike like this, from the lord''s perspective, there was no choice but to side with the knights.

    While it''s merely inconvenient without a wizard, without knights, there''s no fighting at all.

    "Hmm..."

    The count knew this fact too.

    Thus, while sneakily ncing at Ian, he was indulging the knights'' whims.

    Sensing how things were turning out, Ian no longer wanted to stay in the camp.

    "If my presence is so unpleasant, I''ll step aside."

    "..."

    "But don''t expect to receive my help no matter how things go wrong."

    Half-seriously angry, Ian stormed out.

    Only one person, Lucy Talian, ran after Ian to hold him back.

    "Ian!"

    Lucy looked mortified, with an expression as if she was about to die of guilt.

    Ian scrutinized Lucy closely.

    If this was an act to appease him, then Lucy had the talent of a sovereign.

    ...But it wasn''t an act.

    From what Ian had observed so far, Lucy wasn''t the type to scheme and execute ns.

    "So, sorry. The knights suddenly found fault, and you..."

    Strangely, receiving Lucy''s apology somewhat eased Ian''s heart.

    Perhaps it was because he knew the apology came from a ce of genuine regret, not an act.

    "What? It''s okay. I''m not really mad."

    "Really?"

    Ian nodded.

    It would be a lie to say he was not bothered at all, but it was true that he wasn''t actually angry.

    Obsessing over the glory of battle or spoils of war is something warriors do.

    Ian was a wizard.

    He was quite satisfied as long as he received the magic sword that Lucy promised him after everything was settled.

    "It''s not a big deal if I''m excluded from the battlefield. What''s so great about a ce littered with corpses?"

    "But..."

    Lucy was flustered, not knowing what to do, and said apologetically.

    "It means you''ll miss the opportunity to achieve glory."

    Ian smiled and patted Lucy on the head.

    "What''s the use of achieving such glory? I''m satisfied as long as I get the sword you promised me."

    "Ian...!"

    Lucy looked at Ian with moist eyes, speaking generously.

    "I''ll definitely take care of getting you the magic sword! If that''s not enough, marry me and you can have the domain..."

    "Ah. No thanks. I''m not buying."

    Eventually, Ian dered to the count that he would cleanly bow out of this battle.

    The count and Lucy showed their regret, but the knights were delighted.

    They had been anxious that Ian was monopolizing too much glory in the count''s army.

    Making potions and spreading rumors were within the domain of a wizard, so there was no helping Ian''s prominence.

    But not so with battles.

    The battlefield was the stage for knights!

    The knights weren''t there just to y supporting roles for Ian.

    They were ambitious, aiming to distinguish themselves and win the count''s favor.

    Since the count promised to give Ian a few more scrolls for Ian''s troubles, Ian could switch to being a spectator without any regrets.

    ''Let''s see how well they fight.''

    After a day of camping, the count''s army climbed the hill around noon the next day.

    Their target was Graham''s stronghold.

    ---

    ---

    Upon hearing that Count Catina was mounting an attack, the usurper Graham holed up in a nearby stronghold with his men.

    Had the Count ughtered the people on their way to him, Graham would have gritted his teeth and charged out to fight.

    However, the count advanced gently, instead spreading malicious rumors led by a wizard to discredit Graham.

    Rumors that a curse would fall upon thend if Graham became the lord.

    As a result, the people of Talian showed animosity towards Graham, and he had no choice but to move to the stronghold for defense.

    "The enemy''s numbers... about 400?"

    Graham, a former mercenary captain, assessed the enemy''s size at a nce.

    If there were 400, it was likely they were all mercenaries.

    Since this was a personal vendetta, he couldn''t mobilize the popce.

    It was fortunate the enemy''s numbers were few, but 400 was still a substantial force.

    "You''re not scared, are you? Captain?"

    Graham''s men approached him.

    They wererades who had shared life and death since their days in a mercenary band.

    Now, they were closer than family.

    "Me? Graham? The double-edged sword?"

    Graham looked at his men andughed sharply.

    From the moment he had harmed the Talians, he had been prepared for a violent conflict.

    In that sense, the army of Count Catina was not a crisis but an opportunity.

    An opportunity to be recognized as the new lord of the domain!

    It was obvious that Lucy Talian, that arrogant woman, was with the Count.

    If he could somehow win this battle, he could negotiate to take Lucy.

    If that happened, it would be Graham''s victory.

    Graham had about 200 men under him, along with a few wandering knights he had brought in from outside.

    Especially, a so-called ck Knight from the east, who was so powerful that it was hard to believe he was hired for only a few silver coins.

    "Whether the enemy is 400 or 4,000, it doesn''t matter! Anyone who dares to point a sword at me, Graham, will die!"

    "Ooh!"

    Graham and hisrades ignited their will to fight.

    True to his former mercenary nature, Graham had long lost his sense of fear.

    Would he have thought to kill the lord anddy and take over the domain if he had any fear left?

    But in these chaotic times, there were many like Graham.

    Aplete fool if he failed, but a revolutionary who could overturn the world''s order if he seeded.

    "Hey, knights! Cheer up! If this goes well, I''ll grant you goodnds!"

    The wandering knights nodded at Graham''s words.

    Though still a lord in name, Graham was a ruler in his own right.

    The hastily hired knights would also contribute to his strength.

    "Captain! The enemy is approaching!"

    Graham checked his helmet and armor before stepping onto the battlefield.

    "Let''s go!"

    Graham and the mercenaries advanced.

    Now, the joyful rebellion of the former mercenaries began!

    ---

    ---

    At high noon, with the sun overhead, the army of Baron Graham and Count Catina''s forces stood parallel, facing each other on the hill.

    The armies collided in the in.

    The terrain was more advantageous for Graham.

    Being on higher ground, they could look down upon their enemy.

    The count''s army was divided into three sections, approximately 100 men each: the left wing, the right wing, and the center.

    "Definitely overwhelming."

    Sir Diketo, a knight of the count, stood by Ian''s side and spoke.

    Due to his age, he had been assigned to guard the count and other important figures.

    It was also to give the younger knights a chance to shine.

    "It seems so."

    400 versus 200.

    Even to Ian, who was ignorant about warfare, Count Catina''s forces appeared overwhelmingly advantageous.

    Even without Ian''s magic support, the difference in troops seemed more than enough to secure a victory.

    In truth, even if Ian had offered magical support, there wasn''t much he could do.

    Ian couldn''t start fires or cause earthquakes.

    At most, he could summon darkness... but with the sun shining brightly, summoning darkness wasn''t easy.

    But what does magical support matter?

    The overwhelming difference in troops was undeniable.

    Winning was all that mattered.

    Ian, who was ignorant about warfare, along with Lucy and the count, watched the battle with calm expressions.

    Ian, anticipating an exciting spectacle for the first time in a while, found himself wishing for some popcorn.

    "Oh. They''re fighting."

    The two armies shed fiercely.

    Contrary to expectations that the count''s army would overwhelmingly win, Graham''s forces did not easily give ground.

    They''re fighting much better than expected?

    Ian, impressed, said to Sir Diketo.

    "They said they were former mercenaries, but they''re fighting well against even the knights."

    "..."

    The most entertaining spectacles in the world were watching fires and fights.

    Ian was having a f*cking st.

    Wow. It''s like watching a movie.

    However, unlike Ian, who was carefree, Sir Diketo''s expression was quite grim.

    The enemies were fighting much better than expected.

    ---

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 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "Those bastards, even if they''re fighting well, it''s just a fluke."

    Despite the enemies'' stronger resistance than expected, Count Catina didn''t lose hisposure.

    No. In fact, it was just a facade ofposure, as internally, Count Catina incessantly cursed the ipetent mercenaries.

    These useless fools! How much silver have you lot gobbled up!

    Anyone who has yed strategy simtion games would understand.

    It''s human nature to curse when the unit you paid good money for isn''t pulling its weight.

    Fortunately, Count Catina''s feelings were incapable of influencing the distant battle in the slightest.

    What can you do just because you feel bad?

    Count Catina was neither amander nor a warrior.

    He was merely the financier and boss.

    The performance of the yers wouldn''t drop just because the boss was in a bad mood.

    Going there and causing a scene with his inability to fight could negatively impact the battle. But with Sir Diketo guarding him, such insanity was unlikely to happen.

    Thus, Count Catina decided not to get angry at all.

    It was a wise decision.

    Getting angry every time the fact that the mercenaries he hired for a good amount of money turned out to be a ragtag bunch could lead to losing his temperpletely.

    "..."

    Unlike Count Catina, who was forcefully suppressing his anger, Sir Diketo watched the battlefield with a seriousness unmatched by anyone else.

    His demeanor exuded the seasoned calm only an experienced knight could.

    Ian and Lucy had lost interest long ago.

    Initially, it was fascinating, but the melee became so chaotic that it was hard to tell what was happening.

    They merely guessed that their side was winning, simply because they had more numbers.

    "How does it look, Sir?"

    Seeing Sir Diketo''s serious expression, Ian asked the aged knight.

    "...The ck Knight."

    "What?"

    "That knight in ck armor... surely he must be from the easternnds of Baekguk."

    The ck Knight?

    Ian scanned the battlefield again.

    Indeed, there was a knight in notably ck armor.

    Sir Diketo seemed to have been watching this knight.

    "Wow. What''s that?"

    Ian, who noticed the ck Knight btedly, watched the knight''sbat as if mesmerized.

    And for good reason, as the ck Knight''s prowess was apparent even to Ian, who was ignorant of warfare.

    The ck Knight moved swiftly, sweeping away the surrounding soldiers with his sword.

    Count Catina''s knights charged at him, but they couldn''tst more than a dozen exchanges before surrendering.

    As Ian and Sir Diketo paid attention, Lucy and Count Catina also began to watch the ck Knight.

    And they were all astonished.

    "This knight, he fights too well?"

    Graham''s army showed just as muchbat power as expected.

    They fought well enough, but still, they were no match against sheer numbers.

    As evidence, the soldiers on the left and right nks were gradually being surrounded and defeated.

    However, the center, where the ck Knight was making his stand, was not the case.

    "It looks like he''s almost broken through the center by himself?"

    "...It does seem so."

    Ian had learned aboutbat through creative works.

    It means he knows nothing.

    If Ian had a gaming app or something, he might have learned something from all the war games he had watched and enjoyed, but Ian was just... an engineering student who loved to giggle in front of theputer.

    But, even to someone like Ian, the situation on the battlefield seemed strange.

    Yes.

    Strange was the most appropriate word.

    How could the center be slowly retreating while the left and right nks were gaining ground?

    These were things Ian had never seen in his knowledge of war (war stories).

    A hot wind blew.

    The hot, stuffy wind of the battlefield blew through Ian''s ck hair.

    Clearly, this was the heat of the battlefield.

    Ian, fixing his disheveled hair, asked Sir Diketo a question.

    "What happens if the center is breached?"

    "..."

    Around them, there was silence, not even the sound of insects.

    Only distant, desperate screams were the only noise.

    The sound of life extinguishing.

    Thest gasp that death itself exhales.

    ces just a sprint away were already turning into hellish roads.

    This was a medieval battlefield.

    "Next... it''s our turn."

    Lucy''s face turned pale.

    It wasn''t just Lucy.

    The Count''s guards.

    The few troops left to assist the Count also began to feel fear, smelling the scent of deathing from afar.

    "If the center retreats... the enemies will not chase the fleeing troops but will directly rush towards His Excellency the Count."

    "That''s likely, yes."

    A clear truth that even Ian could understand.

    What they wanted was the Count.

    Catching the Count would solve everything, as if rubbing a magicmp.

    "These... ipetent fools!"

    The Count finally burst out in anger.

    His noble anger was charismatic, heavy, and had the power to nauseate those around.

    However...

    Unfortunately, this was a battlefield.

    A ce ruled by force, not charisma.

    "Fight! Cowards! Idiots! Fight, I say! Did youe all this way to be killed like dogs by mere enemies! You fools of the world!"

    "Your Excellency! Stay calm!"

    Ian felt a slight chill as he looked into the Count''s fiercely gleaming eyes.

    This man... has he lost his mind?

    The Count, consumed by rage, shouted loudly.

    "Sir Diketo! You join the battle! Go and defeat that vile ck Knight from the east!"

    "Yes, Your Excellency!"

    Upon receiving the Count''s order, Sir Diketo immediately drew his sword.

    Though he had been relegated to guarding the Count due to being overshadowed by younger knights, Sir Diketo had noints until now.

    He had served Count Catina since his youth.

    The Count had taken in a knight errant with nowhere to go and had cherished and deployed him.

    Unlike other contract knights, he was a faithful vassal, virtually one with the Catina family.

    Now that Count Catina had given a direct order, Sir Diketo was prepared to follow it, no matter what that order was.

    "Mercenaries! Follow me! His Excellency the Count expects your valor!"

    As Sir Diketo mounted his horse, Ian couldn''t stand by and burst out.

    "Sir! What are you nning to do!"

    "By themand of His Excellency the Count, I will stop the enemies."

    "Alone? Against those madmen charging down like that?"

    Sir Diketo calmly replied.

    "I have been called by His Excellency, and I must act ording to the knight''s oath."

    Act? He must act?

    Ian looked around calmly.

    The center had gone beyond showing signs of copse and was steadily moving to the next stage.

    Meaning...

    It was alreadypletely destroyed.

    "Save meee!"

    "This, this monster! Get away from this battlefield... Argh!"

    "Run away! Just run!"

    "Go to the Count! We won''t chase!"

    Though defeated, most of the mercenaries who ran away managed to save their lives.

    The reason was... they threw the Count as bait!

    The mercenaries knew too well.

    Between their own lives, worth just a kill count of one, and the Count''s body, on which the entire oue depended, which was far more valuable.

    Numerous enemies.

    And those enemies, with their morale sky-high, were rushing towards the Count''s formation.

    Mouth dry, heart pounding madly.

    Ian thought.

    ...Are we supposed to stop that?

    Just because the Count gave the order?!

    "Sir Diketo!"

    Ian clung close to Sir Diketo and said.

    Unlike the sleazy knights, no better than gangsters, Sir Diketo was a person of character who knew the duty of a knight.

    Even during marches, he often became Ian''s conversation partner.

    He didn''t freak out at Ian''s magic, shouting, "That bastard is casting spells! Hang him!"

    But why should such a knight...

    Clean up the mess some idiot made!

    Especially with a mission as crazy as a suicide attempt!

    "Let''s retreat with the Count!"

    "If His Excellency retreats, what about the other soldiers?"

    "What are you looking for other soldiers for! If you have eyes, look! Our center, the knights, those damn bastards have screwed everything up!"

    "You! Do you not understand what retreat means!"

    Ian shouted.

    "I know! Even as a wizard, I understand that much! It means running away after losing! That we''re fleeing! But look! Sir Diketo! Do we...

    Look like we''re winning!"

    "..."

    Sir Diketo stubbornly shut his mouth.

    Really, for the first time in a long while.

    No, since he had arrived in this world...

    Ian felt genuine anger.

    He had never imagined the situation would get this twisted.

    The knights? As annoying as they were, Ian wasn''t about to step in and deal with them personally.

    Ian was neither a servant of the Count nor a servant of Baron Talian.

    This was someone else''s war.

    That''s why he had stayed out of it.

    No, to begin with, there wasn''t even a situation that suggested things would get tangled up.

    With a numerical advantage of two to one, how could anyone think they would lose!

    Victory was expected, and [sharing the spoils] was just being generous.

    But...

    That victory, which was supposed to be guaranteed, was screwed up by the knights...

    "Sir Diketo!"

    Then, a knight of the Count came running from afar.

    Seeing him, Ian was once again dumbfounded.

    There, aren''t you supposed to be a knight stationed in the center of our army?

    Then why the f*ck are you in front of me right now?

    "I''m ashamed to say we''ve lost! Beware of that knight in ck armor! He''s a monster!"

    ...The answer was simple.

    He was a knight fleeing in defeat.

    "You''re more shameless than a shameless bug. If you reincarnate, you''d do well as a politician."

    "...? What the f*ck are you babbling about! Insolent brat!"

    Surprisingly, the knight didn''t understand a word of Ian''s muttering.

    Because Ian had chosen his words carefully.

    However, the knight felt the nuance and thought Ian had uttered a curse in that elegant ancientnguage used only by wizards.

    "If the situation wasn''t urgent, I would''ve cut your tongue out!"

    "What? f*ck, are you mad? Go ahead and try! Do it! Right now!"

    "Stop! Both of you!"

    Sir Diketo shouted.

    "Sir Serg! Calm the soldiers and gather them! Time is of the essence!"

    "What about Sir Diketo?"

    "I have received His Excellency''smand. I will defeat that knight in ck armor."

    As soon as Sir Diketo finished speaking, the knight scoffed at him.

    "Ah. I see. Good luck with that."

    "Sir Serg. You too should join me!"

    "I will retreat with His Excellency the Count."

    "!"

    "Don''t make that face. We must survive to have another chance, right?"

    Before Sir Diketo could say anything more, Sir Serg had disappeared.

    In other words, he bolted.

    Even Ian was impressed by the knight''s phenomenal ability to flee.

    "Is that even allowed?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "The responsibility of a defeated knight... No, forget it. We''ll talk about itter!"

    Anyone familiar with the medieval social hierarchy knows.

    Knights are a middle status betweenmoners and nobles.

    It means they can pretty much do as they please, to an extent half that of nobles.

    If they haven''tpletely abandoned the battlefield but fled with the Count... they probably won''t be punished.

    "Wizard Ian. You too go back and protect His Excellency the Count and Baron Talian."

    "But..."

    Sir Diketo adjusted his helmet.

    He looked every bit the impable knight.

    "I''ll try to buy some time here."

    "Sir Diketo."

    "What are you doing? Hurry up and move."

    Just then, Lucy came to fetch Ian.

    "Ian! What are you doing there! The Count has decided to retreat! Hurry up!"

    "..."

    Sir Diketo and a few of his men mounted their horses and dashed away like an arrow.

    Everyone is loyal and willing to sacrifice their lives for the Count.

    At that moment.

    Wizard Ian threw himself onto the horse.

    "Ian?!"

    Lucy shouted in surprise.

    "Lucy! You go and run away with that rascal Serg or whatever! Ah, sh*t. Saying to go with a rascal doesn''t sound right!"

    "Ian, you!"

    Wizard Ian said.

    "I''ll retreat with Sir Diketo!"

    "What?!"

    He impulsively chose to apany Sir Diketo.

    There was no clear reason.

    Perhaps, he just didn''t want to stand by and watch the death of a knight he had be close to.

    But.

    Ian was sure.

    If they left Sir Diketo to go alone, there was a 100% chance of defeat, but.

    If a wizard could apply a bit of [trickery]...

    Maybe they could ovee this harsh trial.

    Like the wizards in old tales who aided knights.

    "Ian!"

    Lucy shouted.

    She saw.

    How serious the look in Wizard Ian''s eyes was.

    How sincere he was.

    She didn''t want to let Ian go like this.

    It would be a lie to say she wasn''t worried.

    She wanted to keep him by her side.

    But...Ian was nothing to Lucy.

    Neither a vassal nor a fianc.

    So, all she could do was wish him luck.

    Hopefully, they would meet again safely.

    "Forget it! Ian!"

    "Yeah! You too! Lucy!"

    Ian whispered thenguage of magic into the horse''s ear and sped off like the wind.

    "Sir Diketo!"

    Seeing Ian join him, Sir Diketo was surprised.

    "Ian? Why are you here?"

    "Why? When a wizard as heavy as I am offers to help, why do youin?"

    "It''s dangerous. I can''t guarantee your life!"

    "That''s not for you to worry about! I''m a wizard! I know a trick or two to save my own skin!"

    Amused by Ian''s indifferent and irresponsible tone, Sir Diketoughed.

    Even to Sir Diketo, who didn''t know Ian well, Ian was extremely entric.

    Ah! Such a mad mindset!

    Truly apetent wizard!

    "Of course! As the wizard says, how could I object!"

    The knight and the wizard rushed towards their enemies like arrows shot from a bow.

    Their target was.

    The ck Knight in ck armor.

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

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    Knight Serg was a f*cking thug.

    He was extraordinary from birth.

    Born a super heavyweight at 4.8kg, he quickly grew into a behemoth by shoving everything that moved into his mouth.

    If there''s such a thing as being born with a silver spoon in terms of gaining weight just by drinking water, Serg was definitely born with that spoon in his mouth.

    A human pig that gets fat just by drinking water.

    The Human Ham, Serg, was just fat and huge.

    From his childhood, Sergcked patience.

    When hungry, he ate; when sleepy, he slept.

    And if he wanted something, he had to have it.

    "Lady! Serg stole our kid''s bread again!"

    For heavyweight brat, Serg, there was nothing in the neighborhood he couldn''t take.

    Snatching snacks from peers was like putting a baby into submission.

    Twisting the wrists of little kids.

    Facingints from neighborhood mothers, Serg''s parents, instead of scolding him sternly just brushed it off because they were too annoyed to deal with it properly.

    "So what? Your kid is weak and lost his stuff, why me our Serg?"

    "What?"

    Like a true mother of a thug, Sergs mother already demonstrated thew of the jungle to him.

    She would have been greatly sessful if born in a demonic sect rather than in a medieval fantasy.

    Serg was deeply moved by his mothers principle of the survival of the fittest, which heter used efficiently to beat her up.

    "Oh dear! Serg! If you take all the bread, what will we do?"

    "The strong possess everything... Didnt you teach me that, mother?"

    "What kind of bullsh*t is that!"

    Big, burly, and fat, Serg showcased tremendous martial talent from a young age.

    Though it sounds grand, martial talent here isnt some divine gift as depicted in fantasies or martial arts stories.

    Its just... if you''re physically monstrous, thats martial talent.

    If a 100kg super behemoth pushes with his weight ss, how can anyone withstand that?

    Things might slightly change in the realm of professional fighting.

    And it changes again when you wield swords and spears.

    But even armed and armored, innate strength doesnt diminish.

    By 15, Serg had grown into a man who could beat up all the adults in the neighborhood.

    Thus, following the logic of survival of the fittest, he carved out his own destiny.

    I will be a knight.

    He started as a mercenary.

    He wielded weapons and killed people.

    Enemy des couldnt pierce Sergs thick belly fat.

    Spears and hammers were the same.

    Naturally, he became a famous mercenary.

    And at some point, Serg began calling himself a knight, and no one opposed him.

    Impatient, reveling in blood and plunder, indulging in gluttony and drunkenness, a madman...

    To anyone''s eyes, he was the perfect knight!

    "Wow! Look at that stature! How strong must one be to have such a bulky body!"

    Serg was arrogant.

    In most situations, he didn''t know defeat, and on the rare asions he did experience defeat, he disregarded those experiences.

    Like now.

    ''We almost won... What a waste.''

    Serg clicked his tongue.

    Victory was within reach but it was all ruined because of some weird ck Knight.

    Though it might be of little constion, Serg was thest bastion of the Count''s forces.

    Regardless of his personality, he truly was a knight skilled inbat.

    As Serg retreated, the front line copsed uncontrobly.

    Numerous soldiers died because of Serg''s retreat... but that was irrelevant to him.

    Because to Serg, the lives of soldiers were so trivial they couldn''t be counted as ''life'' by his standards!

    Nobles, priests, wizards, knights... they were human.

    Commoners? Farmers? Soldiers?

    Experience points.

    Money bags.

    Farming mobs that spit out money and EXP when hit.

    By the way, EXP stands for Execution Points.

    umting EXP means bing a heartless monster who can unlock the massacre route.

    So, despite the deaths of many soldiers, Serg didn''t care at all.

    He was only thinking about how to save the Count and escape.

    ''As long as we have the Count, we can start over.''

    In Serg''s eyes, the Count, Lucy, everyone was just a money shuttle, a soldier shuttle.

    "Over here!"

    "This way! The Count is over here!"

    Though they tried hard to escape, the Count''s party was eventually caught by the pursuing troops.

    Well.

    How fast can nobles run, after all?

    "Count Your Excellency. Do not worry. I will protect this ce!"

    "Oh! Sir Serg!"

    Amidst the enemies swarming in, Serg stood valiantly in front of them.

    "I am Serg of Gus! As long as I live, you shall noty a finger on His Excellency!"

    The soldiers flinched at Serg''s roar.

    A knight of tremendous stature blocked their way.

    "Serg of Gus?"

    "Who''s that?"

    A pursuing soldier whispered.

    It was proof that Serg''s name was not yet known.

    But if he keeps making his name known, he might one day be a star knight recognized by someone.

    "Stop talking nonsense and hand over the Count!"

    A soldier charged at Serg.

    Serg calmly swung his mace and struck the soldier''s head.

    "Be quiet!"

    Bang!

    The soldier copsed, trembling, his brain scrambled by the concussion.

    The look in the enemy soldiers'' eyes changed.

    This knight, just like his stature, has incredible strength!

    "Those who want to die,e at me!"

    Serg shouted excitedly.

    He realized now was his time to reign as king.

    But the enemies didn''t pursue without a n.

    "Bring out the crossbows!"

    "Yes!"

    The pursuers took out the crossbows they had prepared in advance.

    Some authors call them arbalests, but while arbalest has a nice ring to it, it''s actually a bow that shoots stones.

    The crossbow, or the mechanical bow known as the arbalest, is exactly this crossbow.

    Serg''splexion turned pale at the sight of the crossbows.

    And he screamed at the top of his lungs.

    "You cowardly bastards! How dare you aim a beast-hunting bow at an honorable knight! If you''re men, fight me fair and square!"

    In medieval melee, a knight is a monster.

    Sturdy armor! Heavy armament!

    A knight armed with dense chainmail and a shield is an unstoppable killing machine.

    However...

    Historically, monsters were weak to bows.

    Knights were no exception.

    "Fire!"

    The crossbows simultaneously shot their bolts.

    "Wait, wait! I surrender! I surren...!"

    Serg hastily raised his shield and shouted, but it was toote.

    By bringing the crossbows, the enemies had already dered they had no intention of taking Serg alive.

    They meant to kill him.

    It would have been different if he were a knight from a famous family...

    But the name of a butcher turned killer of human origin was still insignificant.

    Serg fell to the barrage of bolts.

    "You dared to kill our brothers."

    One spat on the ground.

    Unlike the hastily assembled Count''s forces, Graham''s army had many close-knit members.

    They had disliked Serg ever since he joyfully farmed them for experience points.

    "Now! Count! It''s time to surrender..."

    Leaving Serg, who had kneeled down, behind, the soldiers tried to approach the Count.

    They thought Serg was at least incapacitated, if not dead.

    ...But that was a gross underestimation of Serg''s body fat.

    "Whoa, whoa!"

    Serg, with bolts sticking all over him, resembling a giant cactus, suddenly stood up!

    "Insane!"

    "Is that even human!"

    The enemy soldiers cursed and aimed their crossbows at him again.

    It was an action they shouldn''t have taken.

    "Wait! The Count is behind him...!"

    Unlike the calm first volley, the second was chaotic.

    Especially since Serg was charging at them.

    "No! Don''t shoot! The Count will get hit!"

    Although someone shouted, following that order was impossible.

    With a half-orc warrior, a human-pig hybrid, charging at them, how could they abandon their only means of resistance, the crossbow?

    As soon as the crossbows appeared, the Count''splexion also turned pale.

    "Sir Serg! Protect me!"

    Even though he was in the midst of fleeing, the Count believed he wouldn''t die.

    He was the one who had started the war, but he wouldn''t die?

    It was strange, but to the nobility, it was the natural order of things.

    They had to capture the Count first, to negotiate or steal Lucy, right?

    So, naturally, the Count had to live.

    However... if crossbows appeared, it was a different story.

    Those were clearly not ''capture'' equipment.

    They were meant for killing.

    Wooden bolts wouldn''t recognize the nobility of one''s status and spare the Count!

    "Ooooooh!"

    The best-case scenario would have been for Serg toe to his senses and protect the Count.

    However, Serg, who was already irrational, had suffered injuries and was half out of his mind, making it impossible for him to make a rational decision.

    Driven mad by pain, Serg charged at the enemies.

    And at that very moment, as the Count cursed and tried to get out of the crossbow''s line of fire.

    Ping!

    A soldier''s crossbow fired.

    Serg ducked to dodge the bolt.

    The arrow, having lost its intended target...

    Embedded itself deeply in the Count''s neck.

    "!"

    "!"

    "!"

    "Uncle!"

    Lucy screamed.

    As if time had stopped, everyone was in shock.

    "Wh... what?"

    "Damn it!"

    The Count''s escort became flustered and fled.

    Serg, already berserk, was busy ughtering the soldiers.

    Only Lucy ran towards the fallen Count.

    The soldiers, fighting off a monster in human skin, had no time to check on the Count''s condition.

    "Uncle... Uncle!"

    Lucy was soon crying hot tears.

    No matter how many times she spoke to the Count, he could only gurgle, unable to say anything.

    He couldn''t even leave ast will.

    "Uncle"

    Lucy felt a deep sorrow looking at the fallen Count.

    The Count, who had led his army with the sole intention of helping her...

    To think he would die like this.

    "I''m sorry..."

    Lucy sobbed.

    The Count''s death felt like her fault.

    If she hadn''t asked for help, the Count wouldn''t have had to die...

    Meanwhile, the battle between the pursuers and Serg continued.

    Thud!

    The one who fell was Serg.

    It was inevitable.

    It was remarkable he could move at all after being hit by so many bolts.

    The soldiers who had barely subdued Serg discovered the Count was already dead and sighed.

    "This is bad!"

    Things had gone terribly wrong.

    The Count was supposed to be captured alive, but it was toote for regrets.

    It was unavoidable.

    If they hadn''t shot the crossbows, they would have been the ones to die.

    The pursuers moved to secure Lucy as well.

    But then...

    "[Darkness!]"

    Lucy''s eyes snapped open.

    This voice. And this unknownnguage...!

    "Ian!"

    It was the wizard Ian.

    The already dim forest became engulfed in darkness summoned by Ian, making it impossible to see anything.

    The sound of hooves echoed.

    And someone lifted Lucy onto a horse.

    In that moment...

    Though his face was not visible.

    The touch of the hands holding her made Lucy''s heart race like crazy.

    It was a strange sensation she had never felt before.

    "Lucy! What about the Count!"

    "...He''s gone!"

    "I really f*cking hate this! sh*t!"

    The horse quickly emerged from the darkness.

    Only then could Lucy see the face of Ian, who was holding her and steering the horse forward.

    "We''ve got a ck Knight on our tail right now!"

    "A ck Knight?"

    "Yes! We need to shake him off, so let''s head to the river!"

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

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    Riding alongside Diketo, Ian shouted to him as the enemies approached.

    "Sir Diketo! I will buy us some time!"

    "What?"

    The enemies, their morale high, were charging at them.

    In contrast, the subordinates of Sir Diketo, looking like they were heading to their deaths, charged weakly back.

    It was obvious without looking.

    They were going to be torn apart like a shack hit by a flood.

    That was a clear path to a dog''s death.

    The Count wouldn''t have sent his cherished subordinates to their deaths.

    It must have been amand given in desperation, or perhaps they were sent to simply buy time.

    And Ian''s judgment was correct.

    If Sir Diketo bought Count Catina and Lucy time to escape, it would be enough.

    Upon reflection, Sir Diketo realized that Ian was right.

    Knights, who knew nothing but brawling, could only foolishly block enemies with their bodies.

    But wizards were different.

    If a wizard was the enemy, they''d foam at the mouth eximing, "That bastard is using wicked sorcery!"

    If on the same side, they''d say, "Ha-ha. The wizard''s magic is truly mysterious and wonderful!"

    "But how can you alone stop them?"

    "It''s impossible to stop them. But I can buy us time."

    "...As far as I know, the more powerful the magic, the longer it takes to cast."

    Sir Diketo''s words weremon sense.

    The more powerful the magic, the more it required a process of ''appeasing'' the mysteries.

    Whether through bribery or lip service, one needed to perform actions that would please the mysteries.

    It was like a fantastic talent show.

    Pleased by the show, the mysteries would lend their significant power.

    That was the essence of magical rituals andrge-scale magic.

    "But I have orders from His Excellency..."

    "Sir Diketo."

    Ian spoke calmly.

    "Rushing in blindly without understanding your lord''s intentions and getting caught by the enemy is, dare I say, a disgrace to a knight."

    "!"

    Sir Diketo looked shocked.

    "A disgrace? What do you mean...!"

    "Do you truly believe His Excellency wishes for you to defeat the ck knight?"

    Ian shouted with apelling voice.

    A wizard''s voice carried power because they were ustomed to conveying their ''will'' to the mysteries.

    Unaware that he was essentially hypnotizing Sir Diketo, Ian earnestly continued.

    "We cannot afford to lose Sir Diketo just to capture a mere ck knight!"

    "That... A mere ck knight? I am not the grand knight you think I am..."

    "That''s what you think, Sir Diketo! Do you still not realize how much Count Catina cherishes you? He considers you equal, no, more significant than that ck knight!"

    "!!!"

    Sir Diketo, caught in Ian''s hypnotic... no,pelling voice, was mesmerized.

    Upon hearing it, that was indeed the case.

    "His Excellency told me to defeat the ck knight, right? Then that means... I''m on the same level as the ck knight, or even higher, right?"

    The fact that he had been pushed aside by the younger ones to take on the role of an escort had long since vanished.

    Sir Diketo, moved by his lord''s consideration for him, burst into hot tears.

    "Sniff...! Then, my lord considers me...!"

    "Yes. You are not meant to fall here. Please go back and stay by the side of Serg or whatever his name is. I''m worried sick leaving that bastard alone.

    I''ll take care of things here."

    "Understood! Ian! I will not forget your sacrifice!"

    "Hey, who are you treating like a dead man? Do I look like I''m going to die here?"

    Sir Diketo turned his horse around, intending to return to the Count''s side.

    "Your Excellency! I''m off! The disloyal knight Diketo is going!"

    ''... I hope he doesn''t get scolded foring back like this.''

    Ian shook his head.

    The way he was returning was just absurd.

    A significant number of the enemies had already disappeared into the forest.

    It wasn''t just a matter of stopping the ck knight.

    Perhaps Sir Diketo returning at the right timing could turn out to be a rescue.

    Ian stopped talking and looked at the enemies.

    The enemy soldiers, charging with high spirits.

    And in the middle, the ck knight charging proudly.

    "..."

    Ian was uncertain if this would work, but decided to proceed with the n anyway.

    Taking a deep breath, Ian...

    Pulled out a scroll from his bosom.

    It was the magic scroll gifted by the Count.

    ---

    ---

    "Sir, look over there."

    Following the direction pointed out by the soldier, the ck knight hesitated.

    The entrance to the forest.

    On a barren in with only sporadic short grass, a man on a horse stood blocking their way.

    "What''s that?"

    Both the ck knight and his soldiers tilted their heads, unable to figure out the identity of this man.

    ck hair. ck eyes.

    A man in a traveler''s robe.

    The peculiar thing was... he was riding a horse while holding a staff?

    "Uh..."

    Ian''s appearance on the battlefield was truly peculiar.

    He just looked like aplete lunatic.

    I mean, no armor, no shield, not even a single sword, just holding a staff?

    Is the staff a weapon?

    Why would he bring that?

    Under normal circumstances, they might have thought, "What''s with this lunatic?" and moved on...

    But the soldiers felt a chilly unease sweeping over their lower bellies.

    Just as in martial arts, one is advised to beware of women, children, and the elderly...

    In this medieval fantasy world, there''s a saying to beware of lunatics.

    Specifically, those who appear to be lunatics.

    Because you never know if they''re genuinely insane or if you''vee into contact with something beyond humanprehension.

    That''s right.

    A wizard.

    If you encounter someone on the battlefield who looks like a lunatic...

    The chances are very, very high that they''re a wizard.

    "A wizard... could it be?"

    "..."

    The ck knight affirmed with his silence.

    The soldiers swallowed nervously.

    At a nce, the wizard''s skill seemed to be no ordinary feat.

    Wow... Crazy.

    Is he standing there alone, nning to block all the enemies by himself?

    How skilled he must be...!

    Indeed.

    In a world where the rumor that a crazy wizard equals a first-ss wizard spread asmon sense, like some urban legend, to the soldiers, Ian, standing alone against the enemies, was someone incredible.

    "Sir... shall we charge?"

    A soldier asked.

    Honestly, they didn''t want to mess with him.

    Who would want to dive headfirst into a time bomb, clearly ticking right in front of them?

    The only person they could rely on at such a time was their knight.

    The ck knight was considered on par with a bus driver or a substitute driver.

    "Prepare the crossbows."

    The ck knight chose the universally cheaty crossbow, a cowardly choice.

    You think the enemy is strong?

    Yep. Crossbows~

    Just shoot bolts from afar, and they can''t do anything, right?

    The soldiers were as happy as kids upon hearing themand for crossbows.

    "We''ll prepare right away!"

    However, this was a clear misjudgment.

    They should have just charged in blindly to confuse Ian.

    While they were dilly-dallying preparing the crossbows, Ian began to read from the scroll without hesitation.

    After the preamble of sweet-talking the mysteries, the main text appeared with a warning, ''I''m about to speak rudely, okay?''

    "[And thus! The highest wind of the heavens, listen!]"

    As Ian recited the spell, the enemies were confused.

    They couldn''t understand a word of it.

    "The crossbows! How far are the crossbows!"

    "Coming now!"

    "[Having debated the existence of the thousand-year pact! Oh, great wind! Storm that tears the sky! In the name of the wizard Antrika! Reveal thyself!]"

    Ian also saw the enemies fidgeting and plotting something.

    Without hesitation, Ian tore the scroll.

    That moment.

    Kwaaaaarrrrr!

    "!!!"

    The soldiers, all at once, ducked.

    As if they were going to dive into the ground.

    "Th, thunder?!"

    As Ian finished reading the ''giant wind'' scroll...

    Suddenly, thunder began to roar out of the clear sky!

    But that wasn''t all.

    The wind started blowing crazily, shaking everything on the ground.

    The crossbows were no exception.

    Ping!

    ''Those f*cking bastards!''

    Realizing that someone had shot an arrow, Ian was immediately pissed off.

    Thanks to the wind, it was a relief he wasn''t hit; otherwise, he would have been treated to an exciting medieval medical ss.

    "[Oh, storm that tears the sky!]"

    Ian called the name of the mystery he had summoned with the scroll.

    Now, if only he could borrow the power of that mystery...!

    Kwaaaaarrrrr!

    [To invoke the name of Antrika! What kind of goddamned son of a b*tch iiiis this!]

    Kwaaaang!

    "Arghhh!"

    Deafening noise.

    And then...

    Lightning bolts striking down towards the earth!

    "...Wow."

    Ian was at a loss for words.

    That mystery...

    Was it even in a state tomunicate?

    It was f*cking pissed!

    Not just Ian, but the ck knight and the soldiers had also lost their ability to speak.

    As soon as the wizard began to chant...

    Lightning fell from a clear sky!

    [Never mention that name in front of me again! I might just kill youuuu!]

    "[S-sorry, Mr. Storm. That wasn''t what I meant...]"

    Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

    Not quite sure what was happening...

    But it was clear that standing around would be a perfect way to get struck by lightning and die.

    Ian immediately tried to throw in an apology  a dogezabo to the [Mystery - Storm that Splits the Sky].

    With many eyes on him, he managed to do the apology...

    And Ian felt a chill down his spine.

    That thing, it waspletely insane...

    It was clear that this was a mystery of the highest level, something Ian could not handle.

    Ian vowed never to speak to that mystery again, no matter what.

    Mess around without understanding your ce, and you''ll get struck by lightning~

    The anger of the mystery was one of themon signs for a wizard.

    "[Excuse me, I''m sorry. I was just reading what was written here...]"

    [If you''re done reading, then get lost!]

    "[Yes! This has been Wizard Ian!]"

    As Ian finished speaking, the lightning stopped.

    ''Sh*t, was the scroll defective?''

    Ian was about to curse the Count who had gifted him the magic scroll, but he stopped himself.

    An ancient mystery.

    Ian should have been more cautious and approached with care.

    [Achievement Unlocked!]

    [You have witnessed an ancient mystery and survived!]

    [You survived well! Lucky you!]

    [Bonus Skill Points: +500!]

    Despite the pouring in of bonus skill points, Ian had no mind to care for that.

    There was still something important left.

    Ian looked around.

    Kneeling... bowing...?

    ''...Huh?''

    Distracted by apologizing to the incredibly furious mystery.

    Numerous soldiers were, instead of Ian, prostrating themselves to the sky.

    Ian realized.

    Ah! They''re prostrating on my behalf!

    You guys are such nice friends!

    ...Of course, that wasn''t the case, they just freaked out and bowed their heads because the lightning was striking like crazy.

    The only person standing on the in was the ck knight.

    ''What''s with him?''

    Did he faint while standing?

    If not, he was a knight with an incredibly strong constitution.

    ''Whatever happened... this is an opportunity!''

    Quickly, Ian assessed the situation.

    He thought the scroll was to summon wind, but it turned out to summon lightning instead.

    Whoever made it, the mystery started freaking out like someone had pressed its berserk button as soon as it heard the name mentioned in the scroll.

    So, he hurriedly calmed it down and ended the conversation...

    Although Ian didn''t kill anyone with the lightning, people were scared stiff.

    Being somewhat of a local, Ian understood why.

    Lightning = Wrath of the heavens...!

    It''s a keyword of Heaven''s Faith!

    "Foolish ones! Listen!"

    Not quite sure what was going on, Ian didn''t miss the opportunity.

    He immediately started acting like a wizard.

    That is... he started bbing.

    "Today, witnessing your battle! The great souls in the heavens have be terribly angry!"

    "Eeeek!"

    "How could this be!"

    The soldiers, originally prostrating, trembled and looked up at Ian as if he were an apostle called by the heavens.

    Suddenly, the genre changed from a chase to Passion of the Christ[1].

    The enemies buried their heads in the ground, repenting for sins they hadn''tmitted.

    "Oh! Oh heavens! Great heavens!"

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry..."

    ''...It''s working well.''

    Religion truly is the only drug permitted by the state...

    Ian thought idly to himself as he continued to shout.

    Although he was a wizard by profession, it seemed his oratory skills were what truly flourished.

    What kind of wizard spends all day giving speeches?

    "Those who follow the immoral Graham shall receive divine punishment! That is the message whispered to me by the heavens!"

    "Oh!"

    "...But still, to betray our leader..."

    Graham''s army was in turmoil.

    If anyone could witness lightning striking out of a clear sky and remain calm, they''d be the abnormal one.

    The ck knight was that abnormal one.

    ''That should be enough.''

    Having achieved the goal of tying up the enemy''s legs, albeit in a rather noisy manner, Ian didn''t hesitate to turn around.

    Even if they followed Ian, real divine punishment wouldn''t strike them.

    After all, the whole thing was a show staged by Ian.

    Before his lie was exposed, Ian needed to move quickly.

    "If you fear the wrath of the heavens! Do not even dare approach this forest!"

    "Yes, yes!"

    "We will remember!"

    Ian hurriedly rode off, returning to the Count''s side.

    The soldiers, having heard Ian''s... no, the holy will of the heavens, would surely fear the forest.

    But those who had entered the forest first would still be causing trouble.

    Ian needed to regroup with Lucy before they caused any incidents.

    ---

    ---

    After Ian disappeared into the forest.

    The steadfast ck knight finally spoke.

    "It''s a trick."

    "...What?"

    Ian had hurled insults at the ck knight, suggesting he had fainted while standing or worse.

    But the ck knight had neither fainted nor wet himself.

    He had caught Ian tearing the scroll.

    The lightning that struck.

    And for a brief moment, Ian''s awkward voice.

    ''It didn''t feel like intended magic.''

    The ck knight''s insight was urate.

    It was a post-medieval level of logical thinking.

    "The battle isn''t over yet. Follow the wizard."

    When everyone else was too scared to continue the fight, the ck knight did not give up.

    "But...! The punishment from the heavens...!"

    "If I am indeedmitting an unjust act, then I shall be struck by lightning and die immediately."

    The ck knight said this and stepped into the forest.

    Lightning... did not strike.

    "???"

    Graham''s army was still in disarray.

    However, a few soldiers still followed Ian.

    The ck knight was one of them.

    ---

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 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "Kraak!"

    [Master! Someone is following us.]

    "A knight?"

    [What''s a knight?]

    "Are they wearing armor?"

    [What''s armor?]

    "You birdbrained idiot!"

    No matter how smart Oberon the crow was among birds, he hadn''t fully grasped the human way of life yet.

    However, having apanied the Santiago Knights before, exining what a knight was wasn''t hard.

    [It was a human as beautifully ck as you and me, master!]

    "...Must be the ck Knight."

    Ian easily deduced that the pursuer was a ck Knight.

    Honestly, he was surprised.

    He never thought a medieval person would ignore religious pressures to chase after Ian.

    "They said he was from Baekguk... Don''t they believe in the Church of Heaven''s Faith there?"

    If he was a heretic, it would exin it.

    The pursuit continued, but nothing changed.

    Ian hurried his horse to join the fleeing count.

    "Damn...!"

    And Ian saw it.

    A knight getting hunted down like a beast, taking arrows.

    And...

    In that chaos, he also saw the count fall!

    Ian easily found Lucy near the count, sobbing.

    "[Darkness!]"

    Summoning darkness to envelop the surroundings, Ian swiftly grabbed Lucy and ran.

    "Lucy! The count!"

    "...He''s gone!"

    "I really f*cking hate this! S*ht!"

    Lucy confirmed the kill.

    The count was dead.

    ''What the hell is going on?''

    Ian was confused.

    His knowledge about war was solely from movies and games.

    In those, themanders always won, and never showed what to do when fleeing or losing.

    Thus, Ian found the concept of defeat extremely foreign.

    ''But...''

    Ian nced at Lucy, who was trembling.

    The count was dead.

    However, another noble was by Ian''s side.

    Lucy Talian.

    If she remained alive, she could be another focal point.

    Ian decided to focus on the immediate situation.

    For now, he would concentrate on safely rescuing Lucy.

    "We''ve got the ck Knight on our tail!"

    "The ck Knight?"

    "Yes! We need to shake him off, so let''s head to the river!"

    But Ian had no time.

    The shouts of the pursuers were already close behind.

    "Stop! Wizard!"

    "...This is insane!"

    Ian gritted his teeth and spurred his horse.

    Getting caught by the ck Knight meant the end.

    Looking back, the ck Knight and his men were quickly closing in.

    Specifically, they were targeting Lucy, who was with Ian.

    ''Really persistent!''

    Regardless of anything else, the ck Knight''s tenacity was admirable.

    Single-handedly carrying Graham''s army on his back.

    "No use running! Don''t waste time and just surrender!"

    It was the most crucial moment, where the oue of the war hung in the bnce.

    Ian didn''t stop.

    "Just a bit more...!"

    Ian''s horse leaped forward, racing through the rough trail until a wide, shallow river appeared.

    Ian stopped his horse on the riverbank and looked back at his pursuers.

    The pursuers also stopped, because Ian wanted to talk.

    "I won''t mince words. Hand over Talian. Wizard."

    The ck Knight said, his voice low and resonant.

    Ian mocked the ck Knight.

    "I wonder how much that bastard who hired you is paying. Do you not know your employer is the scum of the earth?"

    Ian''s taunting made the soldiers bristle.

    Because Ian spoke the truth.

    "What wrong has our captain done!"

    "Yeah! It''s Talian''s own damn fault! That bastard had iting! Our captain did nothing wrong!"

    Ian felt Lucy trembling behind him.

    To be brutally honest... it was hard to say Baron Talian was entirely meless.

    Actually, it was more like the Baron had tried to use Graham and it backfired.

    But in this medieval fantasy world where war is the norm, does distinguishing right from wrong really matter?

    The victor is justice.

    So, the goal was to proim justice, and winning takes care of the rest.

    "Hey, Miss Talian. Go ahead and give them a piece of your mind."

    Upon Ian''s cue, Lucy, who had been quivering, screamed out.

    "Shut up, you lowlifes! Graham killed my parents and stole mynd! Such a person deserves to die!"

    Ian looked sternly at the ck Knight.

    "Did you hear that? A usurper is a bastard among bastards, killing innocent nobles and forcefully taking theirnd. Is it worth fighting for such a person?"

    "..."

    Ian waited for the ck Knight''s response with bated breath.

    In war, justification was an incredibly important element.

    It was directly tied to the essentialponent of ''will to conduct war''.

    Why should we fight?

    Why should we bleed?

    Without answers to these, humans cannot fight properly.

    Saying, "I will fight for all the children of thisnd!" sounded heroic.

    But saying, "I will fight for all the pedophiles of thisnd!" would just make one look foolish.

    Ian posed the question: Even knowing your employer is a dishonorable scoundrel, will you continue to fight?

    "Has Graham done you a favor?"

    After a moment of silence, the ck Knight answered.

    "No. I was merely employed by chance."

    "Then you have no loyalty to uphold?"

    The ck Knight slowly shook his head.

    "I am a frencer. Wizard."

    "...?"

    Whether you''re a sried employee or a frencer is none of my business.

    That''s what Ian thought as he shook his head.

    The ck Knight exined that by frencer, he didn''t mean an unaffiliated professional but a knight who sells his force of arms here and there.

    Indeed, the term frencer originated from words describing such wandering knights.

    "I''ve been paid, so until the job is done, Graham is my lord."

    "Sh*t, then how are you any different from a mercenary?"

    "... Not much, really. I just act in a way that doesn''t shame myself."

    The ck Knight''s answer was clear.

    ''Yeah~ after all, we won''t see each other once the job is done~ I''m just here for the money~''

    Now, it was evident that his mindset was that of a frencer through and through.

    The ck Knight, a professional frencer of the medieval age, pointed his spear coldly and warned.

    "This is yourst warning. Hand over Talian and back off."

    Ian smirked and responded.

    "And if I refuse?"

    "...Why? Has Talian done you a favor? Do you have a reason to risk your life for that woman?"

    "My reason is the same as yours. I''m after something I''m owed."

    "Hmm. Is that so?"

    The ck Knight seemed to understand Ian''s words well.

    Being a frencer himself, he might have had a good grasp of a fellow frencer''s heart.

    The ck Knight took a stance to throw his spear.

    Having the same stance meant they were willing to risk death for their goals.

    Although there were no personal feelings involved, the ck Knight was ready to kill Ian if it meant securing Lucy.

    However, Ian acted faster.

    "Then!"

    Ian pped his hands sharply.

    ''Damn! Another spell?''

    The ck Knight immediately tensed his arm.

    He intended to kill the wizard before any magic could be cast.

    But Ian had anticipated something like a spear throw.

    "[Run wild!]"

    When Ian shouted in thenguage of magic forcefully, the pursuers'' horses started going berserk!

    Neigh!

    "Ah, aahhh!"

    The ck Knight gave up aiming and barely managed to jump off his horse.

    "What trickery!"

    Ian, a Level 3 summoner, easily transmitted his will to the horses, making it easy to dismount the riders.

    The pursuers sshed into the river, falling from their horses.

    Though the river was shallow, it was deep enough to wet their calves.

    Even though they''d fallen off their horses, if they hurried, they could still kill the wizard...!

    But Ian''s magic didn''t stop there.

    Ian consecutively uttered in thenguage of magic.

    "[O river!]"

    The river and Ian had been aware of each other''s existence for some time.

    As soon as Ian addressed it, the river dly responded to the wizard''s call.

    [I''ve been waiting. Human. You are a seeker of mysteries.]

    Though the river was eager to engage in a deep conversation with Ian, he had no time.

    Fortunately, being an ancient mystery, the river easily understood Ian''s urgent feelings.

    [Those beings are causing you distress, aren''t they? Right?]

    "[Sweep them away!]"

    [Yes. Let''s push those away first and then talk.]

    Whoosh!

    The ck Knight and his pursuers were horrified.

    As soon as the wizard''s spell wasplete, the river began to wriggle like a living creature!

    "Please, save us!"

    The river water, like a giant slime, gathered together and engulfed the pursuers, pushing them far downstream.

    Watching the pursuers being swept away, Ian was amazed.

    Wow. That looks so fun.

    A water slide in the ins? Can''t miss out on this!

    Had the pursuers known Ian''s thoughts, they would have been furious, but fortunately, they were not mind readers.

    "You did great, Ian!"

    After sweeping away the pursuers with magic, Lucy praised Ian with great joy.

    However, Ian had no time to attend to Lucy.

    He needed to express his gratitude to the river that lent him its power.

    The river, a curious being, asked Ian various questions, and Ian ended up spending quite a lot of time dealing with it.

    By the time Ian left the river, the sun had already begun to set.

    Ian decided to spend the night outdoors and look for the count''s mercenaries once day broke.

    As Ian went to fetch some water, he stumbled upon a few corpses on the riverbank.

    "..."

    They were the pursuers Ian had swept away with the river water.

    After all, unlike water slides from the thoroughly tested modern world, medieval fantasy water slides didn''t guarantee the safety of their riders...

    Some water slides could only be ridden once, and Ian''s water slide was just like that.

    Ian was praying for the souls of the pursuers when he discovered the ck Knight.

    Up close, the armor was truly pitch ck.

    Whether it was made of a unique metal or had undergone special treatment was unclear.

    However, since armor was a precious and expensive item, leaving it would surely invite thieves.

    But if someone was going to steal it anyway... wouldn''t it be better if Ian took it?

    Roaming the medieval fantasy world had taught him well.

    Wizard or not, having armor was always beneficial.

    You never knew when some lunatic might swing a sword at you.

    The problem was that it was so ck it stood out too much.

    But it was better than having none.

    ''...It''s a bit small though.''

    When Ian tried to remove the armor, it was smaller than he expected.

    The ck Knight was slightly smaller in stature than Ian, which was undersized by the standards of this medieval fantasy world.

    ''Can I fit into it?''

    Ian was half worried, half hopeful as he removed the ck Knight''s armor.

    If it didn''t fit, he figured he could sell it to Lucy.

    While thinking this, Ian was startled as he removed the ck Knight''s helmet.

    "...?"

    The sight of long, blond hair springing out from the helmet was too unexpected.

    Had he heard right about the knight being from the East?

    Could it be they didn''t cut their hair because of Confucian beliefs?

    Upon seeing the ck Knight''s face, Ian''s every question was answered, and at the same time, he was astounded.

    ''A woman?!''

    The ck Knight was a woman.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Just as there are brigademanders and battalionmanders in the military, there are female and male knights among knights.

    The existence of female knights wasn''t strange.

    This was a medieval fantasy world, after all, and there was now saying women couldn''t be knights.

    But the reason Ian was surprised was because ''she'', the ck knight, was a woman.

    The owner of tremendous martial prowess, who had crushed the central forces of the Count''s army and charged into enemy lines to kill the Count!

    ...But why a woman?

    It wasn''t that Ian was sexist.

    It was a matter of biological characteristics.

    It''s a scientific fact that men are generally stronger and have greater physical capabilities than women.

    Being a knight is a profession that can be said to be the pinnacle of physical utilization, and among them, a woman who stood out for her exceptional strength was nothing short of admirable.

    There was a character like this, far away in France, the protagonist of a famous novel, [Joan of Arc].

    It was a novel with a gloomy, busty, beautiful young female protagonist who received God''s grace and swept away the English army.

    The author was... someone called Earth, or something like that.

    Thanks to the overwhelming credibility and name value of the author, the absurd content of that novel was called [History] and even taught in schools.

    Anyway.

    Ian nodded, recalling the existence of Joan of Arc.

    That author, who ate usibility for breakfast, would often throw out crazy, far-fetched settings when bored.

    A world where a blonde, beautiful young female knight ys an active role could exist anywhere.

    ...The problem was that this world was unfolding right in front of his eyes.

    Ian sped his hands together and prayed for the blonde, beautiful young knight''s soul.

    If she had been alive, he would have liked to hear the whole story.

    It was a bit disappointing since she was already dead.

    ...Or so he thought.

    "Cough."

    "???"

    The ck knight spit out a mouthful of water and made a pained expression.

    Ian was shocked.

    A corpse was coughing!

    "...No, that''s not it."

    Ian came to his senses.

    It looked like a corpse, but it wasn''t actually a corpse.

    The ck knight was alive.

    For now.

    If he didn''t make her spit out all the river water, she would truly die.

    Ian immediately took action.

    cing his hands on the chest of the ck knight, Ian forcefully pressed on her abdomen to make her vomit out the water that was in her stomach.

    While saving the ck knight, Ian thought.

    Was it really okay to save her?

    Just like how one''s mindset changes when entering and leaving a bathroom.

    Even if she would be grateful for Ian saving her life, she might try to kidnap Lucy again.

    But it was a needless worry.

    The solution was simple.

    Ian took out a rope and tied up the hands and feet of the ck knight.

    Not for outdoor bondage y... but obviously so that she wouldn''t be able to move.

    Surely she wasn''t an ogre in human form who could break free from the restraints with sheer strength.

    Before long, the ck knight regained consciousness.

    "Are you awake?"

    "...?"

    The ck knight, struggling to grasp the situation while alternating nces between her bound hands and feet and Ian, suddenly screamed out loud.

    "You... you! My, my armor...!"

    "I took it off."

    "!!!"

    Ian wondered for a moment if it would have been better to leave the armor on.

    The ck knight''s appearance was a bit...

    No, significantly indecent.

    She was dressed in a short, thin cloth top, practically a sleeveless shirt, and simrly thin cloth pants.

    Both were soaked with water, revealing her skin embarrassingly through the fabric.

    It was possible to see the cloth wrapped around her chest and her undergarments below with the naked eye.

    If Ian had been the type to be easily tempted, he might have impulsively touched the ck knight.

    But Ian was not Sung Yu-jin[1].

    "I don''t trust you, so I disarmed you."

    Ian''s exnation made sense logically, but not emotionally.

    The ck knight''s face turned red with embarrassment.

    She knew too well the state she was in.

    "To be seen by the enemy in such a state...!"

    The ck knight, her expression stained with shame, red at Ian and spat out as if humiliated.

    "Kill me!"

    "???"

    Ian doubted his ears.

    Did she really just say ''that line''?

    It was as if the female knights of creative worlds were connected by an invisible thread.

    He never imagined he would witness a female knight in a medieval fantasy world spout "Kill me!" in real time.

    Surely there wasn''t a handbook of norms that female knights had to recite when captured?

    But as strange as it was, it was strange.

    "Why would I?"

    "Why? Then... could it be!"

    The ck knight looked at Ian with a horrified expression.

    Ian was even more bbergasted.

    What in the world was she imagining?

    "Don''t you understand why I saved you? Is the water still not fully drained from your ears?"

    "That, of course..."

    The ck knight mumbled with her head bowed and her face flushed.

    "To humiliate me..."

    "..."

    Ian couldn''t understand where the misunderstanding had urred.

    He had no intention of insulting or humiliating the ck knight.

    "No. I just saved you because you were dying."

    "You have no intention of humiliating me?"

    "Well, if you really want, I could strip you right now..."

    "Don''t you dare! You madman!"

    Ian clicked his tongue while looking at the ck knight.

    That one, that one.

    Looks fine on the outside but ispletely messed up inside!

    However, the ck knight thought the same about Ian.

    ''...Doesn''t it bother him at all?''

    Showing such a shamefully vulnerable side to an enemy...

    And the response wasn''t mockery or contempt, but calmness?

    ''Is it because he''s a wizard?''

    The ck knight shook her head.

    It might have been a trick by the wizard to let her guard down.

    First, reassure them, lift their spirits, then enjoy watching them crash - such a wicked method!

    The ck knight, still not fully trusting Ian, shouted in a clear voice.

    "Are you mocking me now! Even though I may havemitted sins, I am an honorable knight! I denounce your vile mockery!"

    If Ian was actually mocking her, a certain kind of reaction was expected.

    But Ian''s reaction was... truly unpredictable.

    "Sin? What sin? Ah, the fact that you fought with me?"

    "...?"

    What kind of fresh nonsense is this?

    The ck knight, more dumbfounded than angry, retorted.

    "Do you... not know and are asking? Or are you mocking me again?"

    "What? Do you think it''s a sin for a knight to confront an enemy?"

    "..."

    Huh?

    Ian cocked his head in confusion.

    Unlike the modern world, where violence was considered a sin, in this medieval fantasy world, violence was as natural as breathing.

    In the modern world, even a fourth-grader caught stealing candy can say, ''What, you can''t punish me because it''s illegal? Annoying, isn''t it? You want to hit me, right?'' and mock the situation.

    In a medieval fantasy world, doing such a thing would result in getting straight-up beaten, followed by apuse from those around.

    ''Oh! To rightly educate such an ignorant child. How honorable!'' would be the sentiment.

    In short, violence was tolerated as long as it wasn''t cowardly or unjust.

    Of course, there were the priests of Heaven''s Faith preaching about love and whatnot, condemning violence.

    But most medieval people did not consider violence a sin.

    "Then why did you bring up sin?"

    "..."

    The ck knight couldn''t continue.

    It wasn''t easy to confess your own sins out loud.

    So, rather than exining to Ian, she chose to remain silent.

    Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    "How boring."

    ---

    ---

    Ian returned to the campsite with the ck knight.

    Lucy, who was waiting for Ian at the camp, was shocked to see him return with an unfamiliar woman.

    "What, what the hell! Didn''t you say you were going to get water???"

    "Yeah."

    "Then who is she!"

    "Saved her from the river."

    "???"

    Saved a woman from the river?

    So, is this woman a spirit of the river?

    Lucy had many questions but patiently waited for Ian''s exnation.

    After Ian exined the situation, Lucy understood that the woman was the ck knight.

    "...So it''s the ck knight."

    Lucy looked at the ck knight calmly.

    Ian was a bit surprised by her unexpectedlyposed reaction.

    He thought Lucy might hate the ck knight who had crushed the Count''s army...

    "Is it okay?"

    "What is."

    "That I brought the ck knight here."

    At Ian''s question, Lucy slowly shook her head.

    "Ian must have had his reasons for saving her. Maybe you''re nning to persuade her to switch sides, right?"

    "..."

    In reality, Ian had no other thought than that he had to save the person in front of him.

    "I''m not foolish enough to get angry at a free knight."

    "Oh..."

    Ian admired Lucy''s aristocratic demeanor.

    For nobles, virtue is an important quality.

    Virtue gathers followers.

    To obtain knights who serve with genuine loyalty, rather than through contract, one must demonstrate the virtue of mercy.

    "Since we have captured her, she won''t be hostile."

    "Why?"

    "Because she owes us her life."

    Lucy was right.

    The ck knight quietly yed the role of a prisoner even in Lucy''s presence.

    "..."

    She thought that flinching and trembling at the sight of Lucy was part of being a prisoner.

    "What a mess, ck knight."

    "...Ugh."

    However, Lucy''s following words made the ck knight''s face turn red as if about to explode.

    "Dressing as a man and wielding a sword... Are you the type who enjoys that kind of thrill?"

    "Ugh!"

    As Lucy harshly denounced her, the ck knight looked as if she really wanted to bite her tongue and die.

    "???"

    The only one who didn''t understand the situation was Ian.

    "What''s with that reaction?"

    "What?"

    Realizing Ian was clueless, Lucy was incredulous.

    Even for a wizard who had been training in the mountains...

    Shouldn''t he have some basicmon sense?!

    "Do you... really not think anything of it?"

    "...Should we get her some clothes?"

    "No, she''s wearing men''s clothes!"

    "Ah."

    The mystery was finally solved.

    The reason the ck knight talked about sin.

    Why Lucy looked down on the ck knight.

    It was all because the ck knight was dressed as a man.

    Unlike modern society where unisex fashion ismon, in this medieval fantasy world, ''men''s clothes'' and ''women''s clothes'' were strictly defined.

    For a man to wear women''s clothes, or a woman to wear men''s clothes, was considered a sin.

    This is something even modern people can somewhat understand.

    Socially, while women wearing men''s clothing was somewhat epted, men wearing women''s clothing... was frowned upon, wasn''t it?

    To put it in perspective for Ian:

    Let''s say Ian secretly admired maids.

    He dressed in drag and then worked at a maid caf in a maid outfit, only to be caught by a customer.

    ''This guy wooow~ A man wearing wo- men''s. clo- thes.~ So funny woow~''

    ''Eek~ a man~ wearing women''s clothes~''

    Ovee with shame, Ian would say with an embarrassed expression.

    ''Ugh. Please kill me...''

    "..."

    Only then did Ian understand the ck knight''s situation.

    It was as if she was forcibly outed.

    It was somewhat pitiable.

    If it were Ian, he would have bitten his tongue right there.

    "Is cross-dressing your preference? Or is there a reason for it?"

    "..."

    "What. It probably doesn''t matter anyway. Soon the rumor that the ck knight dressed as a man will spread, won''t it?"

    "...!"

    Threatened by Lucy, the ck knight red at her with venomous eyes.

    Despite the knightly fury in her gaze, Lucy did not avert her eyes.

    "I demand that you protect my honor, Talian."

    "Honor? Is there such a thing as honor for a mercenary knight who flits from one side to the other for money? You''re no better than a bandit."

    "What did you say?"

    Their voices grew louder.

    Before things escted further, Ian cut off Lucy''s words.

    "Stop it, Lucy. You''re getting worked up."

    "No. I need to press on. Now that we''ve found a weakness...!"

    Before Lucy could shout further, Ian gently pressed down on her shoulders.

    Lucy''s face turned slightly red.

    "I''ll handle the rest of the conversation, so go and rest. You''ll feel better after you''ve calmed down."

    "I''m fine..."

    As she spoke, Lucy realized her hands were trembling.

    Ian was right.

    She was overwhelmed.

    After experiencing too much and everything spiraling to the worst...

    Her anxious heart was manifesting as aggression.

    "...Sorry."

    Lucy left after a brief apology.

    Ian trudged over and sat next to the ck knight.

    "Ah, all this noise over nothing, right?"

    At Ian''s words, the ck knight looked incredulous.

    "Do you truly think that?"

    "Yeah."

    "...You don''t believe in God, do you?"

    Ian cocked his head in confusion.

    "No? I do believe."

    "...?"

    The ck knight was even more dumbfounded.

    Believing in the God of Heaven but not finding cross-dressing strange?

    Does this guy not know the doctrine?

    Is he a casual believer?

    But it wasn''t over yet.

    The ck knight was truly at a loss for words at what Ian said next.

    "Damn it, a woman can dress as a man if she wants. There are plenty of guys walking around in drag."

    "A man dresses as a woman? Have you actually seen that?"

    "Of course, I have."

    "Why? What''s the reason?"

    "Something about cosying for a game."

    "???"

    The ck knight couldn''t understand a word Ian said.

    Men walking around in drag?

    If such a thing truly existed, it would be like bringing hell on earth.

    But for Ian, a modern person, the issue of cross-dressing or the like wasn''t something to be strictly judged as it was for medieval people.

    In an era where even the Pope tells homosexuals to love beautifully, what''s the big deal?

    The wizard''s words wereplicated.

    It was hard to understand.

    But she grasped one thing for sure.

    Ian was speaking sincerely.

    "So don''t be too down about it. Just because you were caught cross-dressing."

    "..."

    Was it because he was a wizard that his way of thinking was so peculiar?

    Or was it just Ian''s nature?

    She couldn''t tell.

    However...

    The feeling of beingforted by Ian wasn''t too bad.

    "You''re as entric as you are skilled, wizard."

    "Ah, yeah. Let''s go with that."

    Ian, growing tired of being called weird, responded nonchntly to the ck knight''sment.

    Unknowingly, the ck knight let out a smallugh.

    ---

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 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

    Schedule: 5/week

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    When Ian opened his eyes, the world was bathed in a mysterious blue light.

    The blue twilight between midnight and dawn.

    In that blue world, a tall blonde woman was looking at Ian.

    "F*ck, that scared me."

    Of course, from a distance, she must have looked like a beautiful painting.

    But Ian was startled to wake up and find someone looking down at him.

    "Sorry, did I wake you?"

    "It''s not that."

    Ian looked around and sighed.

    There were about 30 minutes left until the sun was fully up.

    But waking up before that meant he had lost some precious morning sleep.

    Like most Koreans, Ian had a peculiar obsession with his morning sleep.

    "...The rope?"

    "What rope?"

    "The one I tied around the tree."

    Before falling asleep, Ian had wrapped the rope around the arm of a ck knight to prevent her from escaping and to guard against any attack.

    But, surprisingly, when he woke up, the ck knight was moving around freely with only her hands loosely tied.

    It was strange.

    Had he tied the rope incorrectly yesterday?

    "It wasn''t tied."

    "..."

    When the ck knight calmly said so, Ian just nodded.

    What was the point in arguing now that it was already daylight?

    "How long have you been like this?"

    "It''s been a while. I''ve had a lot to think about."

    The ck knight suddenly extended her hand.

    When Ian looked at her, the ck knight said,

    "I seek treatment befitting a knight. Unbind my hands."

    "How can I trust you?"

    When Ian asked back, the ck knight confidently replied,

    "I swear on the honor of a knight, I will not attack you."

    "..."

    Ian looked at the ck knight with suspicion.

    Ian''s caution was due to the ck knight''s sheer physical power.

    Wizards are weak in closebat.

    Bluntly put, if the ck knight were to grab Ian''s neck and twist it, how could Ian possibly fend her off?

    He felt safer with her hands tied.

    Still doubting, the ck knight calmly shared her story.

    "I am Belenka of the Mets family, from Wintz in Baekguk. It''s a barrennd to the east of the Empire."

    ''It matches what Sir Diketo said.''

    Sir Diketo had immediately called the ck knight a knight from the east after seeing her.

    Apparently, knights from Wintz in Baekguk prefer wearing ck armor.

    "As the eldest child, I was trained from a young age to follow in my father''s footsteps as a knight. But after my father passed away, my mother whimsically decided to pass my father''s armor and weapons to my younger sibling. I exined that those were mine, but she wouldn''t understand."

    "Ah. So you stole them?"

    "What do you take me for? I obviously took them fair and square."

    Ian nodded.

    It was clear.

    Fair and square (by force), no doubt.

    As Ian had expected, Belenka of Mets had beaten up her sibling and taken the weapons and armor.

    Thus, a trial ensued...

    And Belenka lost.

    The reason was that the Lord and Belenka''s mother were in cahoots.

    Having lost in court, Belenka was supposed to return the armor and be imprisoned... but that didn''t happen.

    It goes without saying, but to enforce justice, physical force was essential.

    To punish, first, you must capture the criminal.

    But as you might have seen before... Belenka was quite strong.

    When the Lord''s soldiers and knights threatened Belenka, she fought back fiercely (physically) and shouted,

    "Who dares to judge me!"

    No matter the Lord''s judicial authority, in the end, the strongest one prevails.

    Belenka, demonstrating the limitations of medieval justice with her own body, escaped from Wintz and headed to the Holy Empire.

    Her destination was the Rnd Kingdom located in the western part of the continent.

    It was the kingdom where her father had served as a knight in his youth.

    "As my father''s daughter, they''ll surely wee me."

    "Hmm."

    Ian found it a bit strange but nodded anyway.

    Thinking that because her father had a job there, she would too.

    Wasn''t that too naive?

    However, considering the era of hereditary professions, Belenka''s thought process wasn''t entirely wrong.

    "Then why the disguise as a man?"

    "..."

    Belenka''s face turned red at the mention of cross-dressing.

    "That, that''s... It''s definitely not because I like women!!!"

    "Huh? Are you a lesbian?"

    "No!!!"

    Ian didn''t know, but in this era, men cross-dressing or women disguising as men often indicated an unusual sexual orientation.

    In other words, a woman in men''s clothing was seen as a woman who desired women.

    "I heard the Empire discriminates against female knights! Barbarians! So my father told to be cautious!"

    Hmm... Is that so?

    Ian, not being a knight, was unfamiliar with this.

    But the Empire being barbaric was a fact.

    The roots of the Empire''s people were not from the ancient Golden Empire but from barbarians who came from the north.

    There was a tendency in the Empire, which retained some of the barbaric traits of the northerners, to view women''s outdoor activities as odd.

    More precisely, it was the men apanying the women who were viewed strangely, for the macho reason of ''Why are men bing women and only watching women do the hard work?''

    "So I nned to hide my gender until I could escape the Empire! I didn''t want to cause any trouble!"

    If Lucy were here, she might have skeptically asked, ''Are you just making excuses because you like wearing men''s clothes?''

    But Ian, who had no prejudice against medieval people, just epted it as it was.

    "And..."

    "What else is there?"

    Belenka nodded and presented a ck helmet.

    "This helmet is enchanted."

    "Magic?"

    Surprised by this unexpected fact, Ian felt intrigued.

    Magic was Ian''s area of expertise, after all!

    "Yeah. It''s a magic that changes the voice... but I don''t know how to use this magic."

    "So when you wear the helmet, your voice automatically changes?"

    "Yes. It turns into a man''s voice."

    Belenka exined.

    She didn''t know who enchanted it, but her father''s helmet was enchanted to change the wearer''s voice.

    Since she hadn''t had the armor for long, Belenka didn''t know it was enchanted.

    She only found out after wearing the armor and fighting, and since it wasn''t harmful magic, she left it as it was.

    If there''s magic that changes the voice... couldn''t she just not talk?

    So, when traveling around Baekguk, Belenka either didn''t talk at all or took off the helmet to talk, using the excuse that it''s better to talk face to face.

    However, once she stepped onto the Empire''snd, she started to think differently.

    Why not just pretend to be a man?

    Not that she was interested in cross-dressing for perverted reasons, but given the circumstances...

    So, Belenka tried pretending to be a man as a test.

    Partly hoping it might help her avoid any potential pursuers.

    But... who would have thought she''d be caught by Ian as soon as she started cross-dressing.

    Belenka inwardly thought she was being punished by the heavens for coveting clothes of the other gender...

    "I won''t cross-dress anymore."

    "What about the helmet?"

    "If I don''t talk, that''s the end of it."

    Ian shook his head.

    The taciturn knight concept works once or twice, but it would be frustrating.

    "May I have a look?"

    "At the helmet''s magic?"

    Belenka handed over the helmet without much thought.

    Ian immediately started examining it.

    Belenka found his interest curious.

    A wizard up close was indeed a fresh experience.

    After scrutinizing the helmet, Ian scratched his head.

    "I''m not sure."

    [You can''t learn the skill yet.]

    [You need to witness more mysteries to acquire the skill.]

    Despite having seen many mysteries, the magic on the helmet was a different kind of mystery than what Ian was familiar with.

    The world was vast, and the realm of mysteries was diverse.

    Ian realized anew that he was still a novice wizard.

    [Achievement unlocked!]

    [You have witnessed a new mystery!]

    [Bonus Skill Points: +50]

    "Skill points..."

    He remembered getting bonus points when he witnessed the mystery of the storm.

    500 points. That was quite a lot, wasn''t it?

    Having earned points, Ian opened the skill window to see if there was any magic worth learning.

    [Skill: Necromancy (30/100) - In progress]

    [The ability to converse with the dead.]

    "Necromancy?"

    The new mystery he had witnessed was rted to the mystery of the soul.

    "It looks like... this helmet is possessed."

    "...Possessed?"

    Belenka was horrified by Ian''s exnation.

    She had thought it was magic that changed her voice... but it was a possessed object?!

    "I''m not a necromancer, so I don''t know the details."

    "So, is it dangerous?"

    "Not really. If there hasn''t been a problem until now, there probably won''t be in the future."

    "...Are you sure?"

    Ian returned the helmet, saying,

    "I don''t know."

    "...."

    "It''s probably best to use it only asionally when fighting. Since it''s unclear whether it''s beneficial or harmful."

    Ian wasn''t a jack-of-all-trades.

    He didn''t know every mystery out there.

    He could invest skill points in necromancy right now, but honestly, it seemed a waste to spend points just to investigate one helmet.

    That was a thought Ian could afford, having dabbled in various magics thus far.

    It might be better to save the points and use them at a critical moment, like he did with Longtail.

    After Ian appraised the item, Belenka sincerely thanked him.

    "Thank you, wizard."

    "Don''t mention it."

    ---

    ---

    Once the day was fully bright, Ian released Belenka from her restraints and fed her breakfast because she had sworn to the heavens not to be hostile towards them.

    "But is a swear all it takes?"

    "Ian is weirdly suspicious at strange times."

    Lucy believed Belenka''s swear without any doubt, but Ian couldn''t shake off his uneasy feeling.

    After all, a promise... means nothing!

    How can you trust mere bbery?

    Especially since Ian''s ancestors, the Koreans, were a nation of gutsy diplomacy who breathed lies in their dealings with China and Mongolia, swearing oaths left and right.

    So much so there must be records that say "Koreans cannot be trusted."

    However, in this era where the Church of Heaven''s Faith was the universal religion, swearing to the heavens was about 90% reliable, unless someone was desperate enough.

    "Your name is Ian, right?"

    "Yeah. Ian, a disciple of Eredith. Some call me Raven."

    "Right. Ian Eredith Raven."

    Belenka knelt on one knee to the ground.

    It was the pose of a knight before being knighted.

    "Although it was due to circumstances, we wielded violence against each other. But you saved my life, your enemy. No amount of thanks would be enough, Ian."

    "You can say that standing up."

    "No. Ian. There''s something I''d like to ask of you."

    "A request?"

    Belenka lowered her head and said,

    "Can we pretend like everything that happened between us... never happened?"

    "...?"

    Ian didn''t understand at first, but then he got what she meant.

    Ah. She''s suggesting we make peace!

    Both of us did wrong, so let''s forget and act like it never happened.

    Such a shy medieval person.

    "Okay. Let''s pretend it never happened, why not."

    At Ian''s refreshing response, Belenka beamed with a smile.

    "..."

    Lucy watched Belenka''s actions with her arms crossed.

    Feeling Lucy''s gaze, Belenka spoke to her without turning her head.

    "Whatever you say, I will fight to protect my honor, Talian."

    Ian worried if this would lead to a second round of conflict between them right here.

    However, today, Lucy was the one to back down first.

    "...My remarks yesterday were rash. I tried to ckmail a knight of honor by exploiting her weakness. I apologize."

    "..."

    "As a gesture of my apology, I''ll forget everything about your past. That''s what you want, right?"

    "Yes."

    Lucy slowly nodded.

    Ian found it hard to believe this side of Lucy.

    What''s going on? Why is she acting like a magnanimous noble?

    Are you really Lucy?

    Not something transformed into Lucy?

    Lucy knew that Belenka''s heart had already drifted away from her.

    While it would have been good to draw in a free knight like Belenka, since that chance had passed, she decided to at least remove any hostility.

    The good news was that Belenka seemed interested in Ian.

    Since Ian was on Lucy''s side... if Ian epted Belenka, then Belenka would also be an ally to Lucy by extension.

    After Lucy finished speaking, Belenka, with a serious expression, said,

    "I appreciate both of your generous decisions. And Ian. For my life and now my past... I owe you a great debt."

    Belenka bowed her head once more.

    "But right now, I have no money. So..."

    "Hmm?"

    "Let me repay you with my body."

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "Paying with one''s body," as Belenka said, didn''t carry the suggestive meaning it might today.

    It meantpensating for theck of money with one''s physical effort.

    This was a verymon practice among knights in the medieval era.

    Knights, who possessed nothing but their might, would wander the world and, when short on money, would sell their martial services to make ends meet.

    Belenka owed Ian a significant debt.

    Unlike modern people who just talk about owing debts, in the medieval fantasy world, debts were expected to be repaid physically.

    This was because of the doctrine of the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    If you owed 100, you had to pay back exactly 100 in money or services.

    Offering 120 or 130 was not allowed as it would be considered usury, a sin.

    Thus, Belenka was saying she would provide services equivalent to the value of saving her life and forgetting her past to Ian.

    The service a knight could offer... was obviously martial in nature.

    "Until my debt is fully repaid, my sword is yours, Ian."

    That was why Belenka knelt.

    Until she repaid her debt, she would serve Ian as her Lord.

    ---

    ---

    "Do you even know what I do?"

    "What kind of question is that? Aren''t you a wizard?"

    "And where am I going?"

    "I don''t care. Wherever it is, I''m with you until the debt is repaid."

    Belenka spoke indifferently.

    Ian noticed that Belenka was truly indifferent about his destination.

    ''Not bad.''

    Having briefly traveled the continent alone, Ian realized the need for a vanguard.

    Wizards were weak in closebat.

    On a battlefield with many, wizards might be like gods, but they struggled when a madman charged at them with a sword.

    But if a simrly armed madman could stand in front and take the brunt, Ian''s burden would lessen.

    ''With Belenka''s skills, she won''t be easily beaten.''

    Ian, who had considered hiring mercenaries or diator ves, was very pleased with the presence of the wandering knight.

    "Let''s get along then."

    Belenka responded with a short bow, indicating she would treat Ian not as a boss but as a Lord.

    "It''s daylight. Let''s gather the scattered soldiers."

    Ian tasked Oberon with locating the mercenaries and knights.

    He told him to bring them here if they were nearby.

    "Ah. But Belenka. Can you even be here?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean... you were on Graham''s side until yesterday."

    Belenka had been slicing through the Count''s soldiers just a day before.

    Telling the soldiers who had lostrades that this human butcher was now on their side would surely not make them happy.

    Belenka nodded as if she understood.

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about."

    "...?"

    "I just arrived here for the first time today."

    What the f*ck.

    Ian, dumbfounded, looked at Belenka, who calmly said,

    "Didn''t we agree to forget my past yesterday?"

    "..."

    "So, I am someone who arrived here for the first time today."

    Ian was dizzied by Belenka''s astonishing logic...!

    Sure, Ian had promised to forget her past.

    But wasn''t it just about forgetting her past as a cosyer?

    But f*ck, it was as if everything had been entirely edited out!

    "Belenka..."

    "Yes?"

    "Do you think... such an excuse will work?"

    Even if Ian agreed to forget Belenka''s past, it wasn''t like they had activated some hypnosis app that would make everyone else fail to recognize her.

    Especially when she''s wearing that ck armor!

    But Belenka was shameless.

    "It''s not about whether it works or not. If I say so, there''s no other choice but to believe me."

    Ian shook his head in disbelief.

    He didn''t understand, but... if she says so, well.

    She''ll handle it somehow.

    Ian was a bit worried about Belenka, but it turned out to be an unfounded fear.

    Around noon, soldiers began to gather around Ian, following his crow.

    In fact, regrouping a defeated army in this era wasn''t an easy task.

    Normally, after a defeat in battle, it was every man for himself.

    Run away on your own, gather on your own, and decide what to do next on your own.

    Withmanders and knights either dead or missing, whatmand structure was left?

    "Oh? Our army lost? Might as well go home and eat."

    And indeed, many soldiers did just that, went straight home.

    If a soldier decided to fight and then go home to eat, from a modern perspective, it was crazy... but what could a defeatedmander do?

    If someone doesn''t want to fight, how can you force them?

    Of course, if the soldier''s hometown was the same as themander''s, they could be dragged back to fight.

    Because they''re from the same ce, it was easy to go find and fetch them.

    But in such cases, they wouldn''t desert in the first ce.

    They desert because they believe they won''t get caught.

    The disintegration of a defeated army was a daily urrence in a medieval fantasy world with administrative power as insignificant as an ant''s eyeball.

    The Count''s army was no different.

    The day before, when the center was breached and the Count was attacked... the soldiers'' morale hit rock bottom.

    What was the reason they were bleeding in the first ce?

    To get paid by the Count!

    But then the boss f*cking dies!

    No boss, no reason for the employees to stay.

    So, despite having the upper hand in the battle, the mercenaries scattered.

    Many knights were captured, and the surviving knights checked the Count''s corpse and then fled.

    It was not for no reason that in chess, the game ends when the king is taken.

    The king was the very reason for the war.

    The surviving mercenaries and knights, following the principle of every man for himself, went their separate ways to find their own way to survive.

    Some tried to return to the Count''s domain to collect their remaining pay.

    Others turned to thievery, raiding viges.

    Some even joined Graham''s side.

    Or they just threw everything away and went home to eat the meal their mother made.

    But today, Ian''s crow found the remnants of the army.

    The soldiers, who had been harassed by the wizard''s familiar throughout the march, recognized Oberon at a nce.

    "That''s it! Isn''t that sent by the wizard?"

    "So what?"

    "Shouldn''t we go?"

    "F*ck, what''s he gonna do if we don''t go?"

    "Maybe he''ll curse us?"

    "...F*ck. That''s scary."

    The mercenaries might have ignored a noble''s call, but they were too afraid to ignore a wizard''s summon.

    Wizards were unpredictable beings.

    Who knew what bizarre form of retaliation they might employ?

    Thanks to this, Ian was able to gather quite a number of the remnants.

    When all were assembled, their number reached 300.

    It was an incredibly sessful regathering.

    "Wait, you are!"

    ...And, of course, the knights and mercenaries recognized Belenka.

    Unlikeic book characters with face blindness as a passive trait, these were living, breathing humans.

    Belenka was the only knight in ck armor.

    It would be stranger if they didn''t recognize her.

    "The ck Knight!"

    "The ck Knight was a woman!"

    "But why here?"

    Some impulsively drew their weapons.

    It was to avenge their fallenrades.

    Then Belenka said,

    "The ck Knight? Who''s that?"

    "...?"

    "I am Belenka of Wintz."

    Someone objected.

    "Cut the crap! You''re the ck Knight!"

    "I am Belenka."

    "You fought on Graham''s side yesterday and killed our people!"

    "I am Belenka."

    "...F*ck!"

    At Belenka''s response, people were infuriated, and Ian was genuinely amazed.

    Wow. She''s shameless!

    "The ck Knight was a woman?"

    "..."

    "I am a woman, and that person was a man. This exnation should suffice. If you continue to babble, I''ll take it as an insult to my honor and demand a duel."

    Everyone fell silent... not really, as someone stepped forward.

    It was a righteous knight who could no longer tolerate Belenka''s brazen excuses.

    "I am the son of Hadalun, Greg! Belenka of Wintz! I challenge you to a duel!"

    "What are the terms?"

    "If I win, admit cleanly that you are the ck Knight!"

    "And if the opposite urs, I am not the ck Knight. Agreed?"

    "Yes, agreed!"

    ''You maniacs...''

    Ian watched the spontaneous duel with a nonchnt expression, chin in hand.

    What is this?

    It''s not a game where the loudest person wins.

    If you''re good at fighting, then your words are right?

    Does that even make sense?

    But since that''s how the medieval folks saw it, Ian just quietly watched.

    So, if you crack your opponent''s skull first, you''re in the right?

    Kya. Now that''s romance.

    Weak, modern bastards.

    Why bother with keyboard battles? Why look for logic?

    Beat the opponent and there''s no argument!

    Even the most noble of bloodlines, Lucy, served as the judge.

    As Belenka swung her sword, everyone there thought the same thing.

    ''That''s the ck Knight.''

    ''The ck Knight.''

    ''She''s definitely the ck Knight...''

    Of course, Belenka''s swordsmanship was the same as yesterday.

    Sharp, precise, and deadly.

    The righteous knight couldn''tst more than five exchanges before dering surrender.

    "Enough! I''ve lost..."

    "Greg Hadalun. Who am I?"

    Sign here, Greg!

    Greg mumbled as if he were a defeated country''s representative signing a surrender document.

    "Belenka is... not... the ck Knight..."

    Following that, Lucy concluded the duel.

    "Belenka of Wintz is a wandering knight saved by the wizard Ian from the river yesterday! They met for the first time yesterday, and she is absolutely not the ck Knight! Therefore, she cannot be held ountable for any wrongdoing in yesterday''s battle!"

    Belenka once again proved her innocence (physically) in a straightforward manner.

    Ah! What a noble knight!

    The epitome of an impable knight.

    "Is it done?"

    "Sir Diketo!"

    Ian stood up as he recognized a familiar face.

    He was a knight of the Count, Sir Diketo.

    "Sir. The Count..."

    "... I know."

    Ian felt like he had asked something he shouldn''t have.

    Sir Diketo, with a stern face, asked,

    "What are your ns now?"

    "And you, sir?"

    Sir Diketo nced at Lucy before speaking.

    "As much as I''d like to attack Graham again..."

    There were three main reasons Sir Diketo wanted to attack Graham.

    Firstly, that was the original n.

    Coming all this way only to return empty-handed would mean they were mere remnants of a defeated force.

    Only by taking Graham''s head could they say, ''Though the Count has fallen, we won...''

    Secondly, they needed to seize the Talian domain to pay the mercenaries.

    If they returned now, the mercenaries would 100% whine to the next Count for their remaining pay.

    Lost the battle but still want to be paid?

    That''s a separate issue.

    Even if apany is in deficit, they must pay the contract money.

    It''s foolish not to take the money you''re owed out of concern for thepany.

    However, the next Count (whoever that may be) will 100% try to weasel out of paying.

    "What? The mercenaries want to be paid? I don''t know about that, get the money from my deceased father~ The Count is already dead? Then you might as well die too and get your money in the afterlife~"

    It must be really frustrating for the mercenaries, but unless they n on following after the Count, all they could do was curse and swear.

    That''s just how the world works.

    Those with power tantly rip off those below them and still walk around just fine.

    Then, following the beautiful tradition of the medieval era, the mercenaries will immediately turn into bandits and raid the Count''s treasury (the people).

    And who''s going to catch those bandits?

    Sir Diketo, of course, who else~

    But if they seize the Talian domain and extract money from Lucy, the story changes.

    It''s not the Count''s domain but the Talian domain that gets robbed!

    Though the piged people might be f*cked... it''s not Sir Diketo''s problem as long as it''s not him.

    Andstly.

    The most important, yet trivial reason was...

    Sir Diketo simply f*cking hated Graham.

    He felt that only by sending Graham to hell could thete Count rest in peace with a smile.

    "Baron Talian."

    When Sir Diketo called Lucy, Lucy was startled.

    Usually bragging about being a Baron, now, she was genuinely surprised to be treated as one.

    "We have enough soldiers left, and there''s still provisions. If youmand, we can fight again..."

    War is for the nobility to decide.

    Without Lucy''s will, Sir Diketo would have to return to the Count''s domain with tears in his eyes.

    Lucy calmly looked around at those present.

    Sir Diketo and the knights of the Count. And the soldiers following them.

    The ck Knight Belenka.

    And the wizard Ian.

    Everyone was waiting for Lucy''smand.

    "Ian."

    When the Baron of Talian called the wizard,

    Ian answered with a smile.

    "Do as you wish, Baron. You haven''t forgotten what you want, have you?"

    Lucy nodded.

    Yes. The reason I fled the Talian domain.

    Let''s not forget that reason.

    "I want... to drive out the usurper Graham and reim mynd!"

    Then Ian shouted!

    "The Baron wishes for warrrrrr!"

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader:

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    Iron filings stick to mas, and knights stick to the nobility.

    It''s a fact everyone knows without having to experiment in a scienceb.

    A knight is one who makes a living out of violence.

    However, no matter how powerful a knight may be, in the end, they are humans who need to solve the problem of making a living.

    Therefore, it was essential for a knight to have a sponsor who would ''feed and support'' them.

    In a medieval fantasy world, that sponsor is precisely the nobility.

    In a word, nobles arendlords.

    They are like gods.

    If there is a difference from modernndlords...

    It''s that they even own the tenants in their buildings!

    They can beat them, kick them out, or take whatever they want.

    Nobles are allowed to do so.

    Why?

    Because everyone, whether animals or humans, is considered property!

    However, unlike animals, humans know how to protest seriously.

    When nobles kick over the dining table, lift skirts, and throw tantrums, people bravely confront them, saying,

    "Look! The way you treat me is so poor. Is this really the right thing to do!"

    It meant that if you keep throwing tantrums, I will do the same.

    Therefore, discerning nobles do not mistreat their people recklessly.

    They know that pushing them too hard will only make them submissive temporarily.

    But this also varies by situation.

    If they were in trouble, they wouldn''t care about the suffering of the people or anything else and would sell off their belongings.

    Nobles are allowed to do so.

    Why?

    Because the people living on mynd are mine...

    "Those with achievments will be given a purse of silver."

    Lucy Talian solemnly dered.

    The noble, a sponsor of knights, announced that she would open her purse.

    When ying and giggling with Ian, she seemed like a frivolous girl, but standing before people, she looked like a respectable young noble.

    Lucy promised the knights and mercenaries a generous reward after the job was done.

    Where would Lucy, who doesn''t have a penny, get the money?

    The answer was simple.

    Just rip off the money bags (people) scattered throughout the domain!

    Once again, nobles are allowed to do so.

    They hold judicial, administrative, and military power, like a king.

    This is the background for why the nobles'' heads rolled during the French Revolution...

    Not blinking an eye at squeezing the people, even going as far as to dig up the family''s graves to find a sword to present to Ian as a gift.

    Lucy was not particrly cruel or a harsh ruler.

    She was just an average Lord of the times.

    That''s why she was passive when the people suffered during the war.

    Since a nobile has dered they would distribute money, knights gradually joined Lucy''s fight.

    "Though it was only for a short time, I served Count Catina! It is a knight''s duty to avenge the death of their Lord!"

    Knights who would have gone home if Lucy hadn''t offered money, joined the battle, spouting about the honor and duty of knights.

    It was a convenient excuse in many ways.

    "Ian, I also want to participate in the battle."

    Belenka came to seek Ian''s permission.

    Ian was about to give his consent when a thought crossed his mind, and he asked,

    "Is this going to cut into your debt?"

    "Isn''t that obvious?"

    "Hmm."

    Belenka was a frencer.

    Deploying Belenka on the battlefield would shorten her lifespan ordingly.

    But...

    ''So what?''

    Ian shrugged.

    It''s not like he was some kind of general hoarding a Guan Yu[1], preventing them from fighting for fear they might leave after achieving greatness.

    It was a backward way of thinking.

    Since he a hired knight to fight, they should be sent to the battlefield.

    "Thirty percent."

    "?"

    "If we win this war, I will reduce my debt by thirty percent."

    "...Is that for you to decide?"

    "I''m not just making this up. There''s a set debt for wandering knights."

    Since it was a rule among knights, Ian nodded for now.

    Ian, being a wizard, didn''t know much about knight affairs.

    Nor was he particrly curious.

    "Alright. Go and fight as you wish."

    "Thank you for your permission."

    Sir Diketo quickly reorganized the Baron''s forces andpleted the preparations for battle.

    In fact, though the Count had died, the actual damage to the Count''s forces (now Baron''s forces) was minor.

    Hadn''t nearly 300 soldiers been recovered?

    It meant most of the force was still alive.

    "Wizard Ian."

    Sir Diketo approached Ian.

    "...It''s a bitte, but I''m sorry."

    "For what?"

    "For the knights insulting you."

    Insult?

    Right. That happened.

    Before the battle began, the knights had said, "Hmph! We can win without your help?!"

    Looks like he hasn''t forgotten.

    Maybe it''s because he''s at an age to be particrly sensitive.

    Or maybe it''s because Ian had helped him several times before.

    "It''s in the past now. Whatever."

    "Thankful for you saying that." Sir Diketo nced back.

    Surprisingly, the knights still looked at Ian unfavorably.

    This time, they thought Ian had employed some shady trick to recruit Belenka... Or perhaps they were jealous of Ian''s dazzling performance.

    However, Ian didn''t care.

    He had be much more shameless since bing a wizard.

    The knights hate me? So what?

    "So, the thing is... Ian... I would like some help with your magic..."

    Ian nodded.

    This time, even if the knights said not to interfere, he nned to do so.

    He simply couldn''t trust those knight bastards, even considering Belenka''s defection.

    This time, Ian intended to finish things himself.

    "Really, thank you!"

    Sir Diketo smiled brightly, but the reaction from the knights was not good.

    "What evil scheme are they concocting this time..."

    "Sir Diketo, do we really need the wizard''s help? We can win this on our own!"

    "You lot! What nonsense are you spouting!"

    "If we win with the wizard''s help, the world will point fingers at us, calling us ipetent! Aren''t you ashamed to be a knight, Sir Diketo!"

    Diketo''s face turned beet red.

    Not from shame, but from sheer irritation.

    "Are those who lost the war now discussing honor!"

    "But..."

    Then, Ian walked towards the knights who were grumbling theirints.

    Just then, Oberon flew swiftly from the forest andnded on Ian''s shoulder.

    "Caw! Caw!"

    As the wizard with a crow on his shoulder and leaning on his staff approached...

    The knights looked at Ian with tense expressions.

    They might dislike the wizard, but they feared his magic.

    "If you haveints, get lost."

    "Get lost? Are you talking to us!"

    "Yes. We don''t need those who only engage in petty politics before a fight, so just f*ck off."

    "How arrogant. Wizard! War belongs to the knights! Do you really think you can win without us?"

    "Yeah. I think we can win. We have Belenka, and we outnumber them by far, right? Why can''t we win?"

    "A green wizard discussing war in front of knights. Even a passing dog wouldugh..."

    "Oh. So you''re the experts? Then why did you lose?"

    "..."

    As Ian mocked them, the knights shut their mouths, their faces turning red.

    Saying "You''re so bad at this" in front of someone who just lost could silence even gods and Buddhas.

    Let alone mere knights?

    "You couldn''t even stop a single ck Knight from breaking through the center and failed to protect the Count, yet you im we can''t win without you? Isn''t it the opposite? Maybe we would have won if you weren''t there?"

    Ian''s sharp tongue left Sir Diketo cautiously approaching.

    "Ian. This is my..."

    "I''m not done talking yet!"

    Boom!

    As Ian shouted, the wind and earth tumultuously stirred.

    Though he didn''t invoke thenguage of Maronius, Ian was a wizard, a being of will far removed from ordinary people.

    Nature noticed Ian''s displeasure and rose to his cues.

    "!"

    As nature responded to the wizard''s will, the knights were taken aback.

    Seeing the earth and wind answer the wizard''s anger, they lost the will to continue arguing with Ian.

    "At sunset, we attack Graham again. Those who wish to join,e. If not, leave. That''s all I have to say."

    Ian red around before disappearing into the forest.

    Due to the argument, the participation of some knights became uncertain.

    Some knights will join Ian, while others may give up on the battle and flee.

    But one thing was certain...

    ''Indeed, a wizard...! He wields tremendous magic!''

    ''With such a wizard on our side, there''s no way we can lose!''

    It instilled boundless trust in the mercenaries!

    ---

    ---

    Graham''s army had an uneasy night.

    In yesterday''s battle, Graham''s soldiers had killed Count Catina.

    This was a very awkward situation for Graham.

    If they had captured the Count, the war could have ended cleanly, but killing him meant someone else could take over themand.

    It wouldn''t be strange if the Count''s vassals came charging in, vowing to avenge the Count.

    From Graham''s perspective, it was a situation infuriating enough to make him jump.

    ''Hey, the count came at me with an army intending to kill me, and I killed him. Why am I to me?''

    Then, the vassals would respond,

    ''You should have just scolded him! Who asked you to kill him?''

    ''...''

    It was theplexity of noble society.

    The Count wasn''t invading due to greed (though, technically, he was), but rather he was a righteous man who raised an army for his beloved niece.

    At least, that''s what it was looked like on the outside.

    So... he didn''t deserve to die?

    Thus, Graham, who killed the count, was the bad guy.

    The possibility of dying in battle?

    Nobles don''t know anything about that!

    "Have you found Talian?"

    "Not yet. The soldiers are reluctant to enter the forest..."

    Graham and his subordinates had clearly witnessed yesterday''s cmity.

    Initially, they thought the weather had gone mad...

    Butter, they heard that a wizard had used some strange sorcery to turn the situation against Graham.

    A typical ''That guy uses ck magic!'' scenario.

    It was just intimidation without any physical harm, but it significantly dented the soldiers'' morale.

    If it weren''t for yesterday''s victory, the army might have copsed.

    "Damn. We need to capture her somehow...!"

    Graham was desperate.

    Graham had always needed Lucy, but now the situation had be dire, where his life depended on her capture.

    Getting Lucy would at least provide a way to manage the situation.

    If Graham captured Talian, the death of the Count could be downgraded to an internal family issue.

    Of course, it wouldn''t be easy, but it was certainly a better situation than the current one.

    They should have finished it when they won yesterday...

    They were snowballing into a worse situation because they got cold feet due to the wizard''s impact on morale.

    "Captain! It''s a disaster!"

    "What is it?"

    "The enemies are regathering! It seems they still intend to fight!"

    "Is it some knight blustering about revenge? Or..."

    "It must be Talian."

    "Yes. It could be Talian."

    Hearing that the enemies were regrouping, Graham immediately prepared for a second battle.

    Winning here would mean a real victory.

    It was practically thest chance to capture Lucy!

    The enemies stealthily appeared at the time of dusk.

    Graham, equipped with chainmail and a helmet, frowned as he observed the enemies.

    "Isn''t that the ck Knight?"

    "Yes, it is the ck Knight."

    "Betrayal at such a time..."

    The ck Knight, who was with Graham''s army yesterday, now stood at the forefront of the Baron''s forces.

    As the horn sounded, the Baron''s army began to charge up the hill.

    Graham swung his sword and shouted, "Attack!"

    The battle was still unfavorable for Graham.

    Graham led his army desperately.

    Leading from the front, Graham''s forces shed fiercely with the Baron''s army, despite being numerically inferior.

    Soldiers tangled, and enemy and ally alike were thrown into a chaotic fight.

    It was a melee so intense that it was difficult to see the flow of the battle.

    Up to this point, it was almost the same as yesterday.

    But there were two significant changes in the Baron''s forces.

    First was the presence of the ck Knight.

    The ck Knight, Belenka, disyed tremendous valor, wreaking havoc across the front lines.

    This was a fatal blow to the already outnumbered forces.

    Butpared to the second threat, Belenka was nothing.

    "What, what''s that...?"

    "The sky! The sky is darkening!"

    Wizard Ian used magic from the rear.

    At sunset, with no one prepared with torches because it wasn''t deep night, it was the perfect environment for a dark wizard.

    "[Darkness!]"

    Ian summoned the darkness he had called upon several times before, with familiar skill.

    [Humans! We''re here!]

    [Where shall we y today?]

    "[Over there!]"

    [Dark magic  Shroud of Darkness is cast]

    Ianid a vast fog of darkness in the midst of the enemy lines.

    It wasn''t a skill that burned anything, hit anything, or killed.

    It simply made everything dark.

    But the darkness that Ian summonedpletely changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.

    "It''s magic! The wizard has cast a spell!"

    "Damn! Do something!"

    "How can we do anything if we can''t see anything!"

    Over fifty soldiers floundered in the pitch-ck veil.

    Utter chaos ensued.

    ''...We''re going to win.''

    Ian, observing the battlefield from a distance, thought so.

    With the rear forces plunged into chaos, what was a winnable fight now seemed lost.

    As evidence, the front, unable to withstand the merciless frontal assault of the ck Knight, began to crumble and attempted to retreat.

    However, the forces in the rear did not retreat.

    Well... because they couldn''t see!

    Who was fighting where?

    How could they know if they were winning or losing?

    As the retreating front collided with the confused rear, Graham''s army fell into the state ofplete confusion.

    The army of the usurper was copsing.

    ---

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 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The battle unfoldedpletely opposite to the previous day.

    Graham''s forces couldn''t handle the frontal assault of the ck Knight, leading to the copse of their center.

    At the same time, the rear troops, floundering in the darkness summoned by Ian, lost their judgment and hindered the retreat of the front lines.

    In short,mand was impossible.

    To put it in terms of a strategy game, it was a total morale copse.

    "Everyone for themselves!"

    "Aaah! I want to live!"

    Baron Talian''s forces literally crushed Graham''s army.

    They shattered their forces, scattering them in all directions.

    Once an army was split like this, there was almost no way to reassemble it.

    It was typical for everyone to scatter, each fending for themselves.

    It was strange in the case of the former Count''s forces.

    Thanks to Ian releasing birds to gather them, about 300 grouped together.

    ted by victory, the Baron''s troops hunted down the fleeing enemies one by one.

    Mercenaries were killed, and knights were captured for ransom.

    "Ian."

    Ian, who was watching the battlefield, was startled by Lucy suddenly jumping into his arms.

    Lucy hugged Ian tightly, sobbing.

    "We... we won."

    Yes. We did win.

    Ian swallowed his words and looked out over the battlefield.

    It was a monumental first victory since bing a wizard.

    ---

    ---

    War is business.

    The purpose of war is conquest, plunder, and the umtion of wealth.

    The concept that ''war was a terrible thing'' formed after World Wars I and II is a modern notion.

    In the fantasy-medieval era where Ian was active, war was nothing more than a means to make a huge amount of money.

    Working to the bone in the fields barely pays anything.

    Farming is essentially the same as gambling.

    But killing people makes money???

    Guys! You should try killing people too! It pays!

    That''s right.

    War in this era is like a real RPG game where you hunt human mobs.

    The existence of sses like knights, clerics, and wizards alone should tell you it''s an RPG.

    But in a ce where killing people and earning money, leveling up, and umting achievements...

    Saying "Murder is bad. Robbery is bad."

    Would that make sense?

    "Don''t you want to level up?"

    "Don''t you want to make money?"

    That''s the kind of response you''d get.

    You killed a mob (person).

    What''s the next thing to do?

    Naturally, looting.

    Ian found soldiers obsessed with looting as he walked through the battlefield.

    They searched the bodies for anything valuable.

    This is how mercenaries umte their assets.

    In a way, one could say they wield weapons and kill people for this purpose.

    Just toy hands on something shiny, beautiful, and desirable...

    Maybe that''s what living is all about.

    To satisfy greed, it''s about constantly consuming.

    "..."

    Ian wandered the battlefield, perhaps hoping to discover the mysteries of death.

    But the mystery he sought was nowhere to be seen, only greedy soldiers sprawled everywhere.

    ''With so many corpses around, why can''t I see the mystery of death?''

    Ian furrowed his brows and looked around.

    He felt nostalgic for the days he learned magic under Eredith.

    Back then, Eredith introduced him to the best ways to hear their voices.

    If Ian had tried to understand the mysteries on his own, who knows what foolish things he might have done.

    ''I don''t understand.''

    He thought he might learn necromancy here.

    But simply wandering a battlefield full of corpses was not enough.

    What should he do?

    Dissect a corpse?

    Sleep in a grave with a corpse? Or...

    Ian shook his head.

    It would be much faster to meet a necromancer during his travels and ask directly.

    If Eredith knew what Ian was thinking, she would have been speechless.

    You know, there are people who spend months trying, right?

    And here was Ian, thinking he could grasp necromancy just by scanning a battlefield once.

    Ian had be so ustomed to easy gains that he had lost his conscience.

    Leaving the looting mercenaries behind, Ian returned to Lucy''s mansion.

    The Talian Hall was arge log house.

    ''Wow... what a majestic... log house.''

    Fancy corridors?

    Chandeliers made of ss?

    That kind of high-end interior could only be seen in 17th-century French pces.

    Baron Talian''s mansion was typical for a noble''s house.

    Hunting trophies of beheaded deer and wild interiors with animal skins hung as curtains instead of fabric ones.

    The carpet on the floor was exactly the kind of carpet people threatened to make out of feline animals, saying, ''I''ll turn you into a carpet!''

    It meant it was made of whole fur.

    "Wee! Ian!"

    Lucy, wearing a pointed hat, ran to greet Ian.

    That damned hat had been put away during their travels, but as soon as she became Baron Talian, she brought it back out.

    Does she actually think that hat looks good?

    "How does it feel to see Talian Hall in person?"

    Lucy shouted, clCounty very excited, thinking her home was very well decorated.

    She wasn''t wrong.

    By the aesthetic standards of a medieval fantasy world, Talian Hall would score over 80 out of 100.

    The fact that the house was overflowing with such trash... no, animal by-products, was evident.

    Wow! Deer heads! Animal skins!

    How much hunting did they do to collect so much!

    The master of the house must be a powerful person who could go hunting as easily as eating!

    That was the impression.

    Baron Kaltz''s castle in Riverville was less opulent.

    It felt more like a fortress built for defense.

    "Uh... yeah. It''s nice."

    Ian praised it half-heartedly.

    Unless one had been shot in the head, there was no way this dark and gloomy interior could look nice.

    Unless you were a death metal fanatic or aspired to be a taxidermist...

    No matter how noble, how impressive could a house built with medieval economic resources really be?

    To Ian, who had been a modern person, it was merely trivial.

    Well, it was exotic, if anything.

    "How are things going?"

    When Ian asked about her well-being, Lucy chattered away brightly.

    "Really good! First, I met with the priest to get the title session, and I also checked the property list."

    In small domains like a barony, it was typical for a priest to handle administration.

    The [title session] Lucy mentioned meant not that she got permission from the priest, but that she had documented, ''I am the Baron now!''

    Having be the Baron, Lucy also confirmed the property list of [Baron Talian''s domain] written in the documents.

    This property list was a mix of documents written hundreds of years ago and some written just a few months ago, all jumbled together.

    More than half were things ''borrowed,'' but considered Talian''s.

    People gulp down things borrowed from friends just a few months ago all the time.

    What about something borrowed 200 years ago?

    How do you return something borrowed 200 years ago?

    By that point, it''s basically yours.

    But there is always someone who unearths documents like ''200 years ago, lent a frying pan to Baron Talian'' andes asking for it back.

    From the Baron''s perspective, it''s ''We''ve been using this for 200 years, why is it yours?''

    From the lender''s perspective, it''s ''We came to get back what we lent, why is it yours?''

    That''s how wars start.

    Sneaky people would flip their eyes over finding such documents to [justify war].

    "What about Graham?"

    "...We''re holding him. He''ll be executed in a few days. Ian, if you want to watch, you can."

    Oh. Medieval-style execution.

    Ian shook his head vehemently.

    For traitors, public execution was the norm.

    It served as a warning.

    "Diketo will return after the victory ceremony."

    Actually, Diketo was in a very urgent situation.

    The Count had died in battle.

    That sentence alone was enough to exin the situation.

    But to the rest of those bastards... not at all.

    They would scratch their bellies and chuckle,

    ''Oh dear. The Count''s dead? That''s too bad~''

    Why?

    Because he''s not my Lord!

    Only a few knights, including Diketo, who were close enough to be called vassals, had a deep rtionship with him.

    The rest were rtively new to the family.

    No matter how urgent Diketo felt, everyone else was looking forward to enjoying the victory banquet.

    So Diketo had to join the banquet with tears in his eyes.

    "Going back?"

    "Yeah."

    Ian found it a bit odd.

    Wouldn''t it be hard toe back if he just left like that?

    No matter how much the Count pitied Lucy, he wouldn''t have raised an army and thrown money around just out of sympathy.

    There must have been something he wanted from this war...

    Wouldn''t it have been better for him to obtain that from Lucy and then leave?

    "Lucy. Did you agree on anything with the Count?"

    "Agree on something?"

    "Like, in exchange for his help, you promised him something..."

    Lucy, with her uniquely clueless expression, tilted her head.

    "Nothing like that?"

    "...Really?"

    "Yeah. Really."

    Really nothing?

    Ian was baffled, but there truly was nothing.

    Well, the original n might have been to create an undeniable atmosphere after winning and then extort various things from Lucy, but...

    The Count had died...

    Regretting in the afterlife that he should have spoken sooner was futile.

    What can be done about it now?

    It was the Count''s fault for not setting conditions beforehand in his attempt to maintain dignity in front of his niece.

    Thus, the Count''s people couldn''t cause trouble in Talian''s domain either.

    "Lucky, aren''t you."

    Ian nodded to himself.

    To Ian, Lucy was a born winner.

    Someone who seeds at whatever she does.

    Well, an owner of such luck.

    It''s hard to say it was a repayment, but taking care of the mercenaries'' meals and distributing spoils to the knights could be considered as such.

    "You''lle to the banquet, right?"

    "Of course."

    "Then I''ll see you at the banquet hall!"

    Lucy, with many things still to handle, couldn''t spare much time.

    Even meeting Ian was squeezed into her busy schedule.

    Understanding her situation, Ian once again wandered around aimlessly.

    ---

    ---

    Having some free time for a few days, Ian fell into a rare serious contemtion.

    "What really is a wizard...?"

    A converser with the mysterious.

    A seeker of mysteries.

    That was the wizard Ian knew.

    Up until now, he had been studying under Eredith and, by chance, talking with mysteries to build his achievements, but...

    Now that he had some free time, Ian started to doubt the path he was on.

    Is this the right way to train?

    Perhaps a seeker of mysteries needed more extreme methods...

    "I''m not sure."

    Ian, a novice wizard, still found it overwhelming to forge his own future.

    What Ian needed was more experience.

    Now he vaguely understood why Eredith had rmended traveling to him.

    "Oh! The wizard has arrived!"

    "Ian Raven! Come here and sit!"

    Ianughed seeing the knights calling for him.

    He still had so much to learn about this world...

    But little by little, Ian felt like he was bing a part of this world.

    "Really, bing a ck Knight and that''s all you can eat?"

    "Eat up! Eat up!"

    The Baron''s banquet hall... but it felt more like an outdoor barbecue.

    Itcked that epic feeling.

    Still, being a noble''s banquet, the fact that peasants were mobilized to serve made it different from ordinary banquets.

    "..."

    Belenka, who was already there, stared at the lump of meat in front of her as if she was about to kill it.

    "What are you doing over there?"

    "Hmm. I have to eat all of this. But I''m so full I can''t eat anymore."

    The knights, having witnessed Belenka''s feats, respectfully loaded her te with meat.

    With a dozen knights taking turns, the amount became enormous.

    Belenka wasn''t apetitive eating YouTuber; there was no way she could finish a mountain of meat by herself.

    "Hey, hey. You''re not saying you can''t eat the food I''m offering, are you?"

    "Come on, ck Knight! Try a bite of this too!"

    "..."

    With the food pile growingrger, Belenka tightly closed her eyes.

    Ian tilted his head.

    Colleagues persistently offering unwanted food...

    Where had he seen that before?

    It was just like apany dinner.

    Ah!

    A knight''s banquet is just like apany dinner!

    "Eat a lot. You know the main character always gets the most attention, right?"

    "Ah. Then, Ian, maybe you could help..."

    "Ah. I''m good. It smells gamey. Can''t eat it. Why don''t they season it with pepper or something? What kind of barbecue is just meat spun around the fire?"

    Belenka looked at Ian with a resentful expression, but Ian just patted her on the shoulder.

    No one dared to offer Ian, of all people, medieval-style barbecue recklessly.

    It was nice being a wizard!

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    A few days after the victory celebration, Sir Diketo and the knights of the Count left the Baron''snds.

    "Ian Raven. If you are not too busy, how abouting to our territory and lending us your wisdom?"

    Sir Diketo persistently tried to recruit Ian as a new vassal wizard.

    The value of a wizard vassal was extremely high.

    Though Ian looks like a loafer who only knows how to boast(true), his ability to babble innguages unknown was quite remarkable.

    Hadn''t he already shown the usefulness of his magical abilities?

    If he could expand those abilities under the support of the nobility, he could step into greater heights.

    Even a novice wizard has his uses if one knows how to make use of him.

    That''s why all the nobles Ian has met so far have tried to pull him onto their side.

    "I have no such interest."

    "...Is that so."

    When Ian showed his disinterest, Sir Diketo did not bother him further.

    Taking a wizard with them was, in truth, more of a side quest.

    The main quest was to return to the Count''snds and support the next Count''s ascension.

    "Then, this is where we part."

    "If fate allows, we shall meet again."

    At Ian''s words, Sir Diketo grinned.

    Fate.

    A word wizards like to use, carrying some mystical power.

    "It would be nice to meet again in a better ce."

    "I agree."

    ---

    ---

    The people cheered at the news of a new Lord taking over the Taliannds.

    In fact, this was a seed Ian had nted.

    To nder Graham and spread fake news that thend would be ruined if Graham became the Lord turned out to be incredibly effective.

    The people, who had been anxious about the possibility of Graham winning, screamed in delight at the news that Lucy Talian had be the new Baron Talian.

    "Wow! Baron Talian has won! We farm for another year!"

    Though the people didn''t care much about who their Lord was, they reacted sharply when their own interests were at stake.

    Even in the medieval era, humans were still humans.

    "Blessings to our Lord!"

    "Long live Baron Talian!"

    As Lucy rode by on horseback, the farmers stopped their work and sent up cheers.

    Ian had roughly exined the situation to Lucy, but she still smiled broadly and enjoyed it.

    "Ah, what am I to do if the people love me this much? Being popr is troublesome too~"

    "..."

    I wonder if she can still think like this when a rebellion breaks out and the nobles'' heads are being hunted.

    Ian muttered a curse that wasn''t exactly a curse.

    The cheers for Lucy were tremendous, but not a single word was directed at Ian.

    ck hair and ck eyes.

    Even the crow perched on his shoulder...

    Who would want to talk to a wizard like that!

    Especially one who had been spreading ominous rumors that thend would be ruined!

    "Ian~ You must have no luck~ Not a single person shouting your name?"

    "...F*ck off."

    "What? Did you just say ''f*ck off'' to the. Bar. On?"

    "Shut up. Suddenly I''m pissed off. Should I just curse everyone for real?"

    "Calm down, Ian! It was just a joke!"

    Even as a Baron, Lucy was still Lucy.

    Ian was genuinely worried about Lucy''s future.

    How was she nning to manage the territory like that?

    Well, it wasn''t Ian''s concern.

    "Ah! Ian! It''s about time we go!"

    "Go?"

    At Ian''s question, Lucy replied with her characteristic bright smile.

    "A gift! I told you I would give you one! We have to go get it!"

    It was about the magic sword.

    Ian only half-believed Lucy''s words.

    I mean, even if she said she would give a gift, a family treasure?

    Could it be a lie?

    But it was true.

    Lucy really did prepare for the journey and then set off with Ian to find the hidden family tomb at the edge of the Taliannds.

    Before departing, Lucy, who had executed all the instigators of the rebellion, embarked on the journey with light steps.

    "Let''s go! Ian!"

    "..."

    Having witnessed an execution by beheading for the first time in his life, Ian felt a bit sick.

    Actually seeing a person''s head being chopped off...

    Considering they had caused a rebellion, the punishment was understandable.

    But still, it was cruel.

    "Ian. You''re going on a trip, right? Then I shoulde along too, right?"

    Belenka sneakily joined the travel party.

    With her helmet off and her blond hair flowing, she attracted the gazes of many people.

    "It doesn''t seem like there will be any danger..."

    Still, if Belenka were to apany them, she could prevent any unforeseen idents.

    Better than not having her at all.

    But then, a thought suddenly urred to him.

    "Does apanying us mean you''ll charge for your bodyguard services?"

    "Isn''t that obvious? It''s one silver coin a day."

    "..."

    It turned out, the reason Belenka was apanying them was to make money off Ian.

    She wasn''t some street vendor scamming tourists at a tourist spot.

    Was she really trying to sell her services whenever possible?

    "Ah. I''m not buying, not buying."

    As Ian waved her off, Belenka nodded and mounted her horse.

    "Is that so? Then there''s nothing I can do."

    "You mean you''re not selling?"

    Then Belenka looked at Ian puzzledly.

    "Even if you don''t hire me, I have free will. I''m just going to see the Talian Family tomb. Do I need your permission for that?"

    "..."

    Now that he thought about it, she was right.

    Since Lucy had allowed it, there was no issue with Belenka joining.

    "If a situation arises where I have to draw my sword, we''ll settle the bodyguard fee then."

    "You''re very thorough. You''d seed as a frencer."

    "...? I''m already a frencer?"

    ---

    ---

    The Talian Family tomb was hidden deep in the mountains.

    In name, it was a tomb, but it was more like a history museum or a treasure vault.

    This was because all the recently deceased family members were buried in a cemetery close to Talian Hall.

    Who would want to carry all sorts of belongings, including corpses, up this rugged mountain just to hold a funeral?

    It was a ce where one could easily end up mourning for others as well.

    Perhaps a family that valued history and tradition might do so.

    But the Talian Family traditions weren''t quite to that extent.

    "...Am I going to be assassinated?"

    Ian sweated coldly as he walked precariously along the steep cliff.

    Was this Lucy''s conspiracy to assassinate me because she doesn''t want to give me the treasure?!

    ...But thinking about it, Lucy was too pure and thoughtless, a nobility with a birdbrain.

    It''s just that the tomb was located in a damn difficult ce.

    "This... is a loss toe here for free."

    Belenka grumbled from behind.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Who was it again that said they wanted toe and see?

    "Lucy! Are we going the right way?"

    When Ian shouted, Lucy answered with a voice pure and unashamed.

    "Yes!"

    Ha, sh*t.

    Looks like it.

    Ian shut his mouth and hurried along.

    He had to if he didn''t want to die.

    "Caw! Master!"

    Then, Oberon pped his wings andnded on his shoulder.

    "What? Why?"

    [I looked around! There are humans up there!]

    "...?"

    Humans?

    Ian looked up, but all he saw were rocky mountains.

    "Go and take a closer look."

    [Okay!]

    Oberon flew up high into the sky.

    "What''s up? Ian?"

    "Oberon saw something. He says there are humans up there."

    "Humans?"

    Lucy tilted her head and nagged her advisors.

    "There''s only our family tomb up there. Humans? Does anyone know?"

    "We''re not sure..."

    "We don''t know."

    It was natural for Talian''s people not to know.

    After all the chaos with the war, who would have the mind to report about people at the tomb?

    "Could they be tomb raiders?"

    "Tomb raiders?"

    It reminded him of Unlucky Tomb Raider Oppert[1] and Lucky Tomb Raider Lara Croft.

    Though there was justification for Lara''s actions...

    There was no excuse for that bastard Oppert, a real f*cker.

    What, got nothing better to do than rob graves?

    Total as*hole!

    "Total bastards!"

    "As*holes, indeed."

    As Ian and Belenka exchanged words, Lucy''s expression soured in real-time.

    No descendant would be happy to hear their ancestors'' tombs were being robbed.

    "We must crush them immediately...!"

    Then, Oberon, who had gone to scout, returned.

    [Master! There are quite a lot of humans!]

    "How many?"

    [Huh? Just a lot! As many as flies stuck in honey!]

    "Oberon, can''t you count?"

    [Count? What''s that?]

    "..."

    Ipetent kid.

    Ian thought he should take a day to teach Oberon how to count.

    Since crows are said to have the intelligence of a young child, he should pick up numbers quickly.

    "Belenka. You''ll have to go and check."

    "Hmm. Okay. But my fee..."

    "I''ll pay, just go."

    "Love the straightforwardness."

    Ian sent Belenka to assess the scale of the tomb raiders.

    Belenka managed to scout sessfully, at least better than the birdbrained Oberon.

    "The situation is bad."

    Belenka summarized the scouting results.

    "There are more than ten guys visible from the outside. Judging by the dozen or so tents set up, it looks like 30-40 people have gathered."

    Such a scale wasn''t just some thieves who stumbled upon the ce.

    It was clear they were a group of professional tomb raiders who had obtained information about the treasure beforehand and came to loot.

    "Attack! We go and attack!"

    Lucy was livid.

    While her feelings were understandable, everyone else voted against it.

    "It''s too disadvantageous. We don''t know what kind of preparations they''ve made. The number of heads we have is fewer, a frontal assault would be suicidal."

    "Really? We really can''t win? Belenka, you can''t beat them either?"

    At Lucy''s absurd remark, Belenka gave a look of disbelief.

    "What do you take me for, a superhero? I''m human. And if I was smart, I wouldn''t tantly attack a location that''s practically a fortress."

    Despite the repeated discussions, the conclusion was the same.

    It was impossible to attack the tomb raiders now.

    "Hmm..."

    However, one person kept silent.

    "Ian...?"

    The wizard Ian was the only one lost in thought, chin propped on his hand.

    Lucy''s group would have cleanly returned home if Ian had shouted, "Nope, can''t do it. Let''s just give the treasure to the tomb raider bastards and go home to eat!"

    But Ian never said "it''s impossible."

    He was a wizard who had produced miracles several times before.

    They quietly waited for the wizard''s opinion.

    After a moment of silence, Ian spoke.

    "There''s something worth trying..."

    "!"

    Belenka and Lucy looked at Ian in disbelief.

    Is there really a way here?

    Even if Ian was a wizard, it''s not like he could shoot mass-destructiveser beams from his hands, right?

    Is he thinking of casting some triple Avada Kedavra[2]?!

    "What kind of dreadful magic are you nning to use now..."

    "Dreadful? What do you think magic is?"

    "The magic you used on me was dreadful enough."

    "..."

    Ah. That water slide.

    That was a bit too much.

    But that wasn''t me; it was the river.

    Ian said calmly.

    "This is Talian''s tomb, right? There must be some suitable legend... I want to try scaring them a bit."

    ---

    [1. raei: no idea about opert here, Lara Croft is from Tomb Raider.]

    [2. raei: Harry Potter killing curse/spell!]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Ian briefly outlined his n.

    The dead Baron Talian.

    A tomb.

    Uninvited intruders.

    Combining these could potentially yield a grim result.

    In short, the idea was to impersonate the ghost of Talian.

    "Oh. The idea is good, but... wouldn''t we get punished for this?"

    "Punished?"

    Belenka was slightly worried about Ian''s n.

    The idea of scaring the enemies by pretending to be a ghost in the graveyard was fine.

    But wasn''t it dangerous?

    What Ian intended to do felt somewhat like necromancy.

    Led by Ian''s fake ghost act, a real ghost might appear.

    But Ian was unfazed.

    "It''s fine, it''s fine. It''s just an act, after all."

    "Hmm. Is that so?"

    "Are you a wizard? I''m the wizard."

    Belenka nodded.

    Ian''s words were absolutely right.

    He was the wizard, not Belenka.

    Lucy also agreed with Ian''s n.

    "If a real ancestor ghost appears, I''ll soothe it, no problem!"

    "..."

    Ian looked at Lucy skeptically.

    Wouldn''t the ancestor''s ghost be even angrier at the sight of Lucy?

    It was hard to tell.

    "It''s dark enough now. Let''s try it, and if it doesn''t work, we''ll just back off."

    With a light heart, Ian summoned the darkness.

    The wizard''s prank began.

    ---

    ---

    Ian''s n was simple.

    It was improvised and didn''t involve any special skills, so he wasn''t very confident about its sess.

    However, Ian trusted the medieval mindset more than his own n.

    Would the medieval people be fooled by a moving ghost created in front of them?

    Even modern people would be startled if a dark shadow took on a human form.

    What more for medieval people?

    "Ian! I''ve lit the campfire!"

    "Good."

    Ian stood in front of the zing campfire.

    Behind Ian, with the light source in front, a long dark shadow was cast.

    Ian closed his eyes and focused his mind on the voice of the darkness shadowing the shadow.

    [Guys! It''s not painful here!]

    [Hehe. Good. Here.]

    The darkness hiding behind Ian from the bonfire''s light.

    That was the shadow.

    Ian projected his will onto the shadow.

    ''Move...!''

    Simultaneously, mysterious magical words flowed from Ian''s mouth.

    "[Shadow! Move!]"

    [Move?]

    [Eek. I hate the light...]

    [We just want to stay here.]

    "..."

    Guys. Listen to me.

    The darkness felt like dealing with disobedient kindergartners.

    Hiding from the light and enjoying it, liking to gather among themselves...

    [But since Ian is asking...!]

    [Right! We need to move now to y again at night!]

    y? Again? You guys?

    Ian was clueless, but the darkness chattered on its own.

    "Wow. It moves."

    "... Magic is truly fascinating."

    Lucy and Belenka murmured in admiration.

    As Ian recited the spell, his shadow began to move on its own.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Dark Magic: Shadow Maniption]

    [Moves shadow to perform actions. Great for shadow y.]

    Ian managed to move his shadow to create a dark doppelgnger.

    As Ian raised his arm, the shadow raised its arm too.

    "Wow."

    "Dance! Ian!"

    At Lucy''s shout, Ian unwittingly became - Dancing Ian.

    Ian''s shadow danced joyfully.

    "Is this for pretending to be a ghost?"

    "Yes. Belenka. Do you have the helmet? Could you lend it to me?"

    "...You''re going to use it?"

    Ian wanted to try the voice modtion feature attached to Belenka''s helmet.

    It was perfect for producing a sinister voice.

    However, Belenka hesitated and then refused Ian''s request.

    "It''s fine. I can just do it."

    "Really? Hmm. I thought you''d dislike it because you''d sound like a man."

    "..."

    Belenka nced back and forth between the helmet and Ian.

    She didn''t like sounding like a man.

    But she didn''t want to lend her helmet.

    It wasn''t that she was particrly conscious of Ian...

    The thought of Ian''s lips and breath touching something she wore on her face...

    "My helmet is not something to lend to others!"

    "Ah. Fine. Then you y the ghost."

    Belenka, chosen for the ghost role.

    "Ian! What should I do?"

    "Um... Cheer?"

    "Got it! Go Ian!"

    "..."

    Not very encouraging.

    Lucy, chosen for the cheering role.

    Ian moved the shadow towards the tomb raiders standing guard.

    Belenka, hidden from view, also approached the enemies stealthily.

    On a night when the sun hadpletely set.

    The ghost of Baron Talian came to visit his own tomb...

    ---

    ---

    Medieval people believed in many superstitions.

    This was due to the uncertainty of information.

    There were very few schrs who studied phenomena professionally, and those schrs did not share their findings with the public.

    The monopolization of knowledge was natural in this era.

    It was the modern inte that was strange, not the norm where valuable information is kept to oneself.

    Think about the scam ads that sometimese through text messages.

    What? A special stock that makes ten million won a month?

    And they''re sharing this information only for this month?

    Wow! I want in! I want to make money too!

    Most people know that such sweet-sounding information is false though a few fall for it.

    If there was such information, why would one give it away to aplete stranger?

    That''s why YouTube was an anomaly.

    It was flooded with all sorts of information for the sake of views, and about 80% of it was useful.

    But in the medieval era, without YouTube or the inte.

    Theck of information sharing and theck of uracy in information created a disastrous coboration...

    "Hey. What are you doing over there?"

    "Drawing a holy inscription. Why?"

    Medieval people had this bad habit of believing something was true if it appeared usible on the surface...!

    Tomb raider 1 was scribbling something on the ground.

    If Ian had seen the characters being written, he would have been surprised because the characters resembled the magicalnguage, Maronius.

    Although not perfectly urate, and missing some strokes which made it look odd, it was indeed Maronius.

    It was the character for [Asha], meaning God.

    "What is this?"

    There was no way a mere tomb raider would have received proper education.

    The reason he knew Maronius was that he had paid a fortune to a fortune-teller in the market to learn a [ghost-repelling inscription].

    [Write this character on the ground, and ghosts won''t daree close!]

    [Oh! Thank you! Prophet!]

    "I told you, it''s a holy inscription, you ignorant f*ck."

    "Ah. Showing off just because you studied a bit, huh?"

    The tomb raider smirked.

    In his youth, he was an elite medieval person who had studied at a [school].

    Well, precisely, he was a servant to a noble, picking up a few characters over the shoulder, but...

    He never missed introducing himself as [I studied at Bautriche Academy when I was young].

    He wasn''t one to lie.

    Although he hadn''t learned any knowledge, he had picked up the behavior, tone, attitude, and atmosphere of an intellectual.

    Thanks to that, he knew how to win the favor of intellectuals.

    That was how he was able to learn the ghost-repelling inscription.

    "Since the tomb is nearby, I always draw this at night. That way, ghosts won''t bother us."

    "Oh."

    Sadly, the ghost-repelling inscription drawn by the tomb raider was aplete fake, like Wonhyo''s skull water[1].

    But being fake didn''t mean it was useless. Didn''t the skull water enlighten Wonhyo?

    Drawing this... actually helped him sleep well, thanks to the peace of mind it brought.

    Working as a tomb raider made him extremely fearful of ghosts and curses.

    He knew his job was filthy and disgraceful.

    "Honestly, I f*cking hate this job."

    Thinking the ghost-repelling inscription acted like a barrier, another tomb raider sat down nearby.

    A moment for casual chat opened up.

    "Talian is an old noble family, right? I heard the first Baron had a thing with a fairy queen..."

    "Ah, that legend, huh?"

    "What, what. Got stories to share?"

    Instead of guarding the tomb,

    While the higher-ups were desecrating the tomb inside, they were sharing stories.

    After all, cking off when the boss isn''t looking is a universal rule, medieval or modern.

    Once you start, it''s addictive, hard to stop.

    Wow!

    Getting paid to gossip!

    "The first Baron received a proposal from the fairy queen, but he rejected it..."

    "The fairiesid a curse on the tomb..."

    "The queen resurrected the dead Baron with necromancy..."

    All sorts of rumors and tales were rampant.

    Among them were tales that simply reced the hero of other legends with the Baron, and even stories that identally hit the truth.

    The tomb raiders couldn''t verify the truth but they were just having a good time.

    Time flies when you''re having fun...!

    They could chat like this, fall asleep, and when they woke up, the job would be finished.

    Then, they''d get paid and go home!

    Grave robbing was easy.

    "...So the ghost of the Baron...!"

    "Hey, hey. Wait a minute. Look over there."

    It was during a particrly engaging tale.

    Someone pointed into the darkness.

    "...What''s that?"

    The tomb raiders were almost simultaneously thrown into confusion.

    Something was... slowly moving in the darkness?

    No matter how hard they looked, they couldn''t figure out what it was!

    But judging by its human shape...?

    "A gh-ghost...!"

    "That''s not a ghost, is it?!"

    The tomb raiders all but drew circles under their eyes, saying ''I swear I saw it clearly!''

    If one person saw it wrong, that was their mistake.

    But if everyone saw it wrong, it wasn''t a mistake; they had seen something they shouldn''t have.

    "Everyone, over here! Gather hereeeeee!"

    A tomb raider shouted, trembling.

    Beneath their feet was the [ghost-repelling inscription].

    Something in the darkness slowly rose to its feet.

    It was something taking the form of a human.

    From head to toe, it was pitch ck, as if it was a living shadow.

    The tomb raiders clutched each other''s hands, trembling.

    In the hardest times, those who stand by you are your true friends

    Then, the shadow shouted.

    [What are you doing... on mynd...!]

    Terrified, one of the tomb raiders picked up a stone and threw it.

    "Get the hell away!"

    But the stone passed harmlessly through the shadow.

    The enemy was an intangible being.

    This fact terrified the tomb raiders to the extreme.

    [How dare you... attack the master of thisnd...!]

    Whooosh!

    The wind howled, blowing away all the torches.

    The tomb raiders lost their minds.

    "It''s the Baron! The Baron Talian has returned!"

    "Run!"

    "Idiot! Where can you run to! If we run, we die!"

    Unlike reality, this was a world where supernatural monsters roamed freely.

    Every creature in the field was as unique as a typus.

    They had no doubt that this ck human-shaped mass was the ghost of the Baron.

    [Leave at once... you cursed beings...!]

    The ghost of the Baron roared.

    Then, most of the tomb raiders dropped their weapons and scrambled to flee.

    "I''m sorry! I havemitted a sin worthy of death!"

    "I will live righteously from now on, please spare my life!"

    "O great spirit in the sky! Protect me!"

    The tomb raiders knew they were engaging in immoral acts. How honorable could grave robbing be, after all?

    With such a fragile mentality, the arrival of the ghost left them unable topose themselves.

    Only one person remained.

    It was a tomb raider who couldn''t run away because his legs had given out.

    He performed a perfect kowtow that could be pictured in a textbook and murmured.

    "By the name of God, depart; by the name of God, depart; by the name of God, depart..."

    It was the spell taught by the fortune-teller who had taught him the [ghost-repelling inscription].

    Reciting this spell and showing the inscription was supposed to make any ghost retreat.

    The ghost of the Baron gazed silently at the man muttering the spell.

    ''Please...!''

    Then, something unbelievable happened.

    The ghost turned around and walked away!

    ''Wh... What?!''

    The tomb raider was so shocked that he sprang up.

    It worked! The ghost actually retreated!

    "The gods in heaven have protected me!"

    Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of faith, the tomb raider knelt down.

    He had been regrly doing evil deeds and hadn''t prayed at all!

    Yet still, the Heavens hadn''t abandoned him!

    "Thank you! O heavens! From now on, I''ll pray more and make donations!"

    The tomb raider shouted.

    Someone whispered in the tomb raider''s ear.

    [Hey. There''s a limit to being shameless. Do you think I would help someone like you?]

    "...What?"

    [And that character, it''s wrong. You''re missing four strokes. Did you skip them because you couldn''t be bothered? What''s that about?]

    The darkness vanished.

    Faint moonlight illuminated the ground in front of the tomb raider.

    There stood...

    "If you surrender quietly, I''ll spare your life."

    A tall female knight with her long blonde hair tied back.

    ---

    [1. raei: "One of the most revered figures in Korean Buddhist history." The story often associated with Wonhyo''s enlightenment involves an incident where he sought shelter in a cave during a storm.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    "Lucky us."

    Ian muttered, and Belenka nodded in agreement.

    Thanks to their well-coordinated efforts, they managed to drive away all the enemies without a single drop of blood.

    "Baron. A gift for you."

    Belenka handed over a captured tomb raider to Lucy.

    It was a gesture of reconciliation.

    In the past, Belenka and Lucy had a brief argument. Although it wasn''t serious, it wasn''t something they could simply forget and move on from either.

    However, it wasn''t good for a wandering knight like Belenka to sh with a noble.

    Regardless of Lucy being just an ordinary noble, the fact that she was andowner remained unchanged.

    Lucy shared a simr sentiment.

    "Thank you. I''ll make good use of this."

    Belenka extended the olive branch first.

    To refuse it would mean forsaking one''s noble status.

    There was nothing to gain from quarreling with an exceptional wandering knight like Belenka.

    Both Lucy and Belenka were pleased.

    "Ugh..."

    Only the tomb raider wasnt pleased.

    ording to the noble''sws, he had to pay a heftypensation to Lucy.

    Technically, they could have executed him instead of epting anypensation, but keeping him alive to work off his debt was more beneficial.

    Those who became debt ves like him were treated as the lowest ss in the domain, tasked with all sorts of menialbor.

    Having been caught raiding the Baron''s tomb, he wouldve never been able to repay his debt even if he worked for a lifetime.

    "This one says that other tomb raiders have already entered the crypt."

    The priest then spoke, bowing his head.

    He was a priest working in the domain, who had hurried over upon hearing that Lucy intended to liquidate their family assets.

    If the Baron''s ghost appeared, it was his duty to appease it, and he needed to witness and record Lucy handling the estate.

    "It won''t be easy."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Baron Talian''s tomb is protected by a barrier erected by the Fairy Queen."

    Ian reacted to the fantastical term.

    "A barrier?"

    "Yes, wizard. Whatever trickery that deceitful race has concocted... Since it''s the work of the Fairy Queen, ordinary people surely won''t be able to breach it," the priest said, bowing his head.

    "Unless Baron Talian himself is present, the entrance to the crypt will not open."

    Belenka tilted her head slightly in confusion.

    "The raider mentioned that a wizard had gone down with them. Would that make any difference?"

    "A wizard... Depending on the wizard''s abilities..."

    Among those who ventured into Talian''s crypt was a wizard.

    "What kind of wizard resorts to tomb raiding..."

    Ian was incredulous, yet upon reflection, realized it wasn''t so strange.

    Wizards are seekers of the mystical.

    If it meant experiencing the arcane, there was nothing a wizard wouldn''t do.

    Naturally unrestrained characters, and socially epted as such, wizards oftencked basic societal etiquette.

    It means they do whatever the hell they want.

    "The one leading the tomb raiders is called ''Baron Mud,'' I hear."

    "Baron Mud? Never heard of such a domain."

    Lucy tilted her head in confusion, to which Belenka exined,

    "Don''t take it too seriously. It''s just a nickname given to the thieving bastard."

    Baron Mud.

    Famed for his often messy escapades, he frequently ended up covered in mud, hence the nickname.

    There were those who enjoyed making a big deal out of it, proiming, "Every muddy pit is Baron Mud''s territory!"

    Medieval folks and their love for exaggeration.

    "But he insists he''s of noble birth."

    "Noble? He''s not ''iming''he is a noble, my Lord."

    "I didn''t ask you to speak."

    Belenka kicked the tomb raider.

    No one objected to this action, which was a fresh shock to Ian.

    Kicking a person outright and no one bats an eye? Isn''t that pitiful?

    Wow... these people are all f*cking savages.

    ...Well, not exactly.

    The man was simply a soon-to-be ve.

    What''s the harm in a ve getting beaten? It was nothing unusual here.

    "No. Continue speaking."

    Belenka might not have been curious about Baron Mud, but Ian was.

    "I''m sorry. The knight told me to stop speaking..."

    "Don''t you have any sense? Spit it out."

    Belenka kicked the tomb raider again.

    The raider was not only ipetent but alsocked situational awareness.

    "Th-The Baron Mud is... uh, the bastard son of Count Dufel."

    The tomb raider nced nervously at the priest while speaking.

    ''Bastard?''

    Bastards were verymon in the Empire.

    Not just in the Empire, but among nearly all nobility across the continent.

    In fact, followers of Heaven''s Faith could have bastards if they wanted.

    Heaven''s Faith, being an ancient religion, had no taboo against polygamy.

    However, over time, Heaven''s Faith began to view polygamy more negatively.

    Having multiple spouses could lead to social chaos!

    While some took a moral stance, the real issue was the serious session disputes among the children of multiple wives.

    But since the roots of the Holy Empirey in the northern barbarian tribes, no one criticized someone for having a harem of three or four spouses.

    Though somemented over thends that would fragment and disappear with each generation, aware of these practical issues, most imperial nobles kept one official wife and refrained from adding more women.

    Many women impregnated by debauched nobles hoped to be the second or third wife...

    But in reality?

    Yeah.

    Bastard children.

    Baron Mud was likely a child born from such circumstances.

    "Belenka. This Baron Mud guy, being a noble and all, could he be of any use if we catch him?"

    Belenka shook her head in response to Ian''s question.

    "It''s unlikely. I''m not sure who Count Dufel is, but he''s not the easy sort if he''s got bastards prowling around, digging up tombs."

    "Makes sense."

    Ian understood Belenka''s point.

    A bastard is a child brought into the world but not openly acknowledged.

    While some nobles might secretly cherish and care for their bastards, Baron Mud clearly wasn''t one of them.

    He was outright abandoned.

    If Count Dufel had any affection for Baron Mud, he wouldn''t have raised him to be a tomb raider.

    "But it''s distasteful to see someone parading around as a noble, recruiting people."

    Belenka was more concerned about the wizard summoned by Baron Mud than about the Baron himself.

    Wizards are unpredictable beings.

    Just because one resorts to grave robbing doesn''t mean they''re weak.

    What if a ridiculously powerful wizard raided a tomb out of boredom?

    Ian agreed with Belenka''s concerns.

    "Let''s proceed with caution."

    He had never fought a wizard before.

    But if the situation turned sour, he would have to.

    Ian steeled his mind and led the way forward.

    ---

    ---

    Wizard Inn is a graduate of the Empire''s Magic University.

    Not just a graduate, but a renowned wizard holding a professorship at the university.

    He spent thest few years teaching at Dranheim''s University of Magic.

    Then, suddenly, he had an epiphany.

    "Ah! I want to learn more magic!"

    Every wizard is a seeker of the mystical. Inn was no exception.

    You might have guessed, but wizards of this era aren''t just nerds holed up with their books.

    They confront mysteries directly,municate with them, and peer into worlds beyondprehension!

    True magices from experience.

    To encounter more mysteries, wizards throw themselves into danger without hesitation.

    Inn wanted to do just that.

    "Ahem. Perhaps it''s time I left the university..."

    "No, Professor! Where would you go?"

    Hearing of Inn''s ns to travel, various assistant teachers clung to his coattails.

    "If you leave, Professor, who will teach us magic?"

    Inn was sick of their pathetic reactions.

    No, it was their selfishness he detested.

    "You all learn magic from me! But where am I supposed to learn magic from?"

    "A person of your stature doesn''t need to learn more magic..."

    "Silence! Are you telling me to stop learning now?"

    Though he hadn''t trained in martial arts, Inn, being an elder with considerable experience, knew how to deliver an elder''s special scolding technique.

    Distinguishing between a great wizard and a martial arts master is not easy.

    "Just let him go."

    "But..."

    "Sending him on his travels means he''ll spend money. He''ll use up his funds from the university and return to give lecturester."

    "!"

    Indeed.

    Inn''s reluctance to let go of his university lectures stemmed solely from the research grants provided by the university.

    He had no interest in teaching others and despised being tied down to one ce, but it was the allure of the funding thatpelled him to endure the torment of lecturing, bearing the title of a university professor.

    It''s worth noting that Inn''s lectures were notoriously unpopr, ranking him among the worst educators due to his ineptitude at teaching.

    Considering that a professor''s role is primarily research rather than lecturing, this was somewhat inevitable.

    "Anyway, today''s university students are aplete bore! They don''t study, are picky about their professors, and spend their expensive tuition on daytime drinking and brawling with citizens!"

    Inn too, had his fill of suffering from the students, internally cursing them.

    Ah! To see how far the youth has fallen!

    Universities weren''t like this a decade ago!

    At this rate, will the Empire copse in 100 years?

    Regardless, having sessfully escaped the academic cesspool, Inn, like any wizard, embarked on a blind quest in search of mysteries.

    Then one day, an opportunity came to Inn.

    In a scene straight out of a clich fantasy novel, Inn, nursing a beer in a tavern, overheard the drunken chatter of patrons.

    "Baron Mud is off to pull another stunt?"

    "Where this time?"

    "It''s in Baron Talian''s domain. Probably after the treasure Talian left behind, right?"

    Unbeknownst to Inn, the tale of Baron Talian''s treasure was quite renowned in the area.

    Piqued by curiosity, Inn delved a bit deeper into the story of the Baron, rumored to have been lovers with the Fairy Queen, and the magical sword she had left him.

    "Oh."

    This was... an intriguing story, enough to capture even the old man''s interest.

    A magical sword gifted by the Fairy Queen!

    He desperately wanted to see it!

    Inn immediately sought out this Baron Mud.

    He liked the man''s character and the respect he showed towards wizards.

    And so, the university professor joined a tomb raider in desecrating graves.

    If that seems absurd, just look up at the Hollywood sign.

    Imagine an archaeologist with an explorer''s hat and whip, shing a bright, toothy smile.

    Yes.

    Inn was... an unlucky Indiana Jones...!

    Raiding someone''s grave, but for academic purposes, right? (Or not)

    "This is... not easy."

    For days, Inn had been engrossed in research amidst the musty smell of burning torches in a dust-filled crypt.

    Let''s frame it so it sounds somewhat cooler, a passionate venture into a tomb.

    Inn''s excavation efforts were literally blocked by a dead end.

    Not metaphorically, but physically obstructed by a wall.

    The wall, erected by the Fairy Queen, was so thick it destroyed all of Baron Mud''s proud drilling tools, showcasing its overwhelming presence.

    Baron Mud had already given up, searching for an alternate route...

    But Inn thought differently.

    He believed this wall was a kind of magical door, opening in response to a magical spell.

    "Not the mystery of the earth... nor the mystery of the wind..."

    Inn tried every spell he knew to open the door, but frustratingly, nothing worked.

    Despite hitting a dead end, admitting ''I don''t really know?'' was not an option for a wizard''s pride.

    So Inn found himself eating and sleeping inside someone else''s tomb for days when...

    ''...!''

    Inn caught a strong signal.

    Startled, he rushed to Baron Mud.

    "Baron! Baron!"

    "Oh! Elder! Did you finally seed?"

    The Baron, who was snacking on ate-night meal, took Inn''smotion as a positive sign.

    So the old man finally managed to open the door!

    However, what came out of Inn''s mouth waspletely unexpected.

    "No! I haven''t opened the door yet! But that''s not important!"

    "If not that then what''s so important...?"

    "There are intruders! We''ve got intruders!"

    Ah, was he introducing himself?

    Baron Mud nearly said out loud that they were the intruders, but then thought better of it.

    The situation was more serious than expected.

    Others havee to this secluded, hidden crypt in the wilderness.

    They wouldnt be here for a casual visit or hike.

    They must have a definitive purpose foring...

    But what about the guards posted outside?

    They''ve breached through all of them?

    "...That doesn''t make sense?"

    "What do you mean it doesn''t make sense!"

    "Why would anyonee here? Taliansnd currently has no owner, and I don''t think other nobles would send grave robbers either."

    Baron Mud couldn''t guess the identity of the ''intruders'' no matter how much he thought.

    "Is that what''s important right now!?"

    Unlike the rtively calm Baron, Inn was anxious.

    In a situation where their lives were at stake, what was the point of guessing the enemy''s identity?

    Would guessing it correctly somehow make the situation better?

    "There is no time to dawdle!"

    Inn shouted.

    "Baron! I''ll prepare magic, you get ready to fight!"

    "Understood. Let''s catch them first and figure it outter."

    Thinking it was good he had prepared anti-intrusion magic in advance, Inn prepared to face the intruders.

    However, Inn soon realized a critical fact.

    Just as he had detected the enemies'' presence in advance with his anti-intrusion magic...

    The enemies had also noticed Inn''s magic and realized they had been detected.

    "...What is this?"

    Inn''s familiar, a bug, was caught and devoured by a crow.

    Inn sensed it immediately.

    This crow was not a mere pet but a wizard''s familiar.

    The implication was clear.

    Not only did they have to face an unknown number of enemies, but they also had to defeat a fellow wizard.

    For the first time in a while, Inn felt a rush of tension.

    It was a battle between wizards.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Baron Talian''s tomb was shrouded in darkness.

    In movies or dramas, with bright lights flooding the scene, one can hardly grasp the true extent of darkness in a ce devoid of light.

    However, the darkness Ian experienced in the cave was beyond imagination.

    A perfect darkness, as if one had lost their sight.

    Pure darkness, where one couldn''t notice anything passing by, was the true darkness of nature.

    [Ian, let''s y together again!]

    [Yes, let''s y, Ian!]

    The mysteries of darkness were excited, bouncing around.

    Ian recalled the time he followed Eredith into a cave.

    Eredith had been fascinated that Ian could hear the voices of darkness.

    Darkness, being shy and reserved, seldom showed itself in front of others.

    ''What? Shy? Reserved?''

    Ian scoffed at the darkness swirling around him.

    Then what about these cheeky bastards?

    The darkness was strangely fond of Ian, moring to y with him.

    Ian couldn''t understand.

    We''ve never yed before, so why?

    [Lie down on the ground like you usually do!]

    [Yeah, and make snoring sounds!]

    [We''ll do whatever you do, Ian!]

    Baffled, Ian wondered if their idea of ying was... sleeping at night?

    But listening further, it seemed to be the case.

    The darkness enjoyed mimicking Ian''s sounds while he slept, rolling around beside him, and had fun(?) ying with Ian.

    It''s not a Hongcheol team without Hongcheol[1].

    ying with Ian without Ian?

    The darkness, which had been joyfully circling Ian, fled the moment Belenka lit a torch.

    [Aaah! Light!]

    [No!!!]

    As the darkness screamed, Ian found himself irrationally annoyed.

    "Hey, Belenka, can''t you light the torch more gently? The darkness is running away."

    Belenka was dumbfounded.

    "Speak in a way that makes sense. How does one gently light a torch?"

    "Well..."

    As Ian hesitated, Belenka shook her head.

    It seemed wizards would be wizards, always spouting such nonsense.

    Who knows what''s going on in his head.

    "Ian, do you not need the torch?"

    "Actually, I prefer it without the torch."

    Despite being surrounded by darkness, Ian felt no difort, thanks to his dark vision skill.

    Belenka found Ian''s ability fascinating.

    "Considering stealth, it might be better to move without light..."

    Lucy hastily interjected, fearing Belenka might suggest extinguishing all torches.

    "That''s absolutely not okay!"

    "Why? Ian can guide us."

    "Well, it''s scary!"

    Fear was fear, regardless of stealth considerations.

    It was scary!

    It''s scary! It''s scary! It''s scary...!

    Lucy''s voice echoed lengthily through the space.

    Then, with a startle, she plopped down on the spot.

    "Eek! Ian!"

    "...?"

    Ian looked at Lucy, who had suddenly started freaking out, with a confused expression.

    What''s with her now?

    "I think there''s something down there!"

    "Yeah, probably tomb robbers."

    "Not the robbers!"

    Lucy screamed with a pale face.

    "Monsters!"

    "???"

    Monsters!

    Monsters! Monsters...!

    As the echo resounded again, Lucy, terrified, mped her own mouth shut.

    Then, she began whispering as if to share a secret.

    "You all heard that sound, right?"

    "Hmm. Yes, I did."

    "I heard it too, my Lord."

    The medieval folks started murmuring among themselves, presumably about the cave''s echoes.

    Ian couldn''t help but wonder...

    Really?

    Are they seriously having a serious conversation about echoes?

    "It''s a monster! It has to be!"

    Lucy was acting like Lucy, which meant she was being stupid.

    "I think... it might be a demon."

    "A demon?!"

    A priest nearby also dramatically joined in with Lucy''s reaction.

    Wasn''t he supposed to be a schr, diligently studying the scriptures?

    Why?

    "This is clearly the underworld. It wouldn''t be strange for demons from beneath to appear here."

    The priest quickly made the sign of the cross, adding, "Since the eyes of heaven do not reach here, everyone, be cautious."

    ...It was because of scripture.

    Priests have a habit of interpreting everything rted to the scripture as per its writings.

    Since this is the underworld, they construed it as the work of demonsa sort of curse of knowledge.

    Ian couldn''t grasp why the medieval folks were making a fuss over a mere echo.

    s, there were no true intellectuals with an Enlightenment mindset[2], armed with reason and rationality, instead of superstitious interpretations of monsters and demons!

    Then, Belenka stepped forward.

    Unlike these ignorant imperial folks, perhaps a knight from the eastern Baekguk might offer a different perspective...!

    "It seems everyone is panicking because it''s their first time in a cave."

    "Be, Belenka? Do you know what it is?"

    "I''ve heard about this before. It''s not a monster or a demon."

    "Then...?"

    Belenka confidently dered, "It''s a fairy."

    "A fairy?"

    "Yes. A fairy that lives in caves and enjoys tricking people, capable of mimicking others'' voices."

    Hearing this, the medieval folks broke into heartyughter, nodding vigorously.

    "Ah! So it''s a fairy~"

    "I knew it! It didn''t seem too malicious!"

    "A fairy... Better than a demon, right? It won''t harm us, will it?"

    Hahahaha! The mysterious voice is a fairy~

    "..."

    It''s not a fairy, you idiots.

    Ian didn''t even have a chance to exin.

    The medieval folks had already concluded that the mysterious voices echoing through the cave were the doings of a fairy.

    Ah, it was neither a terrible monster nor an evil demon.

    It was a cute fairy.

    A world where no one gets hurt wasplete...

    Except for Ian, who knew the truth.

    Ian thought to himself,

    What''s the point of saying, "Actually, there''s no such thing as fairies! It''s just a scientific phenomenon where sound waves bounce off the uneven cave walls!"?

    Would they just give him a look that says, "What are you talking about, Ian?"

    Traits of a social butterfly: Understanding the flow of conversation.

    Traits of a loner: Obsessing over facts.

    If Ian had been a social butterfly with smooth social skills, he might haveughed along, saying, "Haha! Such a mischievous fairy~".

    But Ian was a former engineering student in his past life.

    He was serious about science.

    A fairy responsible for echoes?

    Ah, I can''t stand it!

    If only he could elevate the medieval folks'' ignorance to modern standards, Ian was prepared to bebeled a loner if it meant enlightening them.

    "Actually..."

    As Ian began to speak, everyone''s attention turned to him.

    It was at that moment.

    [Hehehehehe]

    [This is fun!]

    "?"

    A giggling voice in Maronius echoed in Ian''s ears, a voice he had heard before.

    The voice of the wind.

    [Who else will scream for us?]

    [We can spread it around!]

    Ian''s mouth dropped open.

    A quick refresher: Sound is a wave that travels through the air, a fact known to anyone who has looked at a middle school science textbook.

    ''If this is the voice of the wind?''

    The very source spreading the sound as echoes... iming it was the mystery of the wind wasn''t entirely wrong!

    Ian was struck with a profound shock, a sensation as if his modern knowledge was shattering into pieces.

    Right.

    This isn''t modern South Korea; it''s a fantasy world.

    He shouldn''t cling to modern scientific knowledge.

    "Ian? What''s gotten into you?"

    "Do you know something about that strange echo?"

    Ian realized.

    While sound is merely a vibration traveling through air, in this medieval fantasy world, it could also be seen as the [Mystery of the Wind] spreading the sound!

    "The voice is not a fairy, but..."

    Ian murmured,

    "It''s a phenomenon caused by the mysteries of the wind."

    "Oh..."

    "Mysteries of the wind?"

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Air Magic  Sound Maniption]

    [A skill to control the vibrations of air to manipte sound.]

    Ian immediately spoke to the wind.

    "[Wind. Voice, transmit, none!]"

    [You don''t want us to spread your voice?]

    [Why should we?]

    "[For fun!]"

    [Ah! You want to y a prank with us?]

    [Don''t know what it is, but it sounds fun! Let''s do it!]

    Ian, having controlled the mysteries to prevent the sound from spreading, then shouted loudly.

    "Woo-hoo!"

    "..."

    "..."

    Lucy and the other medieval folks were taken aback. The echo that had been reverberating just moments before... waspletely absent!

    "Wow... it''s real?"

    "So it was due to the mysteries of the wind?"

    The mysterious voice was indeed just that~

    An exnation much easier to understand than something about waves and air being the medium.

    "The fairy exnation wasn''t entirely wrong either. Wind is often depicted as a mischievous fairy."

    As Ian exined with a refreshing smile, the medieval folks nodded with profound satisfaction.

    Indeed.

    This was more fitting for the medieval folks.

    Before he knew it, Ian had learned how to exin things at their level.

    ---

    ---

    Although he had been told to wait outside, one bird stubbornly followed Ian inside.

    It was Oberon.

    "Caw! Master!"

    [I caught a strange bug!]

    Oberon proudly presented a bug, amon grass insect found outside.

    However, its presence in the middle of an underground cemetery was highly unnatural.

    Grass without insects?

    "It looks like a wizard''s doing."

    Ian immediately sensed that the bug''s presence was linked to a wizard.

    "Everyone, be careful. The enemy is nearby."

    Ian preemptively warned hispanions.

    The effect was immediate.

    Someone cast a spell in thenguage of magic towards Ian''s group!

    "[Earth! Tremble!]"

    ''Maroniusnguage?''

    Anguage of magic Ian had be all too familiar with, spoken aloud by only one type of being.

    A wizard.

    Hearing the enemy''s spell, Ian counteracted immediately.

    "[Earth! Do not tremble!]"

    As Ian shouted, the ground that was about to shake stilled once more.

    "[Earth! Tremble!]"

    "[Earth! Do not tremble!]"

    As the wizard shouted, Ian immediately nullified the magic''s activation.

    After a few rounds, the earth itself became annoyed.

    [Enough! What are you doing? Pathetic humans! Should I move or not?!]

    Ian apologized gracefully with augh.

    "[I apologize for the inconvenience.]"

    [Get lost! If you want to fight, do it among yourselves! I''m out of here!]

    The connection with the earth waspletely severed.

    It would be impossible to invoke the Earth in this ce for a while.

    In another sense, it also meant that Ian had sessfully blocked the enemy''s earth magic.

    Soon, the wizard and the tomb robbers revealed themselves.

    The wizard was an elderly man.

    He looked at Ian with a sour expression and said, "You handle magic very skillfully. Are you an earth wizard?"

    "I''ve learned earth magic, but... who might you be?"

    The old man frowned and replied, "Inn Kate. A wizard residing in Dranheim."

    Inn?

    Ian, of course, had no idea who Inn was.

    "And you are?"

    "Ian Eredith. Some call me Raven."

    "Eredith?"

    Inn was startled.

    "You don''t mean the me Wizard Eredith, do you?"

    "If you''re asking whether me magic was my master''s specialty, then yes, that''s correct."

    Inn looked at Ian seriously.

    He knew Eredith had taken a disciple, but he never expected to meet them here...!

    At that moment, Baron Mud poked Inn in the back.

    "Old man, you''re not thinking of backing out now, are you?"

    "..."

    Truthfully, Inn was considering it.

    For Inn, just seeing the magic sword was enough.

    But now that he was confronting someone who turned out to be the disciple of an acquaintance, it seemed like an option to just turn traitor.

    However, Baron Mud was in a different situation.

    Unlike Inn, whom Ian would spare, Baron Mud would be as good as dead if caught.

    Turning traitor in front of Baron Mud, who was watching closely, would have been foolish.

    Inn shouted,

    "Ian, disciple of Eredith! Sorry, but we''ll be taking Baron Talian''s treasure!"

    Ian nced at Lucy and said,

    "What do you say, Lucy?"

    Lucy replied with a determined expression,

    "Absolutely not."

    Inn realized that this girl was Baron Talian.

    There was no room for negotiation.

    Reluctantly, Inn began to chant in thenguage of magic to overpower Ian''s group.

    "[Wind! Answer my call...]."

    This time, he nned to persuade the wind with a more sophisticatednguage, hoping Ian couldn''t interfere.

    But Ian was not someone who could be easily outmaneuvered.

    "Belenka!"

    At Ian''s call, the knight in ck armor charged at Inn like an arrow.

    "Attack!"

    Traditionally, wizards taste best(?) when bitten by a closebat warrior.

    Tomb robbers rushed out to protect Inn, but they were no match for Belenka, who easily broke through their front lines.

    "Aaaah!"

    Watching Belenka break through the enemy lines in the blink of an eye, Ian smirked.

    It seemed the old man was a decent wizard, but... No matter how skilled a wizard, if they''re not given time to cast their spells, that''s the end of it, right?

    Being a wizard himself, Ian knew a wizard''s weaknesses all too well.

    ---

    [1. raei: ''a Hongcheol team without Hongcheol'' is a figurative expression. You can rece Hongcheol with anything here.]

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 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    As the knight d in armor charged, Baron Mud immediately sought a countermeasure.

    "Crossbows! Bring me a crossbow!"

    The knight in armor was like a monster.

    It would be foolish to engage the knight in closebat.

    Swords didn''t work, spears didn''t work.

    Against a beast that might barely be subdued with an axe or hammer, why bother with closebat?

    "We, we don''t have any crossbows!"

    "What?"

    Baron Mud had intended to subdue Belenka with the crossbow, a weapon recognized as a cheat in another world.

    Knight or not, it was a one-shot for you, a one-shot for me.

    "Damn!"

    Baron Mud realized toote.

    He had a couple of crossbows but had given them all away to the guards outside!

    His subordinates'' faces turned pale.

    A knight in ck armor, emitting a murderous aura, was charging at them.

    Problem. Who''s going to stop that knight?

    You should stop the knight, who else~

    Without crossbows, facing the grim reality of stopping this mad ughter machine, the morale of the tomb robbers plummeted.

    "I have a crossbow! Bring it to me!"

    "Yes!"

    While the tomb robbers (meat shields) bought time, one of the subordinates dashed to fetch the crossbow.

    Meanwhile, Baron Mud moved to subdue Baron Talian and the wizard.

    Their target was the wizard, Inn.

    If they could capture the Baron Talian before the knight captured Inn, the tide would turn in their favor.

    Fortunately, they had the advantage in numbers.

    The opposition only had a frail attendant and two mercenaries.

    If Baron Mud and his men attacked all at once, they could capture both the noble and the wizard.

    "Charge!"

    Baron Mud shouted.

    However, as soon as he moved, the wizard Ian responded immediately.

    "[Darkness befall!]"

    As Ian shouted, a tremendous darkness gathered, making the torches held pale inparison.

    This was the underground.

    A realm of darkness.

    The darkness summoned by Ian''s call instantly concealed the location of Ian and Lucy''s party.

    "Damn...!"

    As the wizard disappeared before his eyes, Baron Mud panicked.

    He wasn''t entirely unfamiliar with magic, but a wizard who manipted darkness like Ian was a first for him.

    "Such petty tricks!"

    Insults aimed at an enemy are not so far from praise in essence.

    In a medieval era where curses were not well-developed, calling something a "petty trick" was like saying, "You have mastered a marvelous skill!"

    Baron Mud was greatly annoyed by Ian''s magic.

    It meant that Ian was exceptionally skilled at it.

    ''What to do?''

    Baron Mud pondered.

    If he threw himself into that darkness, there was a chance of capturing Baron Talian and the wizard, but...

    Deliberately stepping into the veil of darkness cast by a wizard was an utterly foolish act, no matter how he considered it.

    What does the enemy desire?

    Is this darkness a trap or a deception?

    Baron Mud couldn''t make up his mind.

    Deception and concealment were the powers inherent to the nature of darkness.

    But then, at that moment, the wizard Inn erupted with a voice as loud as thunder, reciting a spell with unwavering conviction.

    "De - Karar - Luma!"

    Under normal circumstances, one might have dismissed him with a thought, ''Old man, what a strong voice you have.''

    However, the miraculous phenomenon that followed left Baron Mud speechless.

    From the raised fingertips of Inn...

    A brilliance like the zing sun surged forth!

    Baron Mud stared, spellbound.

    ''...Ah!''

    As Inn released an intense radiance,

    Ian''s darkness, having lost its ce, vanished.

    Ian''s curtain of darkness lifted.

    The expressions of Lucy and Ian, hidden beyond the curtain, were now visible.

    Their emotion was one of shock.

    ---

    ---

    Inn''s choice of light magic was purely idental.

    In the midst of a rapidly unfolding battle, Inn, far from being a seasoned warrior capable of calm, strategic decision-making, was just an old man who loved magic.

    The issue, however, was his specialty in photon magic.

    Photon magic, a discipline exploring the mysteries of light and brightness.

    Just as Eredith was adept at fire magic and Ian at dark magic, Inn enjoyed and excelled at photon magic.

    So familiar was he with it that even in the underground, where the only light came from feeble torches, he habitually chose photon magic.

    As the heavily armored knight charged at him, feeling a threat to his life, Inn instinctively appealed to the mysteries of light.

    Inn was a distinguished wizard, one capable enough to serve as a university professor.

    He had the skills to confidently engage in a magical duel with anyone.

    When such an aplished wizard unleashed his specialty magic, it created a radiance so intense that it was hard to believe they were underground.

    Inn had only one goal.

    To blind!

    He aimed to blind Belenka with the dazzling light, buying time to escape!

    However, the photon magic he habitually and identally chose was in direct opposition to Ian''s specialty, dark magic.

    Ian, unaware of what magic was being cast opposite of him...

    Found his darknesspletely obliterated by the photon magic deployed for survival.

    "Damn it!"

    As the darkness screamed and scattered in all directions, Ian realized something had gone terribly wrong.

    The culprit was the blinding light emitted by that shining old man!

    As Ian''s darkness disappeared, Baron Mud and his men could be seen cautiously approaching.

    The silver lining was that they, too, could not escape the blinding effect, slowing their approach.

    But no matter how slowly they moved, the distance between them was too close.

    They would engage in mere seconds.

    "Belenka!"

    Ian called out to Belenka, but it was in vain.

    Belenka was already staggering, having lost her sight.

    She would regain her senses in a few seconds, but that was the same amount of time it would take for Baron Mud to approach.

    "Damn... What do we do?"

    Ian quickly assessed the situation.

    Lucy and the other attendants were of no use in closebat, and the same was true for Ian himself.

    It was impossible to fend off Baron Mud alone.

    It was toote to recall Belenka.

    What about shaking the ground to entangle the enemy''s feet?

    No.

    The earth would not respond.

    Its interest had long since departed.

    Then there was only one option left...

    "Take down Inn!"

    Cancel Inn''s magic and summon the darkness again.

    That was the solution Ian chose.

    "Belenka-!"

    As Ian shouted, Belenka responded.

    She still had that much sense left.

    "Close your eyes-!"

    Belenka, who had been staggering from the brilliance of Ian''s magic, focused on Ian''s voice.

    ''Close my eyes?''

    As if her eyes weren''t already shut.

    But Belenka closed her eyes nheless.

    She trusted Ian''s words.

    Even though Ian was a quirky and strange person...

    His skill in magic was genuine.

    "Focus on the voice of the wind!"

    ''What are you talking about, Ian! I''m not a wizard!''

    Telling a knight to listen to the voice of the wind?

    Belenka protested internally, but Ian continued unabated.

    "You can do it, Belenka!"

    Ian was clearly preparing for some kind of magic.

    But she was still taken aback by Ian''s sudden request.

    Listening to the voice of the wind.

    She had never thought of, much less experienced, such a thing.

    Yet, Belenka trusted Ian.

    There must be a method to this madness with the entric wizard!

    Belenka concentrated as hard as she could, trying toply with Ian''s request.

    ''...''

    As she focused.

    Ian recited a spell with a thunderous voice.

    "Ka - Raura  Osus!"

    A stream of wind spread out around Belenka, swirling in a circle.

    Within it.

    Was the pureughter of the yful wind.

    ''...Ah.''

    Belenka, focusing solely on the wind, felt the flow summoned by Ian throughout her body.

    [Do you feel it?]

    [Do you feel it, human?]

    [Do you feel it, human? Our dance...?]

    It was an echo of wind created by magic.

    The wind spreading out from behind Belenka lost its force as it collided with walls and objects, disintegrating.

    That information was conveyed directly to Belenka.

    Belenka was enveloped in amazement.

    ''I can see...!''

    The sequential breaking of the wind''s voice.

    Astonishingly, that provided Belenka with a visual representation of her surroundings in her mind.

    Being from the medieval era, she had no name for this phenomenon.

    This wasn''t an experience a typical medieval human could have.

    However, Ian, who had once lived in the modern era, knew what to call it.

    Echolocation.

    [Advanced Technique - Echolocation.]

    [A skill that uses the echoes of sound to determine the shapes of surrounding objects. The sharper one''s senses, the more urate the detection.]

    A technique for understanding one''s own and surrounding objects'' locations through the patterns of echoing sound waves.

    Ian had devised this modern-medieval magic by applying the concept of SONAR from his time in the modern world.

    Having pinpointed Inn''s location, Belenka immediately swung her sword, scabbard and all.

    "What?!"

    Inn was horrified to see Belenka swing her sword with her eyes closed.

    How could she, without seeing anything?

    Lee Sin[1]! Lee Sin has appeared!

    "What kind of trickery...!"

    Inn quickly dodged, but Belenka swung her sword urately.

    "Ugh!"

    Inn was struck by the scabbard and tumbled to the ground.

    Simultaneously, the magic of light disappeared.

    As soon as Inn''s light vanished, Ianid down a curtain of darkness again.

    And towards the charging enemy, he swung his staff with all his might.

    The final spell was a Magic Missile(physical)...!

    Bang!

    A tomb robber struck by the staff fell to the ground.

    With the curtain of darkness now in ce, Baron Mud had no way to confront Ian.

    "Damn it! Retreat! Everyone retreat!"

    Baron Mud led his men in a swift escape.

    Their skill in fleeing was unmatched.

    Belenka wanted to pursue, but she still couldn''t move as her vision hadn''t recovered.

    "Ah, it''s over..."

    They had to be content with just capturing Inn.

    After all, the enemy was like a rat in a trap.

    There was no rush to chase them.

    "Old man. Just give up. Surrender and you''ll be treated as a prisoner of war."

    Ian approached Inn, who was lying on the ground.

    Belenka had hit him so hard, it seemed like something might be broken.

    Old people bones don''t heal well. I wonder if he''ll be okay.

    "Hey, Ian!"

    "Me?"

    "Yes! The magic you used at the end! What kind of magic was that!"

    "..."

    Really? That''s the first thing he asks after being captured?

    Ian was incredulous, but Inn''s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

    He had seen such clear eyes somewhere before.

    Dehitri, the madman with the clear eyes from the Santiago Knights.

    Seeing Inn''s eyes sparkle just as brightly, he was probably a madman as well.

    "It was wind magic."

    "Wind? How can wind cure blindness!"

    "I got the hint from the echoes in the cave."

    "... Echoes? What does that have to do with wind magic... That''s just fairy mischief, isn''t it?"

    Inn, thinking, suddenly eximed.

    "That''s it! You asked the wind fairies for help! To show you the way!"

    "..."

    "You! To aplish such a difficult task! Your skill is tremendous! I apologize for mistaking you for an earth wizard. You''re truly an exceptional air wizard!"

    Lucy, listening from the side, tilted her head in confusion.

    "Doesn''t Ian use... dark magic?"

    "Dark magic?!"

    Inn was taken aback.

    Dark magic, such a bizarre and rare magic?

    "You! You know how to use Dark magic too?"

    "... Old man. You didn''t watch the fight properly, did you?"

    Narrow-sighted old fool.

    Ian muttered under his breath.

    ---

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 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Ian''s hunch was right.

    Inn had not cared about anything except for Belenka charging at him.

    "Why should I care about what''s happening around me when a heavily armed knight is charging at me?"

    Thus, Inn couldn''t even recall Ian casting dark magic, nor did he remember his own spell of photon magic that countered it.

    "Did something like that happen?"

    "..."

    Watching Inn be surprisingly oblivious, Ian clicked his tongue.

    He wasn''t senile already, was he?

    But in reality, it was just a matter of his attention being elsewhere.

    "Huh. Your skills are truly remarkable."

    Ian thought Inn was just spouting niceties, but Inn was sincere.

    Wizards who could quickly and urately assess the situation and use the most appropriate magic were exceedingly rare.

    Most wizards used their magic safely from behind knights.

    In the heat of battle, with their focus on the arcane, they couldn''t afford to pay attention to their surroundings.

    Even the most exceptional archwizard could be flustered and fail to perform to their full capabilities when directly threatened.

    But Ian was different.

    Even in the rapidly changing battlefield, he maintained hisposure, using the necessary magic at the right moment to turn the situation in his favor.

    ''Is it because he''s young?''

    Youth is synonymous with speed. It''smon knowledge.

    Whether it was innate talent or simply the fortune of youth, it wasn''t clear.

    What was clear, however, was that Ian was a fine wizard, recognized even by a university professor.

    "You said you learned magic from Eredith?"

    "What''s your rtionship with master?"

    "Nothing big. Just crossed paths a few times at the university."

    Inn downyed it to "crossing paths a few times," but Ian suspected it wasn''t just an acquaintance.

    Both Inn and Eredith were not young wizards.

    Even if they only met a few times a year, over a decade, that would amount to numerous encounters.

    They might have debated or even worked together.

    "I guess you haven''t joined a faction yet..."

    "Yes. I haven''t joined any factions yet."

    A faction, simply put, was a research group.

    For example, Eredith was active in the fire magic faction.

    The rationale behind forming magic factions was the belief that collective research was more beneficial than individual pursuit.

    Joining a faction came with various benefits.

    Things like grants, exclusive arcanenguages specific to that faction, or magical spells developed by its members.

    After reaching a certain level, joining a faction was almost considered mandatory.

    However, for a wizard with as little experience as Ian, roaming the world and exploring various mysteries was deemed more important.

    Once he felt he had hit a wall in his exploration, that would be the time to join a faction.

    Joining now would only mean struggling to catch up with the achievements of other wizards.

    "If you ever wish to join a faction, feel free toe to Dranheim."

    Magic factions are spread across the continent, like clubs, easily formed and just as easily disbanded.

    However, the factions at Dranheim''s Magic University are different because they have substantial funding.

    Money truly is king.

    The catch, though, is the obligations thate with being part of the university...

    For a wandering wizard like Ian, the magic university was merely one option among many.

    "With your current skills, joining a faction wouldnt pose any problem at all."

    "Are you referring to air magic or earth magic?"

    "Yes, and Dark magic as well. In fact, if it''s Dark magic, joining would be a piece of cake."

    Dark magic, magic Ian frequently dabbled in, practitioners were few and far between.

    For most, it was so elusive that even beginning was often impossible...

    For a wizard like Ian, who had earned the trust of the darkness, joining a Dark magic faction would be extremely easy.

    "Well, I''ll think about it."

    Unlike Inn, who was actively encouraging him to go to the university, Ian was indifferent.

    Magic is a practice-oriented discipline.

    It means that studying books and engaging in discussions doesn''t guarantee improvement in skills.

    Directly experiencing and understanding the mysteries, bing familiar with them, is the shortcut to bing an outstanding wizard.

    While the idea of funding is tempting, with his current abilities, isn''t he capable of earning enough money already?

    Inn also advised Ian not to rush to the university but to wander and experience the mysteries.

    He would consider going to the university if the opportunity arises, but it wasn''t a high priority at the moment.

    "Alright. I look forward to the day we can meet and discuss in the university."

    Inn smiled fondly at the young wizard.

    Indeed, to the youth, thefort and tranquility of the magic university might feel suffocating.

    For now, traveling would be more fun.

    He sincerely hoped Ian would achieve greater heights, looking forward to deep discussions with him at the university someday.

    ---

    ---

    "Now we need to deal with the Baron..."

    Inn''s arm was shattered, courtesy of Belenka.

    With a simple splint on his arm, Inn surprisingly wasn''t in much pain.

    He mentioned it wasn''t too painful as long as he didn''t move it violently.

    "Are you alright?"

    "Of course. I too explored the mysteries of the world in my youth. I''ve been through my share of injuries to limbs."

    Indeed, Ian nodded.

    While wizards might have a frail image, in reality, they''re quite robust from all the traveling.

    If nothing else, they were certainly ustomed to walking.

    "It''s good to hear it''s not too ufortable."

    Lucy said, with an elegant smile.

    Every time Lucy put on such an expression, Ian couldn''t help but be taken aback.

    She looked so convincingly noble when she yed the part, thanks to her inherently noble demeanor.

    The problem arose when she opened her mouth, revealing her true colors...

    "Ah, Baron."

    Inn bowed his head to Lucy.

    "Thank you for treating me as a prisoner of war."

    "Thankful? I merely fulfilled a noble''s duty."

    "I pledge on the honor of the Imperial Magic University that I will repay my ransom."

    Inn''s mention of the Magic University meant that if he couldn''t pay up, the university was expected to cover the cost.

    Lucy had forgiven all of Inn''s grave-robbing actions, provided she received the ransom, includingpensation for damages.

    This was only possible because Inn hadn''t been the instigator of the crimes.

    Regardless of one''s status as a wizard, getting caught grave-robbing without thinking of the consequences could lead to on-the-spot execution without any room forint.

    But for Lucy, executing Inn would bring no benefits.

    She didn''t want to face the repercussions of harming a professor from the Magic University.

    Plus, the ransom Inn could offer was of great value to her, especially as an opportunity to replenish funds spent during the estate war.

    "Ian, if Professor Inn tries to use magic, stop him."

    Lucy whispered, causing Ian to look puzzled.

    "Would he really resort to magic?"

    Ian thought Lucy was worried about Inn attempting to escape.

    "If he manages to im any merit, we''d have to reduce his ransom!"

    But that wasn''t the case.

    Just like with Belenka, Lucy was concerned that if Inn managed to capture the grave-robbers, she''d have to lower his ransom...

    Lucy was being meticulously practical in apletely unnecessary aspect.

    Knowing Lucy''s financial troubles, Ian decided to follow her wishes.

    "Inn, when we fight the Baron, maybe hold off on the magic..."

    "Ah, a fight?"

    However, Inn''s response was off-topic.

    "The Baron has probably run away by now?"

    "Run away?"

    Ian was dumbfounded, but Inn''s words turned out to be true.

    Despite Belenka leading the charge into the tomb, the Baron and his henchmen had vanished as if by magic.

    "Gone. Where could they have gone?"

    Inn shrugged.

    "Such underground structures always have more than one exit. If the only path copses, it''s all over."

    "But isn''t this a tomb?"

    "Did you think he was called the ''Baron Mud'' for nothing? As soon as he came underground, he dug an escape route. After the construction was finished, he reopened the sealed path."

    Ian was impressed.

    How could someone be so cunninglypetent?

    True to his moniker, "Baron Mud," he had cunningly dug out a hidden path previously sealed by the tomb workers.

    A level of adeptness that screamed seasoned grave-robber.

    "Ian, I found this."

    Bnka handed over a piece of leather, presumably left behind by the Baron.

    On it was written in an ancientnguage, "I will surely repay this disgrace!"

    "..."

    "What? Ian? What does it say?"

    Lacking the courage to trante, Ian passed the note to the priest.

    Baron Mud''s note would definitely infuriate Lucy, but that was about it.

    "Here we are."

    Inn led Ian and his group to the office of Baron Talian.

    It was amusing that an intruder was acting as a guide, but in reality, Inn was the only one who had actually been here before.

    Records might exist, but knowing about a ce from text and visiting in person are entirely different experiences.

    The door bore inscriptions unknown to Ian.

    "Do you know what this says?"

    "No, Inn?"

    "I''m not sure either. It must detail how to open the door..."

    Inn furrowed his brows.

    It had been a stumbling block for days, with no breakthrough in sight.

    Bringing a group of university professors might unveil a method, but Inn alone couldn''t figure it out.

    Ian had no better idea.

    Draw a magic circle and invoke an earthquake through earth magic?

    That might open the door, but it was the perfect recipe for getting buried alive.

    The mysteries knew no subtlety.

    "Don''t worry. The Baron will open the path."

    At the priest''s words, Ian stepped aside.

    Right. If Lucy took charge...

    Lucy confidently approached the door.

    Then she shouted at Ian.

    "Ian! What do I do now?"

    "..."

    Lucy, why are you asking me?

    Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly), Lucy didn''t know how to open the door.

    It was just like her.

    The problem was, the priest she brought along didn''t know either.

    "Why won''t the door open?"

    "Well..."

    The priest, sweating profusely, flipped through his documents.

    "Surely, bringing Talian''s bloodline before the door would prompt a fairy''s greeting to open it, ording to this..."

    "What''s a fairy''s greeting?"

    "That, that''s not specified..."

    "..."

    What a mess.

    The priest was flustered, Lucy was clueless, and Inn was fired up with determination.

    "Don''t worry! I''ll figure out the riddle!"

    "Inn, please just stay put."

    Despite saying that, Ian inevitably teamed up with Inn.

    They couldn''t just return empty-handed aftering all this way.

    "I tried invoking the earth''s mysteries, but it seems the Fairy Queen had already made her move."

    "Did you try to talk?"

    "Yes. She wouldn''t even listen to my request. So, I looked into other mysteries..."

    And so on.

    As Ian and Inn began to chat, Lucy quickly grew bored.

    With everyone busy, standing there awkwardly alone was embarrassing.

    When Lucy''s gaze met Belenka''s, she quickly looked away.

    Their rtionship was still awkward.

    Bored, Lucy soon noticed some kind of pattern inscribed on the door.

    "Huh?"

    The inscription was one Lucy was familiar with.

    "Ian! Could this be a hint?"

    "What kind of..."

    Ian realized the characters Lucy pointed out were part of the riddle he had discussed with Inn earlier.

    We already talked about this...

    Lucy, you weren''t paying attention again...

    "It seems like a hint, but I don''t understand it."

    "I know it."

    "???"

    Ian was shocked.

    Lucy knows something?!

    It wasn''t a lie.

    Lucy, with a serene expression, gently traced the letters on the door and recited them as if singing.

    "[I will forever remember our friendship.]"

    Rumble...

    The moment Lucy read the inscription on the door, it opened with a loud noise.

    "Lucy, you... were actually a Talian?"

    "What does that mean?!"

    The priest''s record was urate.

    To open the door, the bloodline of Talian was needed.

    Only a Talian could read the ancient fairy inscription passed down through generations.

    "This is Fairynguage. I don''t know its meaning well. My father taught me, so I just learned it."

    "What does it mean?"

    "Who knows? Maybe something like ''Door, open!''?"

    Ian and his group cautiously stepped into the room, worried about possible traps, but there were none.

    However, there was an unnatural pile of stones on top of the Baron''s sarcophagus.

    As Lucy approached it,

    Ian quickly grabbed her arm.

    Inn shouted,

    "Don''t touch it!"

    "Why? But..."

    "That''s... the grave of the Fairy Queen."

    "What?"

    The pile of stones, resting lightly atop the Baron''s sarcophagus, was the burial site of the Fairy Queen.

    Ian and Inn, both wizards, sensed an unidentified power guarding the queen''s grave.

    Touching it would surely lead to misfortune.

    Lucy, confused, asked,

    "But why is the Fairy Queen''s grave on top of the Baron''s sarcophagus?"

    Belenka, who had been quietly observing,mented,

    "Doing so ensures no one can desecrate the Baron''s body."

    "..."

    "That''s why she built her grave on top of the sarcophagus."

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    I get it.

    It was about how, like some obsessed female lead in a fantasy novel from Novelpia, the Fairy Queen wanted to guard the Baron''s corpse even in death.

    But that was one thing, and this was another.

    "Why is it so f*cking hard to look at a sword?"

    Ian grumbled.

    If a magical sword was sealed away with the Baron''s corpse, the situation would be quite troublesome.

    Tampering with the coffin might incur the Fairy Queen''s curse.

    Fortunately, the situation favored Ian.

    "Is that it over there?"

    In a corner of the graveyard, alongside arge mural, were neatly disyed items the Baron might have used in life.

    Ian had seen such scenes several times before in the modern world.

    "A museum... of course."

    It was just like the folk museums that disyed ancient peoples'' belongings.

    The creators of this tomb weren''t curators, but rather, they aimed to honor andmemorate the deceased.

    The mural depicted the Baron ying a monster, with the Fairy Queen looking up at him.

    "Is this it?"

    "This looks right."

    "It must be this."

    Ian slowly examined the Baron''s armaments.

    The sword, armor, clothing, jewels, and more that the Baron had possessed in life had all deteriorated into worthless junk over time.

    "..."

    Ian clicked his tongue at the sight of the ancient armaments turned to garbage.

    In games, ancient tombs were filled with awesome weapons to loot.

    Yet, in reality, the tomb was filled with nothing but trash.

    Perhaps games were just games after all.

    What might have been formidable weapons in the Baron''s time had sumbed to the passage of time.

    However, among the long swords and armor, there was one weapon that remained intact.

    "... A dagger?"

    As Ian pondered, Belenka retorted as if questioning what he was talking about.

    "How is that a dagger?"

    "It''s short. So, it''s a dagger."

    "Look closely. That''s more like a dius, isn''t it?"

    Ian took another look at the weapon.

    Upon closer inspection, it was notably short.

    It resembled the dius used by the ancients, characterized by its short length.

    In the ancient Golden Empire, the broad tower shield and dius were standard armaments.

    This sword appeared to be modeled after a dius, with a notably short de.

    "Isn''t it too short?"

    Belenka shrugged as if it was no big deal.

    "Well, smelting technology wascking in ancient times."

    "...?"

    You''re the ones saying technology wascking?

    In reality, the weapon''s short length was designed for use with arge shield.

    Handling a tower shield was challenging enough; a longer sword would have madebat impossible.

    However, Belenka and Ian, ignorant of ancient weapons and technology, could not be aware of such details.

    "Isn''t that the sword you were supposed to receive?"

    "Yeah."

    "Then it''s better that it''s shorter. Longer ones are cumbersome and heavy."

    "What sword do you use?"

    "I wear armor, don''t I?"

    As the defensive capability of armor increases, wielding two-handed weapons bes easier.

    Without a shield, the armor itself provides sufficient defense, allowing for its offensive potential to be maximized.

    Belenka, d in full armor, favored wielding a longsword, a weapon so lengthy it was impossible to handle with just one hand.

    The longsword is, indeed, a two-handed weapon.

    This reminded him of Salvador, the Sword Master he had met who also swung a two-handed sword.

    Impressively, without any armor.

    He was quite the remarkable elder in many ways.

    "Does a wizard covet weapons?"

    "Not at all."

    Ian said, pulling out the short sword.

    Though it appeared short at a nce, upon drawing it, it was not as short as expected.

    Its length was between 50 to 60 centimeters, more than enough to take a life.

    "Wow, that sword is...?"

    Inn eximed as soon as the sword was drawn.

    He had heard rumors of a mystical treasure but could never have imagined what it would actually be like.

    The magic sword that Inn saw indeed seemed touched by a being beyond human intellect, an unknown power flowing along its de.

    "It seems to be enchanted with some magic."

    Ian carefully touched the de, feeling a sensation that was either hot or cold.

    This reminded him of a story Lucy once told.

    The magic sword Anoril, crafted with the powers of the sun and moon.

    "How about it, Ian? Can you make anything of it?"

    Lucy asked, but Ian remained silent, unsure of the mysteries it held.

    It was not the kind of mystery that could be understood at a nce but rather one that required time and observation to slowly unveil.

    However, Ian had a rough idea of how to unleash its power.

    "[Rise up.]"

    When Ian spoke in the Maroniusnguage, the slumbering mystery within the sword responded.

    The de of the magic sword gradually heated up, emitting a scorching haze.

    As Ian brought a piece of leather close, it burnt up, emitting a foul smell.

    "Wow!"

    "How did you do that, Ian?"

    Inn and Lucy almost eximed in unison.

    It was understandable for Lucy, but why was the other human making such a fuss?

    "Didn''t I tell you before? It''s a sword made with the powers of the sun and the moon."

    "Yes, yes!"

    "So, I tried invoking the mystery of the Sun, and it worked. Somewhat."

    Lucy was overjoyed, jumping as if she had expected it all along.

    She didn''t know whether the magic sword would actually work.

    Such details weren''t written in the priests'' records.

    She had worried that it might be a fake, but fortunately, it was genuine.

    However, Inn''s reaction was slightly different.

    "Hmm. I understand the principle, but it doesn''t seem like that''s the way it should be used?"

    If a nameless wizard had said that, they might have been scornfully told, "What do you mean ''no''? Look at this loser."

    But Inn was a professor at the Imperial Magic University.

    With the opinion of such an esteemed wizard, no one would dare to speak against it.

    "I agree. This is not merely a mystery of fire, but of the sun."

    Ian readily agreed, and Inn smiled brightly.

    Truly Eredith''s apprentice after all!

    It''s known that as people age, they tend to favor those who lend an ear to their words.

    Inn, appreciating that Ian did not disregard his words, held him in high esteem.

    After all, being impertinent is often considered a badge of honor among wizards.

    "Indeed. The way you used it looks like how one would handle the mysteries of fire. However, ording to the legends, the sword was forged with the power of the sun, suggesting there''s a more appropriate way to wield it."

    "I''ll have to research that in time."

    Ian spent some time experimenting with the magic sword.

    He couldn''t harness the grand powers of the sun and moon but seeded in manifesting their lesser attributes, heat and cold.

    He managed to make the de either hot or cold.

    ''What is this, a lighter?''

    So, the magic sword Lucy gave him... was essentially a fantastical lighter.

    It could be useful for lighting fires or freezing things, but that was about it.

    However, for a novice wizard like Ian, it offered many practical uses.

    Mysteries influenced by the weather, like cold and heat, could only be invoked under the right conditions.

    For instance, the mystery of cold responds well in winter, while the mystery of fire bes more active on hot summer days.

    It''s a natural urrence but disappointing when considering its utility.

    What use is invoking cold in winter and heat in summer?

    But with a magic sword, things were different.

    Creating ice in summer and sparks in winter, it allowed for truly wizard-like feats.

    Of course, wizards proficient in Ice magic or Fire magic could easily do what Ian needed the magic sword for.

    Yet, Ian''s magical aplishments were still modest.

    In other words, it was a situation where a newbie had found an item useful for newbies.

    In such cases, one should say.

    ''Lucky me.''

    Ian smirked, a grin that might seem malicious to those unfamiliar with him.

    Lucy approached him, perhaps the only one who wouldn''t mistake his smile for malevolence.

    Having spent a considerable time with Ian, she had a good grasp of his thoughts and how he reacted.

    It was a pure smile, born from encountering a new mystery.

    Others might see it as the grin of an ominous and unlucky wizard...

    But Lucy simply shared in Ian''s joy.

    "Ian, do you like the sword?"

    "Yeah. Of course."

    Ian managed his expression.

    It was a gift, after all, and likely important to Lucy.

    He couldn''t just openly revel in it.

    "That''s good to hear."

    Lucy yfully poked Ian''s chest with her finger.

    "I promised you before, it''s yours, Ian."

    "Thanks."

    "Don''t mention it. You''ve helped me so much already."

    Lucy indeed kept her promise.

    Lucy gifted Ian a treasure from Talian.

    And the fulfillment of that promise meant...

    ''It''s finally over.''

    It implied that Ian''s departure was not far off.

    Lucy felt a twinge of sadness at the thought but didn''t show it outwardly.

    She wanted to present only her best self to Ian until the very end.

    "Let''s go, Ian."

    Ian and hispanions left the tomb of the Baron Talian.

    The sun had already risen, brightly illuminating the world.

    Ian found himself smiling unwittingly.

    ---

    ---

    That day, Ian''s group quickly prepared for dinner.

    Everyone was tired after experiencing so much.

    "Ah, I''m so hungry."

    "I shall prepare dinner, master."

    Though it was said that they prepared dinner, in reality, Ian hadn''t lifted a finger.

    The same went for Belenka and Lucy; servants Lucy had brought along, including ves from the foot of the mountain, were waiting to serve them.

    They couldn''t be brought to the Baron''s tomb, so they were left below.

    "Ian! Let''s eat!"

    "Yeah. Okay."

    Ian seemed indifferent, though he must have been very hungry.

    Lucy found Ian''s indifference curious.

    "Aren''t you hungry, Ian?"

    "I am."

    "You don''t seem too happy about it."

    Lucy couldn''t understand Ian''s reaction.

    While they were enduring hardships inside the tomb dungeon, Lucy''s servants had prepared a feast that was hard toe by outdoors, hunting beasts and baking dough.

    There was wood pigeon pie with raspberry sauce, whole roasted wild rabbit, soup made from threshed grains, and savory butter.

    It should have been delicious, given the effort put into it.

    However, Ian sighed upon seeing the Western-style table filled with rich buttery aromas.

    Western cuisine is fine for a day or two.

    But, guys, I went on a trip to Europe.

    It was fun for about 10 years, you know?

    But f*ck, the trip never ends...

    Ian knew he wasn''t a traveler but a resident here.

    If there was a municipal office, he''d have filed aint.

    Yet, Ian still couldn''t quite believe he was a resident of this fantasy medieval world.

    It felt as if the journey would someday end, and he''d return home.

    To a ce where familiarndscapes, smells, and foods awaited him.

    In some ways, Ian was indeed a traveler.

    A wanderer from a strange world, dropped into this bizarre one by some deity''s trickery.

    Yes.

    Ian had recently been feeling a peculiar sense of homesickness.

    No, calling it homesickness might be too grand.

    He simply missed Korean food.

    "Haah. I just want to give up and slurp some instant noodles..."

    The nation allowed the consumption of music and religion, as well as ramen, as a form of drug.

    The proof was in Koreans collectively suffering withdrawal symptoms whenever they traveled abroad.

    "At times like this..."

    Ian took out a secret crop that Mani had given him as a farewell gift.

    It was chili powder.

    Mani, a botanist, had collected and grown all sorts of strange crops, among which was the chili pepper, familiar to Ian.

    The reason for growing chili peppers was quite bizarreit was a crop cultivated for the purpose of tormenting those one disliked...

    When Ian discovered the chili and asked for some chili powder, Mani was confused.

    "Do you have someone you want to torment?"

    No? It''s for me to eat.

    Thinking that Mani might not give it if she knew the real purpose, Ian imed he wanted it for self-defense and managed to obtain it.

    "What are you doing, Ian?"

    When Ian unexpectedly started sprinkling red powder on the soup and meat, everyone looked on with curiosity-filled eyes.

    "What is that?"

    "Spicy powder."

    Inn, ever the curious and adventurous wizard, didn''t even wait for Ian''s permission before trying the chili powder.

    "Cough! Gah!"

    Inn''s sudden choking startled Lucy.

    "Inn! What''s wrong with you!"

    "Cough! Poison! Everyone, be cautious!"

    Belenka even stood up from the table.

    Ian looked at Inn with disbelief.

    "You eat without asking and then make a scene. And it''s not poison."

    "But this tingling sensation...! It must be a paralyzing poison...!"

    "It''s not poison~"

    Ian calmly continued to eat his soup.

    With just a bit of chili powder added, the vor changed significantly.

    Yes, this was it!

    Ian nodded in satisfaction.

    Indeed, food needs this level of stimtion!

    Seeing Ian unfazed, the rest reassured themselves.

    "Can I... try it too?"

    "You''ll regret it."

    After Lucy tried the chili powder with her finger...

    "Cough, cough! You say this isn''t poison?!"

    She looked at Ian with tears streaming down her face, full of reproach.

    Ian clicked his tongue in disapproval.

    Such weaklings, he thought.

    Always eating nd, buttery foods has made their ptes overly sensitive.

    For medieval folks who think even pepper is spicy, chili was definitely too much.

    Except for one person.

    "... It''s unusual, but not bad?"

    Belenka, with her face turned bright red, bravely ate the meat sprinkled with chili powder.

    Watching Belenka, Ian felt an overwhelming urge to start a YouTube channel.

    [Spicy Challenge! The reaction of a blonde to her first taste of chili powder?!]

    ''... Ridiculous.''

    Thanks to Ian''s use of chili powder, the group was thrown into chaos.

    Perhaps that''s why.

    None of them noticed the watchful eyes hiding in the bushes, observing the group.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Schedule: 5/week

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    "Ian, wake up!"

    Under a high-hanging full moon, Ian slowly opened his eyes to the sound of his name being called, emerging from a deep sleep.

    Inn was pacing restlessly by his bed.

    "What''s going on?"

    Inn, sweating profusely and with a trembling voice, said,

    "There''s something outside. I don''t know what it is, but it''s definitely targeting us!"

    The drowsiness vanished instantly.

    Ian realized he was in a situation often seen in movies or fantasy settingsan ambush.

    "Damn... Could it be tomb robbers?"

    "No, no! Not human! More like beings of mystery!"

    "Mystery?"

    Ian reflexively thought of intelligent monsters like drakes or manticores.

    Such beasts wouldn''t hesitate to emerge from the night and devour humans as a midnight snack.

    If it really was a giant carnivorous monster, Ian was in deep trouble.

    Always be wary of monsters!

    Hadnt Eredith warned him to the point earwax built up?

    Monsters are dangerous, and in this damned medieval fantasy world, they''re everywhere, hindering the exchange between domains and slowing human expansion.

    In a world where Man vs. Wild was a real-time event, even the strongest human forces were just thathuman.

    "Caw! Master!"

    Just then, Oberon flew in.

    "Oberon. Did you see something?"

    [Yes! Some small human-like creatures have arrived!]

    "Small humans?"

    Immediately, one word shed through Ian''s mind.

    ''... Fairies?''

    "Let''s go check it out."

    But the information was stillcking.

    Ian wanted to see the nocturnal visitors with his own eyes.

    Inn, shivering, said,

    "Do we have to go?"

    "It''s better that we do. We don''t know their intentions."

    "You make sense... You do..."

    As Inn shivered, Ian found him slightly pathetic.

    It was understandable to be scared, but the trembling made him seem like a coward.

    "If you''re scared, stay here."

    "But I need to see it with my own eyes..."

    "Then let''s go together."

    "... Isn''t it dangerous? Maybe we should wake the knights..."

    Such a troublesome old man.

    Thats what Ian thought, but then he reconsidered.

    Or is that the secret to longevity?

    Being fearful, in other words, means being cautious.

    History has proven that the fearless often die first.

    Inn himself proved the importance of caution for longevity, so he''s probably right.

    "Then I''ll bring Belenka."

    ---

    ---

    Ian woke Belenka and brought her along.

    Surprised by Ian''s sudden appearance, Belenka quickly understood the situation and cooperated smoothly.

    Belenka was so cooperative that she didn''t even negotiate a fee.

    "But if I achieve something noteworthy, there should be a bonus..."

    F*ck. It''ll go towards your debt, so please just stop talking about money.

    "That''s refreshingly straightforward."

    Despite having been woken up, Belenka''s face was full of vitality, possibly pleased at the prospect of not having to negotiate a fee.

    It was a dimly lit night, but Ian moved forward without hesitation.

    Hismunion with the darkness deepened day by day, making dark vision magic act almost like a passive skill.

    Finding his way in the dark was as easy as pie.

    "Ian."

    Inn, who had been following closely behind, suddenly spoke up.

    It was because of one of Inns specialties, the magic of the sentinel bug, reacted.

    "There''s a suspicious group up ahead."

    Ian and Belenka saved their breath.

    There was no reason to chat with the enemy so close.

    Ian, blending into the darkness, muttered in thenguage of magic,

    "[Let the darkness illuminate our path.]"

    [Shadow Maniption  Casting Dark Vision.]

    Darkness spread out from Ian, revealing a vision in ck and white, like an old movie.

    It was a third-eye view, created based on what the darkness sensed and felt.

    ''That''s...''

    Ian observed what Inn had described as ''beings of mystery''.

    And... he was a bit let down.

    ''What the hell is that?''

    The midnight visitors turned out to be dwarves, barely thirty centimeters tall.

    ''Monsters?''

    Ian couldn''t make heads or tails of it.

    After all, such fundamentally fantastic creatures of this true fantasy world were unfamiliar to him too.

    He could recognize any creature from Earth at a nce, but fantasy creatures like these were unknown to him.

    It doesnt seem like an attack...?

    Ian''s head tilted as he observed the group of dwarves.

    The dwarves were huddled together, not moving.

    If these were attackers, they would be up to something suspicious, but to Ian, a wizard, they didn''t seem to be plotting anything.

    ''What are they doing?''

    Ian''s question was unexpectedly answered when Oberon began to frantically tap his shoulder.

    "Stay still. You''re shedding feathers, Oberon."

    [S-Sorry! Master! But, over there...!]

    "Over there?"

    Oberon trembled, staring into the darkness.

    [There...! There''s a monster hiding!]

    "Monster?"

    Ian concentrated, extending his dark vision toward the tree Oberon had mentioned, and then he realized.

    "Oh. An eagle owl?"

    [Screech!]

    Atop the tree, arge eagle owl gazed calmly at the dwarves with its serene eyes.

    To Ian, a human, it was nothing special.

    But to Oberon, barely more than a crow, it was terrifying enough to make him tremble and shed feathers.

    [Ah! Those wings! That beak...!]

    "Damn, you''re shedding."

    [I-I''m scared! I''m going to faint, Master!]

    "Fine. Just pass out. Want me to put you in my pocket?"

    With a wingspan of 180 centimeters, the eagle owl is acknowledged as one of the supreme hunters of the night.

    It was like facing a tiger.

    Just as an ordinary human would tremble and wet themselves when faced with a tiger, Oberon, being just amon crow, was struck with terror upon spotting the eagle owl.

    "Belenka. Do you have any of that leftover meat from yesterday? Bring it here."

    "Will do."

    Ian strode towards the tree where the eagle owl perched.

    "It''s a human! A human!"

    "What do we do! A human has appeared!"

    Ian closely observed the group that hade to their camp, whether they were attackers or something else.

    ''Wow.''

    Up close, it was clear.

    Thirty centimeters tall, with mysterious wings extending from their backs, each one cute and adorable...

    They were fairies.

    Recognized by everyone as a fantasy world species, unlike elves, they were an unfortunate race that has been on the declin.

    Typically, when one mentions elves, they think of the long-eared, long-lived, beautiful, and superior race created by Tolkien.

    But those were just a myth.

    The real foundational elves were these short-statured fantastical beings.

    Though they are moremonly referred to as fairies to distinguish them from the tall-eared elves.

    Unlike elves, fairies are not asmonly found in Western legends.

    This is because they have fewer fans.

    While the slender and beautiful appearance of elves has bred countless elf enthusiasts, fairies have failed to cultivate a fanbase.

    Their appearance, which could easily be mistaken for catering to lolicon tastes, is to me.

    Elf enthusiasts may seem like they have a preference, but fairy enthusiasts... (the rest is omitted)

    Anyway.

    Fairies, now relegated to being first-floor tutorial tower bosses, sting challengers'' heads off as their main job, appeared before Ian.

    Why? To blow Ian''s head off?

    ''...''

    It would be creepy if they actually had that ability.

    But from what Ian could see, these fairies, unlike those in tutorials, seemed incapable of decapitating humans.

    If they could, he would have heard of such gruesome tales several times over.

    Besides, there was no reason for them to huddle together in front of an eagle owl like that.

    The fairies, upon making eye contact with Ian, all flinched collectively.

    They looked incredibly cute.

    A Japanese dungeon survival expert once said that the appearance of all creatures is necessary for their survival[1].

    It meant that cute creatures are cute for a reason.

    Well, the dungeon version of Bear Grylls[2] might say that and then proceed to eat the monster.

    Ian was genuinely curious.

    What could be the reason for fairies to look so adorable?

    Here. I brought it.

    "Thanks."

    Ian approached the eagle owl with the meat in hand.

    Drawing on his experience ofmunicating with animals in nature, he spoke with a voice filled with firm intent.

    "Come down."

    [???]

    "I won''t hurt you. It''s okay,e down."

    The eagle owl stared at Ian for a while...

    With a whoosh, the eagle owl pped itsrge wings and descended before Ian.

    Ian quickly extended his staff to create a perch for it.

    ''It''s lighter than I thought?''

    Given its enormous size, Ian had expected the eagle owl to be quite heavy, but surprisingly, it was light.

    No wonder British wizards[3] use them as mail carriers.

    Ian gently scratched the eagle owl''s back, feeding it leftover meat scraps.

    The eagle owl, looking somewhat dumbfounded, hungrily gulped down the food Ian offered.

    Despite wondering why Ian was suddenly being so nice, filling its stomach was the priority.

    "Ah."

    Watching Ian skillfully handle the eagle owl, Inn''s eyes lit up.

    That guy.

    His ability tomunicate with nature is no joke, right?

    Inn thought for sure Ian would be a great summoner, having already witnessed Ian''s odd behaviors multiple times.

    Belenka, too, found it fascinating how Ian tamed the owl so quickly.

    Wizards sure have a lot of tricks up their sleeves.

    Ian, after filling the eagle owl''s stomach, approached the fairies.

    This guy was bothering you, right?

    "Eek!"

    The fairies went into a frenzy as Ian approached with the eagle owl, terrified out of their minds.

    What kind of monster is an eagle owl!

    A monstrous beast that kidnaps fairies with its huge body and eats them alive!

    But to subdue, no, to tame such a monster with just a few words...!

    The fairies felt a terror that Ian might justmand,

    "Go! Eat those insolent ones!" releasing the eagle owl on them.

    Then the eagle owl would "Swoosh! Swoosh!" swoop down on the fairies...

    Just the thought was horrifying!

    "We''re so, so sorry!"

    The terrified fairies collectively bowed their heads, performing a perfect dogeza.

    Then, the eagle owl pped its wings as if to take off, stirred by the fairies'' screams, its hunting instincts kicking in.

    "Stay calm."

    But Ian gently pressed on the eagle owl''s shoulder, calming it down.

    The fairies watching this scene felt a sense of awe towards Ian.

    ''Incredible...!''

    While they would typically avoid a mere violent human in disgust, meeting a human who could skillfully tame a fearsome beast, they couldn''t help but respect and revere him.

    Worship is one way to forget fear.

    Without attempting any tricks, the fairies confessed everything to Ian.

    "We came to ask you, human, to please return the sword!"

    "Sword?"

    The sword the fairies spoke of could only be one.

    The magic sword, Anor-lsil.

    As Ian drew the sword, the fairies chirped in unison.

    "Yes! That sword!"

    "Without it, we can no longer weave the heavens!"

    Ian sheathed the sword and asked,

    "Heavens? What heavens?"

    To which the fairies replied,

    "The heavens that are as precious as our lives!"

    ---

    [1. raei: this might be a reference to Shiva from dark souls? not confirmed]

    [2. raei: British guy best known for his tv series, Man vs. Wild. There was a direct reference to this show earlier on.]

    [3. raei: haha this is talking about Harry Potter.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Elves and dwarves, quintessential stereotypes of fantasy, actually share amon origin, both stemming from Western fairy tales.

    The person credited with creating the early models of elves and dwarves familiar to us today is none other than the literary giant JRR Tolkien.

    When Tolkien crafted the races of elves and dwarvesor rather, the Legendarium[1]he drew much of his inspiration from Norse mythology, incorporating elements like runes, elves, and dwarves.

    In Norse mythology, dwarves were renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship, producing items that even gods marveled at.

    This attribute of craftsmanship was absorbed into the dwarf stereotype, culminating in the notion that "dwarves are a race of skilled artisans."

    But, to get to the point, it was not odd for the fairies before Ian to bring up the topic of weaving.

    "Our fairies domesticate silkworms. We weave fabric imbued with the power of the sun and moon from silkworm threads, which we call ''True Pattern Silk.''"

    "True... what?"

    Ian scratched his head, puzzled by the sudden trantion issue.

    This was not some martial arts fantasy.

    The imperialnguage of the fairies had an ancient feel to it.

    "Ah. You mean Fairy Silk."

    Inn chimed in, a wee rification.

    This was much easier to understand.

    It meant silk made by fairies.

    "What''s that?"

    "It''s fabric woven by fairies, enchanted with magic."

    "Magic?"

    "It''s cool in summer and warm in winter... I''ve only seen it a few times myself. It''s so valuable that just naming it is expensive,"

    Inn exined kindly.

    Fairy Silk was a fantastical scam item that one might only find in a fantasy world.

    It was beautiful, soft, and protected the wearer from annoying temperature changes.

    Naturally, it was a high-grade item that only the monarch of a prosperous nation might touch.

    Yet, here were the fairies before Ian, artisans who crafted such expensive and valuable items.

    The fairies bowed their heads humbly.

    "When the weather was bad, we wove the fabric with that sword you possess. You may not know, but that sword was created long ago by our queen in coboration with great artisans! It was lent to humans for a time, but it is a sword that has been passed down in our race!"

    The fairies shouted in unison.

    "Please return the sword!"

    "Return it!"

    "Return it!"

    Ian had a headache watching the fairies collectively plead.

    This damn sword had too many stories attached to it.

    ---

    ---

    To cut to the chase, Ian had no intention of handing over the sword.

    It was rightfully obtained as a reward for helping Lucy.

    The usefulness of the sword to the fairies was irrelevant to Ian.

    "I''d rather not."

    As Ian expressed his refusal, one of the fairies timidly protested.

    "If you''re nning to take our item like that, we won''t just sit back and do nothing."

    Ian frowned at the protesting fairy.

    "Really?"

    Sensing Ian''s irritation, a fierce owl screeched loudly.

    "Screech!"

    "Eeeeek!"

    The fairies collectively ducked and trembled, due to their small size, viewing therge predatory bird as a natural enemy.

    "Just stay put. If you''re bored, do you want some more meat?"

    Ian fed the owl pieces of meat while casually observing the fairies, noting their fear of the bird.

    The owl could serve as a sort of intimidation tool.

    However, he had no immediate intention of scaring them.

    As seen in the tomb of the fairy queen, fairies are a race that wields strange powers.

    There was no need to provoke a fight to the death unnecessarily.

    Ian decided to try persuading the fairies first.

    "Let me ask you one thing. Why is the magic sword yours?"

    A fairy confidently responded,

    "Because it was our item to begin with!"

    Their logic was as follows: The magic of the magic sword was unstable, and without the fairies'' maintenance, the magic could have faded, simr to a battery running out.

    However, since the fairies had been using and maintaining the sword, even if the nominal owner was human, the fairies considered themselves the true owners.

    "But isn''t the owner Baron Talian?"

    "That, that''s..."

    When Ian presented his argument, the fairies stumbled over their words.

    Yet, one sharp fairy eximed, "But the descendants of the Baron have neglected the sword for hundreds of years! In contrast, we have consistently entered the tomb to use the sword!"

    "..."

    That''s theft, you idiot.

    Not something to be proud of.

    "And you still im to be the owner of this magic sword!"

    The fairies'' point was somewhat understandable.

    Humans, who had not looked for or shown interest in the item for ages, suddenly appeared, wanting to take away the item the fairies had been using happily.

    It was a matter of nominal versus actual ownership, aplicated category even in modernw, not easily sided with.

    But Ian couldn''t just step back.

    How could he hand over a magic sword he had obtained, just like that, to the fairies?

    "Let me say it again, this sword was a gift from the fairy queen to Baron Talian. Naturally, the owner is the Baron."

    "..."

    "You know that humans pass down items to their descendants, right? I legally received the ownership from Talian''s descendant. So, this sword is mine."

    You want to take back a sword that your queen gave away?

    The fairies knew what Ian was getting at, hence their hesitation to attack.

    "Ugh..."

    "But..."

    However, the fairies were not ready to give up easily.

    They had thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of the magic sword.

    Right then, a voice called out,

    "Stop this at once!"

    A fairy flew swiftly from the forest.

    The fairies eximed in surprise,

    "The Queen!"

    She was the current Fairy Queen.

    After casting a sharp nce at the fairies, the Fairy Queen bowed her head in apology to Ian.

    "Our fairies have been rude. I sincerely apologize."

    "It wasn''t really rude."

    Pulling out a sword would be rude.

    The fairies had done nothing more than show up and perform a sort of prostration show.

    Ian wasn''t particrly bothered.

    "Thank you for saying so," the Queen responded, then immediately scolded the fairies, "You lot! How dare you be rude to the descendant of our benefactor! Did you intend to steal the item gifted by the past queen?"

    "But, Your Majesty!" a fairy protested.

    "This human is not a descendant of the benefactor, and they do not need the sword as much as we do!"

    "How dare you make such judgments! Did I teach you to act so rashly?"

    "...We apologize, Your Majesty."

    The Fairy Queen then gently asked Ian,

    "May I ask your rtion to our benefactor?"

    "A friend."

    "I see. Could you introduce me to the benefactor then?"

    Ian got the gist of what the Queen was after.

    She suspected him of being a tomb robber, iming to be friends with Baron Talian as a cover.

    If that were the case, the Queen would not hesitate to attack him.

    "If you wish."

    Ian instructed Belenka to bring Lucy.

    Belenka appeared not only with Lucy but also with a priest in tow.

    "Don''t we need a witness?"

    It was a medieval attitude familiar with contracts.

    Ian exined the situation to Lucy.

    "Do you understand what''s going on?"

    "Uh-huh... I just need to prove I''m the real Talian, right?"

    The priest promptly produced documents proving Lucy''s legitimate im to the baronage and that the Fairy Queen had transferred the ownership of the magic sword to the Baron Talian.

    The Queen nodded after verifying the documents.

    "This is indeed the queen''s seal. It''s genuine."

    "So..."

    "Yes. The magic sword belongs toIan here," dered the Fairy Queen.

    Now, the fairies could no longer object to Ian''s ownership.

    But the Queen had more to say.

    "On behalf of the fairies, I formally request of you, Ian."

    "What is it?"

    "We would like to borrow your magic sword. If you wish, you may also sell it to us."

    In any case, they wanted to continue using the magic sword.

    "What will you give me?"

    "We will offer you True Pattern Silk."

    Inn and the priest were shocked by the Fairy Queen''s offer.

    True Pattern Silk, or Fairy Silk, was an item not even imperial dukes could easily ess.

    And she was willing to offer it as payment!

    "Ian, what''s True Pattern Silk?"

    "I don''t know. It''s called Fairy Silk."

    "What?!"

    Lucy was startled, finally grasping the situation and eximing in surprise.

    She, being a noble of the Empire, knew what Fairy Silk was.

    It''s said to be more expensive than an equivalent area of gold!

    Imagine how much she could fund her domain''s operations if she sold it...

    Ian''s going to be rich. How envious.

    That''s what Lucy was thinking when,

    "I don''t really want to lend it..."

    "Why not!"

    The one shouting at the Fairy Queen was Lucy, not Ian.

    Ian looked at Lucy in disbelief.

    "Why are you getting heated?"

    "What do you mean ''why''? It''s Fairy Silk! And you''re not going to take it?"

    "Yeah. It''s just silk, right? I''m not that interested."

    "..."

    Lucy was at a loss for words at Ian''s indifference, calling Fairy Silk ''just silk.''

    Wow... Ian''s a true wizard.

    In Lucy''s eyes, there was no crazier person.

    "I''d rather study the magic sword more?"

    "Wow... You''re... really something... Wow..."

    To Lucy, Ian seemed like a Buddha who had severed all attachments and delusions of the world.

    But that was a misunderstanding on Lucy''s part.

    To Ian, a modern person, the luxuries of this world weren''t that appealing.

    What?

    There''s fabric that''s cool in summer and warm in winter?

    Sounds nice. But why not just turn on the air conditioning?

    What? There''s no air conditioning?

    Barbarians.

    That was roughly his train of thought.

    Knowing theforts of modern amenities, Ian found it hard to be as enchanted by Fairy Silk as the medieval folks were.

    He found the magic sword much more fascinating and worthy of research.

    Then, the Fairy Queen said,

    "What you seek, Ian, is to explore the wonders of the sun and moon, right?"

    "Indeed."

    The Queen slowly opened her eyes and said,

    "What if we were to assist you in that exploration?"

    "Hmm..."

    That was somewhat enticing.

    "In return, lend us the power of Anor-lsil. In exchange, we will aid in your research and provide you with True Pattern Silk every month."

    "Lend you power?"

    "Yes. Not the sword itself. You would keep the sword, just share the power imbued within it."

    ---

    [1. raei: the term ''Legendarium'' is often used to refer to the body of myths, legends, and lore associated with a particr fictional universe or literary work.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Ian watched as the Fairies worked their magic.

    Their n was straightforward: to separate a certain amount of magical power from the magic sword.

    The power of the magic sword would weaken, but the Fairies could borrow the magic power they so desired without Ian needing to hand over the entire thing.

    Ian nodded without much hesitation.

    It was impossible to fully harness the power of the magic sword at the moment anyway.

    The sword was only usable as a sort of medieval firestick, so a slight reduction in its power wasn''t a big deal.

    In exchange, they could get expensive Fairy Silk, which was clearly a profitable deal.

    However, Ian himself didn''t quite see it as beneficial.

    Let''s say the Fairies gave Ian the Fairy Silk.

    But what would Ian do with it?

    Make clothes? Sell it to the nobility?

    That''s a merchant''s job, not a wizard''s.

    Ian was not a lower-ss citizen desperate for money and power. He was a wizard in pursuit of mysteries.

    He could travel and do business on the side, but Ian hadn''t nned that far yet.

    "The magic contained in your magic sword, we n to transfer it to the rune stones of our vige," said the Fairy Queen, asking to borrow Ian''s magic sword.

    "Then I''lle along."

    "...You won''t have anything to do there."

    "It''s my sword, so I think it''s right for me toe along," Ian argued.

    The Fairy Queen was persuaded by Ian''s argument.

    "If that''s your reason."

    Ian went with the Fairy Queen, but the others didn''t.

    Fairies lived a life minimizing contact with the outside world for survival.

    Though some yful Fairies did interact with humans, those were exceptions.

    They did not allow any humans other than Ian.

    Not one of them was dissatisfied with that decision.

    "Take care, Ian!"

    "I''ll be back."

    In truth, humans were also afraid of the Fairies.

    Fairies were famous wizards.

    For medieval people who feared magic, encountering Fairies was a painful experience.

    "Ian, before we enter the vige, please make a vow."

    "A vow?"

    "Yes. Swear that you will not harm us Fairies, with all the mysteries you explore as your witness."

    "..."

    As the Fairy Queen spoke, Ian felt the attention of both great and small mysteries around him.

    Fairies are born with magic.

    To put it in D&D terms, they''re a race that casts magic through charisma.

    Unlike Ian, an INT wizard, Fairies could cast magic without studying the Maroniusnguage, thanks to their innate ability to interact with mysteries.

    As the Fairy Queen invoked the mysteries, Ian couldn''t help but feel tense.

    Of course, mysteries despise liars.

    Who lies to a friend in this world? People like that, they''re no longer friends.

    If Ian were to swear an oath to the mysteries, he would have no choice but to keep it.

    "I swear."

    "Really?"

    "Only as long as I am treated as a guest."

    "There shouldn''t be any problem with that."

    The Fairies had seen Ianmunicate with nature several times and were wary of his abilities.

    Just seeing him control a terrifying beast like a eagle owl was enough to know how dangerous Ian could be.

    "This is the vige of the Fairies."

    Ian was impressed by the Fairy vige he was shown by the Queen.

    [Achievement Unlocked!]

    [You have witnessed a new mystery!]

    [Bonus Skill Points: +50]

    [Skill: Space-Time Magic (10/100) - In Progress]

    ''Space-Time Magic?''

    Ian was puzzled by the status window.

    Witnessing a new mystery had increased his progress in the mystery of space-time magic.

    That meant...

    "Is space-time magic applied here?"

    When Ian asked, the Fairy Queen looked surprised.

    "How did you know?"

    "Just a feeling?"

    "Your intuition is very sharp."

    The Fairy Queen''s praise was not just praise; she was wary of Ian''s abilities.

    Ian was right.

    The vige of the Fairies was under the influence of space-time magic.

    One couldn''t simply walk in; entry was possible only with permission from the twisted space, a sort of different world.

    ''Space-time magic...''

    Space-time magic was incredibly useful to Ian.

    Even just for the fact that teleportation magic fell under space-time magic.

    If he could manipte space, Ian could somewhat mimic the actions of a wizard ss in JRPG games.

    Like summoning a stone from thin air or summoning monsters.

    However, Ian remembered Eredith''s warning.

    ''Try space-time magic, and if it''s not for you, give up immediately.''

    Eredith had warned him because of the second attribute of space-time magic: the power to manipte time.

    Space-time wizards can foresee the future.

    And they do it as easily as eating.

    They frequently foresee the future and try to change it to their liking.

    If Ian were to delve into space-time magic, space-time wizards would naturallye to know of it in advance.

    If the space-time wizards want Ian to be one of them, then he will be a space-time wizard.

    But if not...

    The space-time wizards will do everything in their power to prevent him from learning space-time magic.

    They might go as far as taking his life.

    This is why most wizards, including Eredith, despise space-time wizards.

    They act as if they''re Gods, trying to manipte the world.

    Eredith''s warning meant if space-time wizards interfered with Ian learning their magic, he should give up immediately.

    Because life would be very tiring for Ian if sneaky bastards who know the future, start plotting against him.

    In other words, don''t pick a fight with the space-time wizards.

    "..."

    Ian thought about investing his umted skill points to increase his space-time magic level.

    Despite what anyone says, space-time magic is indeed convenient.

    But considering the space-time wizards might freak out over Ian learning their magic, he concluded there was no need to rush into it.

    Eredith had already told Ian not to worry about space-time wizards.

    They''re not worth the trouble.

    Since they would act before Ian does anyway, he might as well wait patiently.

    "Just to be safe... I hope you won''t disclose the location of our vige."

    The Fairy Queen looked sharply at Ian.

    She had not expected Ian to see through the mystery of space-time magic applied to their vige.

    If Ian had any ill intentions, she would be in trouble.

    But Ian had no intention of harming the Fairies.

    "I swear on the mysteries that I will not disclose the information."

    "Thank you."

    Only then did the Fairy Queen smile gently.

    Unlike other humans, the wizard Ian was not greedy and knew how to respect the Fairies.

    He was different from others who would destroy the Fairy vige for the valuable Fairy Silk.

    "Ian, the sword."

    The Fairies were busy setting up a rune stone in the central square of the vige.

    They nned to transfer the magic sword''s power into it.

    "How does this work? What''s the principle?"

    Ian asked a very wizard-like question. It was natural for a wizard to be curious about magic.

    Expecting this, the Fairy Queen called over a technician.

    "I''m in charge of the rune stone construction."

    The technician looked at Ian with a peculiar gaze.

    It was a clear look of distrust.

    "I''ll exin, but I''m not sure you''ll understand even if I do."

    Ian was bbergasted.

    What kind of incredibly mysterious technique were they using?

    Seeing Ian''s reaction, the Fairy technician snorted, as if he expected such a response.

    "If you pass a basic test, I''ll exin it to you. It''s really the very basics, so if you don''t understand this, you won''t understand anything else I exin."

    "Your introduction is awfully long. Can''t you just get to the point?"

    Typical of a technician to be so proud of what they know.

    But the Fairy technician still dismissed Ian.

    And why wouldn''t he? After all, Ian is a human!

    In the technician''s mind, there was no way a primitive human could understand the advanced technology of the magnificent Fairies.

    And this disdain was not without reason.

    "Herees the test. So, human wizard, you can count numbers, right?"

    "...Yes."

    "Name a number smaller than 2."

    What?

    At this point, Ian was more curious about what nonsense the technician would say next than feeling insulted.

    Obviously, a number smaller than 2 is...

    "1."

    No sooner had Ian spoken than the technician smirked evilly and asked,

    "And what''s smaller than 1?"

    "...?"

    Ian genuinely couldn''t understand what the technician was aiming for.

    It was a case of being baffled because he couldn''t grasp the other''s intentions.

    And the technician...

    Took Ian''s confusion as ignorance!

    ''Stupid human, just as I thought!''

    Fairies despised the level of human knowledge because, unlike humans, Fairies were proficient in mathematics.

    If the idea of a math-savvy Fairy seems odd, try substituting them with dwarves.

    That''s right.

    It''s like dwarves proficient in math looking down on human mathematics!

    In this medieval fantasy, Fairies are a race of skilled artisans.

    Unlike human craftsmen who might not know math, these Fairies were at the forefront of technology, capable of integrating it with mathematics.

    The level of intellectual understanding Fairies had of humans was exactly this:

    Humans don''t know what''s smaller than 1...

    And that was a fact.

    Medieval people didn''t know what''s smaller than 1.

    Huh? Isn''t 1 the smallest number?

    Technically, that''s true when you''re only considering natural numbers.

    Unlike the ignorant humans, Fairies knew about the existence of ''0''.

    The number smaller than 1 is... zero.

    Even the people of the ancient Golden Empire, who achieved a brilliant civilization, did not know about zero.

    They didn''t think ''nothingness'' could be a number.

    Nothing at all!

    Why would that be a number!

    Given the level of mathematics in the Empire, it was no wonder that medieval people in this post-apocalyptic era didn''t know about zero.

    They were using wooden sticks, counting one by one... that was the extent of medieval mathematics.

    Wizards were no different.

    In this medieval fantasy, wizards are not scientists; they are more like liberal arts schrs.

    Just by looking at how they memorize pictograms simr to Chinese characters and speak in Maroniusnguage, it''s obvious.

    So, the Fairy technician naturally assumed Ian would fail the test!

    Thus, when Ian threw out an unexpected question, the Fairy was taken aback.

    "So, you''re asking for a number less than 1 among the natural numbers?"

    "Natural... what?"

    "Countable numbers. If we''re talking below natural numbers, obviously it''s 0. Or what, are you talking about negative numbers? What is it?"

    "???"

    The Fairy was flustered as Ian suddenly started spouting what seemed like aliennguage to him.

    Negative numbers?

    The Fairy tried to trante Ian''s Imperialnguage into Fairynguage but couldn''t make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.

    After a moment, it was the Fairy who asked,

    "Uh... um, sorry, but what are negative numbers?"

    "Minus. Like -1."

    "...What?"

    Minus? What the heck is that, you nerd?

    The Fairy technician couldn''t understand the concepts Ian was casually mentioning.

    Frustrated, Ian picked up a stick and started sketching a graph on the ground.

    "Zero is nothing, right? Negative numbers are those smaller than that."

    "How can there be something smaller than nothing? That doesn''t make any sense."

    "Jeez. Do you know what an equation is?"

    It''s not like he''s a middle school math teacher.

    Ian began an impromptu math lecture, scribbling symbols on the graph.

    "So, negative numbers essentially represent a concept that doesn''t physically exist..."

    "So they only exist in equations?!"

    "Yes. It''s a concept applied to one side of the equation. So, when you move something from the left side of the equation to the right, that''s considered a binary operation..."

    As Ian rapidly wrote and erased equations, the Fairy technician''s eyes bulged in shock.

    The concept of mathematics Ian was introducing was utterly shocking to him.

    Fairy mathematics was far more advanced than human mathematics but it hadn''t yet moved beyond physical space.

    But then, out of nowhere, Ian presented the concept of ''a number less than nothing,'' causing a total brain freeze.

    ''Heh... Negative numbers are even more non-existent than non-existence itself!''

    ''??? What does that even mean?''

    Meanwhile, Ian, who had once considered majoring in mathematics, was thrilled to be crunching numbers again.

    Even if it was just middle school level math.

    "No way... How can this be..."

    The technician was panicking as if he''d seen a cosmic horror[1].

    "Are we done talking?"

    The Queen, who had no interest in mathematics, had no idea what the technician and Ian were discussing.

    "Ah. Yeah, more or less."

    "Then let''s proceed with setting up the rune stone."

    Right. That was the main topic.

    As Ian and the Queen approached the rune stone, the technician hurried over and eximed,

    "Wi- wizard!"

    "Yes?"

    "Would you like to personally calcte the form for the rune stone?"

    Oh. Ian was intrigued.

    It might be fun to y with numbers again after a long time?

    Ian entertained himself with the Fairy technicians by solving the mathematical puzzle known as the rune stone''s form.

    Some Fairies were shocked and fell into a trance witnessing the splendid intricacies of modern mathematics unfold from Ian''s fingertips.

    Setting aside the adorable nerds, the Fairies sessfully separated exactly 33.333...% of the magical power from the magic sword.

    "Thank you for your cooperation."

    "Don''t mention it."

    ---

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 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    Join the discord! Here

    After finishing the task, Ian and hispanions happily returned to the Talian domain.

    In exchange for lending 33% of his magic sword''s power, Ian was to receive a certain amount of Fairy silk every month.

    He also gets to study the Ancient Fairies'' records to properly handle the magic of the magic sword.

    "We don''t really know how a magic sword like Anor-lsil could have been made."

    The magic sword was said to have been possible because the Fairy Queen at the time had ess to many rare materials.

    It was a masterpiece born from thebination of skilled craftsmen from a talented race and rare materials.

    "However, we do have records from that time, and we will organize and provide them to you."

    "That would be great."

    The Fairy technicians shouted several times to Ian as he was leaving the vige.

    "Ian! Next time, please make time for a thorough math discussion...!"

    Ian was momentarily moved.

    Math.

    What a wonderful thing to have inmon.

    Ian, who had lived a life in another world, dly epted their proposal.

    "Of course!"

    Tomemorate her meeting with Ian, the Fairy Queen gifted him two bracelets made of Fairy silk.

    They were hastily made items, so the quality wasn''t high.

    They were basically just cloth tied in a circle.

    However, the beautiful color of the Fairy silk made them look quite nice.

    "I look forward to the day we meet again, Ian."

    "Take care, Your Majesty."

    Ian fiddled with the purple bracelet for a while, then shoved it into his pocket.

    Honestly, Ian didn''t feel good about it at all.

    The mysterious purple color and the soft touch were nice, but...

    After all, it was just a bracelet.

    Even the bracelets sold at Daiso[1] had some shape to them.

    This one was like a rolled-up sses cleaner.

    Now that he thought about it, it really did resemble a sses cleaner.

    So, Ian decided to just give the bracelets to the women.

    "Is, is this for me?!

    " You''re just giving it to me? Without anything in return?"

    Lucy and Belenka reacted intensely.

    Seeing them excited over the bracelet made him realize they were still girls after all.

    "Yeah. It''s just a gift. You all have been through a lottely, right? Think of it as a souvenir from me."

    The Fairy Queen probably hoped Ian would wear one on each hand...

    Seeing the women''s faces turn red with joy, Ian felt the gift was worthwhile.

    Right.

    A gift is only a gift if the recipient is happy.

    What''s the use of a bracelet, precious by another world''s standards, if it just sits in Ian''s pocket?

    "Kyaa! Thank you so much, Ian!"

    "I don''t even know how to express my gratitude. It''s my first time receiving such a gift..."

    Lucy quickly wore the bracelet on her wrist and spent the entire day looking at it.

    Belenka, instead of wearing it on her wrist, used it as a hair tie.

    "How does it look, Ian?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, does it suit me?"

    "..."

    Belenka just looked at Ian with a face full of pure happiness.

    If there were an app for analyzing emotions, it would definitely show 100% happiness on her face.

    Ian found Belenka''s expression fascinating because she had never shown such a face before.

    Ah. There was a time she had a simr expression.

    Like, when a chunk of her debt is paid off.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "No... I just didn''t expect you to like it. I thought you would prefer something more practical."

    "Practical?"

    "Yeah. Like a dagger or oil."

    At Ian''s words, Belenka made a face as if she couldn''t believe what she was hearing.

    "A dagger? Where on earth would you find a woman who''d be happy to receive a dagger as a gift? Maybe a Pulcheon, but still."

    Pulcheon is a multipurpose kitchen knife... that is, a chef''s knife.

    It''s a useful item that housewives in another world would love.

    "No..."

    Ian awkwardly scratched his head.

    In anime, female knights usually hate things that ordinary women like, right?

    They''d say, ''Giving me something that only girls would use!''

    That was the limit of Ian''s understanding of women, learned from anime.

    Contrary to Ian''s strange preconceptions, Belenka liked ordinary things that most women would like.

    "I''ve received a precious gift. Thank you so much, Ian."

    Belenka said, showing off her ponytailed hair as if bragging.

    Look, everyone, check out my awesome hair tie!

    Seeing Belenka smiling brightly, Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    It was an emotion difficult for Ian, a man, to understand.

    Anyway.

    Ian was happy to have acquired the magic sword, and Lucy and Belenka were happy to receive such precious gifts.

    With the high and mighty in good spirits, the servants and ves were also in a good mood.

    But upon returning to the domain...

    A not-so-pleasant guest had arrived.

    ---

    ---

    The visitor to Talian was a scribe named Gdin.

    He had traveled all the way from the Barony of Devosi, far to the east of Talian.

    It wasn''t a distance someone would travel just out of boredom.

    The Barony of Devosi had ''absolutely'' no connection with the Barony of Talian, to the point where it wasn''t an exaggeration to say so.

    The reason someone from that distant Barony came visiting...

    Was because of a rumor that had started in Talian.

    "No, mate. What''s that you''re being so careful with?"

    "Hey! Don''t touch it! It''s cursed!"

    As the territorial war in Talian was nearing its conclusion, mercenaries who had received their wages from Lucy scattered in search of their next battlefield.

    Some mercenaries were lucky enough to find their next employer right away, while others continued their journey wherever their feet took them, eventually arriving in the Barony of Devosi.

    The mercenaries active in the Barony of Devosi weed those who hade from Talian.

    It was customary among mercenaries to warmly wee fellow professionals.

    This was to hear rumors from other ces and, incidentally, to make acquaintances.

    In this medieval fantasy world,working was almost essential for making a living as a mercenary.

    There were hardly any professional soldiers other than mercenaries in the Empire, simply because it couldn''t afford them.

    So, whenever something happened, mercenaries were inevitably hired.

    But the thing is, the opposition would hire mercenaries too.

    Since both sides employed mercenaries, it was all toomon for them toe face to face.

    Naturally, mercenaries don''t like losing men.

    Who in their right mind would want to die in battle?

    So, when mercenaries who knew each other encountered one another on the battlefield...

    "Hey? Bro! Ain''t that you, bro!"

    "Eh? Hemington? You''re Hemington''s kid?"

    "Ah! Bro! Long time no see! How''ve you been?"

    "Well, looking at how dark your face has gotten, seems like you''ve been doing well!"

    ...they naturally fell into camaraderie.

    Would mercenaries who know each other actually fight?

    Of course not.

    Pretending to fight, they''d just bash each other''s shields a bit and shout before casually slipping away where no one could see them.

    People from Vige A and Vige B who hired the mercenaries would shout from afar, "Kill them! Kill all those bastards!"

    But the mercenaries themselves would conspire with their leaders, rigging the oue.

    "Last time you won, bro, so this time, let me win."

    "Wow, are you in a hurry these days?"

    "There are a lot ofds retiring because they''re getting married. Our mercenary group is barely hanging on. Please, go easy on us, bro."

    "Alright, this time let''s say you win."

    "Thank you, bro!"

    This is practically medieval professional wrestling.

    After finishing their faux battle, the mercenaries head off to have dinner.

    Sharp people might suspect, "Those bastards are in cahoots, aren''t they?" and give them suspicious looks...

    But even if they suspect, what can they do?

    Will they pick up weapons and fight themselves?

    Mercenaries im they ''fought hard but lost~'', and you''re left with no choice but to believe them.

    In the end, they pocket the money and keep their forces intact.

    It''s a sweet deal.

    So, to keep enjoying these benefits, mercenaries make an effort to get along and engage in as muchworking as possible.

    The mixing of mercenaries from Devosi and Talian was a natural urrence.

    However, the mercenaries from Devosi noticed that the mercenaries from Talian were particrly fussy about one thing.

    "Come on, I''ll just take a quick look and give it back?"

    "You keep asking to borrow it, what is it?"

    The item that the Talian mercenaries were closely guarding...

    Was a leather water bag.

    They clutched it so tightly, one might mistake it for a baby wrapped in a swaddle.

    "What kind of item is it?"

    The Devosi mercenaries were genuinely curious about why the others were making such a fuss over it.

    But when they learned the truth about the water bag, their eyes widened.

    "It''s a magic potion made by Wizard Raven!"

    "A magic potion?!"

    The Devosi mercenaries were shocked.

    A magic potion?

    How could a mere mercenary possess something even nobles desperately seek and can hardly obtain?

    A wizard''s items aren''t something you can just buy with money.

    First, a wizard has to make the item, and you need to be in good enough standing with them to purchase it.

    Even if you tell a wizard, "Hey, make me a potion," would they listen?

    The wizards who not even the Emperor of the Empire can ignore?

    Since wizards only create when they feel like it, the value of items touched by a wizard''s hand is truly immense.

    And yet, these lowly humans were in possession of such a treasure...

    "You stole it!"

    "Not true! The wizard made it right in front of us and handed it out."

    Despite the situation calling for camaraderie among mercenaries, the Talian mercenaries absolutely refused to share the wizard''s potion with those from Devosi.

    This was because there were people who had already experienced the potion''s effects.

    After fighting the army of the usurper Graham, the exhausted Talian mercenaries drank and applied the wizard''s potion.

    The effect was astonishing...

    True to its name, the Potion of Vigor prevented wounds from worsening and revitalized the body!

    Of course, the Potion of Vigor was actually just saltwater made by the chatan potion-seller Ian.

    It didn''t contain a hint of magic.

    However, whether the potion contained magic was entirely irrelevant.

    The mercenaries drank Ian''s saltwater and felt revitalized, and there were definitely those whose lives were saved by it.

    It helped them escape from situations where they could have lost their lives!

    The mercenaries who had their lives saved were ecstatic.

    Wow!

    This potion is so amazing it feels like it restores 350 health points!

    Having proven its effectiveness on the battlefield, where lives hang in the bnce, it''s clear how valuable Ian''s magic potion was.

    From that moment, the mercenaries began to praise Wizard Raven.

    Raven was hailed as an incredibly great wizard,manding crows as minions and bringing forth dark shadows...

    And so on and so forth.

    Listening to the tales spun by the Talian mercenaries...

    The Devosi mercenaries grew envious of them.

    I mean, those bastards.

    They hardly fought properly.

    They''d run away at the slightest hint of losing. And they got a f*cking wizard''s potion for free?!

    They''re like idiots who stumbled out of a lucky honey pot!

    We should''ve gone to Talian.

    Wasted our time loitering in the worthlessnd of Devosi for nothing.

    There was a reason the mercenaries were loafing around Devosi.

    Currently, Baron Devosi was dying of an unknown illness.

    Baron Devosi had a legal wife and a second wife.

    Unlike the female characters in typical otaku harem stories, the Baron''s two wives did not get along at all.

    Their rtionship was so bad they wanted to eliminate each other.

    Baron Devosi wanted to prevent division in his domain by leaving it to his first wife''s eldest child.

    But from the second wife''s perspective, if the first wife''s son became the Baron, they would get wiped out immediately.

    But whether it was good luck or bad, Baron Devosi was unable to rise from his sickbed...

    And in this gap, if one side could quickly eliminate the other, the survivor would be the next Baron.

    That was the scenario.

    The mercenaries were skulking around Baron Devosi''s domain, smelling blood in the water.

    They were waiting for a fight to break out.

    Little did they know, a free potion event was happening in Talian!

    "Anyway. They say Raven has miraculous powers."

    "Miraculous powers?"

    "I heard that he once hunted a manticore in the domain of Count Catina. That time, believe it or not, Raven saved a dying knight with holy magic!"

    "Holy magic! Then he must be extremely devout?"

    "It seems so. He''s someone who can call forth Heaven''s miracles."

    It made sense why Wizard Raven could create the Potion of Vigor.

    If his faith was that deep, Heaven must have been moved to allow him to create the Potion of Vigor!

    The more the Devosi mercenaries heard, the more they envied the guys from Talian.

    Sob, sob. I know how to drink potions too!

    Anyway.

    The rumors about the great dark wizard, ''Ian Eredith Raven'', spread rapidly from mouth to mouth among the mercenaries.

    And those rumors...

    Reached the ears of Gdin, a scribe of Baron Devosi, who was keeping an eye on the mercenaries'' movements.

    "Holy magic... Heavenly miracles... And the Potion of Vigor..."

    Gdin looked at his Lord, who couldn''t rise from his sickbed, and thought.

    ''We''ve tried every reputed remedy. But nothing has worked.''

    The reason for the chaos in Baron Devosi''s domain was entirely because the Baron was bedridden.

    Medicines were useless.

    Prayers from priests had no effect.

    But...

    Ian Eredith Raven. What about his magic?

    "I must meet Wizard Raven!"

    Gdin set off to verify the rumors himself, riding directly to the Talian domain.

    However, Raven was not in the domain. He had temporarily left with Baron Talian.

    So, he waited.

    Perhaps heaven intervened, for Ian soon returned.

    Gdin blocked Ian''s path and shouted in a stern voice.

    "You! Wizard Raven! You filthy scammer!"

    "...?"

    Ian was taken aback by the sudden insults from the man.

    Sir, this isn''t the right ce for this.

    However, as Gdin''s rebuke continued, Ian felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

    "Did you think I wouldn''t find out about you deceiving mercenaries, passing off fake potions as magical ones!"

    "!!!"

    Recalling how he had tricked the mercenaries with saltwater as a Potion of Vigor, Ian broke out in a cold sweat.

    How did he know it was a fake potion!

    ---

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 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The scenario Gdin envisioned went like this:

    First, Gdin, as someone with deep knowledge and abundantmon sense, perfectly executes the most important ritual when meeting a strange wizard, [Calling a Wizard].

    "This fake wizard! Can you even do magic?"

    "Me, a fake wizard? Unbearable! Witness my awesome magic!"

    "Oh! Impressive. So, you''re not a fraud?"

    Then, the wizard, moved by Gdin''s profound knowledge, says:

    "I''ve never seen anyone perform [Calling a Wizard] so perfectly! Who are you, and where do youe from?"

    "I am Gdin, serving Baron Devosi. Wizard! I offer you the opportunity to work for the Baron!"

    "Oh, Baron Devosi! I will dly follow you!"

    ...And then, Gdin whistled and took the wizard to his domain.

    It was a perfect n.

    In theory, that is.

    But things did not go as Gdin expected.

    ''What? How did you know?''

    Ian genuinely thought his fake potion-making had been exposed.

    So he panicked...

    ''Wait a minute.''

    But soon, Ian grasped the situation and regained hisposure.

    ''He didn''t draw his sword, did he?''

    This is the Middle Ages.

    A romantic(?) era where the sword is closer than thew, and judges need to carry swords forw enforcement to barely function.

    Butining from a distance, like this man did to Ian, without any action...

    That was too peaceful and gentlemanly.

    If this man had genuinely been harmed by Ian''s fake potion, he would have brought mercenaries and shouted while pouring crossbow bolts, saying, "Ian Eredith Raven, you scammer!"

    Only then would Ian have realized, "Ah. I''ve harmed this person."

    But just shouting "You scoundrel!" without firing a single arrow...

    That wasn''t very Middle Ages-like.

    It would have been a protest understandable to modern people.

    Modern people, ustomed tows and morals, think that protests involving violence are cruel and barbaric.

    However, Ian was already getting used to the medieval way of thinking.

    When he heard "You scoundrel!", his first thought was "Why didn''t he draw his sword?" rather than "I''m sorry! It was my fault!"

    ''That means...''

    Ian narrowed his eyes and observed the man.

    Cursing Ian verbally without shooting arrows meant there was a very good chance the man wasn''t truly angry at Ian.

    In other words, it was all for show, a demonstration to provoke Ian.

    Furthermore, the man addressed Ian as "Wizard Raven."

    This man knew he was a wizard.

    Ian briefly recalled his experiences of being insulted and realized something.

    ''...Calling a Wizard?''

    This man was...

    Inviting him, Ian, the wizard!

    Ian found the situation absurd.

    ''No, what kind of invitation is that...''

    Ian boiled with anger at the medieval way of treating wizards, as if hurling insults at the first meeting was an "invitation."

    Wizards were inherently kind and benevolent, but perhaps they became peculiar because others treated them this way.

    If every encounter began with such insults, even a sane wizard could be odd.

    Comining, "Wizards are too weird~" after provoking them like this...

    Ian''s wizardly sensibility exploded.

    "Belenka. Get rid of this madman from my sight."

    "Um. Okay."

    Belenka gave Ian a "Is this really okay?" look, but seeing Ian''s displeasure, she immediately drew her sword and charged at the man.

    "Wait! Stop! Knight! I am the son of..."

    "Step aside."

    "Argh!"

    The man''s escort knight stepped forward but was no match for Belenka.

    After dispatching the knight, Belenka was about to deal with the man, who was now in panic.

    "I''m not a madman! Wizard Raven! Where does it say this is how you should act!"

    Ian stopped Belenka and stepped forward.

    "What way are you talking about?"

    "Do you really not know? I was merely performing [Calling a Wizard]!"

    As expected.

    He was indeed attempting [Calling a Wizard].

    But Ian, already infuriated, paid no mind to the man''s excuses.

    Ian smirked at the man''s excuse, which wasn''t really an excuse.

    "Why are you performing [Calling a Wizard] on your own ord?"

    "Based on history and records... the norms of the Golden Empire..."

    "Bullsh*t. Have you mistaken the era by a thousand years? This is the Holy Empire, sir. Not the Golden Empire."

    Ianshed out at the man without holding back.

    Yet, no one thought Ian was being odd.

    As Ian said, the decision to perform [Calling a Wizard] was up to the wizard.

    Why would it be called [Calling a Wizard]?

    It was a procedure meant to honor and summon a wizard.

    For [Calling a Wizard] to be conducted, it had to be mutual, and the onlookers also had to be worthy of witnessing [Calling a Wizard].

    Just hurling insults without even revealing who you are, like this man, was not [Calling a Wizard] but merely throwing insults.

    Even with the many variables considered and the situation deemed appropriate, if a wizard decides against it, [Calling a Wizard] cannot proceed.

    Of course, backing out from [Calling a Wizard] in a situation where the public expects it can be detrimental to the wizard.

    Being seen as odd, even for a wizard, is unwee in any era.

    However, refusing in the current circumstances was not an issue.

    The purpose of [Calling a Wizard] lies in verifying the wizard''s skills and showcasing them to the public, not in mutual insults and belittlement.

    In short, this man didn''t know how to properly perform [Calling a Wizard].

    "I am Gdin, serving Baron Devosi! Let''s keep to the courtesies, wizard!"

    Gdin remained rigid in his approach, and Ian genuinely started to feel annoyed.

    He would have understood if it was a misunderstanding about how to perform [Calling a Wizard]...

    But it seemed like the other side was determined to make it a documentary rather than a variety show.

    So, Ian had no choice but to go documentary-style too.

    "Ah, yes. Gdin. It appears I was too rude for our first meeting."

    When Ian bowed first, a smile appeared on Gdin''s face, relieved to see Ian bingpliant.

    So, he is a wizard who knows his ce after all!

    But that was Gdin''s misunderstanding.

    "Since, as Gdin said, I am a scammer selling fake potions... I must apologize."

    "...Hmm?"

    "I''m sorry for selling fake potions."

    He wasn''t lying.

    Ian did indeed sell fake potions and was truly a fraudster.

    However, no one present believed Ian''s words...!

    "To treat Ian as a scammer!"

    "What are you doing? Really?"

    To the people of Talian''s domain, Wizard Ian is a genius wizard of unprecedented talent.

    And now, to spout nonsense about him selling fake magic potions!

    The atmosphere had been set for [Calling a Wizard].

    But when Ian responded seriously, Gdin''s words were taken seriously too.

    As the surroundings started to react aggressively, Gdin was baffled.

    "What are you talking about all of a sudden, Raven!"

    "I said, I''m sorry for selling fake potions."

    Gdin was bbergasted.

    A wizard denying his own potions? Why would he suddenly act this way?

    But soon, Gdin realized.

    Because of what happened earlier, Ian was now being spiteful...!

    ''What a peculiar character!''

    The "fake magic potion" Gdin mentioned was, of course, nonsense and a lie.

    It was an insult concocted for the sake of performing [Calling a Wizard]!

    But with Ian''s apology, Gdin''s nonsense turned into a serious insult.

    Naturally, the onlookers were outraged.

    "What the hell is this guy doing calling our wizard a scammer?"

    "What a f*cking bastard!"

    "Should we just hang him?!"

    The mercenaries who had fought alongside Ian against Graham''s army were especially vocal in their protest.

    Our potions are fake?

    That''s impossible!

    The mercenaries raised their voices in respect and care for Ian, not because they were worried that the potions they received were fake.

    Lucy, as well as Inn and Belenka, gave unfriendly looks.

    "We shouldn''t wee such people as guests in the future."

    "He said he served Baron Devosi. Judging by his attitude, Baron Devosi must be no better."

    As the situation turned out this way, Gdin was so indignant he could jump.

    I was just performing [Calling a Wizard]!

    Why am I the only one getting med for something everyone does!

    ''What do I do now...!''

    As the situation turned against him,

    Cornered, Gdin didn''t run away but instead bowed his head and apologized to Ian.

    "I, I''m sorry! I didn''t know what I was doing! I thought this was how [Calling a Wizard] was done!"

    In admitting his fault, Gdin was better than the shameless people of modern times.

    Though it was also true that Gdin was desperate.

    Gdin desperately wanted to bring Ian before Baron Devosi.

    Miss the chance to save the Baron by arguing with a wizard? Only a fool would do such a thing.

    Although he wasn''t familiar with customs like [Calling a Wizard], Gdin was a schr who had diligently studied.

    As Gdin humbly apologized, Ian sighed deeply.

    He wasn''t a bad person, just terribly clumsy.

    "[Calling a Wizard]. You don''t know how it''s done, do you?"

    "I''ve... read about it in books."

    "Not everything is written in books."

    There were some misunderstandings.

    But now that he had received an apology, Ian had no intention of pressing Gdin further.

    He was curious about why this person hade all this way, so he wanted to hear him out at least.

    "Let''s go to the Talian Hall first."

    Lucy led the way.

    ---

    ---

    Gdin exined the situation that had befallen Baron Devosi.

    Ian understood.

    "So... you want to know what caused the Baron to copse?"

    "That''s right. I believe that the reason Baron Devosi copsed is due to some kind of magical curse."

    It was a suspicion he had harbored since remedies and prayers had no effect.

    Lucy spoke up.

    "Does that mean someone deliberately made the Baron ill?"

    Gdin nodded.

    If it were a disease, taking medicine should have shown some improvement, but the Baron''s condition didn''t get any better at all.

    Therefore, Gdin believed the Baron had fallen victim to someone''s wicked magic.

    But the real wizards, Ian and Inn, couldn''t fully agree with Gdin''s spection.

    "It might be a disease you don''t know about."

    "The professor is right. It''s foolish to automatically link the unknown cause to something magical."

    However, at the same time, both somewhat agreed with Gdin''s opinion that the situation might involve the mysteries.

    Whether it''s an illness or something magical, it was impossible to know without a direct examination.

    Even if someone had intentionally caused it, whether they used magic or not also needed verification.

    "Please, I beg you! Wizard Ian! Could you personally check on the Baron''s condition?"

    Ian pondered for a moment.

    Unless one is medically trained, it''s impossible for a modern person to cure someone else''s disease.

    After all, modern people go to the hospital and take medicine to get treated, don''t they?

    They wouldn''t have medical knowledge.

    So, if it were a serious illness, there was nothing Ian could do.

    But if it was rted to magic, that was a different story.

    If it was a mystery he hadn''t encountered before, he could possibly gain skill points.

    And with some luck, he might learn new magic.

    "It seems worth visiting once."

    Inn viewed Gdin''s request positively.

    "Why?"

    "Hmm. Are you not curious? About what''s afflicting Baron Devosi."

    It was the curiosity of a wizard.

    Ian agreed on this point.

    As Ian continued as a wizard, he found himself increasingly curious about mysteries.

    "I am curious."

    "Getting acquainted with various nobles could be very useful. You might need their helpter, and it''s also an opportunity to make your name known."

    Inn was a power-oriented wizard.

    Unlike Eredith, who wandered in pursuit of only mysteries, Inn thought it important to establish rtionships with powerful figures and secure funding.

    Ian couldn''t ignore the advice of a university professor of magic.

    "It won''t take long."

    Since there was nothing else to do in Talian''s domain anyway, just conducting an examination was something he could easily do.

    "Alright. Let''s go together."

    "...! Thank you! Really, thank you!"

    Ian decided to take some time to visit Baron Devosi''s domain.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Another day dawned.

    Ian stretchednguidly, taking in the fresh morning air.

    "The air is f*cking great."

    In this primitive medieval fantasy world, one of Ian''s few likes was the clear air.

    Unlike the polluted air of the industrialized modern world, the air here was clear and clean wherever you went.

    Well, put another way, it meant the whole world was basically countryside...

    There were no three major pollutants in this medieval fantasy world.

    No air pollution, no light pollution, no noise pollution.

    No buildings shing all night, no trucks or motorcycles speeding down the roads at midnight.

    For a sensitive office worker suffering fromck of sleep, a night in this world would be like paradise.

    Ian leisurely brewed a cup of morning tea.

    It was chamomile tea made with wildflowers easily found in the fields.

    "This is real healing."

    Food without sweeteners.

    Living a regr life, sleeping and waking up early.

    Plus, a stress-free environment...

    This era was like heaven for naturalists.

    Ironically, the people of this era actually hated this boring wellness lifestyle.

    They preferred food that was greasy, sweet, and salty, and wanted to stay upte...

    In the modern world, where all the desires of medieval people would be satisfied, the medieval boring lifestyle ironically would be popr.

    Far away in the fields, farmers were diligently pulling weeds.

    Ian, sipping on chamomile tea atop a hill, watched the serfs toil away.

    "..."

    If Ian hadn''t be a wizard, he would have been working hard with his parents back in his hometown, just like those people he was watching.

    But, fortunately bing a wizard, he ended up being someone who could leisurely watch the farmers.

    Life is so unpredictable.

    "What are you doing there?"

    It was Belenka.

    She was dressed casually, but her outfit was very feminine.

    Her dresspletely covered her ankles, and a cloth tied around her waist entuated her figure.

    Instead of the cone-shaped hat Lucy liked, she had organized her hair with the silk-turned-hair tie Ian had given her.

    Ian was once again impressed by Belenka''s appearance.

    With her blond hair and blue eyes that Japanese people adore, and wearing medieval women''s clothing that wasn''t too excessive even from a modern perspective, Belenka looked like a blond beauty straight out of a Japanese anime.

    "People watching."

    "People watching? What a strange thing..."

    Belenka blurted out what came to her mind then stopped herself.

    Ian was a wizard.

    A person who does strange things as routinely as eating.

    What Belenka found strange might bepletely normal for Ian.

    "Uh, no. Pretend you didn''t hear thatst part."

    "What are you talking about?"

    Without asking, Belenka plopped down next to Ian.

    Ian didn''t mind.

    That''s just how Belenka was.

    The only time Belenka would ask for permission was when it was time to negotiate her fee.

    "What''s that?"

    "Chamomile tea. But there''s only one cup."

    "I see."

    Belenka acted like it was no big deal, but by now, Ian understood her reactions.

    That was her way of showing disappointment.

    She probably thought Ian didn''t want to share his precious tea...

    But, in reality, Ian just didn''t want to share the cup for sanitary reasons.

    Ian felt unfairly judged.

    What, do they think I''m so stingy that I won''t even share my tea?

    It''s because it''s gross to share cups.

    Feeling unjustly used, Ian said something.

    "It''s from my cup, but if you don''t mind, do you want some?"

    See? It''s gross because I''ve been drinking from it!

    However, that was just Ian''s thought.

    When Ian offered to share his tea, Belenka smiled brightly.

    Gross because someone else drank from it?

    Belenka didn''t care about that!

    "Really? It''s okay for me to drink it?"

    "... You can finish it. There''s plenty of water."

    Belenka took the tea Ian had been sipping directly to her lips.

    There was no timidity like avoiding where Ian''s mouth had been or being careful because it was someone else''s cup.

    She was just f*cking fearless.

    Ian admired Belenka''s badass toughness.

    Wow.

    She''s really a medieval person.

    Modern women would never do that.

    To medieval people, sharing a cup was nothing.

    In a post-apocalyptic society, resources were scarce.

    In an era where goods were more valuable than people, it was normal for the few avable items to be shared among many.

    "The aroma is nice."

    Belenka casually left her review.

    The tea is delicious and the owner is friendly~

    Ian was dumbfounded but brewed another pot of tea.

    Belenka, liking the chamomile tea, stayed put and kept drinking Ian''s tea.

    "But why did youe here?"

    "Everyone was busy preparing for the trip, so I escaped the fuss. Oh, right. Gdin was looking for you."

    "It''s not important then."

    "No, it''s not important."

    Gdin wanted to take Ian to the Devosi Barony as soon as possible, but Ian wasn''t interested.

    It was Gdin who was eager, not Ian.

    It had only been a day since they returned from the tomb of Baron Talian.

    Ian wanted to rx and recover from the fatigue before doing anything else.

    "Ian, what will you do after meeting Baron Devosi? Will youe back here?"

    "Come back? To Talian?"

    Ian cocked his head, puzzled.

    "No? Didn''t I mention before? I n to head north."

    "Ah, right."

    Something about Belenka''s reaction was suspicious.

    Ian narrowed his eyes.

    "What? Do you have something you want to say?"

    Belenka slowly shook her head.

    "No. It''s just... unexpected."

    "What''s unexpected?"

    Exactly which part?

    "Well... just..."

    Ian was astounded by Belenka''s reaction.

    Hesitating to speak, acting evasively...

    Belenka was embarrassed to bring it up!

    Why?

    A person who normally doesn''t hesitate to cut through bullsh*t, why?

    "I thought... you had feelings for the Baron of Talian. So, I assumed you wouldn''t go far from Talian."

    "..."

    Ian was so shocked he couldn''t continue speaking.

    My God.

    Belenka was a shipper...!

    "You... You''ve been imagining things like that behind my back?"

    "It''s not imagination! Aren''t you actually close with Baron Talian?"

    "Lucy is an E, so it probably looks that way!"

    "...?"

    Ian genuinely thought so.

    Ian got along with Lucy thanks to her outgoing personality.

    [How Introverts Make Friends: Get chosen by an extrovert with many friends.]

    That''s the form at y here.

    If Lucy had been quiet and shy?

    Ian would have left Count Catina''s domain as soon as he arrived.

    Unaware of this fact, Belenka assumed Ian and Lucy were closer than they really were.

    "Just friends?"

    "Yeah."

    "I see."

    Belenka dusted off her seat and stood up.

    "Ian. May I give you a piece of advice?"

    "??? Just say what you want to say."

    You''re not one to worry about what others think.

    Ian found Belenka''s caution surprising.

    But her advice was worth the warning.

    "If you''re too kind to every girl... someday you''ll regret it big time. Women tend to find meaning in the smallest of gestures."

    Ian choked on his tea.

    "Cough, cough!"

    What the hell is she talking about?

    Ian wanted to argue, but Belenka was already smiling slyly and gracefully exiting the scene.

    "Then. Make sure to exin well to the Baron."

    "???"

    Ian didn''t understand Belenka''s words.

    However, soon after, Ian found himself unable to forget that strange piece of advice.

    ---

    ---

    Having finished preparing for the journey, Inn was the first to leave the Talian domain.

    Inn, having negotiated his fee well with Lucy, said he would travel in search of mysteries before returning to the university.

    "You''re not going straight back?"

    Inn shamelessly replied to Ian''s question.

    "Why would I?"

    "..."

    "That aside, I set out on this journey for knowledge. I must strive to fulfill that purpose."

    His words sounded grand, but this guy had been caught tomb raiding.

    If Ian hadn''t shown up on time, he would have taken the magic sword for himself.

    Inn was hoping to find something else since the treasure of Talian turned out to be a bust.

    "Well... do as you please."

    Ian realized anew that this ce was indeed a society with a strict ss system.

    While Mr. A, another tomb raider, became a debt ve plowing the fields alongside oxen, Inn, being a wizard, had his university cover his fees...

    It wasn''t really Ian''s ce toin.

    He was a wizard too, part of the medieval elite.

    Most sins were forgiven for someone like him.

    Considering it might take hundreds of years for a revolution to happen (if it ever does), it was wiser to just enjoy the benefits.

    "Make sure to visit the university."

    "I''ll see."

    "You could be an assistant professor as soon as you arrive!"

    "... Assistant professor?"

    That sounded somewhat ominous.

    "Yes! You can help with lectures and guide students. It''ll be an opportunity for you to prove your magical abilities and be a professor..."

    Oh. sh*t.

    That was a grad student in another world.

    "I''ll pretend I didn''t hear that."

    After seeing off Inn, Ian went to find Lucy in the Talian hall.

    Lucy greeted Ian warmly.

    "Ian! You came at the right time! About the fairy silk I mentioned before...!"

    "Ah, that?"

    Recently, Ian had discussed with Lucy what to do with the fairy silk.

    Since Ian was leaving on a journey, they had agreed the Talian domain would keep the fairy silk on his behalf.

    "Just storing it seems a bit wasteful. My subject suggested that instead of just piling it up, we could make clothes out of it and sell them for a good profit!"

    "Probably."

    "Right! But Talian doesn''t have craftsmen skilled enough to handle such expensive fabric. So, Ian, when you visit Devosi, could you bring back a decent tailor to the domain...?"

    "Huh?"

    Ian cocked his head, puzzled by Lucy''s words.

    Lucy, unaware of her mistake, was excitedly continuing her exnation.

    "Wait, Lucy."

    "What?"

    "I won''t being back any time soon."

    This time, Lucy didn''t understand Ian''s words.

    "... What do you mean? You''re just checking on Baron Devosi and thening back, right?"

    "No."

    "No?"

    Lucy blinked in confusion.

    A moment of awkward silence passed.

    "I''m going to the north."

    "North? But we''re already in the north."

    "Further north. Beyond the Empire''snds."

    Lucy stared at Ian nkly.

    "So, when will you be back?"

    "I''m not sure. Maybe 3 to 4 years?"

    "..."

    Lucy finally understood what Ian meant.

    Ian was going to embark on a journey to discover the mysteries hidden in thend of barbarians.

    And throughout his exploration of various mysteries, he would return to Talian''snd.

    Just to deal with the umted fairy silk.

    "Lucy?"

    Seeing Lucy suddenly standing there dazed, Ian called her name.

    "Sorry."

    "Are you okay?"

    "Sorry, Ian. I really am sorry, but could you step outside for a moment?"

    Lucy said as she sat down on a chair.

    "Please."

    "..."

    Ian, doing as Lucy asked, quietly closed the door and went outside.

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    For days, a strange silence lingered around Talian Hall.

    It was awkward.

    Stifling.

    Servants and ves tread lightly, careful with every move they made.

    "Lucy?"

    "The master has said they will not receive visitors."

    Again today.

    Ian moved with a heavier step.

    He passed servants busy with their tasks and Belenka swinging a sword in the clearing, heading back to his quarters.

    For days, Ian hadn''t seen Lucy.

    Every attempt was met with a polite but firm refusal.

    There was nothing left for him in Talian territory.

    Staying any longer would just be a waste of time.

    It wasn''t just Ian; Gdin was visibly wasting away with each passing day.

    "Ian. Are we leaving today...?"

    "Um. I guess not."

    "Ah..."

    Gdin wasn''t just a tourist.

    He was a Baron''s scribe, involved in various administrative duties.

    Staying in Talian was a real-time loss for him.

    "... Alright. We''ll postpone our departure until tomorrow."

    Gdin slumped his shoulders but...

    There was nothing he could do.

    What could he do if Lucy Talian wouldn''t meet Ian?

    Gdin couldn''t understand why Lucy suddenly secluded herself.

    And it wasn''t just Gdin.

    Ian too found Lucy''s behavior hard to ept.

    Was saying goodbye that difficult?

    They weren''t parting forever, just going on a journey.

    Ian''s fairy silk piled up in the domain meant they''d have to return to Talian anyway to deal with that.

    Yet, Lucy acted as if she couldn''t bear Ian disappearing from her sight.

    Am I doing something wrong?

    Ian even thought that.

    But Ian hadn''t done anything wrong.

    They had traveled together under a guard contract, and now that it was over, they were to part ways.

    Clearly, Lucy didn''t want that.

    "Lucy?"

    "I''m sorry but..."

    A week had passed.

    With Lucy continuing to refuse meetings, Ian had to make a decision.

    "Belenka. Gdin. Let''s leave now."

    "...Finally!"

    They decided to part ways with Lucy without saying goodbye.

    It was regrettable to leave without seeing her face.

    But Ian had to continue his journey.

    ---

    ---

    Lucy Talian gazed nkly up at the clear sky.

    An untainted azure sky.

    The purity of the heavens, as spoken of in the scriptures, resided right above.

    "Dear God."

    She wasn''t a particrly religious girl.

    But the deep darkness in her heart made would make even the most debauched noble invoke the name of God.

    "I must have been mistaken."

    When Ian first said he would leave the domain, she was shocked.

    That shock was named [betrayal].

    Up until now, Ian had journeyed with Lucy.

    Theyughed and talked together, walking the same path.

    They shared concerns when cornered in war and fought together until the end to reim her rights.

    Lucy still remembers vividly, as if it was yesterday, the moment Ian saved her.

    When Graham''s soldiers approached her.

    The embrace Ian offered when he swooped in to save her.

    The shaky ride and her wildly beating heart.

    Lucy could never forget.

    Lucy Talian was not someone special.

    She knew that all too well.

    Born to noble parents, used as bait to lure mercenaries.

    And when an angry mercenary rebelled and killed her parents, she ran away helplessly seeking help...

    Just a helpless 18-year-old girl.

    To such a Lucy, the wizard Ian was an extraordinary being.

    Controlling water and wind, bringing down darkness.

    His peculiar magic invoked fear and respect in people.

    To Lucy, Ian was a [coveted tool].

    At first, she wanted his magic.

    She nned to keep Ian by her side, making him a wizard who serves her.

    Having nothing but an ipetent self, she tried to hold onto him through marriage.

    The idea of using marriage?

    She had no qualms about it.

    Lucy''s parents were the kind to use marriage for their ends.

    Marriage is a useful tool.

    It would be foolish not to use it for one''s benefit.

    But as she continued her journey with Ian.

    The more she got to know Ian as a person.

    Her heart began to change.

    She wanted more than Ian''s magic.

    ''...''

    Lucy Talian realized.

    What she wanted was not Ian''s magic.

    But Ian himself.

    She wanted to keep Ian by her side.

    Just like when they were traveling together, seeing each other''s faces every day, spending time joking around.

    Ian always smiled when he looked at Lucy.

    So, Lucy thought.

    Maybe Ian felt the same way about her.

    "Ian."

    Lucy looked at the bracelet she received from Ian.

    It was crude. But beautiful.

    She thought this crude bracelet resembled her.

    in now, but capable of bing splendid.

    Just as she, being nothing more than a noble, could improve her domain and be a better person.

    If there was just one person to tailor and adorn her.

    She thought she could be a valuable treasure...

    She wanted to undergo that growth with Ian.

    But Ian''s heart was elsewhere.

    No.

    He hadn''t even considered staying with Lucy.

    Lucy was furious about that.

    That''s why she felt betrayed, locked the door, and avoided going out.

    It was ridiculous.

    She had set her own expectations.

    And when Ian''s feelings didn''t match hers, she sulkily got angry like a child would.

    "Master."

    A servant came in, but Lucy didn''t turn around.

    She didn''t need to see to know.

    It was morning with the sun shining low.

    As always, Ian hade to see her and then left.

    "The wizard came to see you."

    "Okay."

    "He didn''t return to his quarters but went to the stables instead."

    "... Alright. I understand."

    Hearing that Ian had gone to tend to his horse, Lucy smiled bitterly.

    It had been a week since she started her sulking.

    If only she had exined why and in what ways Ian had disappointed her, maybe Ian would have understood her.

    But because she shut herself up in her room like a petnt child, Ian didn''t even try to say a final goodbye.

    She had brought this upon herself.

    But...

    Lucy was scared.

    Scared of having to be honest about her feelings.

    The thought of revealing the darkness in her heart and her weak, foolish emotions to Ian terrified her.

    So, she locked herself away.

    But there was no more time.

    Ian was about to leave.

    "O Holy Heaven."

    [Yes, my dear. Speak.]

    "Please give me courage."

    [Oh dear. Are you scared? Unfortunately, that''s impossible.]

    The divine being smiled as it listened to Lucy''s prayer.

    [Because you are already braver than any warrior.]

    Lucy didn''t know the mysteries.

    She wasn''t deeply religious, so she couldn''t hear the voice of the holy being.

    However, Lucy''s prayer definitely reached the heavens.

    [I support you. Lady born under a star.]

    Lucy got up from her seat, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist.

    She ran.

    When she opened the main gate of Talian Hall...

    "Ugh."

    "Ah! I-Ian?!"

    She bumped into Ian, who was just entering the hall.

    Lucy looked up at Ian with a flushed face, flustered.

    Why was he here when she heard he had gone to the stable?

    It was due to a blond female knight.

    ''Did you meet with Baron Talian?''

    ''No? I was just going to leave.''

    ''Not even going to see her face?''

    ''So what. We''ll meet again someday.''

    ''... Go back one more time.''

    ''Why should I?''

    ''Think of it as thest courtesy to a friend you''ve traveled with. If youck even that much decency, I would consider you unworthy of service.''

    At Belenka''s stern warning, Ian swallowed hard.

    ''Is that all?''

    ''That''s it.''

    '' I''ll be back then.''

    Ian returned to Talian Hall, thinking that Belenka might just leave him if he really just took off.

    And there, he met Lucy.

    Lucy, whom he saw for the first time in a week, seemed unfamiliar and awkward.

    Maybe because her actions and expressions were different than usual.

    Lucy seemed more intimidated by Ian than usual and was very conscious of him.

    "You''re leaving... now?"

    "Yeah."

    However, once the conversation started, all the awkwardness melted away.

    After all, they were not the type to be awkward around each other.

    "Are you okay? Your body, I mean."

    "I wasn''t physically hurt."

    "Really?"

    "... That''s a lie. Actually, my heart was hurt. No, I was pissed."

    Lucy stepped closer, closing the distance.

    "Pissed?"

    "Yes. Ian! How could you just leave like that without saying a word to me...!"

    "What are you talking about? My role was supposed to end here, remember?"

    "I remember! But still! It''s annoying!"

    "What is?"

    "Acting like there''s no affection and sticking strictly to the contract!"

    Ohe on, Baron Talian.

    Why are you looking for affection? Aren''t you a Westerner?

    Even in these uncivilized medieval times, contracts were already a part of daily life, a remnant from the era of the Golden Empire, which was (once) a civilized world.

    Lucy''sints were just tantrums.

    She knew that very well.

    Since she started throwing a tantrum.

    Lucy, with a flushed face, grabbed Ian''s shoulders and shouted.

    "Ian! Will you be my vassal?"

    "No. Why would I?"

    "Then, my husband!"

    "... I think I said no before."

    "Do you really have to go? Study magic?"

    Ianughed and took Lucy''s hands off him.

    Lucy didn''t know.

    In fact, Ian was practically an alien, hiding mysterious secrets from a past life, unknown to medieval people.

    Until he uncovers the secrets of the world and the essence of Gods.

    Ian had no intention of stopping his exploration.

    "Yeah. Take care, Lucy."

    "...!"

    "I''ll return as soon as I can."

    The moment Ian removed Lucy''s hands, Lucy, in the blink of an eye, grasped Ian''s cheeks with both hands.

    And their lips met.

    "..."

    The kiss was so brief it could be called but a moment.

    Still blushing, Lucy said,

    "Promise, you must keep it. You have toe back quickly."

    "... Yeah."

    "Just try running away somewhere else. I''ll sell all the fairy silk and use that money to raise an army toe after you...!"

    Ianughed.

    The Baron''s threats were indeed frightening.

    "I''lle back, so don''t worry. And about the fairy silk, you can handle it however you want."

    "Really?"

    "Just don''t blow it all. Whether you make clothes to sell or exchange it for money to invest. It''s up to you."

    Lucy was lucky, so it might be worth taking a chance on her.

    If it ends up being wasted... then she just won''t be allowed to handle it next time.

    "Got it. I''ll make sure to earn lots of money..."

    Lucy shyly spread her arms.

    Ian and Lucy embraced.

    "Take care of yourself, Ian."

    "Yeah. I''m off then."

    Lucy hugged Ian tightly, as if trying to memorize his warmth until thest moment.

    Ian waved goodbye to Lucy.

    It was a warm spring day.

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    A procession left thends of Talian. It included Ian and others.

    The procession was bigger and busier than Ian had expected.

    In Gdin''s case, there weren''t many people because he only brought a few attendants.

    Even when Ian and Belenka joined in, it didn''t feel too crowded.

    But the scale began to grow bit by bit once a priest joined...

    "Are you going with us?"

    "Yes, Wizard. If it''s an evil curse, I might be able to help too."

    The priest joined the journey purely to help Baron Devosi.

    Ian was a bit surprised by the priest''s religious behavior.

    First the Santiago Knights.

    And now this human too.

    Perhaps the religious people of this era are more humane than expected.

    But this was a conclusion Ian could draw because he didn''t know much about priests yet.

    The reason the priest was heading to Baron Devosi''s territory was for the sake of gaining experience points.

    The priests of the Empire are a kind of civil servant.

    At the top is the Pope, around whom bishops manage the dioceses.

    And below them, priests operate in the subdivided dioceses.

    A priest from Baron Talian''s territory would be equivalent to a local civil servant of grade 9.

    Truly pure and devout priests try to serve to the best of their ability, regardless of their status.

    Because that''s the duty of those who serve God.

    However, such faithful priests are in the minority.

    Most priests are influenced by human desires to some extent.

    They want to be promoted, work in big cities, be someone important, and be respected...

    The reason the Talian priest specifically sought out Baron Devosi was to build his track record.

    If Baron Devosi is under an evil curse, and the Talian priest solves it?

    That''s a big achievement.

    It would greatly reflect on his performance evaluation, and if he even ends up defeating an evil being, he could even be a Saint.

    Saints in this era enjoy poprity like idols.

    Idols... poprity...

    Doesn''t that remind you of something?

    Yes.

    It''s exactly the same context as the idol business!

    Some territories, trying to save a failingnd, embark on their own Saint project, aiming to produce a Saint from their territory.

    If it seeds, it''s a big hit!

    So, Lucy dispatched the priest to Baron Devosi withoutints.

    If by any chance they catch an evil being, Talian''s territory would also soar in value.

    Once a Saint emerges from a territory, almost everything about it bes merchandised.

    "This is the Saint''s birthce... This is the spoon the Saint used... This is the hill the Saint liked..."

    When modern, frail otakus pilgrimage(by train or ne) to sacred sites...

    Real medieval idol otakus trek through roads infested with monsters and bandits to go on actual pilgrimages.

    As these people spend their money, even dying territories quicklye back to life.

    The madness of otakus is the same in both the medieval and modern times.

    Anyway.

    Ultimately, the priest set out on the journey for experience farming + a chance to be a Saint.

    Naturally, following the priest, servants and ves tagged along.

    Of course, Lucy had intentionally assigned more people to make Ian''s travel morefortable.

    And finally, the mercenaries who had been dawdling joined in at thest minute.

    "Isn''t it better to have morepanions on the road?"

    They weren''t people hired with money.

    Their destinations just happened to ovep.

    But having morepanions was indeed better.

    The more, the merrier, especially when encountering monsters or bandits.

    The key figures were Gdin, Ian, and Belenka, but with various extras joining, their number exceeded thirty.

    A pretty solid party was formed.

    "So. Did you say your goodbyes properly?"

    Despite the crowd, Belenka was the only one talking to Ian.

    The priest and Gdin were too busy chatting among their people, and the servants and mercenaries wouldn''t dare start a conversation with Ian.

    "Um..."

    At the mention of goodbyes, Ian recalled a warm sensation.

    Lucy''s scent that lightly brushed his lips.

    And her warm, soft body.

    ...Come to think of it, wasn''t that his first kiss?

    "Judging by your expression, I can tell."

    "What can you tell?"

    "I just thought Baron Talian is damn lucky, that''s all."

    "...?"

    Lucy being lucky wasn''t news.

    Belenka seemed dissatisfied with Ian''s reaction, pouting slightly.

    "You better settle my debt quickly so I can leave."

    "What are you talking about now?"

    "I don''t have the patience to watch the two of you flirt!"

    Belenka grumbled, muttering something about ''disgusting couples~'' and so on.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Her hardware is the embodiment of a ruthless knight.

    Why is the software on the level of a high school girl?

    Ian was genuinely curious why someone like her had a talent for swordsmanship.

    When God created Belenka, did the coding get tangled somewhere?

    As evident from the casual chitchat, the journey went smoothly and uneventfully.

    With thirty people gathered, most beasts and bandits steered clear of the group.

    Numbers were their strength.

    However, the problem arose when enemies beyond ''ordinary'' levels appeared.

    "Wizard, sir! We''re in big trouble!"

    Ian, who had been exchanging pointless jokes with Belenka, looked puzzledly at the mercenary who came running breathlessly.

    "What''s the matter?"

    "Bandits have appeared. And there are too many of them!"

    It wasn''t an overreaction.

    Nearly fifty bandits had actually surrounded Ian and his group.

    Given that they appeared at a narrow pass, this wasn''t their first time ambushing travelers.

    "Well, well, we have quite a lot of guests today!"

    A man wearing a hat made of beast skin appeared,ughing happily.

    If possible, Ian wanted to st that smug face with a Magic Missile.

    Of course, that spell didn''t exist in this universe.

    Here they were, thirty strong of mostly nonbatants, and there, fifty armed men.

    The battle was overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

    Ian approached Gdin.

    He was about to ask if he had any ideas.

    "Ian! Is there no way? A spell to drive those bastards away!!!"

    But Gdin was already panicking.

    True to his nature as a weak bureaucrat, he was terrified at the sight of the bandits.

    Haah. It''s all up to me again, isn''t it?

    Bing the group project leader had just be second nature at this point.

    Ian stepped forward.

    "Who are you people!"

    To which the man with the hat responded.

    "I am Baron Damon!"

    ''Another Baron?''

    It seemed like everyone and their dog was a Baron.

    ---

    ---

    After the world more or less fell apart, from the east end to the west end, there wasn''t and that wasn''t in chaos.

    Murder, robbery, looting, and arson became part of daily life.

    People were killed as easily as breathing, and roamed the world as nothing but skin and bones after their fields were taken from them.

    All this chaos ensued after the Golden Empire fell.

    The Golden Empire, almost unbelievably for an ancient regime, maintained peace across the world with exceptional administrative and military prowess.

    Even though it was underpinned by the exploitation of ves and the establishment of colonies, the fact that the Empire brought peace to the continent was undeniable.

    But then the Golden Empire copsed.

    Heretics, barbarians, and monsters went berserk, and the world deteriorated day by day.

    It was as if a deeply rooted tree, the Golden Empire, had vanished.

    In essence, the foundation of the world was gone.

    A world with a foundation turned into a world without one...

    Whoever shouted "I am the foundation!" first became the foundation in this new world.

    For example, let''s say the Joseon Apocalypse happened and South Korea more or less fell apart.

    Then who is the Mayor of Seoul in that scenario?

    The President?

    A Mayor elected through votes?

    Or a four-star General driving around in a tank?

    Honestly, it doesn''t matter who it is.

    If they can restore order and bring social stability, really, anyone will do.

    Baron Damon was exactly that kind of man.

    Someone who amassed strength in this post-apocalyptic era.

    "Baron Damon?"

    Even with his panicked face, Gdin tried hard to think.

    After all, as a humble liberal arts student, his brain was all he had to offer.

    Despite Gdin''s efforts, the result wasn''t great.

    "... I don''t know such a person?!"

    Gdin didn''t know who Baron Damon was.

    In fact, he didn''t even know where Baron Damon''s territory was.

    Ian shouted in Gdin''s stead.

    "My friend says he''s never heard of Baron Damon before!"

    "Ah! That''s possible!"

    When Baron Damonughed, all the banditsughed with him.

    Ian felt chills all over his body.

    If these bastards decided to draw their swords and attack... what magic could he possibly use to escape?

    Maybe, just maybe, if he teamed up with Belenka, they could somehow run away.

    But it was undoubtedly a crazy gamble.

    "Baron Damon! Where are you from!"

    When Ian shouted, Baron Damon rolled his foot,ughing.

    "Where from? Right here!"

    "...?"

    "This is Baron Damon''s territory!"

    Ian was speechless at Baron Damon''s im.

    The priest murmured.

    "Such baseless bandits...!"

    The priest knew about the administration of the Empire that had been passed down since the ancient times of the Golden Empire.

    This knowledge had not been lost, thanks to its transmission through the clergy.

    A territory isn''t created like this.

    First, the king, the owner of allnd, divides thend and distributes it among his vassals.

    Then those vassals divide theirnd among their own vassals, and so on...

    This was the feudal system of the era.

    Meaning, whether it''s Baron Talian''s territory or Baron Devosi''s, all territories were created and passed down by nobles who had sworn loyalty around the time the Empire was founded.

    It meant that dering, ''From today, this is Baron Damon''s territory~'' doesn''t just make it so.

    So, who recognizes this so-called Baron Damon''s territory?

    ording to thews of the Golden Empire, this self-proimed Baron Damon is just an armed bandit.

    Moreover, a vile bandit who illegally upied the Empire''snd.

    ...But.

    Ironically, Baron Damon faced no issues pretending to be a Baron...

    Because there was no one to punish Baron Damon!

    The valley that Baron Damon dered as his territory belonged to no one.

    It was just an area he had developed himself by diligently cultivating thend and gathering people.

    The Empire was overflowing with undevelopednds.

    Thend was vast, but the poption was less than crumbs.

    By developing it with their own efforts and dering ''this is mynd,'' it bes a newly established territory.

    Of course, just developing a new territory isn''t the end of it.

    If you don''t swear allegiance to a higher noble, you''re still considered an illegal resident.

    If there was originally no Baron in this valley, to whom does it belong?

    Naturally, it belongs to the Count!

    The Count would want to incorporate this new territory into his domain, so he might march in with an army...

    (Though unlikely) if you resist and win, it could be an independent country.

    But independence?

    Isn''t that just stealingnd from the Emperor of the Empire? There''s a 99% chance of being annihted.

    Therefore, someone with a normal mindset would negotiate with the Count to have their title recognized.

    Only if the Count recognizes the title does Baron Damon truly be a noble.

    Even then, he''s just the Lord of a backwater vige at best...

    "Who is your liege Lord?"

    Ian asked, just in case.

    The response was as expected.

    "I serve no one! I am a Baron of freedom! Hahaha!"

    "..."

    ''That idiot.''

    This is why it''s hard formoners to be nobles.

    This self-proimed Baron Damon may have gathered followers and built a vige, but...

    He knew nothing about feudalism or noble society!

    While his ability to gather followers was acknowledged, that was the extent of it.

    His political sense was severelycking.

    Without education from a young age or smart people around, the limits of a simplemoner''s ignorance were clear.

    "Travelers! If you use the facilities of the territory, you must pay a fee to the Lord! You do have that muchmon sense, right?"

    Regardless, the self-proimed Baron Damon shouted.

    It was like he just wanted to collect taxes by establishing a territory.

    "The road you''re walking on was built with our hard work! So, happily pay the usage fee!"

    Or... maybe a highly evolved bandit.

    No.

    It looks like he''s just a bandit, right?

    Like a fantasy version of Robin Hood, these guys.

    Where are the rest of the Seventy-Two[1]?

    "There''s now that suddenly allows this!"

    Gdin shouted.

    That man.

    Did he learn all his knowledge from books?

    He was unnecessarily brave in strange situations.

    "We used this road recently, and we weren''t detained or taxed then!"

    "No, Gdin."

    Ian tried to urgently stop Gdin, but it was toote.

    "Aha! We were a bit busy back then! Thanks for reporting tax evasion! Just pay double this time!"

    Gdin shouted in panic.

    "Ah, damn!"

    "..."

    This sh*t.

    "Gdin. You seem a bit out of it right now, just shut up and stay back."

    "Ah... Yes, thank you, Ian."

    Ian sighed deeply and stepped forward.

    There wasn''t a single trustworthy person around.

    In such cases, asserting the authority of a wizard was the best approach.

    "Baron Damon. Pleased to meet you. I am Ian, a disciple of Eredith, the wizard."

    "A wizard?"

    Baron Damon was slightly surprised to hear Ian''s words.

    Wizards were beings that invoked fear in medieval people.

    Baron Damon was no exception.

    If he had been an ordinary bandit, he would have beenpletely intimidated by now, possibly even suffering from a sort of ''wizard reality shock''.

    But Baron Damon was no ordinary bandit.

    "A wizard, you say! If you''re a real wizard, then you might know my friend here?"

    The Baron snapped his fingers.

    Then, from behind the Baron, a girl with red hair appeared.

    "Ian? Ian, you say? Never heard of such a dog-bone name in my life!"

    ''What''s wrong with my name!''

    Ian felt wronged.

    It wasn''t Ian''s fault he wasn''t famous.

    It was just because he hadn''t been active for long.

    That aside.

    Ian slowly observed the girl.

    Was she also a wizard?

    ---

    [1. raei: sorry don''t know about robin hood and the 72? Anyone with ideas?]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Kira Laventa. 19 years old. Unemployed.

    This was the status of the summoned wizard.

    But unemployed? Wasn''t she a wizard?

    No, she wasn''t.

    Strictly speaking, Kira Laventa was... a con artist.

    Kira Laventa. 19 years old. Con artist.

    That was her real spec.

    She was a war orphan.

    In an era where war was part of daily life, the world was full of war orphans.

    Most of them died before reaching adulthood.

    If lucky, they might meet a kind-hearted neighbor or someone connected to a monastery and manage to survive.

    But nine out of ten weren''t so lucky and ended up starving to death or bing food for beasts.

    Kira, too, without parents, was destined to die just like any ordinary war orphan.

    However, a passing nomadic traveler changed her fate.

    "No, you thieving wench!"

    "I-I''m sorry! Please spare me!"

    On the verge of starvation, Kira saw a traveler and, literally losing her mind, attempted to steal from him.

    She had no skill or anything, but with death by starvation so close, she had no choice.

    And the first pickpocket attempt of 7-year-old Kira''s life...

    Ended disastrously.

    "Who dares to steal so arrogantly!"

    "I''m sorry...! I won''t do it again!"

    "You, a child, should obviously be begging!"

    "...Begging!?"

    The person Kira attempted to steal from was a jester who hade from the south.

    He was a foreigner, a heretic, a wanderer, and a good-for-nothing in terms of productive work.

    "This won''t do. Follow me! I''ll show you the essence of begging!"

    "Yes... Yes!"

    For some reason, the jester took Kira under his wing and taught her his skills bit by bit.

    Perhaps he felt pity for the orphan child, followed a custom of his heretic faith, or maybe he was just bored of wandering alone and took Kira in for amusement.

    But that wasn''t much of an issue because.

    Kira had talent.

    "Oh! You have quite the knack for this!"

    "Hehe."

    Kira''s hands were incredibly fast and urate.

    So fast that they were faster than the eye could see.

    Had she fallen into a dark path like rigged gambling, she could have be a master gambler, but her teacher was a kind-hearted heretical jester.

    The heretical jester mainly taught Kira "how to beg for food."

    Shouting confidently in front of others, pretending to be cool, exaggerating trivial things, and so on...

    He taught her ways that would make the public happy and willingly offer food.

    Kira and the jester wandered the Empire, showing off their unique skills and begging for meals.

    Even though the earnings were meager and there were more days of hunger than of being well-fed...

    On the road, Kira was happy.

    Unlike her orphan days, waiting for death under the cold rain, she had someone by her side keeping her warm.

    Of course, Kira being human, had times where she envied the lives of others.

    "Mister. That person''s clothes look simr to ours, but why do people bow to them?"

    "Shh! That person is a wizard!"

    "A wizard?"

    "Yes. Unlike us, the miracles they perform are real. Not mere tricks like ours!"

    Kira looked at the existence called [wizard] with sparkling eyes.

    Though their appearances were simr and their situations as wanderers the same,

    Jesters and wizards received entirely different treatments.

    Jesters were scorned and, at best, could beg for a meal.

    In contrast, merely revealing their identity as wizards brought fear and respect.

    "Mister. Should we try pretending to be wizards?"

    "Kira!"

    "We look simr anyway, and if we deceive well, we could eat delicious meals too..."

    "Be quiet! Someone might hear!"

    That day, for the first time, the jester hit Kira.

    Both the jester, who struck the child in desperation, and Kira, who was hit, were shocked by the action.

    But the message was unmistakably conveyed.

    Pretending to be a wizard was taboo.

    "We must never... pretend to be wizards."

    "I''m, I''m sorry. I just..."

    "If caught, you''ll be gruesomely killed. No, you might end up grateful to be killed..."

    The jester calmly exined the dire consequences of being caught pretending to be a wizard.

    Kira understood the dangers of pretending to be a wizard and why the jester had reacted so violently.

    However...

    A small seed of doubt started to grow in a corner of her heart.

    Couldn''t she just close her eyes and pretend to be a wizard?

    If everyone is deceived, there wouldn''t be any problems, right?

    Don''t you want to seize the authority, power, and fear thates with the name of a wizard?

    For Kira, who had lived a nomadic life,

    The name [wizard] was a yearning, a shining ideal like the stars in the night sky.

    If she could be a wizard...!

    After that day, Kira practiced pretending to be a wizard in secret, away from the jester.

    It was a childish rebellion, but she was happy when she was pretending to be a wizard.

    She felt a sense of immense power, something the jester could never attain.

    Then, one day, an event that shook Kira''s life to its core urred.

    On a night when cold rain was falling, Kira and the jester were attacked by thieves.

    "Mister!"

    "Ru-run! Kira!"

    Their grimy performance props were thrown into the mud.

    The thieves kicked and destroyed the jester''s tools while spewing curses.

    "What''s this? This trash?"

    "Damn. Nothing useful here! Just a wandering beggar!"

    "Let''s at least capture the b*tch and sell her."

    The jester tried to buy time by grabbing a thief with his bare hands.

    But what time was there to buy?

    The thieves easily stabbed the jester with their knives.

    A jester was something they could kill without a twinge of conscience.

    The jester was dying.

    Watching the dying jester, Kira was seized by a strange thought.

    If we had power, would we have ended up like this?

    If we had started pretending to be wizards and saved up money... would the future have been different?

    For the first time, Kira thought that the jester, her teacher and father figure, was wrong.

    They should have pretended to be wizards long ago.

    Just as this thought boiled up, Kira was gripped by a very strong emotion.

    The name of the emotion that dominated her was... rage.

    She clearly remembered the jester''sst moments.

    The grief of losing a loved one turned directly into anger, and then into madness.

    Kira remembered a group of mercenaries she had passed by earlier and ran desperately in that direction.

    "The b*tch is running!"

    "Chase her!"

    Running under the cold rain, Kira clenched her teeth.

    Memories of her practicing to be a wizard alone came flooding back.

    Her prepared act was perfect.

    So perfect that the jester would have acknowledged it with a pleased smile at first nce.

    "Huh?"

    "Hey, look. Something''sing."

    When she encountered a group of mercenaries, her madness exploded.

    "Hey, you motherf*ckers!"

    "What, what the hell?"

    "Is she crazy?"

    The mercenaries froze at the sight of Kira suddenly screaming.

    In a world filled with all sorts of monsters and superhuman beings, encountering an irrational being naturally put them on edge.

    Kira, with tears streaming down her face, shouted,

    "I am a wizard! Wizard Kira Laventa!"

    "A wizard...?"

    Kira disyed the trivial tricks she had learned from the jester.

    She scattered gunpowder in the air to create an explosion, a firework technique.

    "Whoa!"

    "A wizard!"

    The mercenaries immediately recognized Kira as a wizard.

    A youthful appearance that could pass for a 12-year-old, explosions bursting from her fingertips,

    And eyes dyed with rage and madness!

    To anyone, Kira was a fearsome wizard!

    "Thieves will attack soon! Help me fight them!"

    "What? Even if you suddenly say that..."

    "Stop dawdling and draw your weapons!"

    "Ah, screw it, I don''t care! Guys! Get ready!"

    The ensuing battle ended in a easy victory for the mercenaries.

    The "thieves" the so-called wizard mentioned turned out to be merely four in number.

    It was baffling why the wizard made such a fuss over them.

    "...Thanks for the help."

    Kira looked down at the thieves, now cold corpses.

    Just that much.

    They were that insignificant...

    "It was nothing, really."

    The fight was over, and she had survived.

    She had kept herself alive with the shallow acting skills and lies she had learned from the jester.

    "Well then..."

    Now that the performance was over, she should stop pretending to be a wizard, following the jester''s advice.

    Even she thought it was an extremely risky gamble.

    A performance where failure meant death.

    But Kira couldn''t bring herself to stop acting.

    "Ah! Wizard! Would you join us?"

    "...Huh?"

    Kira was a bit taken aback by the polite address she received for the first time in her life.

    When she was with the jester, she was just seen as a performer''s daughter.

    But Kira, a mysterious teenage girl wandering alone in this harsh world, casting strange magic...

    Was an intimidating wizard that no one dared to mess with.

    The name [wizard] was too sweet for the young Kira.

    "...For a little while, then."

    "Wow! Thank you, wizard!"

    Just a little.

    Let''s act just a bit longer.

    Kira thought.

    Until she adapts to this harsh world.

    Until she can deliver a perfect performance as an actor...

    Let''s continue this sweet lie just until then.

    Thus, Kira became a wizard.

    ...Though really, she was a con artist.

    ---

    ---

    Kira''s wizard cosysted an unexpectedly long time without being caught.

    It was the result ofbining the rich acting skills and quick hand techniques she learned from the jester.

    She deliberately avoided populous cities and moved from one sparsely popted countryside to another.

    Naturally, it was because she feared being exposed as a fraud.

    In the days of the ancient Golden Empire, fake wizards like Kira were rampant.

    There were so many fake wizards that strange customs like [Calling a Wizard] were created.

    Even now, if you go somewhere and say, "I am a wizard~," suspicion is the first response you get.

    "Are you really a wizard? Not a fraud?"

    Kira also received countless skeptical looks but managed to get by with her excellent acting and hand skills.

    However, she never stayed in one ce for long, because she had no way to deal with a situation that truly required magic.

    Now in her 7th year, Kira, almost a professional con artist, sensed something was wrong and wisely fled into the mountains.

    A wizard is another name for war.

    Where there''s war, there are wizards, and the battlefield is precisely where wizards make their names most fearsomely known.

    However, there had been quite a buzz in the area recently.

    The news of (former) Baron Talian''s death was a pivotal moment.

    "This is... my cue!"

    What cue? A cue to bolt.

    Kira, who knew nothing more than setting off fireworks and cosying, would be exposed the moment she was dragged onto a battlefield.

    So, Kira made a run for it at a speed faster than light.

    To where? A remote valley.

    But the valley she fled to...

    Turned out to be the hideout of a thug iming to be Baron Damon...

    "... Damn it."

    A grown woman who walked into a den of bandits couldn''t just say, "Oh my, sorry~ Wrong ce~" and turn back.

    "I should stop... It''s time to stop..."

    Naturally, Kira began her wizard cosy again.

    It was a choice she had to make for survival.

    "A wizard? Hahaha! What luck!"

    "..."

    "Since we''ve met like this, work for our territory!"

    Kira couldn''t scream that a wizard wasn''t a being to be oppressed and that threatening a wizard like this would bring trouble!

    The opponent was an ignorant thug.

    One wrong move and she might be on the receiving end of a de.

    Above all, she wasn''t a real wizard.

    She had no magic to turn a critical moment around.

    So, Kira chose to endure and wait.

    She nned to escape when an appropriate opportunity arose.

    But the situation became seriously twisted.

    Baron Damon dragged Kira along to collect taxes...

    And among the travelers, there was someone iming to be a wizard!

    "A wizard, you say! If you''re a real wizard, then you might know my friend here?"

    ''I don''t know you, crazy!''

    "The name''s Ian Eredith? Who are you?

    If you''re a real wizard, don''t get extorted by mere thugs!

    Kira was freaking out with anxiety, but she couldn''t stop her wizard cosy now that she hade this far.

    The show must go on.

    It''s Kira time.

    She walked out with a haughty expression and said,

    "Ian? Ian, you say? Never heard of such a dog-bone name in my life!"

    "Oh! Lady Kira!"

    "Truly a great wizard!"

    As Kira sharply criticized, the bandits cheered excitedly.

    Behold our awesome wizard!

    With just a word, she turned the nobody Ian into a dog''s bone!

    As Kira abruptly dissed Ian,

    Those following Ian were plunged into anxiety...

    "Ian."

    Belenka frowned as she looked at the slender red-haired wizard.

    "The opponent doesn''t seem ordinary."

    Belenka''s reaction was utterly normal.

    Though Ian hated to admit it, wizards tend to be held in higher regard the more entric they are.

    A wizard who throws insults right from the first meeting?

    Wow... must be incredibly skilled!

    There was enough reason to think so.

    "Right. That wizard seems pretty sharp, doesn''t she?"

    Ian also had a high opinion of Kira, the wizard.

    Above all, he was surprised that she was unfazed even after hearing the name Eredith.

    Not to boast, but Eredith is quite a well-known wizard.

    Especially a fire wizard who shines the brightest on the battlefield.

    There were plenty of soldiers who''d im PTSD just from hearing the name Eredith.

    Yet, she was so calm even after revealing she was a disciple of Eredith...

    It confirmed she was no easy opponent.

    However, Ian had no intention of surrendering just like that.

    No matter how much he was at a disadvantage, showing his magical skills was necessary to receive at least a minimum level of respect.

    He nned to demonstrate hispetence as a wizard and then negotiate.

    It was time for the beautiful custom of mutual respect among wizards to shine.

    ''The sun''s still too bright for Dark magic.''

    Ian looked at the shining sun and thought.

    Forcing darkness to appear would work, but it would likely result in the magic not listening to Ian for days, upset by the forceful call.

    Too expensive a price for just showing off.

    But considering the warm air and the steep mountainous terrain...

    "[Wind,]"

    Ian extended his staff and spoke thenguage of magic.

    "[Come to me!]"

    Choosing the most appropriate magic was also a skill of a wizard.

    Ian chose air magic, and that choice was apt.

    "Oh...!"

    "A whirlwind!"

    As Ian summoned the wind, a fierce whirlwind began swirling around Ian and his group.

    The bandits gaped at Ian''s disy of air magic.

    "Incredible..."

    "That wizard is amazing!"

    Most of the bandits had never seenrge-scale magic like this before.

    That made sense since Kira had never shown them anyrge-scale magic until now.

    "How about that! You thieving bastards!"

    "This man is the famous wizard, Raven!"

    Talian''s mercenaries shouted excitedly.

    Showing off impressive magic was nothing new for Ian.

    They had strong faith in him.

    When Talian''s mercenaries taunted, the bandits flinched.

    Feeling a bit intimidated and as if they were losing somehow...!

    "Hmph, what a joke! Calling that magic?"

    Unable to hold back, one of the bandits shouted.

    It was a matter of momentum and pride.

    "Our side has an awesome wizard, unlike you guys. Still want to go for it?" was essentially the response to Talian mercenaries'' taunts.

    "Wo!"

    "Yeah! We have Lady Kira!"

    "Kira! Kira! Kira!"

    "Go show them what you''re made of!"

    The earth-shaking roar of cheers echoed.

    Within that massive support,

    Con artist Kira Laventa took a bold step forward...!

    ''Please just shut up...! You bastards!''

    No one knew about her true feelings.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    At first, Baron Damon was slightly puzzled when he heard Ian''s introduction.

    It was suspicious enough that such a green, young kid was stepping forward as the representative of the group.

    "A wizard?"

    If he had introduced himself as a noble''s son from some family, Damon would have been willing to negotiate a price calmly.

    But a wizard?

    There are lies that fly and lies that flop.

    iming to be a wizard was thetter.

    Of course, to be a wizard, one first needs to know how to use magic.

    The incredibly wise and intelligent nobles of the ancient Golden Empire had created a nasty custom called [Calling a Wizard], which sessfully induced wizards to reveal their abilities from the first meeting.

    This meant fake wizards had to show their magic to others right from the start...

    And that''s where 99% of fake wizards got cut.

    The remaining 1% of fake wizards were those who had genuinely put effort into preparing their scam.

    They prepare aplices in advance to deceive or demonstrate a high level of sleight of hand...

    If they were prepared to pull off a scam close to magic, there was no way to expose their methods on the spot.

    You just had to be fooled.

    Eventually, when a situation arose where they had to show magic, they would be exposed, but that waster.

    ''...Is he fake? Or not?''

    Baron Damon found Ian quite irritating.

    The ck hair and the crow perched on his shoulder did give off an unusual vibe...

    But to pull off a wizard scam, that level of setup was necessary, right?

    Could be fake, could be real.

    Honestly, Damon wasn''t sure he could tell the difference.

    It would have been a very awkward situation not long ago.

    Fortunately, Baron Damon had a wizard among his subordinates.

    That was Kira Laventa!

    In some ways, this was an opportunity.

    An opportunity to witness the power of magic firsthand, and to evaluate both Kira and Ian''s worth!

    For Baron Damon, this was a precious chance.

    Real nobles often had the chance to meet traveling wizards, but for a pseudo-noble like Damon, seeing a wizard was rare.

    Until now, he had tried coaxing Kira to use magic, but the quirky and bad-tempered Kira would only show simple magic while getting annoyed.

    He had to let it go at those times.

    But in this situation, Damon thought, Kira wouldn''t back down.

    ''Now! Wizard Kira! How amazing will the magic you show be!''

    "Kira! Kira! Kira!"

    "Go and show them what you''re made of!"

    The ground-shaking cheers.

    Wizard Kira.

    No...

    Scammer Kira was going crazy.

    ''Please don''t expect anything! Your expectations are too high, you bastards!''

    At first, when Ian stepped forward, Kira was a bit relieved because Ian was about the same age as Kira.

    Ian, who appeared to be no more than twenty, was clearly a peer of Kira''s.

    How smart or great could a kid just around twenty be!

    But then Ian began to chant in thenguage of magic.

    Kira was stunned, her mouth agape.

    ''What, what the hell?! Him!?''

    As Ian shouted in an unknownnguage, a whirlwind swirled around him.

    The bandits were shocked, Baron Damon was shocked, and so was Kira.

    ''He, he''s a real wizard!!!''

    She had cosyed as a wizard for a long time, but this was the first time she had seen a real wizard up close.

    Obviously, because she was afraid of being exposed.

    But seeing real magic up close... gave her chills.

    The way human will could move nature was the very mystery of magic itself.

    If there were no eyes around to see, she would have run up screaming.

    Dude! How did you do that? You''re not using a bug, are you?!

    Despite being stunned enough for such absurd fantasies to burst forth...

    Kira maintained a perfect calm on the outside.

    Yes, she was a first-ss [jester].

    Controlling her expression was nothing. So even when a foolish badit shouted beside her, Kira kept her proud expression.

    "Ha, that''s funny! You call that magic?"

    ''What are you saying?! That''s f*cking amazing, you bastards!''

    "Yeah, right! That''s not even magic!"

    ''Ughhh! If that''s not magic, then what the hell is?''

    "Watch closely! Lady Kira will show you what real magic is!"

    Watching the bandits make a fuss, Kira wanted to stitch their mouths shut.

    ''I''m scared! So scared!''

    Kira was trembling (mentally) all over, but there was no backing down now.

    If her true identity were exposed here, the only thing left would be a terrible ending!

    Kira closed her eyes tightly and prayed to the great spirit in the sky.

    ''Great spirit in the sky! Please protect me!''

    She fluttered her cloak and waved her hands dramatically.

    Swish~ Swish~

    Her extraordinary performance captured the attention of not only the bandits but also Ian''s group, who held their breath.

    ''Something...''

    ''Something''s happening!''

    Kira''s movements were grand and shy.

    To anyone watching, it was clear she was ''up to something'' at a nce.

    Except for one person.

    Everyone, except for Ian Eredith Raven.

    ''...What?''

    Ian felt not awe, but a sense of alienation from Kira''s movements.

    In Kira''s movements, there was not a hint of mystery!

    Ian, who had been taught all sorts of magical knowledge by Eredith, had never heard of activating magic through movements that looked like Chinese qigong.

    However, Ian couldn''t bring himself to shout, "What are you doing right now?"

    He thought he had to watch what Kira was doing until the end because Ian wasn''t a sage who knew every magic in the world.

    "Haaaah~"

    So, even when Kira let out a strange yell,

    "..."

    Ian just stayed silent and watched.

    "Oh! Lady Kira is absorbing the energy of nature!"

    "She''s drawing in power!"

    Ian couldn''t help but find the bandits'' oundish ims ridiculous.

    I can''t see anything, why are you all making a fuss?

    Then, Kira shouted with a thunderous voice.

    "[Fire!]"

    "!"

    Surprisingly, the words Kira uttered were indeed the realnguage of magic.

    Of course, unlike Ian, who had learned the entire Maroniusnguage, she knew only that one word, "[Fire!]" but it was indeed Maronius.

    As she uttered the magical incantation, Kira triggered all the hidden pyrotechnics she had prepared.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The quickly detonating ignition devices soon transformed into a massive fountain of mes.

    Kira was engulfed in a wave of fire.

    "Woah!"

    The bandits cheered in unison.

    Ian''s group was speechless, overwhelmed by the spectacle.

    ''Oh.''

    Ian was just as surprised by Kira''s performance.

    ''For a moment, it seemed like I saw the mystery of fire...''

    The moment Kira caused the pyrotechnics to explode, Ian saw the mystery of fire that seemed to wrap around and pass by Kira.

    It looked like a mystery that had appeared in response to Kira''s use of the Maroniusnguage.

    Ian was genuinely impressed by the fire magic Kira disyed.

    Avoiding burns in the midst of mes is quite aplex task.

    Even for Ian, fire magic was a high-difficulty magic that would have left significant scars without Eredith''s help.

    But...

    A performance that explodes mes while protecting the body with the mystery of fire!

    That''s incredibly delicate and bold!

    "Wow."

    This wizard named Kira...

    She''s not bad!

    p, p.

    As Ian pped as if enchanted, one by one, the bandits followed suit, pping along.

    "Woah!"

    "Kira! The me of Damon! Kira!"

    "She''s a goddess!"

    Kira! Kira! Kira!

    As chants of her name resounded,

    Kira Laventa smiled a soulless smile.

    ''Please... tell me it''s all over...''

    ---

    ---

    Exhausted Kira was approached by Baron Damon.

    "Our wizard friend. Are you alright?"

    "...This is nothing."

    Though she said she was fine, Kira showed signs of exhaustion. If she were asked to do magic again, she would be truly doomed.

    However, Baron Damon had no intention of pushing Kira further.

    "What do you think? This wizard named Ian, do you think we can overpower him?"

    He approached her seeking the wise counsel of a wizard.

    But Kira, terrified at the thought of being asked to work again, hastily blurted out a response.

    "Getting greedy will only lead to ruin, you know? That wizard hasn''t shown all his power yet."

    "Hmm..."

    Though Kira had just made up her response to avoid getting involved, her guess was surprisingly urate, and Baron Damon respected the wizard''s advice.

    "Understood."

    He gave up on the idea of overpowering Ian''s group by force and started to negotiate politely.

    Since the great (not) wizard Kira had confirmed it, he decided it was best to avoid the risky gamble.

    "Alright, friends. Just pay the toll, and we''ll ensure your safety until the end of this road."

    "Hmm."

    "And we can even offer you afortable ce to sleep and warm food in the vige. Opportunities like this don''te often, you know?"

    It wasn''t a bad proposal for Ian''s group.

    Actually, it was quite an excellent offer.

    If the bandits had pulled out their swords and demanded, "Give us everything you have!" there wouldn''t have been much they could do...

    But to provide lodging and food just for a toll payment?

    This was like a medieval version of a toll road!

    ''Toll road my ass.''

    Ian discussed it briefly with his group. Everyone reacted positively.

    "Avoiding sleeping outdoors does sound appealing."

    "The road seems well-maintained too. I think it''s a good idea."

    Paying a reasonable toll and resting in the vige was a very good situation for travelers.

    "It''s decided then."

    Ian informed Baron Damon of their decision.

    "We''ll pay the toll."

    "An excellent decision!"

    As soon as Ian''s group paid the toll, Baron Damon volunteered to escort them.

    Having the person who had just been threatening them now walking beside them made Ian feel odd.

    The medieval style of quickly switching between enemies and allies was still hard to get used to.

    "You''ve made a very wise choice using our road, friends. If you had continued forward, you would have definitely regretted it."

    I kind of feel regret right now, though...?

    Ian felt curious and asked,

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Baron Damon lowered his voice a bit.

    "I''m only telling you this because you''re our guests now... buttely, a very troublesome creature has popped up in the forest."

    "A troublesome creature?"

    What is this? A self-introduction?

    Ian looked intently at Baron Damon, but he seemed to feel no remorse at all.

    Well, you probably need to be that conscienceless to be a bandit, anyway.

    Baron Damon spoke as if intoxicated by his own story.

    "Ever heard of vampires?"

    "...Vampires!"

    The priest hastily made the sign of the cross.

    Though he had never seen one, Ian was already aware of the existence of vampires.

    Once through modern creative works, and again in Eredith''s mysterious lessons.

    "Creatures that suck blood?"

    "Indeed, you are a wizard. Yes, creatures that suck blood,"

    Baron Damon said in a grim voice.

    "A vampire has been active. So, never wander alone after dark."

    Vampires were human monsters that had be twisted and corrupted through a curse.

    They were fundamentally evil, cunning, and sadistic.

    Possessing both human intelligence and monstrous strength, just one could destroy a whole vige with ease.

    Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.

    Paying the toll and joining forces with Baron Damon turned out to be lucky for Ian''s group.

    Had Ian and his group camped out alone, they might have been attacked by the vampire.

    "Don''t worry too much."

    As the mood turned somber, Baron Damon whistled sharply. He yfully pointed at someone.

    It was the wizard quietly following them, Kira.

    "From now on, Kira and I will hunt that monster!"

    "..."

    Kira simply nodded her head with an indifferent expression.

    At her confident and self-assured demeanor, Ian was impressed.

    I''ve hunted monsters before, and I know it''s tough!

    To be so nonchnt about it! She must be a truly exceptional wizard!

    However, Kira''s inner thoughts werepletely different from Ian''s...

    ''Me? You want me to fight a vampire this time???''

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    TL/Editor: Raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Baron Damon''s domain was exactly as expected.

    "Lord!"

    "Oh my! Has the Lord arrived!"

    The sight of dozens of huts lined up on a clearing made by cutting down trees and the sight of a hastily built wooden fence to fend off intruders revealed it as nothing less than a bandit''s hideout.

    There were fields cultivated by clearing thend and livestock like chickens and geese wandering around, but the atmosphere hadn''t changed much from when it was originally a bandit''sir.

    "Hahaha! Your Lord has gone out and earned some money~"

    "Long live the Lord!"

    A quick look around showed that farming was a secondary source of ie, and the primary source was tolls collected through banditry.

    It was only natural that a domain in the mountains couldn''t sustain itself on farming alone.

    "The atmosphere is nice."

    "But it''s still just a bandit''s hideout."

    Ian grumbled in a not-exactly grumbling way, Belenka smiled wryly.

    "Isn''t it different from ordinary bandits? They don''t kill every passerby they see."

    "Even if they extort money from people?"

    "If you think of it as a toll for using the road, it''s not too bad. These are the local residents, after all, and they''ll also take care of the monsters around here. As the roads be safer, more merchants wille, improving earnings."

    "It''s a virtuous cycle."

    This era was inherently without foundation.

    Starting as a bandit hideout, it could someday be a respectable city.

    The name Damon could also be famous.

    As soon as Ian and his party arrived at Damon''s mountain hotel, an exciting room allocation followed, which was very medieval in its execution.

    "Everyone, go into any house you like!"

    "...?"

    Since there couldn''t possibly be an inn in this small domain, it meant just barging into any house you see and spending the night.

    "Thank you! Lord!"

    "Hehe. Let''s go quickly!"

    To Ian, this method of allocating rooms was absurdly ridiculous.

    You could argue it was a homestay, but the problem was that it was a forced homestay.

    However, Ian was the only one who found this strange.

    The medieval people, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, opened the door of someone else''s house they had never seen before and walked in with their dirty feet...!

    Did you guyse from the GTA universe?

    It was beyond rude; it was shameless.

    Yet, no one in the domain dared to oppose the Lord''s decision.

    They just bowed their heads and prepared to wee the sudden guests as if it was the most natural thing.

    "Wizard Ian! You shall stay at our house!"

    Baron Damon, at some point, had naturally put his arm around Ian''s shoulder.

    The preemptive arm-around-the-shoulder before extorting money might be an instinct engraved in human DNA.

    "Me?"

    Ian hesitated at first, suspicious that Baron Damon might be attempting something.

    epting too eagerly and then being disappointed would be its own kind of nuisance.

    However, as expected of a Baron who knew nothing about nobility, Damon immediately looked dejected.

    "No, it was just a suggestion... If you don''t like the humble cabin, there''s nothing I can do... But it''s the best house here..."

    Ian quickly reassured the Baron.

    "I was asking if it''s alright for me to be invited. Gdin is here too."

    "Gdin? What does he do?"

    "Uh... um, a smart person?"

    "He seemed pretty dumb to me."

    Baron Damon''s insight was chillingly sharp.

    Just as knowledge and wisdom differ, being knowledgeable doesn''t necessarily mean one is wise.

    Baron Damon thought Gdin was somewhatcking, and to some extent, he was right.

    "If the Baron invites me, then I''m happy to ept."

    "Hahaha! Then stay at our house!"

    Just from hearing this, you''d think a neighbor was offering to let you stay the night.

    "Get to know our wizard too!"

    Was her name Kira?

    Ian briefly made eye contact with Kira.

    Kira''s demeanor was that of a typical, irritable, and hysterical wizard.

    She was utterly indifferent to Ian, as if she didn''t even acknowledge his existence.

    Had Ian not already had some experience with wizards, he might have been offended, but having encountered a few wizards before, Ian didn''t take Kira''s indifference to heart.

    Wizards are just weird like that.

    Eredith was considered normal by Ian''s standards, but in fact, by medieval standards, she was a bit strange.

    She was indifferent to worldly matters while wielding powerful magic.

    The wizard Mani was also an entric person.

    The very act of brewing soup filled with garlic as a prank was far from normal thinking.

    It was fortunate that Ian was Korean, otherwise, this was like serving rice in mint chocte soup as a form of hospitality.

    And then there was Professor Inn.

    Caught tomb raiding.

    Ha. Ian shook his head.

    Looking at it this way, the wizard lineup was legendary.

    Indeed... The only normal wizard might just be me, [Ian Eredith Raven]...!

    The only sane wizard, indeed. Q.E.D (Quod Erat Demonstrandum)[1].

    Ian nodded his head in satisfaction, smiling contentedly.

    ncing at Ian, who was giggling to himself, Kira grumbled.

    Wizards are all a bunch of weirdos.

    This guy doesn''t seem to be in his right mind either???

    ---

    ---

    After inspecting what could either be a homestay or a guest house, Ian stepped out to take a look around the domain.

    There, he bumped into Belenka, who was loitering nearby.

    "I heard about it, Ian. You ended up staying at the Baron''s house?"

    "That''s what happened."

    "Hmm. I see."

    "..."

    What''s she gearing up for now?

    Ian gave Belenka a sharp look.

    Based on his experiences so far, when someone dragged their words like that, they usually had something specific they wanted to say.

    "I took a look at the houses. Given it''s a small domain, it''s not exactly a great ce to stay."

    Ian nodded in agreement.

    Thebination of being in the mountains, a small vige, and a medieval lifestyle created a perfect storm of misery, even by medieval standards, showcasing a dire living situation.

    First off, being in the mountains meant that predators and carnivorous animals roamed free, making it impossible to let livestock graze freely.

    It wasn''t a populous vige that could afford separate guards.

    Above all, it got cold at night, speeding up the consumption of firewood.

    The people of this mountainous domain came up with a genius idea to solve these issues...

    [What if we bring the livestock inside? Problem solved, right?]

    It was a stroke of genius.

    But at the same time, it was a devilish idea.

    It protected the livestock from predators and shared their body heat to alleviate heating concerns, but...

    You had to sleep under the same roof as the animals!

    Enduring the smell! The noise!

    Even medieval people disliked eating and sleeping under the same roof as livestock.

    Naturally, they wanted to separate their living spaces.

    But here, theycked even the means to do that...

    A countryside among countrysides, the very bottom of rural life.

    Most houses here were structured to eat and sleep with the animals.

    Only three houses had separate barns, the ''normal'' rural homes.

    And one of those three was Baron Damon''s house.

    Ian caught on to what Belenka was hinting at.

    She wanted to change her amodations.

    "Why? Not satisfied with your lodging?"

    "It''s not my ce toin, but it''s bothersome."

    Ahem. Belenka cleared her throat.

    "Ian. Appealing to the friendship we''ve shared so far, could you show me the favor of swapping ces with me..."

    "Nope. I don''t n on switching. Go back."

    "Tsk."

    Belenka, immediately rebuffed, then confidently said.

    "In that case, based on our contract, I will demand the rightful privileges of a knight from my employer."

    Bringing up the contract instead of friendship.

    "Switch lodgings with me."

    Ian just shrugged.

    This was a legitimate request.

    Belenka fought for Ian and, in return, was assured various rights. It was a typical knight''s contract.

    Being a skilled knight, she seldom needed to exercise this right because everyone took good care of her.

    However, the current situation was a bit tricky.

    The good amodations had been shared among the priest, Gdin, and Ian...

    Being a knight first and foremost, and a woman, Belenka felt a bit out of ce in insisting on her part.

    But Belenka didn''t want to stay in the normal houses either.

    "That''s unexpected."

    "What now?"

    "I would''ve thought Belenka would be the type to happily snuggle into sheep''s wool and sleep soundly..."

    "What exactly do you think of me?"

    Belenka looked at Ian with disbelief.

    Every time Ian said something like that, it wounded her delicate heart as if she were a sensitive high school girl.

    Which (knightly) high school girl would want to sleep in a barn/amodation that smelled like animal dung?

    Well, it''s not something you''d say to a high school girl who could slice a person in half with a two-handed sword.

    "You should try sleeping buried in sheep''s wool. Do you even know how much they stink?"

    "Uh. I''ve seen it when I was young. There was someone in the domain who raised sheep."

    "..."

    Right. This guy. He''s the son of a farmer...!

    Belenka sometimes forgot that because Ian usually carried himself so cleanly.

    "Anyway. I formally request as my employer, Ian, to prepare a soft bed and clean pajamas for me. That is all."

    "Well. I''ll talk to the Baron. If things don''t go well..."

    "Then I''ll sleep in your room."

    "?!"

    "What. Why?"

    Belenka said with a deadpan (slightly sulky) expression.

    "If you don''t like it, say it now."

    "No, it''s not that I don''t like it, but..."

    Ian was puzzled.

    He wondered, is this really okay?

    ---

    ---

    Providing lodging and meals for a knight was a Lord''s natural duty.

    Though it was temporary, Ian, who had sworn loyalty to Belenka, had to solve her lodging issue.

    ''Maybe we should just sleep together.''

    The least troublesome solution was to simply put Belenka in Ian''s bedroom.

    The Baron had given Ian a good room, and there was enough space for both tofortably stay.

    The only issue...

    Ian, hailing from a country of the East known for its etiquette and the principle of "men and women not sitting together after the age of seven," found the idea of cohabiting with a woman to be somewhat...plicated.

    In fact, even by medieval standards, it was considered somewhat...plicated.

    Even though no one would openly talk about it, behind their backs, there would be whispers suggesting something...plicated between Ian and Belenka.

    It wasn''t that the rumors would tarnish Ian or Belenka''s reputation...

    But the thought of Lucy''s face made him feel a bit guilty.

    Rumors are unpredictable, and by the time they reached Lucy''s ears, they might have morphed into "Oh my, I heard they have a child together~".

    It was simply easier to arrange for separate amodations.

    So, Ian went to seek out the wizard Kira''s room, hoping to ask if there was a way to amodate Belenka.

    As a wizard trusted by the Baron, she upied thergest room in the Baron''s house.

    "Kira, are you there?"

    A moment of enlightenment struck him.

    Wait, the Baron''s house?

    He was staying at the Baron''s, and he was about to ask to share a room?!

    Although Baron Damon was notably poor, even taking that into ount, a medieval noble''s house was indeed shabby by modern standards.

    Talian Hall was a splendid mansion, though.

    "Just a moment!"

    Sounds of thumping came from inside.

    Ian nodded.

    Ah, she''s cleaning her room because she has a guest.

    ssic female behavior (the room is a pigsty).

    Having a sister, Ian knew this all too well.

    It''s extremely rare for women to live tidily. They''ve just mastered the skill of hiding their messiness...!

    So, Ian patiently waited for Kira to finish cleaning(?) her room.

    A little whileter.

    "Hmm. Hm-hm."

    Kira greeted Ian, arms crossed.

    "What''s up all of a sudden? wizard? I thought we wouldn''t cross paths during your stay in the domain."

    "...?"

    "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Did you call me out here to say something, or can I go?"

    Seeing Kira pour out informal speech from the get-go, Ian forgot everything he had prepared to say.

    He was shocked.

    Even Lucy used formal speech when they first met!

    And here she was, not some elder-level wizard, and seemingly of a simr age, just spewing informal speech?

    Having be ustomed to the medieval fantasy wizard life, Ian''s cosy and daily life had merged into one.

    His daily life was like method acting.

    And the aspect of ''wizardry'' Ian worked hardest on was being ''entric''.

    Unbeknownst to himself, Ian had embodied the ''wizard''s entricity'' that medieval people so adored, almost like a passive skill.

    In front of Ian appeared a wizard who was thoroughly impolite.

    Wizard Ian wasn''t going to take it.

    Ian erased all the polite remarks he had prepared-

    And started acting in the familiar way of a wizard.

    "But Kira, do you know me?"

    "... Huh?"

    "We''re talking for the first time, aren''t we? When did we meet for you to be so rude-

    Ahaha. So we''re already friends! I didn''t even know I had such a rude friend! Typical of a wizard, right! Hahaha!"

    "Um, well..."

    "Why speak so formally all of a sudden? We''re friends, aren''t we? Hey, I''m tolerating your rudeness because we''re friends, otherwise, you would have been stabbed by now~"

    "..."

    "But Kira, I have just one favor to ask. Since we''re friends, you can grant it, right?"

    Kira felt a chill run down her spine as Ian unloaded a barrage of nonsensical words.

    Look at those eyes filled with madness...

    That guy, he was out of his mind!

    ''What a bizarre wizard!''

    Are all wizards like that?

    I''ve never met a real wizard, so I don''t know!

    ---

    [1. raei: In mathematical or logical proofs, "Q.E.D." is traditionally written at the end of a demonstration to signify that what was to be proven has been sessfully demonstrated. It''s essentially a way of saying "I have proven what I set out to prove." ]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    Acting and reality are different.

    It''s an easy fact to overlook, but many actors are very different from the characters they portray on screen.

    Really?

    Someone who appears so spiteful/cool/cute on screen isn''t actually like that in real life?

    In some ways, it was like taking a red pill.

    Imagine realizing that the actor of your favorite character from a show is actually nothing like their character.

    ''... Huh!''

    Kira barely snapped back to reality.

    She almost gave Ian the ''red pill''.

    The ''wizard act'' she showed on the surface  that is, the annoyingly fussy and impetuous wizard  was not Kira''s real personality.

    Kira''s true nature was much kinder, gentler, and softer than that.

    So, when Ian started acting crazy...

    Kira was the one taken aback!

    ''Is this how wizards are supposed to be? Or is this wizard just weird?!''

    Kira never considered the possibility that Ian''s behavior could be an act.

    Because...

    Kira had never had a personal conversation with a real wizard before!

    She was afraid her true identity would be exposed through a slip of the tongue.

    She knew nothing about the ''manners among wizards'' that a real wizard would naturally know.

    Until then, Kira had been acting out a character that embodied the general image of a wizard to scam people.

    But characters and reality are different.

    The image of wizards that the public perceives and the reality of actual wizards are naturally different.

    Yet, Kira only knew of the wizard''s image, not the reality of actual wizards.

    That''s why she was rude to Ian right from their first meeting.

    [What? Wizards are supposed to speak rudely, isn''t thatmon sense?]

    No, it''s not. It''s notmon sense.

    Ian looked at Kira as if she were a heroine under the spell of some hypnosis app[1].

    What''s this? What''s with the disparity inmon sense?

    Most of the entricities of wizards were an act, and real wizards respected each other greatly.

    However, Kira, who came from a street jester background, didn''t know that.

    So...

    Ian just passed off Kira as a very strange wizard.

    Mani, Inn, Kira.

    This was roughly the average for wizards.

    "It feels awkward just standing here, shall we go in?"

    This wasn''t something Kira said.

    It was Ian.

    Brazenly, Ian stepped into Kira''s room as if it was his own.

    At that, Kira was astounded.

    Wow... This guy. He''s crazy.

    There''s a limit to rudeness!

    Kira was extremely taken aback, but on the other hand, she kind of understood Ian''s behavior...

    Kira, who had fallen under a non-existent hypnosis app, had epted the radical shift inmon sense: [wizards can act entrically].

    Damn. He''s crazy, but he''s a wizard after all.

    I''ll try to understand!

    Regardless, Ian threw himself onto Kira''s bed.

    And like he owned the ce, he put his feet up on the sheets.

    With his shoes still on, no less!

    ''So, how about it?''

    Ian smirked to himself.

    Having acted like a wizard so often, Ian had grown ustomed to causing a scene.

    This level of rudeness? He could do it as naturally as breathing now.

    Ian, who prides himself on being the only sane person among wizards, couldn''t even imagine that Kira''s behavior was an act.

    He just thought she was a wizard without any manners.

    Most wizards were sociable and polite.

    After all, a wizard is a municator].

    Someone who only bbers about themselves and disregards others cannot be a wizard.

    If you act like that in front of the mysteries, you''ll quickly cease to be a wizard.

    Yet the prevailing notion was that [wizards are essentric].

    It made it so that wizards were obsequious in front of the mysteries but acted crazy towards humans.

    This duality allowed for the existence of wizards with strange characters.

    But Ian wasn''t the type to just overlook someone iming ''I''m naturally rude!''.

    Wizards acting rudely in front of non-wizards?

    That can be understood. The public expects it.

    But there was no need for wizards to act bizarrely amongst themselves.

    So, Ian thought there were two main reasons why Kira was acting so rudely.

    First, she was consumed by her ''concept''.

    Being rude usually got her pampered by those around him, so she might be acting the same way towards other wizards.

    If not, then secondly,

    It was her true character.

    Either way, Ian had no intention of adjusting himself to Kira.

    What Kira needed now was mirror treatment.

    Yes.

    Ian intentionally acted out to make Kira realize her own mistakes.

    So.

    He put his feet up on the bed with his shoes still on...!

    How about that!

    Getting angry yet?

    Understand what it feels like yet?

    "..."

    Contrary to Ian''s expectation, Kira was unfazed.

    Thebination of shoes and beds might be a trigger for Koreans, but not for medieval people.

    Medieval folks ofteny on beds with their shoes on.

    This had several benefits: it protected their feet from venomous insects and snakes, provided a bit of warmth, and prevented shoe theftabination of practical benefits.

    Of course, that advantage has disappeared in the modern era.

    So, if there''s someone climbing into bed with their shoes on today, they''re a barbarian.

    Ian''s smug provocation failed to ignite, but he seeded in appearing despicable.

    ''Ah. So, do you''re doing it like this?''

    When Kira saw that the other party was going all out, she decided to do the same.

    After all, on the surface, they were both wizards!

    Kira walked over, pushed Ian''s head aside, and sat down in that spot.

    Then, she grabbed Ian''s head and ced it on her thighs.

    It was a knee pillow.

    ''How about that? Isn''t this embarrassing?''

    She was right.

    Ian was taken aback.

    Wait... I was this rude, and she''s not mad?!

    Could I have misunderstood?

    Maybe she was just being incrediblyfortable with me?

    "Ah... thanks."

    In his confusion, Ian reflexively thanked her.

    It wasn''t genuine gratitude, just a reflexive action.

    However, Kira, who thought of Ian as a mad wizard, had no way of knowing that.

    ''Huh. You know how to say thank you?''

    This guy. Maybe he''s not a bad person after all?

    Maybe he just likes beingfortable!

    "What do you want to ask?"

    "Ah. Someone needs a bed."

    "Who?"

    Kira looked down at Ian''s face and blushed slightly.

    This situation.

    After all that, it was quite embarrassing.

    But since the other party didn''t seem to mind, it was hard to say anything.

    But Ian felt embarrassed too.

    He wanted to sit up properly...

    But since the other person seemed unfazed, he couldn''t do it!

    So, the two continued acting as if nothing was wrong and carried on their conversation.

    "Lady Belenka. I have a knight who follows me around."

    "Ah. That woman?"

    "I don''t have a proper ce for her to spend the night. Can we use your room?"

    "Um. Sure! Bring her over!"

    ''This actually worked.''

    Ian was surprised when Kira readily agreed.

    He thought Kira had a rude personality, but maybe she was just a free spirit?

    The reason Kira agreed so easily was nothing special.

    Ian''s request was just too trivial.

    Though she pretended to be a wizard, Kira''s roots were on the streets.

    Sharing a room was nothing to her.

    And getting acquainted with a knight wasn''t bad either.

    "Is that all you wanted to say?"

    "Yeah."

    "Alright. I see."

    Ian and Kira fell into silence for a moment.

    It was time to look for the right moment to get up.

    Just as they were trying to figure out who would move first, that''s when it happened.

    "Wizard Kira. Baron Damon has something to say about the vampire issue..."

    Someone suddenly entered the room.

    It was Belenka.

    "...?"

    Seeing them on the bed like that, Belenka sighed softly and shook her head.

    "Ian, how long has it been since you broke up with Baron Talian and you''re already with a new woman..."

    "No, what are you talking about?"

    "Don''t you see? Or are you perhaps trying to find a room for yourself?"

    "..."

    What is she even saying?

    Ian had to breathe hard to avoid dying from shock.

    It was overwhelming.

    "Baron Talian would be sad."

    "Please shut up."

    Ian hurriedly stood up and introduced Belenka.

    "This is Lady Belenka."

    "From Wintz, I''m Belenka."

    "Kira Laventa."

    Ian tilted his head in confusion.

    "Laventa? That''s a new name. Who might that be?"

    "... A great person. Was a remarkable wizard."

    "Oh?"

    "Passed away."

    "Ah. Sorry."

    The mood dipped slightly.

    Before it got more awkward, Belenka pulled the two along.

    "The Baron says he needs the help of a wizard."

    "Me too?"

    "Since we''ve been treated as guests, we should show some courtesy."

    Baron Damon was not far away, with his men.

    Seeing the wizards, he immediately called out.

    "Good to see you! Could I borrow your wisdom for a moment?"

    "What''s the matter?"

    The Baron had some notably impressive subordinates.

    They were archers.

    "These are my snipers and scouts. They were following a vampire and encountered something peculiar."

    "Not peculiar, but horrific, my Lord."

    A man in a green hood spoke.

    "When we found the vampire, it muttered some strange words. Suddenly, the surroundings turned pitch dark, and we couldn''t see anything."

    "And then you luckily escaped?"

    "Don''t joke. We survived because of the dogs."

    A strangenguage. And suddenly, darkness appeared.

    Belenka instinctively looked at Ian.

    Ian snapped his fingers and said,

    "Was it perhaps something like this?"

    Darkness started to creep around Ian.

    The scouts were shocked and nodded vigorously.

    "Yes! It was exactly this kind of unnatural darkness!"

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Could that vampire be skilled in Dark magic?

    ---

    [1. raei: this type of reference is usually to another novel in novelpia but I don''t have the time to read outside of the novels I''m tranting :p anyone?]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    TL/Editor: Raei

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    When Ian summoned the ck darkness, the snipers, including Baron Damon, were shocked.

    Sorcery! That guy uses sorcery!

    "Just like a vampire...!"

    They were startled at first, but upon further thought, they realized something was off.

    How could a follower of the heavens use the same magic as a demon belonging to darkness?

    Could it be...?

    "Um... Mr. Wizard."

    The snipers began to slowly back away.

    "You''re not one of... them, right?"

    Ian grinned wickedly.

    The snipers looked as though they were about to burst into tears any moment.

    Please, dont be true!

    Belenka, realizing Ian was pranking them, gently tapped his arm.

    "Could you stop fooling around and exin?"

    "It was fun, though."

    "... You''re unbelievable."

    Haah.

    These wizards.

    To Belenka, it seemed like all wizards were cut from the same cloth.

    Meaning Ian was also a weirdo.

    "I''m different from vampires. If someone hates the light, they can be friends with the darkness. I just happen to get along well with darkness because we''repatible."

    Phew.

    The snipers finally let out a sigh of relief.

    The thought that this wizard might be a vile creature like a vampire was too horrifying to even imagine.

    Baron Damon didn''t say anything, but it was clear he was relieved to learn Ian wasn''t an evil wizard.

    "Actually, I was just on my way back from disposing of a body."

    "A body?"

    Ian took a moment to mourn the deceased in his heart.

    Even in a world where death wasmonce, the extinguishing of a life''s light was always a tragedy.

    "That vampire bastard has eaten another person."

    "..."

    "Its actions are bing bolder."

    Ian stroked his chin, recalling old memories.

    Eredith had taught Ian the Maroniusnguage and shared bits of trivial knowledge as a way to keep the young Ian interested in his studies.

    It was like seasoning to help Ian not lose interest in learning.

    To Eredith, this ''trivia'' wasmon knowledge, but to Ian, it was a source of fascinating stories.

    She told tales of all sorts of fantasy monsters, including dragons, wyverns, and drakes, each one more interesting than thest.

    Having a teacher like a living Wiki, Ian knew a lot of misceneous knowledge.

    Therefore, he knew a thing or two about vampires.

    "It woke up only recently."

    "What do you mean?"

    As Ian shared his knowledge about monsters, people listened intently, holding their breath.

    "People often refer to vampires as [those who incurred the wrath of the heavens]. Theymitted a sinparable to sphemy, cursed to never see the sun again."

    "... I''ve heard about that."

    "Vampires live by siphoning the vitality of life nurtured by the sun''s power, since they can''t see sunlight. Even in death, they would be rejected by heaven."

    "It''s straight to hell for them."

    The medieval folks made the sign of the cross.

    Not being able to ascend to heaven after death, but rather being trapped in a dark, deep underground prison, that is, hell, was the punishment feared most by people in the Middle Ages.

    "However, since they are forsaken by God, vampires don''t have a set lifespan."

    "Some vampires live for hundreds of years, right?"

    "Well, they just don''t die of old age."

    Vampires are those forsaken by God.

    Many vampiresmit acts that enrage God on purpose, to be forsaken.

    The reason was simple: they desired eternal life.

    Vampires were desperate cowards whomitted sphemy out of fear of death.

    "Most vampires were born towards the end of the Golden Empire."

    "... What?!"

    People were shocked by Ian''s exnation.

    The fall of the Golden Empire was over 500 years ago!

    There was a reason why most vampires were born during thete stages of the Golden Empire.

    At that time, the Golden Empire was in decline.

    Extreme wealth disparity, the rich were only concerned with their own gains, and ves were treated worse than animals, living and dying as something less than human.

    It was clear to anyone that the country was doomed, so no one doubted the impending fall of the Golden Empire.

    But this fact drove countless priests and nobles mad.

    "The end of the world ising!"

    No, it was just the Golden Empire that was falling, not the world itself.

    From a modern perspective, that''s all it was.

    Just a once thriving nation reaching the end of its lifespan.

    But it wasn''t seen that way from an ancient perspective.

    The reasony in the Bible.

    All words in the Bible were true. That was the default assumption.

    And in the Bible of their monotheistic religion, there was this passage:

    [On the day the Empire falls, a great judgment will begin.

    The righteous will ascend to heaven, the wicked will fall to hell, and the world will be covered in eternal darkness.]

    Since the words of the Bible were always true, the statement that judgment would begin with the fall of the Empire was also believed to be true.

    But... the fall of the Empire was imminent!

    Am I... going to be judged?!

    Those who lived good lives thought, "Ah, looks like I''ll be judged," and epted their fate, confident they''d go to heaven.

    But those who were malicious and tormented others were trembling with fear.

    They might shout with false bravado, "Haha, who would believe in that judgment stuff haha, God''s poprity would plummet haha," but they couldn''t evade impending judgment.

    It was their own fault for behaving so terribly.

    The wicked were desperate.

    Some timid viins hurriedly donated all their wealth to the church, begging for their sins to be reduced in exchange for their donations.

    But for those viins who were already too far gone and saw no chance of redemption, they chose to be twisted...

    "Since we''re damned to hell anyway, why not just be a vampire and fall from grace?"

    Being judged and going to hell versus surviving in a ruined world as a vampire.

    The wicked viins chose thetter.

    They insulted the holy heavens with massive human sacrifices and sphemous pagan parties, bing vampires buried in the ground.

    The n was to survive the apocalypse and then live on as survivors in a ruined world.

    The n was perfect.

    However, there was a critical mistake the sphemers didn''t ount for...

    The world didn''t end after the fall of the Golden Empire!

    Vampires who woke up thinking the world must have ended were shocked to find it still intact.

    Why?

    The Empire fell, but why!

    The vampires, using their own logic, sessfully figured out the reason.

    The Bible wasn''t wrong. That''s a given.

    If there was an error, it was humans'' misinterpretation of the Bible.

    The reason the world didn''t end was because of the existence of the Holy Empire.

    "These damned priests!!!"

    When the Golden Empire fell, the priests quickly created Empire 2.0.

    That''s the current Holy Empire.

    "The Bible just says ''the Empire will fall,'' it doesn''t specify ''which Empire,'' does it?"

    The vampires trembled with rage at the priests'' deceit.

    The world hadn''t ended, and the Empire still stood (albeit under a different name).

    And the vampires... they just became insane sphemers against heaven.

    Feeling utterly backstabbed, the vampires became beings filled with endless hatred for living humans, priests, and the Holy Empire.

    They became evil monsters.

    "If it had been awake for a long time, it would have directly attacked the domain by now."

    "So..."

    "It must have woken up only recently and is still regaining its strength."

    Ian exined calmly.

    "Its power should be weak now, so it will be easier to catch."

    Ian was calm, but Baron Damon and the snipers went pale.

    "That, that''s it being weak..."

    Several vigers and livestock were ughtered without a chance to fight back.

    And it''s going to get stronger from here.

    Many domains have fallen to monster invasions, but Baron Damon never dreamed his would end up the same.

    "We need to catch it as soon as possible."

    "That would be best."

    Baron Damon realized Ian wasn''t particrly interested in this matter.

    But right now, they desperately needed the help of a wizard.

    "Could you possibly help?"

    Ian grinned.

    He had somewhat expected this from the moment he got involved.

    Monster hunting was a serious matter.

    In a situation where he''d take anyone''s help, the assistance of a wizard!

    "Ah, I can help, sure."

    As Ian responded positively, the Baron clung to him like a leech.

    Pride was not the priority right now.

    With the domain on the verge of ruin, who cares about damn pride!

    How much effort went into building his domain!

    "Please, I need your help!"

    "I can help, but..."

    Ian looked at the Baron and grinned slyly.

    "How many people are you hiring?"

    "...Ah."

    Being a medieval man himself, the Baron immediately got what Ian was hinting at.

    A price tag.

    He was asking for a hiring fee.

    This was not a ce where empty phrases about ''now is the time to show your passion and dedication~'' would work.

    Paying people for their services was the norm in this world.

    Therefore, Ian''s request was perfectly reasonable.

    Almost medieval in its logic.

    "How much are you expecting?"

    The Baron asked, and Ian mischievously replied.

    "Well, I recently had to pay some taxes to a certain noble, you see."

    "..."

    "So, I''m a bit short on cash right now... I could really use some quick money."

    It was a transparent ruse.

    Baron, it''s your fault I''m out of money because you collected those ''taxes''!

    Take responsibility!

    However, Baron Damon had no retort.

    It was a fact that collecting the toll had lightened Ian''s purse.

    ''Truly... a fair request.''

    The Baron had no choice.

    Baron Damon agreed to all of Ian''s demands.

    Not only did he return the entire toll he had collected, but he also decided to add a bit of a hiring fee on top of it.

    Of course, this was only for Ian, Belenka, and a few mercenaries.

    Ian smiled as he pocketed the money bag.

    Belenka boldly stretched out her hand next to him.

    "Eh?"

    "I''d like my share now, if you don''t mind."

    "Aren''t you going to use it for the debt?"

    "What are you talking about? How I use my money is up to me, isn''t it?"

    "..."

    She was right.

    Ian wasn''t some loan shark.

    He couldn''t just confiscate every penny Belenka earned.

    Nor should he.

    After dividing the money with Belenka (who smiled happily for the first time in a while), Ian started the strategy meeting.

    Now Ian would also participate in the vampire hunt.

    "The easiest method is, of course, to attack during the day."

    Everyone nodded in agreement.

    Vampires, being cursed, cannot walk under the sun.

    Meaning, during the day, they have no choice but to stay holed up in ces like caves.

    Attacking then would make the hunt easier.

    The problem was finding the vampire''s hiding ce.

    The whole vige could search thoroughly and find it within a month, but considering the potential damage and the cost of hiring people during that time, it wasn''t exactly a good n.

    And Ian''s group had no time to dawdle.

    "However, for various reasons that''s impossible, so let''s use another method."

    The second option: wait for a vampire attack and ambush it.

    Ian decided on this approach.

    "Vampires attack from the darkness..."

    "I''ll handle the preparations. I''m an expert in field tactics."

    "Wow. As expected, reliable, Wizard."

    Reports suggest that vampires are adept at Dark magic.

    But Ian wouldn''t be outdone in the realm of Dark magic.

    Think you''re the only one with night vision? I''ve got it too!

    Moreover, by enticing birds that are active at night to keep watch, there would be no chance of a surprise attack.

    "And we need to distribute the personnel."

    He even distributed the personnel for night watch while he was at it.

    "Me, Belenka, the Talian mercenaries will form one team, and Baron, you can arrange your men as you see fit."

    "Got it. We''ll handle our side."

    Then, Kira raised her hand.

    "I''ll stand guard alone."

    Baron Damon, and even Ian, were surprised.

    Standing night watch alone? Without a vanguard?

    "Isn''t that dangerous?"

    Ian expressed concern for Kira.

    Even if the kid is a bit odd, leaving her to die is another matter entirely.

    But Kira snorted.

    "Hmph. Do you even know what kind of magic I use?"

    Ian tilted his head in confusion.

    "Fire magic, isnt it?"

    "That, that''s right! Fire magic! But it''s hard to use when there are people around!"

    Ah. Ian immediately understood.

    "Worried you might identally burn someone to death?"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    The Baron''s men gasped and distanced themselves from Kira.

    Nobody wanted the ''honor'' of being burned alive by a wizard''s fire.

    ''So, her skills are just so-so.''

    The more inexperienced the wizard, the worse they are at controlling their magic.

    Ian, having conversed with the mysteries of fire, knew well.

    The mysteries of fire are arsonists at heart, fundamentally enjoying the act of setting fires.

    Even a slightpse in a wizard''s concentration could turn the surroundings into a sea of mes.

    Well, she looked about Ian''s age, so it made sense she was still a novice.

    "I agree. Let''s leave Kira to herself."

    "Lord Baron. In my opinion..."

    "It might be best to let Lady Kira be alone..."

    Nobody was really concerned for Kira.

    They were all just worried about getting caught in her fire magic.

    ''Ah, theck ofpassion. Really.''

    Unlike the Baron''s callous men, Ian decided to assign a bird to keep watch over her.

    So he could rush over to help if anything happened.

    "Alright. We start from tonight. The wizards will also stand guard."

    That night, Ian and his group took up night watch.

    Fortunately, they encountered the vampire quite quickly.

    ---

    ---

    "Phew. Thought I was caught there for a moment."

    Under the glowing torchlight, Kira let out a sigh of relief.

    Thanks to Ian''s push, she ended up on night watch by herself.

    For Kira, it was a tremendous opportunity.

    The very chance she had longed for...

    The perfect moment to make a run for it!

    Kira had reached her limit with the act.

    What? Join a vampire hunt?

    Was she supposed to shoot fireworks at vampires or what?

    She had been looking for a chance to escape all along.

    She had been cautious not to make a move until Ian''s group joined because the timing hadn''t been right...

    But now, she could definitely make a run for it!

    "Me, fight a vampire? Are you crazy?!"

    She felt sorry for Ian, the wizard.

    The vampire... you, the real wizard, will have to take care of it!

    Kira looked around once more.

    Thanks to her words about being caught in her fire magic, not a single soul was in sight.

    Of course, her n to escape was fraught with danger.

    Going down the mountain alone at night, with a vampire about, was madness.

    But staying put and risking her cover as a fake wizard being blown was equally horrifying.

    Above all, if she didnt escape now, she saw no way to get out of the Baron''s grasp.

    ''Being with you all was disgusting, let''s never meet again!''

    Feeling the right moment hade, Kira didn''t hesitate to grab a torch and throw herself into the darkness.

    No one saw her, and her n seemed perfect.

    But...

    Though there were no people who saw her, there were birds who did.

    "...Huh?!"

    Ian, who had been using birds for night surveince, was shocked by the sudden report.

    Kira had suddenly run off into the darkness alone?!

    ''Why would she do that?''

    There was only one possibility.

    ''It looks like Kira has found the vampire!''

    She had spotted the vampire on her own and started the pursuit!

    Ian was astounded by Kira''s boldness.

    Wow...!

    To find the vampire and immediately chase after it alone.

    That''s damn brave!

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Lucius, from the former Golden Empire, now the Holy Empire, is a vampire.

    He was lucky to be born a noble''s son and received education to follow in his father''s footsteps as an imperial administrator.

    Or more precisely, he started but didn''t finish.

    "Damn it! I''m sick of this crap! Lucius, don''t you ever be one either!"

    An imperial administrator, to put it in terms of Joseon[1], was like a local governor.

    It was an honorable position bestowed by the Emperor''smand, managing a region well to prove one''s abilities and potentially be a high-ranking offici path to an official career, in short.

    Every noble wanted to be a high-ranking official of the Empire. Lucius''s father was no exception.

    But Lucius''s father kicked this honorable position to the curb and ran away from it.

    Ridiculously, it was all because of money.

    The position of an imperial administrator was a money pit.

    Many nobles had to cover the city''s operating expenses out of their own pockets... there weren''t many tax-paying citizens around, only ves and nobles.

    After paying taxes to the Emperor, there was no money left, forcing administrators to cover the shortfall from their own pockets.

    How could a country function properly if individuals had to bear the city budgets?

    Sane nobles resigned one after another, locking themselves in their manors, living the leisurely life of ying with ves, like other nobles.

    Lucius''s father did the same.

    He wanted to work for the Empire, but the reality was aplete mess.

    "I don''t know anymore! Lucius! Live your life however you want!"

    "Yes, Father!"

    Following his wealthy, idle father, Lucius also began a life of squandering money every day.

    He indulged in alcohol and women, collected exotic items from other countries, and even summoned wizards to learn their mysteries.

    He made bad friends, killing servants in a Colosseum imitation, and even shot people for fun with a bow.

    Lucius was a troublemaker, but not an exceptional one.

    Most nobles of the Golden Empire were at his level.

    The country was doomed to fail because of it.

    Living every day chasing pleasure, Lucius heard about a grim future from a wizard he asionally interacted with.

    "What?! The world is ending?"

    If the Empire falls, the world ends.

    Then, everyone would face the final judgment together.

    Lucius turned pale.

    "Looking at the sins I''vemitted... there''s no way I''m going to heaven!"

    The wizard whispered.

    Like the devil''s voice.

    "How about bing a vampire?"

    "A vampire?"

    "If you give me a littlepensation, I can turn you into a vampire, Lord Lucius."

    Bing a vampire meant surviving even after the world''s destruction, escaping the confines of mortality.

    "Wouldn''t it be better to live on the run from God than to suffer eternally in hell?"

    "Alright! Turn me into a vampire!"

    Lucius, fearing hell, insulted God and became a vampire.

    Freed from the shackles of mortality, he decided to hide deep underground until all judgment ended, and then wake up after the world had been destroyed.

    And so, he fell into a long sleep...

    "Huh?"

    Centuriester, Lucius woke up confused.

    Why is the sun still up?

    Wasn''t the world supposed to be ruined???

    Panicked, Lucius investigated and soon came across shocking information.

    The Empire had indeed fallen, but those damned priests resurrected the ruined Empire like some voodoo magic.

    It was now called the Holy Empire.

    "Those f*cking priests!"

    During the Golden Empire era, priests were as corrupt as the nobles.

    Those who feared judgment must have desperately created a new Empire.

    Lucius, thinking judgment was over, despaired at the sight of the still brightly shining sun.

    "I''m f*cked!"

    Now, without any life force left, he needed to drink blood.

    How long must he hide from the sun? 100 years? 200 years? 1000 years?

    Lucius despaired deeply...

    And that despair erased what little was left of his human heart.

    "Ah, let''s see who wins."

    Whether it takes 10,000 years or a million, he''ll devour humans as theye and evade judgment.

    He became the perfect monster.

    "[Darkness be my ally.]"

    Lucius, now a vampire, couldmand the darkness as if it were part of him.

    He had studied the Maroniusnguage and, like darkness, became a being that loathed the sun.

    He used magic to hunt humans.

    Mercy? None of that.

    "These people are going to heaven when they die anyway, right? Let their precious God take care of them."

    For days, Lucius relentlessly devoured humans.

    He didn''t think about the consequences. His only focus was on eating humans, filling himself with life force.

    Bing a vampire made Lucius''s magic incredibly powerful.

    He was a wizard proficient in Dark magic, Frost magic, and Summoning.

    The cursed vampire bodybined with powerful magic made him a formidable foe that simple vigers could not handle.

    A hungry vampire could easily devour an entire vige.

    But whether by coincidence or as part of the strange schemes of space-time wizards...

    In Baron Damon''s territory, was wizard Ian.

    He was an otherworld cheat user who went around scamming with a status window.

    ---

    ---

    The fact that the scammer Kira was caught by Lucius was no coincidence.

    Lucius is an outstanding dark wizard.

    He could see through darkness and even sense objects moving in unseen ces, so sensitive was he to darkness.

    "Today''s breakfast is that girl."

    Lucius licked his lips looking at Kira.

    A woman walking alone in the middle of the night? It was as if she was begging to be eaten.

    Heunched himself at Kira without hesitation.

    "Kyaa!"

    Startled, Kira screamed shrilly and fell on her butt.

    "Oh?"

    That trivial action saved Kira''s life...

    Kira''s feminine voice stimted Lucius''s lustful heart.

    Vampires are impotent. Their bodies are cursed that way.

    They can''t feel joy from eating, sleeping, or even holding a woman.

    Only the pleasure of bloodsucking.

    They only revel in the sensation of life force, brewed by sunlight, filling their decaying bodies.

    However, looking at Kira, sitting with her legs awkwardly spread, Lucius felt disgusted.

    Disgusted mentally, not physically.

    Lucius had been a libertine, coveting many women since his youth. He was a proud man of the Empire  with a penchant for lust.

    Even though bing a vampire eradicated physical pleasures, the sense of conquest and pleasure he felt from viting women remained deeply etched in his mind.

    Yes, for Lucius, r*ping was... [a game of nostalgia].

    Not particrly fun, but something that asionally appealed to him because it invoked memories of the past.

    "She''s quite good-looking."

    Lucius leered at Kira''s red hair.

    For a country bumpkin, she looked pretty good.

    Honestly, even when he was human, he hadn''t bedded a woman of her looks.

    She could rival the finest prostitute, but Lucius, having confined himself to his estate, hardly ever touched the women of the big cities.

    Just by looking, she seemed like a girl sneaking away from the vige to escape a vampire.

    What''s the use of running away, all alone?

    Lucius slowly reached out his hand towards Kira.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Back off, you monster!"

    Kira shouted, pulling a stick from her waistband.

    As she quickly scraped the stick, sparks started pouring out like a fountain!

    "Aaaargh!"

    Suddenly seeing mes before him, Lucius panicked and stumbled backward.

    What''s that? Fire magic! Is it fire magic?

    He was momentarily startled, but soon realized he felt no mystery from it.

    That me-producing stick was... just garbage.

    "Ha, hahah!"

    Lucius''s face turned red.

    Embarrassed, he didn''t forget tough happily as if nothing had happened.

    If Ian had seen it, he would have definitely mocked him for being a total nerd.

    "Thought you were pulling some trick... So the people of the Empire have made quite an interesting toy?"

    Of course, Kira''s firework had no effect on the vampire.

    It startled him, but that was it.

    ''Father...!''

    Kira thought it was all over.

    So, she just sat down on the ground.

    However,

    That very action saved Kira once more.

    Whoosh!

    An arrow flew right above Kira''s head.

    "Argh!"

    The arrow pierced through Lucius''s forearm.

    ck blood oozed out of the split wound, emitting a foul, rotten smell.

    "Kira!"

    ''... Ian?!''

    Kira couldn''t believe her ears.

    That voice... It was that psycho wizard''s voice!

    Kira turned around.

    There were mercenaries holding torches and a female knight in ck armor.

    And there was Wizard Ian.

    Overwhelmed,

    Kira shouted, half acting, half sincere.

    "You''rete, idiot!"

    "Even when Ie, youin!"

    Ian, Belenka, and the mercenaries appeared, cutting through the darkness.

    They had followed right after Kira disappeared.

    Luckily, they weren''t toote.

    "If you found the vampire! You should''ve told us, not chased after it!"

    "... It, It was my choice!"

    Ian shook his head.

    Geez, wizards are always so headstrong.

    While Lucius was staggering, Belenka charged at him with incredible speed, wielding her sword.

    Ian had expected Belenka to easily subdue the vampire.

    After all, herbat skills were top-notch from what he had seen so far.

    However, contrary to expectations, Belenka struggled against the vampire.

    Belenka''s swordsmanship was sharp, but the vampire''s physical abilities were equal to, or even surpassed, Belenka''s sword skills.

    ''I need to help somehow...''

    That''s when Ian spotted an opportunity.

    The vampire, excited from the fight with Belenka, blurted out a strange curse.

    "You damned believers! So eager to meet your God, huh!"

    Damned believers...

    Ian smirked upon hearing the vampire''s curse.

    A curse reflects a person''splexes.

    People curse based on ''what they find upsetting'' because of this.

    Ian easily deduced from. ''So eager to meet your God, huh!'' that this vampire greatly feared his inevitable judgment.

    Ian immediately started acting like a wizard.

    That is, he started taunting.

    "What''s that? It''s hard to hear the words of a loser afraid of God~"

    "You, you, you... right now...!"

    "Go on, suck blood for hundreds and thousands of days~ But what''s the use? When you die, it''s straight to hell, right? Booked for a medieval-style torture full course till the final judgment, right?"

    "You... bastard!"

    Hearing Ian''s taunting, Lucius coughed up blood on the spot.

    It wasn''t just a figure of speech; he literally vomited blood.

    Vampires have a habit of spitting out rotten blood when they get excited.

    Lucius was genuinely triggered by Ian''s taunts.

    He was already regretting bing a vampire...!

    "F*ck, if I had known the world wouldn''t end, I would have died gracefully, you bastard!"

    Lucius screamed with a voice filled with genuine agony.

    "I''ll kill you!"

    Lucius''s eyes rolled back.

    This meant he couldn''t see anything else.

    Despite Belenka blocking his path, he ignored her and charged at Ian.

    Belenka wasn''t one to miss such an opportunity.

    She swung her longsword and cut off Lucius''s arm.

    With a thud, the arm was cleanly severed.

    But Lucius, brain steeped in madness and rage, didn''t stop.

    This time, Ian was taken aback.

    "Hey! Vampire! Your arm is...!"

    "Shut up! I never had an arm to begin with!"

    "What the hell are you on about! You''re insane!"

    Belenka, apparently not expecting him to charge even without an arm, also shouted in surprise.

    "Ian! Be careful!"

    Kira was just as panicked.

    ''What do I do!''

    Belenka was too far away, and the mercenaries had just started running towards Ian.

    ''I have to do something...!''

    Kira wanted to help Ian somehow...

    But she didn''t know what to do.

    So, Kiraunched her only specialty and only skill.

    A firework show.

    There was no particr purpose.

    It was more of a decision made under the notion that doing something was better than nothing.

    "Ian!!!"

    I''ll help you!

    Whoosh! Fwoosh!

    Columns of mes shot up spectacrly.

    It waspletely unhelpful, but the mes were splendid.

    Ian, as if enchanted by the mes, nkly watched Kira''s firework fountain.

    It wasn''t because he was dumbfounded.

    It was because an image came to his mind.

    Burning mes?

    But it wasn''t the mystery of fire he thought of. A me explosion couldn''t stop Lucius''s kamikaze charge.

    What Ian remembered was a part of a documentary he had seen in a past life.

    mes. Columns. And...

    A sr explosion.

    The massive cosmic explosion transforming into warm light yed out in his mind.

    Almost unconsciously, Ian pulled out his magic sword from his bosom.

    Anor-lsil, the magic sword infused with the power of the sun.

    He didn''t yet know how to unleash the sword''s power... but seeing that explosion made him think of something.

    Wasn''t the sun originally an entity that exploded and burned like those columns of fire?

    The image of an exploding sun and the image of shooting mes merged into one.

    Ian extended Anor-lsil, filling it with a wizard''s will, and shouted forcefully.

    "[Explode!]"

    At that moment,

    From the de of Anor-lsil, a brilliant radiance exploded, resembling the daylight at noon!

    "Arghhhh!"

    The wrath of the heavens struck down the cursed being.

    The sunlight created by magic burned Lucius''s body.

    "How...! The sun...! The light...!"

    Exposed to the sunlight, the vampire''s body turned into ck ash and crumbled.

    Ian crushed Lucius''s head under his heel.

    "The craftsmanship of skilled fairies."

    Amidst the scattering ashes, Ian slowly caressed the magic sword.

    Somehow, the de felt a bit warmer.

    ---

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 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The de still had the light of daylight swirling around it.

    A magic sword emitting a pure white light.

    Witnessing a brilliance that torches could never imitate, the mercenaries, without exception, made the sign of the cross.

    "God almighty...!"

    "God has protected us!"

    Belenka followed the mercenaries and made the sign of the cross.

    She wasn''t as deeply moved as the mercenaries, but her reaction was simr to expressing exmations of wonder.

    It was like how Westerners frequently exim, "Oh my God!"

    "You were incredible, Wizard!"

    "Even the mightiest vampire is but a mere mosquito in front of you, Wizard!"

    "Hurrah for Wizard Ian!"

    Ian found the babbling mercenaries beside him incredibly annoying.

    Praise was nice to hear at first, but it quickly became tiresomely repetitive.

    Above all, Ian needed time to ponder the mysteries thaty dormant in Anor-lsil.

    Therefore, Ian, without losing a wizard''s dignity, politely requested the mercenaries.

    "Quiet. Stop yapping beside me. If you have nothing to do, go call the Baron."

    A request that was politeness itself.

    Moved by Ian''s gracious request, the mercenaries responded.

    "Of course, Wizard!"

    The mercenaries happily vanished, singing a song about ''Ian, who burned the mosquito to ashes,'' and so on.

    Ian still couldn''t quite understand the mercenaries'' tastes.

    Do you guys really like it when I talk like a foul-mouthed grandma that much?

    He remembered how they practically had a fit begging for forgiveness when he identally spoke to them politely.

    ying the role of a quirky wizard was a bit ufortable, but Ian obliged since it was what they expected.

    In actuality, he was a man of manners.

    Ian, true to his gentlemanly nature, extended his hand to Kira.

    "Are you okay?"

    "..."

    Kira just stared nkly at Ian.

    "Yes."

    She took Ian''s hand and slowly stood up.

    As Kira got closer, the pungent smell of gunpowder hit their noses.

    As expected, the cause of the explosion was gunpowder.

    It was impossible for Ian not to recognize the smell of gunpowder.

    These days, children y with cyber guns on smartphones, a luxury of the modern world.

    But children in the past yed with real guns loaded with real gunpowder(true).

    It might seem absurd to think of kids ying with guns, but South Korea in the past was a country where romance was alive and well.

    It was amon evening scene back then to see neighborhood kids tucking cap guns[1] into their jeans and roaming around.

    The sound of a cap gun and the smell of gunpowder it emitted were the dreams of boys, so much so that the tougher kids would have all handled a cap gun at least once.

    Thoughpared to cap guns, airsoft pellets, and even bean bullets were enough to mark you as armed.

    Unfortunately, Ian''s parents were conservative enough not to buy him a cap gun, but naturally, he came to recognize the smell of gunpowder from hanging out with his friends.

    To rify again, Ian was definitely not from Somalia; he was a citizen of South Korea.

    Ian sniffed around.

    The smell that lingered after a fireworks disy or after a cap gun fight...

    Ah, I want to do fireworks.

    Should I ask Kira if she has any fireworks sets left?

    Noticing Ian sniffing around, Kira defensively said,

    "It smells a bit, doesn''t it? But my magic is kind of..."

    "Magic?"

    Suddenly, what magic?

    Ian thought for a moment.

    Do people here call gunpowder magic powder?

    In the East, gunpowder() simply means ''medicine that causes fire,'' but the ignorant Western barbarians casually called it ''gunpowder.''

    As in, powder for guns!

    It''s a powder used for shooting guns, so, gunpowder!

    It wouldn''t have been strange in the Holy Empire to call it ''magic powder.''

    After all, gunpowder could indeed be considered a form of magic powder.

    This is a fact proven by the meme of Harry Potter shooting with a Muggle''s stick.

    "It''s not fire powder, then?"

    "... What?"

    "That powder. I thought it might be called something like ''fire powder.''"

    Ian stuttered, tranting modernnguage into thenguage of the Empire.

    It was almost like doing a direct trantion of a foreignnguage, so sometimes there were trantion issues.

    However, Ian''s tranted ''fire powder'' coincidentally matched exactly with the Empire''s term for gunpowder.

    More precisely, it was called ''me powder.''

    Kira was surprised to hear the word that came out of Ian''s mouth.

    ''You know about me powder?!''

    me powder wasn''t a product made in the Empire.

    It was a rare item, with only tiny amounts imported by heretical traders from the southeast.

    Therefore, in this part of the Empire, the northern regions, the likelihood of meeting someone who knew about me powder was virtually zero.

    But it approached zero without being zero.

    There were indeed people like Ian who knew about me powder.

    Of course, Kira was just being fooled at the moment.

    Who would have thought that a person who used to shoot cap guns and y with fireworks in a past life would be wandering around the northern part of the Holy Empire?

    "Yeah, me powder. You know it too?"

    Kira was incredibly flustered, but like a pro scammer, she didn''t show it outwardly.

    Ian nodded.

    Up to this point, Ian hadn''t realized that Kira knew absolutely nothing about magic and was an empty can.

    Showing off a fireworks fountain show with gunpowder isn''t proof of being a fake wizard.

    But...

    It didn''t take long for Ian to identally discover Kira''s true identity.

    ---

    ---

    On the road, Ian would often draw his magic sword out of boredom and swing it around.

    The magic sword Anor-lsil, said to contain the power of both the sun and the moon.

    However, it was all fancy talk; what exact power it held or what mysteries were enclosed, even Ian wasn''t sure.

    It was said to have been made by a fairy queen who included all sorts of bizarre ingredients.

    What, like a woman''s beard or the sound of a cat''s pawsteps? Dwarves in Norse mythology made stuff with such ingredients.

    The sword was ambiguous, butst night Ian managed to unleash some of its power.

    He sessfully made it shine with sunlight.

    Congrattions! Your magic sword has evolved from a portable lighter to a shlight lighter!

    Functionally, it wasn''t a major upgrade, but it was satisfying on a personal level.

    This was a kind of magical achievement, after all.

    By extracting sunlight, Ian realized one thing.

    The power of the sun contained in Anor-lsil wasn''t metaphorical; it literally borrowed from the real sun.

    In the past, Ian and Inn struggled to draw out the sword''s power in the Baron''s tomb.

    Neither Ian''s fire magic nor Inn''s photon magic worked, so they were about to use it as a mere lighter.

    But thinking back, their approach was fundamentally wed.

    Can the sun''s power be defined solely as fire or light?

    No, it couldn''t.

    While sharing properties with both fire and light, it was a mystery that couldn''t simply be called fire itself or light itself.

    The sun is just the sun.

    The moment Ian realized this, Anor-lsil showed him a part of its harbored power.

    It was a pleasant situation for Ian.

    Compared to medieval people, Ian found learning magic easier.

    It wasn''t about having or not having a status window, but a difference in mindset.

    Modern people, especially students from South Korea, received a well-rounded education.

    Science students learn literature, and humanities students learn calculus. Even art and music students study math, science, andnguage in South Korea.

    Medieval people might think of the sun as just a bright spot in the sky.

    But Ian could imagine celestial bodies in the universe and the stars of the sr system.

    His thoughts were closer to the essence of what the sun actually was.

    This was simr to how Ian analyzed the rtionship between echo and air to control sound with magic.

    Knowing the sun''s essence more explicitly made it easier to imagine and approach it.

    ''...But what''s up with Baron Talian?''

    As he pondered mysteries, Ian''s thoughts drifted to Baron Talian.

    Let''s assume the fairies used bizarre methods to infuse the sword with the power of the sun and the moon.

    But did the first Baron Talian know how to wield it properly?

    Did he, knowing nothing about magic, just swing it around dumbly thinking, "Wow! A sword made by the fairies!"?

    If that was the case, then the only ones who ever properly used Anor-lsil were the fairies who wove fairy silk with it.

    Anyways.

    Ian roughly figured out how to ess the power of the magic sword.

    Just see things as they are.

    Mystery is something infinitely close to the essence.

    "Ian, do you have a moment?"

    While lost in thought, Kira approached Ian and called him.

    She looked around and then whispered.

    "It''s something important..."

    "Important?"

    Kira nodded vigorously.

    "I want you to listen, on the honor of my master."

    Oh.

    Bringing up her master''s honor meant it wasn''t just talk.

    Ian listened to Kira''s story attentively.

    Her story was serious, but on another level, it was also funny.

    "The Baron won''t let you go?"

    "Yes! Isn''t that crazy? I''m not some wizard ve! He won''t let me leave!"

    Indeed.

    The tales of the two wizards hunting vampires reached Baron Damon''s ears.

    Even if the scene of Ian burning a vampire with the magic sword was one thing...

    But when Kira shone, the Baron couldn''t hold back his admiration.

    After all... Kira was... Baron Damon''s wizard!

    Wow! Our Kira is doing great!

    Kira felt so frustrated about this part that she could die.

    Baron Damon, being ignorant, didn''t quite grasp the rtionship between wizards and nobility.

    In fact, Damon wasn''t even a real Baron or noble.

    Of course, Kira wasn''t a real wizard either, but she had dealt with many nobles before and roughly knew their behavior.

    Nobles do not oppress wizards.

    Like nobles, wizards banded together due to their small numbers.

    Who would dare to mistreat a wizard?

    Not only the wizard''s master but also the master''s acquaintances, friends, friends of friends, and the Lord they serve would all swarm in for a collective lynching.

    Moreover, the northern part of the Empire, where Dranheim Magic University is located, was strongly influenced by wizards.

    Had Baron Damon been a regr noble, he would never have dared to hold Kira against her will with such madness.

    But Baron Damon was... essentially just a bandit.

    Saying it outright might trigger him, but that''s the fact.

    Even if he developed his domain and made feudal contracts with the residents, without serving a Lord, he was nothing more than a bandit leader.

    Baron Damon considered Kira his subordinate.

    And in his mind, subordinates naturally serve their boss.

    It was gangster logic.

    What if Kira leaves for somewhere else?

    Kira, are you betraying the organization right now...?

    Instantly, sh.

    That was the situation Kira found herself in.

    Ian, being a wizard himself, fully understood Kira''s troubles.

    There was no need to bring up grand oaths like the honor of a master.

    Wizards help wizards.

    It was natural.

    Put in a simr position, if Ian were caught by bandits, he would naturally ask for help from any wizard he encountered.

    "I''ll sort it out as soon as we''re off the road."

    "Really?!"

    Kira looked at Ian with sparkling eyes.

    How are you going to solve it?!

    Are you hiring mercenaries to rescue me, or using some incredible magic?!

    "I''ll spread the word that Wizard Kira is being held by a rude bandit!"

    "Oh, no!"

    That''s not okay, you maniac!

    Who spreads rumors about someone being a scammer throughout the neighborhood?!

    Kira was still at a blooming age.

    She didn''t want to be captured and executed for fraud.

    But Ian didn''t understand Kira.

    Why not?

    Just spread the rumor, and Kira''s acquaintances as a wizard will rush to rescue her.

    It wasmon sense to Ian.

    "Why not? Don''t you have any friends or nobles you know?"

    "... No!"

    That was the response.

    It''s about indebting a wizard.

    Even nobles who''ve never met you would rush to your aid, yet she reacted like this.

    Is she nning to set the ce on fire and run away on her own?

    That was a n Ian, even as an entric wizard, could not agree with.

    There''s reckless, and then there''s insane.

    That''s not entricity; it''s madness.

    "There''s something..."

    Kira tried to squeeze out some kind of exnation, racking her brain.

    Any exnation would sound like a poor excuse, but she had to try.

    The chance to escape from the Baron, who already believed her to be a powerful wizard, was now or never.

    Then it happened.

    "Ahem."

    "Hmm."

    The Baron''s men subtly moved closer to the two, intending to eavesdrop on the conversation of the wizards.

    They hoped to dig out any valuable information...

    But to the two nning their escape, these were just annoying watchdogs.

    It would have been tricky for ordinary people, but Ian was a wizard.

    Ian immediately switched to Maroniusnguage.

    Want to eavesdrop? Go ahead! Listen!

    What are you going to do if we talk in Maronius?

    "[So. What''s the reason you can''t escape?]"

    Ian was a self-proimed master of Maroniusnguage, having conversed almost exclusively in it with Eredith for nearly a year.

    In fact, most wizards were like that.

    For wizards, whose lives could depend on minormunication errors, learning Maroniusnguage was very important.

    Ian waited silently for Kira''s response.

    But...

    "???"

    No matter how long he waited, Kira didn''t respond.

    Why isn''t she answering?

    Could it be...

    Ian nced at the bandits.

    Could it be that these bandits are super over-sped and can understand Maroniusnguage!

    It must be like South Korea, where severe job shortages have led to the emergence of bandits with Seoul National University degrees!!!

    "..."

    Sh*t. That''s impossible!

    "Hey. You... don''t know Maronius, do you?"

    "Ah, no? I know it?"

    "[What do you know?]"

    "..."

    Ian stared nkly at Kira.

    This girl... doesn''t seem like a wizard?!

    ---

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 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    A wizard forgetting the Maroniusnguage?

    That''s impossible.

    Ian had been studying nothing but the Maroniusnguage for six to seven years.

    Although there were fun times browsing through the Eredith wiki, the fact that thenguage was the focus, didn''t change.

    But a wizard who can''t understand Maronius...

    ''Now that I think about it.''

    Once doubt reared its head, new questions followed one after another.

    It was odd that a fire wizard only yed with fireworks.

    Ian had learned fire magic, so he knew very well how difficult the magic of fire is.

    First, you need to start a fire to begin fire magic, but in this world without lighters or fire steel, there was hardly any technique to create fire on the spot.

    Therefore, beginner fire wizards never strayed from fire or always carried a small ember with them.

    Ian thought Kira was just shooting fireworks because it was hard to start a fire.

    Fireworks are mes, aren''t they?

    It was several times more convenient than fiddling with flint, a fire magic starter.

    So, he thought she carried fireworks around.

    She didn''t know Maronius but went around shooting fireworks?

    Ian''s suspicion suddenly turned into certainty.

    Ah.

    This kid...

    The legendary scammer I''ve only heard about.

    Everything finally made sense.

    The request not to spread rumors about being a wizard and the inability to escape the Baron on her own.

    However, there was a that doubt grew even more.

    "...Then what about the vampire?"

    Did she provoke a vampire without being able to use magic?

    In many ways, she was a woman whose gall had spilled over.

    "Unbelievable."

    "..."

    Kira visibly panicked.

    Seeing her, Ian clicked his tongue.

    She had been cosying as a wizard all this time.

    It was inexplicable how she wasn''t caught, other than sheer luck.

    "I''m, I''m sorry."

    Kira hurriedly responded in a diminished voice.

    "I''m sorry..."

    "..."

    Because there was people eavesdropping, she couldn''t even apologize properly.

    ''It''s definitely insane.''

    At this point, Ian became curious.

    What kind of circumstances led her to cosy as a wizard and get caught by bandits?

    Unlike Kira, who was at a loss for what to do, Ian was unbothered.

    Kira thought she hadmitted a crime worthy of death...

    But to Ian, Kira was nothing.

    It''s true Kira got caught scamming.

    But Ian didn''t suffer any harm or loss.

    Of course, if the real victims, the nobles, had heard, they would have been furious...

    But what of it? Ian was not a guardian ofw and order.

    Although Ian didn''t know the full story, he decided to rescue Kira from Baron Damon anyway.

    He didn''t know about what else, but the fireworks Kira carried around were magical and useful.

    If she remained in Baron Damon''s hands, she would lose the fireworks and possibly her life.

    So, Ian nned to rescue her and then ask for some fireworks.

    If possible, he wanted to ask about how to make gunpowder too.

    "Well, we don''t have time, so let''s just get out of here."

    "Uh... okay."

    Kira responded timidly.

    Not wearing her wizard persona, she seemed somewhat frail.

    Ah, Ian shook his head.

    It must be just the appearance.

    How could a truly frail person dare to scam others by pretending to be a wizard?

    "Hey! You guys,e here for a sec."

    "Are you talking to us?"

    "Who else would I be talking to if not you? Do you see anyone else?"

    Ian shouted at the bandits trying to eavesdrop.

    The bandits were immediately taken aback with bewildered expressions.

    Oh, that''s a fresh reaction.

    Ian realized clearly. This ce really is the countryside.

    They know nothing about wizards.

    "Why the faces?"

    "No, it''s just..."

    You can''t just ask, ''Why are you being so rude?'' So, the bandits muttered with a look of injustice.

    Ian felt slightly wronged.

    No. It''s typical for wizards to be like this.

    You''re the weird ones!

    "If you have aint, just say it. I am as sweet as a carrot heated to 100 degrees."

    "...?"

    As Ian started talking nonsense, Belenka quietly moved closer to him.

    "You''re spouting nonsense again. Are you so smart to the point you sound dumb?"

    "What... It sounds like you''re the one talking nonsense."

    "Please choose words that match the listener''s level. Apart from Kira here, no one understands what you''re saying."

    Ian whistled softly.

    Kira wouldn''t know, would she?

    Maybe she has used Karrot Market[1]?

    But Kira managed her expression remarkably well.

    In a second, she was back to being wizard Kira.

    "Hmph. It''s just an old idiom. No need to mind."

    It''s not an idiom.

    "Oh? You understand Ian''s nonsense?"

    "It''s a contradiction. It''s not nonsense if it''s understood. Well, only those who study hard might get it."

    Carrot heated to 100 degrees?

    Ian was impressed.

    Kira''s magic might be fake, but her pretense was wizard-like.

    She had the skills to go around scamming people.

    As the wizard and the knight started to banter, the bandits naturally quieted down.

    With the high and mighty cracking jokes, where would the lowly dare to interject?

    Ian very naturally disyed the difference in status between the bandits and himself.

    Once you see someone as ''higher'' than yourself, your behavior naturally bes cautious.

    ''That''s about enough?''

    Once Ian was sure the other party was intimidated, he spoke in amanding tone.

    "Go and bring the Baron here."

    "The Baron... here?"

    "Do you want me to repeat myself?"

    When Ian looked at them, Kira and Belenka also stared down the bandit.

    Unless they werepletely insane, no one would say, ''No, thanks? Am I your subordinate?''

    "I''ll be back."

    Shortly after, the bandit returned with their leader.

    It was Baron Damon.

    "Baron, let''s have a talk."

    "A talk? All of a sudden?"

    Though puzzled, the Baronplied with Ian''s request.

    He created a situation conducive to a private conversation, sending his subordinates away.

    Kira, trembling, clung to Ian''s arm.

    "What are you going to do...? Use magic, after all?"

    Seeing Kira shivering, memories of the past flooded back to Ian.

    And he was convinced.

    Wow. She really can act.

    The bare-faced Kira seemed so innocent, it was hard to believe she was the same person.

    The arrogance she had shown before was all a lie.

    This is why people get disappointed by the huge character gap of celebrities.

    "What magic would I use in this situation?"

    "I wouldn''t know... mind control?"

    Oh.

    Hypnosis app.

    But if she knew how to manipte minds, she wouldn''t be living like this.

    Ian was a righteous wizard who survived purely on skill without any isekai cheats like a hypnosis app.

    Well. He did resort to some lies and deception.

    "No. Nothing like that."

    "Then...?"

    "I''ll just ask him to let us go."

    "???"

    Kira was confused.

    Ian''s n seemed too reckless to her.

    But that was the thinking of a non-wizard.

    Kira, who had been cosying as a wizard, could act entric but couldn''t pull off insanely bold moves because shecked the actual skills for crucial moments.

    However, Ian, unlike Kira, was a real wizard.

    His audacity (or entricity) was on a different level.

    To the Baron who was alone, Ian straightforwardly said,

    "Baron Damon. I heard from Kira that you''ve been taking good care of her recently?"

    "That''s..."

    The Baron was flustered and looked at Kira, catching on to where the conversation was heading.

    Kira was briefly startled by the sudden mention.

    For about a second.

    But the professional scammer and jester quickly regained control.

    "Who said I was being taken care of?"

    Kira looked at the baron with disdain.

    "I was just ying along because I didn''t want to kill someone by mistake."

    It sounded like the rant of a mad arsonist.

    Are people just ants to be burned to death?

    Baron Damon wore a shocked expression, but Ian quickly nodded, catching on fast.

    ''Ah, like this?''

    "Wow. You held back well. You shouldn''t burn people. Yeah."

    "I almost did it, but there wasn''t anything too annoying."

    As the two evil wizards began to coordinate their lies, Baron Damon, a decentmoner, couldn''t grasp the truth.

    He knew Kira was a great wizard, but she had been the one amodating all this time?

    And even almost set fire to things several times???

    Once Ian took the lead, Kira performed her act impably.

    It was their first time scamming together, but their coordination was spot-on.

    Baron Damon was half out of his mind watching the show unfold from the two wizards'' tongues.

    His judgment was clouded.

    "So, Baron. We''re leaving and Kira will being with us."

    "...Hold on."

    However, he was btedly reactive to the action of taking away a member of his group.

    A response befitting a gang boss.

    "What? We''ve bepanions, so we''re leaving together, what do you mean ''hold on''?"

    As Kira sharply retorted, Baron Damon flinched but didn''t back down.

    Ian couldn''t help but tense up.

    Smart people are often too scared to rashly charge in, but fools rush in without knowing any better.

    If the Baron decides to use force, things will getplicated.

    "Kira. If you leave, the domain will be in danger!"

    "So what? Why are you telling me this crap?"

    "I''ve been good to you until now! If you leave without lending your strength, what about all I''ve invested?"

    Ian understood why the Baron was clinging to Kira.

    He aimed to maintain the domain''s stability with the power of a fire wizard...

    A short-sighted notion typical of amoner.

    "Who asked you to invest?! You shouted about making me your ally on your own ord!"

    "What are you even talking about..."

    Their voices rose.

    Ian stepped in at the right moment to mediate.

    "Both of you, stop!"

    "..."

    It was clear now.

    The Baron was a fool.

    "Baron. No, self-proimed Baron."

    "...What?"

    "Let me speak clearly. Just because you bber about being a Baron doesn''t make you one. So, what? Is a Mud Baron also a Baron?"

    "Huh? What''s that?"

    "There''s such a tomb robber. But from what I see, you''re both the same."

    Baron Damon thought Ian was insulting him and tried to protest.

    But Ian spoke first.

    "Self-proimed Baron. Do you know who owns thend of the Empire?"

    "What are you talking about..."

    The Baron responded puzzledly.

    "Isn''t it the Lord''s?"

    "Wrong. The owner of the Empire is the Emperor."

    "The Emperor???"

    The baron couldn''t understand even the simple fact that ''the Emperor was the owner of the Empire.''

    No, in fact, it wasn''t a simple fact.

    It was simple for modern people, but for medieval people, it was a somewhat difficult concept.

    The Lord who rules our vige collects taxes, conducts trials, and asionally conscripts people.

    So... isn''t the Lord the owner?

    That''s what themon people of the Empire thought.

    But it wasn''t so.

    Thend of the Empire belongs to the Emperor.

    It was merely ''lent'' to the vassals.

    However, the vassals passed down this borrowednd to their descendants without returning it to the Emperor.

    After passing it down over and over for hundreds of years, it just naturally became ''mynd.''

    It was simr to how the fairies who used Ian''s Anor-lsil imed ownership of it.

    "Mynd has no owner, and you''re telling me now it belongs to the Emperor???"

    "Why wouldn''t there be an owner?"

    "People don''t live there, so who''s the owner!"

    "Exactly. Thew is indeed strange."

    The Baron looked as if he''d been hit by a hammer.

    Unlike modern people who are ustomed to documented real estate, medieval people applied the concept of a domain only when people actually lived there and taxes were actually collected.

    "You''re an illegal upant. Even if you had 100 wizards like Kira, you couldn''t stop an invading army. And your domain isnd everyone wants to take."

    "But if there are skilled archers and a fire wizard holding them off...!"

    "Do the enemies not have archers and wizards? Please make some sense."

    Ah, how do I exin this to a fool.

    Ian casually drew a map on the ground.

    "Here''s Talian, up there is Catina. And this way is Devosi..."

    "Ingmar too."

    "Ah. Ingmar...?"

    Ian nced at Kira for a moment.

    Ah, she pulled a fast one there...

    Ian, kindly, introduced the neighboring powers to the self-proimed Baron.

    Fortunately, most of them were people the Baron knew.

    He was well-informed about the local powers.

    "Go make a vassal contract."

    Ian advised calmly.

    It was the only way for a domain like this rural vige to survive.

    Baron Damon understood everything Ian exined.

    So, he sighed.

    "I ran away wanting to escape the clutches of those damn nobles... Now, I have to return to the embrace of the nobility on my own?"

    Ian lightly patted the Baron''s shoulder.

    "That''s the world we live in."

    In any era, there exists a figure like a king.

    In this era, it was the lords and nobles.

    ---

    [1. raei: The only thing i could find here was: Danggeun Market (which means near you or carrot in Korean) It''s like an online marketce. Unfortunately that''s far as I know when ites to these carrot references. Sorry!]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    After the downfall, the world became awless ce.

    With the disappearance of what was known as the government, the strongest rulers of society, all that was left were nobodies.

    That''s how it was after the fall of the Golden Empire.

    Those called kings still had an air of rulership about them, but those below them were nothing more than local gang leaders.

    From an individual''s standpoint, it was a harsh time to live.

    Without public authority, it was natural for a state of all-against-all to emerge.

    However, for those with some strength and luck, it was clearly a time of opportunity.

    Since everyone was equally worthless, the one who grew first took it all!

    Of course, it''s easy to say, "Just grow stronger."

    But it''s not easy to simultaneously pick on the weak, appease the strong, and cautiously climb the ranks.

    Even gamers ustomed to medieval simtion games despaired at the reality of the Middle Ages.

    What about the uneducatedmoners?

    They were prone to messing up at every turn.

    "Thank you."

    "Don''t mention it. It''s nothing."

    Ian gave Baron Damon various practical advice.

    It wasn''t anything remarkable.

    Find a Count worth serving, be friendly with the neighboring Barons, if you''re going to rob, then go on a raid to the South.

    Don''t rob those heading to Talian, and so on...

    It wasmon sense and obvious advice, nothing that would harm the Baron.

    However, the Baron had no one around him to offer even thatmon sense and obvious advice.

    "If you be my personal wizard..."

    "Are you out of your mind? Oh did I say that out loud? Haha."

    "..."

    There was no reason for Ian to be the right hand of a bandit boss.

    One would have to be at least of count-level to consider making an offer.

    epting such an offer, unless one was hit in the head with a crossbow, was impossible.

    "Yeah. It''ll be tough."

    "If you need talented individuals, start by building a temple."

    "A temple?"

    "If you build one, then you can ask the Pope to send a priest to the domain. They will send one."

    The problem was theck of temples, not priests. Priests could be easily produced.

    Having a priest to offer advice would make managing the domain much easier than now.

    "Ah. But building a temple requires money..."

    "You''ll have to earn it, then."

    Ian smiled lightly.

    After all, it wasn''t his problem.

    Ian casually offered several pieces of advice to soothe Baron Damon.

    Since all it took was a bit of smooth talking, Ian generously shared information.

    Enough so that the Baron considered releasing Kira.

    When Kira disyed her aggressive fire wizard persona, the Baron quickly lost any desire to keep her around.

    "We''re nearing the end of the road."

    They were approaching the edge of the Baron''s influence.

    Though the Baron showed his regret, he couldn''t bring himself to hold Ian back.

    Ian had done too much for him.

    "You''re right. I was thinking about it all wrong."

    Baron Damon willingly let Ian and hispanions go.

    "I''ll make a feudal contract with a decent Count. And once my domain stabilizes, I''ll make a trip to the south."

    "If you''re short on supplies, visit the Talian domain. If you say you''re introduced by the wizard Ian, they''ll treat you well."

    "...Thank you. Really."

    He heard there was war brewing in the South.

    It was information shared by Baron Kaltz of Riverville.

    If Baron Damon leads his army (or bandits) to war and makes a significant contribution, he might not only gain wealth but possibly additionalnds.

    If he''s capable, he will seed.

    That''s the kind of era it was.

    "I never really understood why they said to be kind to wizards."

    "?"

    "Seeing you, I get it now."

    Baron Damon patted Ian on the shoulder.

    "Why you should be kind to a wizard."

    Wizards were valuable personnel, especially for the nobility.

    But even more so for amoner thug; a wizard was an invaluable resource.

    Wizards had the experience and knowledge gained from interacting with nobles.

    "Continue down the Epari River. My friends are there, and if you say you are introduced by Baron Damon, they''ll treat you well."

    "Let''s do that."

    Ian and his party exchanged warm farewells with the bandits.

    No one was dead, and they shared information and connections. It could be considered a very sessful meeting.

    Ian shared the conversation with Gdin.

    Gdin looked skeptical.

    "The Epari River? Not bad, but I heard rumors about river pirates there."

    "Ah. Those guys must be friends of the Baron."

    "...River pirates?"

    River pirates are thieves who operate on water.

    Mountain thieves are bandits, sea thieves are pirates, and river thieves are river pirates.

    That''s how it goes.

    "Sure, taking a boat would be quick, but..."

    Gdin was visibly wrestling with the idea.

    He wanted to take the boat, but the idea of heading into a den of river pirates was unnerving.

    But the dilemma didn''tst long.

    "Walking is a hassle, why don''t we just take a boat?"

    "Is that okay? What if the river pirates have bad intentions..."

    Ian wasn''t really concerned by Gdin''s worries.

    River pirates also have eyes; would they openly attack a group that included a knight and a wizard?

    Baron Damon had many men and even a wizard with him, yet they had only blocked Ian''s group.

    Then what about some river pirates?

    If it was an army the size of Baron Damon''s, it might be intimidating, but they could just avoid them if they had to.

    There wasn''t a need to take a boat.

    Ian felt no need to persuade Gdin.

    In this party without any high-ranking individuals, the majority ruled.

    "Belenka, I actually want to meet the river pirates. You''re not... scared, are you?"

    At Ian''s almost cute provocation, Belenka just smirked.

    "As if a bunch of thieves could scare me."

    "Ah. What about the other knights?"

    "..."

    There were two knights apanying them as Gdin''s escorts.

    They nced at Belenka, then bravely shouted.

    "How can we call ourselves knights if we''re afraid of mere thieves!"

    "I''m actually looking forward to it! Thinking about taking their heads!"

    Little braggarts. All talk.

    Knights are human too.

    No one''s a match for a beating.

    If they were wearing the legendary [Full te Mail], maybe they could brush off hits and rampage through enemies.

    But in this era, full te mail didn''t exist yet.

    Chain mail and scale mail were the endgame.

    If river pirates threws and jabbed from afar with spears, even knights would die.

    But they couldn''t say they didn''t want to fight even if it meant dying.

    A cowardly knight?

    Their value would plummet immediately.

    "What about Kira..."

    "It sounds like a hassle."

    The knights looked at Kira.

    Kira spoke indifferently.

    "If I identally set the boat on fire, we''ll have to swim, right? I hate moving."

    "..."

    You win, Kira.

    Kira was the champion of the World''s Biggest Bluff Contest.

    With everyone bluffing, the mood naturally leaned towards meeting the river pirates.

    Gdin''s influence? Did that even exist?

    Ian''s party headed for the Epari River.

    ---

    ---

    A deadly showdown with the river pirates!

    Didn''t happen.

    The moment the river pirates met Ian''s party, they bowed their heads first.

    "Oh my! What esteemed guests have we here!"

    The river pirates'' targets were, of course, merchants.

    Their first target was merchants, followed by heretics, to capture and sell as ves...

    There was no reason to be hostile towards Ian''s party, a mix of a wizard and knights, especially since they didn''t outwardly appear to have any valuables worth taking.

    Sure, there might be a temptation to farm equipment, but even that should be done considering the opponent, asmon sense dictates.

    "We came introduced by Baron Damon."

    "Baron Damon? Oh, the new Baron!"

    Though self-proimed, the river pirates were unaware of this fact.

    Ian immediately sweet-talked the leader of the river pirates.

    "Baron Damon spoke highly of you."

    "Me?"

    "He said he ns to undertake a big venture soon and will need your help."

    "Oh!"

    It wasn''t a lie.

    When the Baron sets out on his expedition, having the help of the river pirates would indeed be convenient.

    "We''re heading to the domain of Baron Devosi."

    "Ah. That ce is a bit..."

    The river pirates were reluctant to go down to the Devosi Barony.

    "We could be killed if they see us there."

    Gdin stood by with a triumphant look.

    The Devosi Barony, being situated along the river, had a few boats.

    If river pirates were caught meddling, they''d be sent straight to the gallows.

    "It''s okay. They won''t have the leisure to worry about you."

    "Really? Why?"

    "Haven''t you heard? The Baron has fallen ill, cursed or something."

    Gdin looked downcast.

    Only then did the river pirates smile.

    "Then it''s worth a shot!"

    "And this man is a servant of the Baron. Gdin. Say something."

    "In the name of Baron His Excellency, I vouch for their identity."

    "Is that so. How about giving us a ride?"

    Ian pointed at Kira and said.

    "By the way, if you don''t give us a ride, we''ll burn you."

    "...What?"

    Kira, without blinking an eye, shot a firework.

    The mercenaries were thrilled at Kira''s fire magic.

    "Wow! It''s Kira''s fire magic!"

    "It''s always so cool to see!"

    The river pirates gulped.

    Getting burned was far less beneficial than giving a ride...

    "Wee aboard!"

    "Thank you."

    The departure was prepared as smoothly as water flows.

    There was just one minor issue.

    The boat was too small for the number of people.

    Gdin resolved this issue in a sh.

    "Hey. You guys. Walk."

    "Yes!"

    It was agreed(?) that the servants and ves would walk.

    Since the Barony was just ahead, they were no longer needed.

    Not satisfied with just offloading the servants, Gdin also made the river pirates disembark from the boat.

    The river pirates cursed under their breath, but what could they do when they were told to leave by those higher up?

    They had no choice but toply.

    Thanks to that, Ian couldfortably travel by boat to the Devosi domain.

    With some room to breathe, Ian called Kira to sit down with him.

    The cabin was so cramped they had to sit tightly next to each other on a bed.

    "..."

    "Don''t be so nervous. No one''s going to eat you."

    From the moment she entered the room, Kira couldn''t calm herself down.

    It was necessary to calm her before they could have a conversation.

    "I didn''t call you here to scold you or anything, just wanted to have a chat."

    Kira looked up at Ian with frightened eyes and asked,

    "Really...?"

    Seeing her like this, it was almost like she had a dual personality.

    The wizard Kira and the ordinary girl Kira.

    Just to be sure, he asked.

    "Is this still an act? Or..."

    Then Kira, startled, responded.

    "N-no! How could I dare to act in front of a wizard..."

    Ian nodded.

    From the moment her fire wizard persona was discovered, Kira had lost all will to act in front of Ian.

    If she had been acting out of a desire to survive, she would have tried some trickery.

    All Kira had done was to quietly stay near Ian.

    It was as if she had given up halfway.

    "Anyway... anyway... sob"

    "???"

    "You''re going to kill me...! sob, or sell me into very...!"

    Kira burst into tears, releasing the anxiety she had been holding back all this time.

    Ian wasn''t aware of it.

    After all, he had never once criticized her for her wizard persona.

    So, Ian thought as he pleased.

    Ah. This friend.

    Contrary to her appearance, she has a tender heart.

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    ''If this is an act...''

    Ian thought to himself as he looked at Kira sobbing.

    It was unlikely, but her behavior could just be an act to draw out his sympathy.

    But if she thought Ian was the kind of person to be swayed by such a pitiful sight...!

    She was right.

    He was that kind of person.

    Sympathy was indeed one of the reasons Ian forgave Kira.

    If this was an act, then Kira''s skills were impressive.

    Might as well just consider it a show worth the admission price and let it go.

    "What do you mean very? I''m not going to do anything."

    "...What?"

    Kira looked at Ian with her eyes red from crying, worried there might be some hidden agenda.

    But Ian had no such thoughts.

    If another wizard in this world had seen Kira, they might have punished her for tarnishing the name of wizards and betraying the trust of the nobility.

    However, Ian felt no particr emotion toward Kira.

    She wasn''t plotting some conspiracy under the guise of being a wizard.

    She was just unlucky enough to get caught by Ian while performing a very convincing act.

    Honestly, Ian was intrigued by Kira.

    How on earth had she managed to deceive the nobles and pretend to be a wizard until now?

    ''And... she''s not aplete fraud.''

    Unknown to Kira, but Ian definitely saw it when she had called forth mes using Maronius.

    He had seen the mes respond to her will.

    Whether it was a coincidence or there was some unknown circumstance, Ian couldn''t tell.

    But the fact that Kira hadmunicated and resonated with the mes was true.

    To resonate with mystery with just a single word without schooling?

    It was a talent worth watching.

    "I said, I''m not going to do anything."

    "..."

    "Stay as long as you want, leave when you wish. Oh, but leave some fireworks before you go. Where do you even get those?"

    "Can I really... do as I please?"

    Ian chuckled and patted Kira on the shoulder.

    "Speak freely. What difference does it make to my life if you mess up? Your fireworks seem fun, but they''re not of any importance to me."

    Ian was a real wizard, unlike Kira.

    Kira asked several times if it was real, and Ian patiently confirmed it was.

    Realizing Ian truly intended to let her be, Kira''s mouth fell open in shock.

    "Why... though? Is there... something you want from me?"

    "Nothing."

    "Then why...?"

    Ian shrugged.

    "Just because."

    "..."

    On the road, Ian had briefly heard about Kira''s past.

    She was an orphan who lived as a wanderer, and the closest thing she had to parents were killed by thieves.

    She was an unfortunate woman.

    She had identally found an easy but illegal way to live and got caught up in it.

    Even if Ian were to punish Kira, what would change for him?

    Their paths had crossed by fate, and they would part ways when the time came.

    "Ah..."

    Kira sobbed deeply, her head bowed.

    Tears fell in drops onto her sped hands.

    "Thank you... really, thank you..."

    Ian remained silent.

    It wasn''t something to be thanked for, nor was it something to be moved by.

    But it was true that Ian had saved Kira''s life.

    Both socially and physically. He made it possible for Kira to live.

    Ian waited for her to calm down before speaking again.

    "Ah. Yes. I think the nobles will start hearing about me..."

    "No, that''s not what I mean."

    Ian took out Anor-lsil and infused it with his will.

    As he imagined exploding mes, a small me sparked over the de.

    Kira was startled by the sight of Ian using magic.

    "Oh my!"

    The me crawled over her thigh before slowly disappearing.

    As Kira looked on dumbfounded, Ian said,

    "Don''t you get it?"

    "What? What are you talking about..."

    "The fire. Is that a normal fire to you?"

    "...Ah."

    Kira realized btedly.

    Natural fires burn quickly and then extinguish. That''s the way of natural fire.

    But a fire imbued with the will of magic defies thews of nature.

    People call it magical fire.

    The fire that passed by Kira was, for a moment, transformed into a magical fire.

    Regardless of Kira''s will, it meant the mystery of fire was watching her.

    "The mysteries are paying attention to you."

    "..."

    In the past, when Ian was training in magic.

    In a dark, underground cave, Ian was training to hear the voice of the earth.

    Then, without intending to, he heard the voice of the darkness that filled the cave.

    Ian''s affinity for darkness was evidence that he had a natural talent.

    Mysteries tend to reach out first to those born with talent. This was both a blessing and a curse.

    "Mysteries are fickle beings. They may show favor now, but who knows when they might turn and unleash their wrath."

    In a way, it made perfect sense.

    Imagine finding someone you like. Naturally, you''d want to approach them.

    Whether it''s their looks, personality, or background, you feel attracted and make the first move. But what if they don''t acknowledge you at all?

    Sure, you might brush it off and move on.

    But, you might also feel ignored and get angry.

    That''s exactly how mysteries feel about humans.

    Some might gracefully ept it and cheer from afar, thinking, ''Well, I was the only one interested anyway. I''ll support you from a distance~''.

    But there are mysteries that think, ''If you trample on my sincere feelings like that, then I''ll be a gangster!''

    Predicting human reactions is hard enough. How can anyone predict how a mystery will react?

    Kira didn''t know it, but she was in a very dangerous situation because of her posturing.

    It''s fine to live in ignorance of mysteries.

    Whether you love them or hate them, they''ll just watch from a distance.

    The problem was...

    Every time Kira pretended to be a wizard, she kept calling forth fire with thenguage of Maronius!

    She''d shout, ''Hey! Fire!'' and when the fire actually appeared and asked, ''Why did you call me?'', she''dpletely ignore it.

    It was fortunate that the mystery of fire was being patient with Kira, thinking, ''Ah. Maybe she''s busy now. She''ll call me againter.'' and patiently lingered around her.

    Had it been enraged, there would be no argument against it burning Kira to a crisp.

    It was actually surprising that Kira hadn''t been burned yet.

    Was someone who sends a message first and then ignores the reply when ites even human?

    Yet, the mystery of fire was still kind to Kira.

    Such a sweet fire it was.

    "If you don''t want to be burned to death, stop pretending to be a wizard."

    Kira nodded vigorously with a pale face.

    She must have sensed the growing strength of the mystery surrounding her.

    "Um... Mister Wizard."

    "Just call me casually."

    "Then... Ian."

    It was strange; she had always called him Ian.

    Kira looked at Ian with teary eyes and said,

    "Thanks for... for caring... I''ve never had anyone worry about me before..."

    Ianughed. It was to be expected.

    Who would worry about a woman going around pretending to be a cranky wizard?

    "Thank you so much! I''ll do everything I can before we part!"

    "Everything you can?"

    "Yes! Anything!"

    Oh, this is good.

    Actually, Ian had wanted to ask Kira to do something from the moment he first saw her.

    "Then... show me how you produce fireworks."

    "This?"

    Pop.

    With a flick of her hand, a small firework appeared between Kira''s fingers.

    Ian was astounded.

    "Wow! What? How did you do that?

    Are you a space-time wizard?!"

    "No, where did you pull that from? You don''t have pockets!"

    "Pfft, hahaha!"

    Relieved, Kira burst intoughter.

    She performed a dazzling trick show in front of Ian, making fireworks appear and disappear repeatedly.

    Even watching directly, Ian couldn''t believe it.

    Damn.

    This is magic, how could anything else be magic!

    And here I am, shamelessly iming to be a wizard!

    Ian was determined to uncover Kira''s cosy secrets, scrutinizing her sleight of hand intently.

    However, even after several hours, Ian couldn''t figure anything out.

    Ian suspected Kira might be a space-time wizard.

    ---

    ---

    When Ian came out to the deck, he locked eyes with Belenka, who was facing the wind.

    She looked at Ian with a peculiar, t expression.

    "So, meeting a fellow wizard must have been quite fun?"

    "It was fun."

    "Did youugh like that in front of Baron Talian too?"

    She had heard theughter of the two.

    Ian shrugged.

    Lucy was a noble, and Kira was a jester, an actor, and a wizard.

    The pure joy they brought was different, wasn''t it?

    Having spent some time with Kira, Ian knew for sure.

    There was never a dull moment with Kira.

    She was exceptionally beautiful and talented.

    Had she been born in the modern world, she might have be a genius entertainer dominating the industry.

    Instead, she was ying the role of a scammer in a medieval fantasy world because of the "sin" of being born there.

    "Ian, not that it''s my ce to say, but... do you realize you''re considered a desirable husband?"

    "I''ve never thought about it."

    "If you didn''t know, now you do. Most women would want to get involved with you. Some might approach you in aggressive ways."

    "Aggressive?"

    "They''ll pounce at you."

    "..."

    Are women pumas? Or zombies?

    Ian was bewildered but not clueless.

    He had already received several marriage proposals.

    Starting with Emily, a prostitute he met on the road, to a cousin of Baron Kaltz of Riverville, and even Baron Lucy of Talian.

    It wasn''t particrly strange.

    The prime age for marriage here is between 18 and 30.

    While marrying over 30 has bemon in the modern era, in this society, once you''re over 25, you''re considered an old bachelor or spinster.

    But a young, single wizard like Ian... practically a walking treasure trove.

    The one who makes the move owns it, so to speak.

    From decent marriage talks to extreme cases like pregnancy traps.

    The Empire is overflowing with women who wouldn''t hesitate to use any means to get entangled with Ian.

    However, to Belenka, Ian was rmingly defenseless...

    Setting aside why he thinks he won''t be preyed upon.

    Isn''t it a bit careless to get too friendly with just any woman?

    "If you''re thinking of marrying Baron Talian, you better watch your behavior. Having many wives canplicate inheritance issues."

    "What are you talking about, watching my behavior..."

    "Kira the wizard is one thing, being a fellow wizard. But it''s better to be cautious around unfamiliar women."

    Ian, genuinely curious, asked Belenka why she was advising him.

    "I appreciate it, but why are you giving me advice?"

    "I serve you now, Ian. It''s my duty as your subject."

    It made sense.

    If Ian hadnd and subjects, he''d be a monarch, but since he didn''t, he was just an employer.

    Still, a master is a master. Belenka was offering advice as part of her knightly duty.

    "Alright. I''ll be careful."

    Belenka''s warning about women wasn''t unfounded.

    Not long after her warning, Gdin started making his move.

    "Cough. Wizard Ian. The first lord''s daughter is quite a beauty, you know."

    "..."

    Your lord is dying, and you''re setting up his daughter?

    No.

    Perhaps it''s precisely because of this that he''s trying to matchmake, to tie a wizard to theirnd with a woman.

    "Would you consider meeting her...?"

    But Gdin''s n was thwarted by Ian''s knight.

    "Oh? A great beauty? Better than me?"

    "Ah..."

    As Belenka interjected, Gdin was immediately thrown off.

    This was a fatal choice.

    Saying the lord''s daughter was prettier than Belenka was risky, and denying it could make Ian lose interest.

    "Why aren''t you speaking? Forgotten how to?"

    "No... Lady Belenka. It''s not that..."

    Me? Or her?

    When Belenka red at him with a look only women can give, Gdin crumbled.

    "Cough! Now''s not the time for marriage talks!"

    Now you realize that.

    During their chat, they arrived at Baron Devosi''s castle, located in the middle of a river, simr to an ind like Yeouido.

    Dodging fishing boats, Ian''s group arrived at the dock.

    Greeted by the castle''s inhabitants upon hearing of Gdin''s arrival, the first to greet them was ady with a cute face.

    "You''ve had a long journey. Wee."

    Next was ady with sharp eyes.

    "You''ve arrived. You must be tired from your travels; let''s talkter."

    Gdin introduced them to Ian.

    "Let me introduce you. Thisdy is Serena, the lord''s first wife. And thatdy is Catherine, the second wife."

    "...What?"

    Ian, confused, pulled Gdin aside.

    "What did you say?"

    "That''s Serena. And thatdy is Catherine..."

    "No, you mean that youngdy is the lord''s wife?"

    That youngdy?

    Gdin tilted his head, puzzled as to what the problem was.

    "Yes, that''s right."

    Ian was appalled.

    For a woman of that age to be the first wife, just how early did she get married!?

    Like some mad lolicon!

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian thought Lady Serena had married young.

    Marrying young meant tying the knot with a girl around the age of 13 or 14.

    From the perspective of modern people, such a marriage was an absurdly barbaric custom.

    13 years old, barely having had her first menstruation, and she''s to marry?

    Yet, humanity always manages to exceed the expectations of the modern mind.

    Such marriages weremon globally, regardless of the region.

    In the past, when lifespans were shorter, the threshold for bing an adult was lower than today, so it wasmon to brush off such early marriages as eptable once a certain age was reached.

    There were cultural and religious reasons for early marriages, but Lady Serena''s case didn''t fit any of those.

    With her brown hair and deep green eyes, she was a typical woman of the Empire, and her religion was naturally assumed to be the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Even in barbaric times, pedophilia was not weed in the Empire.

    Ian thought Baron Devosi was a real piece of work.

    But when he saw Lady Serena''s children, his opinion changed.

    "Wee. Wizard."

    "Greetings, Mr. Wizard."

    "???"

    The eldest son was about Ian''s age, and the younger daughter was slightly younger than Ian.

    "Gdin. Are those people really Lady Serena''s children?"

    "Indeed. Is there a problem?"

    "Lady Serena''s age..."

    "Ah. Thedy does look quite young."

    But it was more than just looking young.

    Surprisingly, Lady Serena had not been betrothed early.

    She just had an incredible youthfulness that would have made her an instant pick for a cosmetic brand ambassador in modern times.

    "Really their mother?"

    Bnka was also shocked upon learning Lady Serena''s age.

    Unlike Ian, Bnka did not hold back.

    "Did that woman make a deal with the devil?"

    "..."

    Gdin made a face of disbelief but said nothing.

    It wasn''t the first time knights of this era were rude.

    "I don''t think so."

    "Any concrete evidence?"

    "...None."

    Lady Serena''s amazing anti-aging could have been celebrated as a blessing from God under normal circumstances.

    However, with Baron Devosi bedridden, it only served as fodder for attacks.

    Lady Serena''s enemies whispered that she had bought her youth from a demon, offering Baron Devosi in exchange.

    "You must be tired from the journey. Let''s rest first and then talk."

    Ian was led to Baron Devosi''s castle by the twodies.

    ---

    ---

    The first thing Ian noticed was the populous nature of the ce.

    All the domains he had visited so far were rural, with clear divisions between the domain''s residents and the lord''s dwelling, leading to a very peaceful atmosphere.

    But Baron Devosi''snd was different.

    Being an estate built in the middle of a river, like Yeouido, it was densely popted out of necessity.

    The number of people in sight was considerably high.

    Thisnd was much more bustling than Riverville.

    Ian was not the only one who felt the vitality of the estate.

    "So many people. How many live here?"

    Bnka was also slightly surprised by the bustling atmosphere. She had traveled extensively, but she was originally from Wintz in Baekguk, known for its cold and sparse poption.

    Gdin proudly stated, "We surpassed 2,000 peoplest year."

    "2,000?!"

    "That''s impressive."

    "No wonder, it felt incredible!"

    The visitors from Talian were taken aback by Gdin''s exnation.

    "Wow! There are as many as 2,000 people living here!"

    "Won''t the ind sink at this rate?!"

    While the genuinely medieval people were shocked, Ian was quite calm.

    Ah, a poption of 2,000? For the Middle Ages, that''s not bad.

    Ian had learned at a young age about the dismal poption levels of medieval fantasy worlds.

    The most bustling city in the Empire, located in the territory of the Duke of Hastria, had a poption of 70,000.

    The source was the walking Wikipedia, Teacher Eredith.

    To modern people, 70,000 might seem like a paltry number, but in this era, it was significant.

    Considering a city-state located in the southern Coral Sea had about 100,000 inhabitants, one of the Empire''s ducal cities matching a city-state in poption was...

    ...Still modest, to be honest.

    For reference, the poption of Seoul is 10 million.

    If every citizen of Seoul spat once, the residents of Baron Devosi''s castle would drown.

    Butpared to well-developed modern cities, it wasn''t so bad, considering this was a post-apocalyptic era.

    After the apocalypse, a group of 2,000 survivors living together?

    Oh, that sounds pretty decent.

    Gdin seemed to hope that Ian would be impressed by the grandeur of the castle and settle down voluntarily, but Ian was not the least bit moved by this miniature dwelling that resembled a drama set.

    He figured he''d have to visit a major city governed by a Duke to think, "Wow, this is like the Middle Ages from the movies."

    While Ian was making small talk with people, he became momentarily disoriented as soon as he turned a corner in the corridor.

    Just a moment ago, it still felt like he was in a castle.

    Now it''s like a fish market.

    Or rather, it feels like Subway Line 1[1]?

    The reason for Ian''s confusion was the corridor filled with people.

    Some were murmuring something, and others were outright lying down on the floor.

    Is this some kind of shelter for the homeless?

    "This is the Baron''s bedroom."

    "..."

    Ian, who was about to ask if this was a shelter for the homeless, was dumbfounded by Gdin''s response.

    Why are there so many homeless people in front of the Baron''s bedroom?

    But the identities of these "homeless" people were quickly revealed.

    "Oh! Brother! It''s been a while!"

    "Brother...?"

    A priest from Talian recognized them.

    It turns out, these were clergy who hade from various ces to cure the Baron''s illness.

    There were priests and monks...

    They were aspirants who came to cure the Baron with prayers and miracles, hoping to make a name for themselves as saints with healing abilities.

    "Any progress?"

    When the priest from Talian asked, the other clergy shook their heads.

    "We''re not sure. Medicines and prayers don''t seem to work."

    "Maybe it''s the work of a demon..."

    "It''s because our fervor iscking."

    The clergy had tried everything to cure the Baron''s illness.

    They fed him holy water, burned medicinal herbs, and fed him foods believed to be beneficial...

    They even read the Bible beside him 24 hours a day, from morning till night.

    But the damn illness showed no signs of improvement.

    ''Isn''t it because you''re doing all this bullsh*t that he''s not getting better?''

    Ian looked at the clergy with a skeptical gaze.

    Although the clergy seemed to have tried their best to treat the Baron...

    But to Ian, all their methods were terrible.

    If the Baron really was dying from a serious illness, would eating healthy food cure him?

    It would be better if it were a curse. At least prayer might have some effect then.

    "But who is this...?"

    "This is Ian Eredith Raven. A diligent and sturdy wizard."

    "Wizard Raven! The wizard who crafted potions with the help of Heaven!"

    "???"

    Ian was puzzled by the sudden fuss.

    He had once made potions (saltwater) to boost the soldiers'' morale.

    But how did the clergy know about that???

    One of the clergy eagerly shook Ian''s hand.

    "I''ve heard a lot about you. You helped the Santiago Knights and hunted a manticore, right?"

    "That''s right."

    Though he hadn''t done much.

    As far as Ian remembered, during the manticore hunt, all he did was flick a few spells from the back.

    The impact of those flicks was impressive, a fact that''s easily forgotten.

    But Ian really didn''t struggle at all during that time; the knights did all the work.

    "The Santiago Knights spoke very highly of you!"

    "You know the knights?"

    When Ian asked, the clergyman excitedly replied.

    "Know them? How could I not! Those faithful brothers! They recently took down a troll that appeared in the forest!"

    Ian nodded, hearing about the knights'' activities after a while.

    So they''re still hunting monsters. Good to hear they''re doing well.

    "Everyone agrees that Wizard Ian is a very devout wizard! I heard you studied the Bible together..."

    "We just read the Bible together, nothing more."

    Before Ian could finish, the clergy approached him with bright eyes, excited.

    Ian felt a chill and a sense of danger.

    Unbeknownst to Ian, he appeared to the clergy as an attractive newbie to the mysteries of religion.

    Look at that! A newbie just introduced to the mysteries of religion!

    Look at him squeak! How adorable!

    It was rare for someone to be involved in both magic and religion.

    Heaven rarely responded to human calls, making it a mystery that discouraged many wizards from pursuing it.

    Only those with steadfast patience and strong faith could hope to receive a response, making it a mystery inessible to those without deep religious conviction.

    And religious people didn''t bother learning the Maroniusnguage much.

    After all, they believed they couldmunicate with Heaven through faith in their hearts without needing to learn some strangenguage created by the ancients.

    There was no need to waste time learning a misguided magicalnguage.

    There was even a tendency to look down on users of the Maroniusnguage.

    I performed miracles solely through my faith. But you asked for miracles in Maroniusnguage? Isn''t that a shortcut?

    Conclusion: Your faith is fake.

    Some deliberately chose not to learn the Maroniusnguage out of spite.

    However, in cases like Ian''s, where someone learned the Maroniusnguage before getting into religion, they were very forgiving.

    You''ve done a lot for the public and know the world''s mysteries well, right? But there''s no mystery greater than Heaven, right?

    In truth, Ian studied the Bible because some goddess or something kept nagging him.

    But the clergy had no way of knowing that.

    "Oh right. You came to check on the Baron''s condition?"

    The clergy wanted to engage in a serious religious discussion with Ian, but noticing Gdin''s hints, they quickly made space for them.

    "Ian. I sincerely ask you. Please take a good look at the Baron."

    Gdin grabbed Ian''s hand as he spoke.

    Despite often acting foolishly, he was one of the high-ranking individuals of this castle.

    His genuine request was proof of his real concern for the Baron.

    Ian wasn''t opposed to people who put in effort like Gdin.

    Considering the effort taken to fetch Ian from his domain, he nned to thoroughly examine the Baron''s condition.

    "I promise. I''ll do my best."

    Gdin began to pray with the clergy.

    Ian entered the Baron''s bedroom with Kira.

    "Why am I..."

    Kira whimpered, but Ian ignored her.

    She had a nomadic background, right?

    She might have picked up some knowledge somewhere.

    "Why. You''re also a wizard."

    "But, but you said you quit! You said to stop pretending to be a wizard!"

    "Just kidding. I want you to look too."

    "... I, I''ll trust only you, Ian."

    Ian took a deep breath and smelled the air in the bedroom.

    A faint scent of perfume.

    No other smells.

    It''s proof that the Baron''s body is well cared for.

    Except for his pale cheeks, the Baron seemed unremarkable.

    He was just sleeping, breathing tiredly.

    But he didn''t look like a healthy person.

    To Ian, the Baron looked like he was dying.

    ''He looks terribly aged.''

    Upon seeing the Baron, Ian immediately thought of an elderly man.

    A man too weak to move, waiting for his death.

    If his face was wrinkled, one could believe he was dying of old age, not a disease or curse.

    Ian concentrated and listened for the voice of mysteries.

    ''...''

    But he only heard the usual murmursthe mysteries of wind, earth, darkness, etc., nothing special.

    Either Ian''s abilities werecking, or the mysteries weren''t talking to him.

    It was one or the other.

    But Ian was a person with cheat-like abilities in another world. If he had discovered a new mystery, the status window would have immediately shown it.

    Then...

    ''It''s not the work of mysteries?''

    It was a physical ailment, not magic.

    Sadly, that wasn''t Ian''s area of expertise. You''d need to be a medical student to even begin to diagnose.

    ''Sorry to Gdin, but.''

    Ian reached a conclusion.

    He''d observe the Baron for a few days, and if he couldn''t figure it out, he''d just continue on his journey.

    "Kira. Your thoughts?"

    "... I have none."

    As expected. Kira also knew nothing.

    However, she didment on the Baron''s appearance.

    "He looks like someone who''s had their life force drained."

    Ian reflexively thought of a face.

    The suspiciously young-looking Lady Serena, the Baroness.

    Then, noisy sounds came from the corridor.

    As Ian and Kira stepped out, they were met with the sounds of an argument.

    "Is that something you should be saying to me!"

    "What? Struck a nerve?"

    It was Lady Serena and Lady Catherine.

    Without realizing it, Ian found himself rooting for Lady Serena...

    Because she looked cuter and prettier than Lady Catherine.

    No, actually, Lady Catherine''s fierce appearance yed a part too.

    ck hair and sharp eyes.

    Ian couldn''t help but be amazed looking at Lady Catherine.

    Wow! A viinous noblewoman!

    She was the epitome of a typical viiness you''d see in an anime.

    Especially since Lady Serena looked so young, she even gave off a stepmother tormenting her adopted daughter vibe.

    However, unlike Ian, other medieval people were more supportive of Lady Catherine.

    The reason was very logical.

    "It''s very suspicious that you insist on seeing the Baron despite the widespread rumors that you''ve stolen his youth..."

    There were more than a few who doubted Serena''s super anti-aging.

    As soon as Catherine mentioned that fact, Lady Serena immediately counterattacked.

    p!

    A physical counterattack.

    Lady Serena''s delicate, lc-like hands struck Lady Catherine''s cheek.

    "Who are you to spread such rumors!"

    "No, mydy!"

    "Please calm down!"

    Clergy rushed over to pull the two women apart.

    If they were going to intervene, they should have done so sooner.

    The clergy were enjoying the spectacle before pretending to break it up at thest moment.

    Ian was left feeling disappointed.

    Ah. If only the fight had started a bitter. I missed the beginning.

    Putting his regret aside, Ian spoke up.

    "Let''s stop this, both of you."

    ---

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 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian gently whispered to Kira.

    You help too.

    "Me, too?"

    As Ian nodded slightly, Kira stepped forward with an arrogant expression,pletely changing her personality.

    With her arms crossed, Kira looked at thedies with annoyance.

    When the gazes of the two wizards were added, thedies could no longer continue their uproar.

    Ignoring a wizard here meant learning what real trouble was with their whole body.

    Fortunately, thedies were wise.

    "We''lle backter."

    Lady Serena turned around first.

    Catherine looked at Serena with a mocking nce and said,

    "Seeing her hurry back like that makes me even more suspicious."

    A few clergy nodded their heads.

    They already believed that Lady Serena had made a deal with the devil.

    Lady Catherine approached Ian with light steps.

    She gave Ian a coy smile, making the mole under her eye stand out more provocatively.

    I have shown an unseemly side to our guest. To apologize, I''d like to have a meal together..."

    Catherine''s gaze was soft, and her voice was as sweet as honey.

    "Do you have time this evening?"

    A few clergy gulped down their saliva.

    To Ian, Catherine was indeed a very attractive woman.

    Unlike the modern era, where marriages often happen after the age of 30, marriages in this era took ce in thete teens to early twenties.

    This meant that even a married woman with a grown child would only be in her mid-thirties.

    If Ian had been an innocent boy, he might have fallen for Catherines seduction and ended up in a MILF scenario. (MILF is an acronym, by the way)

    However, Ian felt nothing when looking at Catherine.

    Ian wasn''t a medieval youth curious about what''s under a woman''s skirt.

    While sexually ignorant medieval youths might have been thrilled by the seduction of a noblewoman,

    Ian was a smart young man who had not only been indebted to various adult sites in the modern era but also had directly witnessed the precious world of Hentai.

    Of course, he didn''t go as far as having such rude thoughts.

    Ian was not particrly impressed by Catherine''s attempt at seduction.

    Starting with her attire, it wasn''t to Ian''s taste.

    That hat she was wearing on her head.

    It wasn''t just one horn, but two.

    What is that supposed to be? A Minotaur?

    He didn''t like Lucy''s conical hat, and with two horns, the dislike doubled.

    The twin horns sprouting from her head were a minus point for Ian, who had a modern sense of aesthetics.

    Who the hell made that horned hat fashionable?

    And married women weren''t Ian''s type.

    A woman who has a child Ian''s age, and a Baron still alive?

    Was she eyeing Ian as her next husband?

    Creepy.

    Ian was about to politely decline Catherine''s offer.

    "Sorry, but maybe next time..."

    But then, someone stepped forward.

    It was Kira, looking like a wizard.

    "Aren''t you embarassed? Making a scene with someone young enough to be your son? Can''t you treat guests properly?"

    "..."

    What? You got something to say?

    She was taken aback.

    For a moment, Ian almost shouted, ''What the hell are you doing, you crazy woman!''...

    But he soon remembered his identity.

    Ah, right. I''m a wizard.

    From amoner''s perspective, there couldnt be a statement morecking in manners, but for a wizard, it was just everyday talk.

    Real wizard Ian sometimes forgot that fact, but fake wizard Kira never did.

    After all, it was a very important matter directly rted to survival.

    Kira''s statement was harsh, but it contained a core message that resonated deeply.

    So much so that the surrounding priests strongly agreed.

    "Oh. That wizard. Quite an upright person!"

    "Judging by the tone, the skills must be great too!"

    Ian was dizzy at their reactions.

    Everyone here is crazy...

    For a moment, he felt stupid for thinking he should refuse politely.

    Catherine, who was directly hit by Kira, felt pain as if a skull mark was flying towards her chest[1].

    But... she couldn''t scream at Kira.

    After all, they were important guests brought by Gdin, and they might be able to cure the Baron''s illness.

    Chasing away such important guests with her own hands?

    That would be foolish.

    "...I apologize. I behaved inappropriately."

    Catherine apologized but was clenching her teeth.

    It was obvious she felt wronged.

    As proof, she red at Kira and added as if struggling,

    "Due to my rough childhood, sometimes I act in ways that don''t fit the stature of a Baroness."

    Her defense.

    Women consider it very important to im the moral high ground.

    The logic being, "I''m good, you''re bad, so it''s okay for you to be criticized."

    However, this approach can easily break down in morally ambiguous situations...

    Most women, however, desire to secure moral superiority first.

    Catherine yelled, I have the high ground![2]

    Meaning she had seized the advantage.

    But unlike in the Star Wars movies, Catherine''s position didn''t be any more favorable.

    Because her opponent was a (fake) wizard...!

    "Rough upbringing, you say? It sure looks like it."

    "!"

    As Kira unleashed an insane level ofmentary, Catherine quickly looked around for help, as if to say,

    Everyone! Look here! Look at this b*tch here!

    But no one came to Catherine''s aid...!

    "Wow, what a bold way of speaking!"

    "Truly befitting a wizard brought from afar!"

    "???"

    Instead of criticizing Kira, people were busy praising her!

    As the world turned upside down, Catherine was left in utter dismay.

    Ian wanted tofort her.

    You don''t get these people, right? Me neither...

    "We''re busy investigating the Baron''s illness, so please contact us another time!"

    Kira pushed Catherine aside as if it were the most natural thing and grabbed Ian''s hand.

    "Let''s go, Ian."

    "Yeah. Okay."

    Ian was dragged away by Kira, thinking,

    This... isn''t too bad?

    Honestly, Ian found the wizard act burdensome at times.

    How was he supposed to keep up this weird act when he wasn''t actually a sociopath?

    After all, both Ian''s and Kira''s weirdness were just acts.

    But Kira, even in Ian''s eyes, performed wlessly.

    Well... it''s her job after all!

    "Wizard Kira, was it? Never heard the name, but she seems decent."

    "Seems like a fine wizard, not less than Ian."

    "... Is she better than Ian?"

    "Hey, haven''t you heard? Ian in Talian territory..."

    Whisper whisper.

    They haven''t even seen her perform magic yet, and they''re already causing amotion.

    No wonder proud wizards walk around with their noses in the air.

    As soon as people''s attention shifted away, Kira heaved a deep sigh.

    "Phew...!"

    And then,

    "Aaaaah! I spoke too harshly!!!"

    She clutched Ian''s clothes with eyes welling up as if about to cry...

    "I''m not going to be hated by the Baroness, am I?"

    "Looks like you might be."

    "Nooo! Again! I got carried away again!"

    Is this what they call method acting?

    Once in character, she was consumed by it.

    Ian couldn''t help but chuckle.

    That''s right. Keep your character in check.

    Kira''s future was worrisome.

    ---

    ---

    Despite being invited as guests, there was nothing for Ian to do.

    He couldn''t figure out the Baron''s condition.

    Since he wasn''t hired for money, it was fine to just hang around without worrying.

    "I don''t really know..."

    "I''m sorry."

    "No, it''s fine. Can''t be helped..."

    Gdin was greatly disappointed, but it was inevitable.

    Ian spent his time deflecting requests to make potions and engaging in pointless debates with the clergy.

    Kira, having nothing to do either but not being able to engage in learned debates like Ian, stayed cooped up in her room, continuing her act as a quirky wizard.

    She was busy crying every time she saw Ian.

    "Ah... I decided to stop pretending to be a wizard. But then, I don''t know what to do."

    "What about magic university?"

    Ian suggested that Kira, with her talent, should consider attending a magic university.

    Given that she had caught the interest of the mysteries of fire, if she properly studied Maroniussnguage, she could be an excellent fire wizard.

    "But I don''t have much money... and I''d have to go to Dranheim..."

    While Ian took traveling for granted, in reality, it was quite dangerous.

    Especially for a young and beautiful woman like Kira.

    "I can go with you when the timees."

    "... What?"

    Kira was startled and looked at Ian.

    She knew well how expensive a wizard''spany could be.

    Of course, Kira, fearing her fraud would be exposed, hadn''t taken anymissions, but she could easily guess that hiring a real wizard like Ian would cost a fortune.

    So Kira frantically waved her hands.

    "I told you, I don''t have money!"

    Then Ian tilted his head in confusion.

    "What money? I meant as travelpanions, like we are now."

    "..."

    Seeing Kira immediately think of contracts at the mention ofpanionship proved she was indeed from the Empire.

    Kira lost her words for a moment due to Ian''s incredibly generous offer.

    Just go together? Without any conditions?!

    Then, Kira, blushing with some bizarre thought, pondered.

    Objectively, she''s pretty and...

    If Ian had taken a liking to her, then?

    Nah, that can''t be...

    But, what if?

    Kira cautiously said,

    "Is it... okay for you to be so nice to me?"

    "??? What are you talking about?"

    For Kira, the offer was immensely generous, but Ian was unaware of this.

    Ian mulled over Kira''s words and then understood.

    Aha. A free travelpanion does seem suspicious!

    After all, Ian himself was skeptical when Eredith first asked, "Want to learn magic with me?"

    Being cautious on the road is a good thing.

    To reassure Kira, Ian shared a story from the past.

    "Actually, I learned magic by chance."

    "By chance?"

    "Yeah. I just happened to meet a good mentor and learned magic. It was luck. But I don''t think that luck should be mine alone."

    "... What do you mean?"

    Ian shrugged.

    "Exactly what I said. A space-time wizard prophesied that if I became a wizard, it would bring good fortune to my master. But so far, I haven''t done for my master."

    "..."

    "Before I could do anything for her, I started traveling. My master told me to find my own magic."

    "Hmm..."

    Kira might not know much about magic, but she could share her thoughts on the space-time wizard''s prophecy.

    The ''good fortune'' that was supposed to happen to Eredith because of Ian...

    Could it be the very fact of meeting a disciple like Ian?

    Just like how the encounter with a wandering heretic jester brought her the happiest memories of her life.

    New connections often be irreceable joys in life.

    However, Ian thought differently.

    He believed his actions would influence Eredith''s future.

    "So, if I share my luck around, maybe that luck will eventually circle back to my mentor... Hmm. Is that too Buddhist?"

    Ian paused mid-sentence.

    The idea of introducing Kira to the university, and perhaps even to his mentor, felt grandiose.

    But there was no falsehood. Ian was sincere.

    Having fortuitously learned magic, he thought sharing that fortune with others he encountered might positively affect Eredith... Well.

    It was a simple idea.

    Kira, adept at lies and acting more than anyone, instantly recognized Ian''s sincerity.

    And she...

    Unknowingly shed a tear.

    Ian''s willingness to share his fortune and help her reminded her of memories with her ''father''.

    "Ian, why are you... such a good person...?"

    "??? I''m a good person?"

    Strange.

    He only remembered scamming and manipting medieval folks until now.

    But Kira didn''t know that.

    Lucky for Ian.

    When Kira sniffled, Ian looked at her strangely.

    Is it because she''s an actor?

    Her emotional depth is different~ he thought.

    ---

    ---

    When news spread of Ian lounging around, the two Baronesses took turns approaching him.

    They were already thinking about after the Baron''s demise.

    The Baron''s death would inevitably lead to conflict, likely apanied by bloodshed.

    Thedies needed to secure as many allies as possible.

    They assumed Ian, staying in the castle, would take one of their sides.

    Of course, they were mistaken.

    Ian was just keeping an eye on the Baron''s condition and looking for apanion for Kira.

    If he could find someone to apany her to the magic university, there was no need for him to follow.

    But misunderstanding didn''t mean he had to refuse free meals.

    Ian dined alternately with the two Baronesses.

    First was Lady Serena, endowed with resistance to the ravages of time.

    Despite seeing her several times, thedy, appearing merely in her mid-twenties with her vibrant smile, weed Ian.

    But seriously, how the f*ck is that not child marriage???

    "Wee, wizards."

    Before sitting, Ian said,

    "Lady Belenka has gone out at the request of the knights."

    Since Ian and his party were invited, Belenka should have been present at the dinner.

    However, Belenka had left with the knights.

    Lady Serena smiled and said,

    "I am aware. It was I who asked for her help."

    "You did?"

    Lady Serena slowly nodded.

    "Monster appearances have significantly increased since six months ago. The Baron used to lead the charge, but ever since he fell ill, it''s been up to the knights tobat the monsters."

    In other words, Belenka went with the knights to eliminate monsters around the territory.

    "The peasants must be suffering greatly."

    Ian, having been a farmer''s son, first worried about the farmers.

    "You know about it. That''s why I have a request for you..."

    Lady Serena said.

    "Would you join me in a hunt?"

    "A hunt?"

    "Yes, a monster hunt."

    ---

    [1. raei: I''ve been told this is a reference to JoJo''s Bizarre Adventure.]

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 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Monster hunting.

    For Ian, the term had lost much of its excitement.

    Before his reincarnation into this other world, bears and elephants were the most monstrous things you''d see in his peaceful world.

    In this medieval fantasy world, bing a wizard luckily made monsters much less terrifying.

    The main reason was that he didn''t need to confront monsters directly and wield weapons against them.

    What Ian usually did was... well, "mouth DPS."

    Mouth DPS.

    Meaning, all he did was babble from the back.

    Being a wizard is awesome~

    "I''m fine, though."

    Ian nced at Kira''s expression.

    True to being a pro scammer, it was impossible to guess what Kira was thinking through her external appearance.

    But monster hunting probably wasn''t her cup of tea.

    She was a con artist with tricks shallower than a puddle.

    With a listless expression, Kira flicked her chair and said,

    "This is bothersome."

    She made it tantly clear she didn''t want to do it.

    The nobles Kira had dealt with so far would usually back off by this point.

    Forcing a reluctant wizard to work could end badly, and they knew it.

    However, Lady Serena wasn''t one to back down easily.

    "We''ve prepared a sufficient reward..."

    It wasn''t about the reward. Kira just didn''t want to face monsters because shecked the ability.

    When the conversation seemed to go nowhere, Ian shrugged.

    It was time to repay the hospitality they''d received so far.

    Even if Kira didn''t join, they wouldn''t be thrown out immediately, but it could sour the rtionship with Lady Serena.

    So, Ian persuaded Kira.

    "I''ll take care of the bothersome stuff. Why not juste and watch?"

    "If that''s the case..."

    Kira nodded at Ian''s persuasion.

    Ian was going, so Kira couldn''t say no.

    "Thank you. We will contact you as soon as we are ready."

    Lady Serena said with a strange smile, cute yet seductive.

    If the Baron were healthy, Ian thought that their marriage must have been a happy one as he got up from his seat.

    ---

    ---

    Ian participated in the monster hunt at the request of the Baroness.

    To call it "participation" was an overstatement.

    It was more like observing or touring.

    Ian usually didn''t have much to do, but that day, he had even less.

    "Hiyah!"

    "Ha!"

    The knights on horseback drove the monsters back.

    The monsters terrorizing the vigers were dire wolves.

    Wolves had been human rivals for centuries, both living in packs and often shing over territory.

    Up until the Middle Ages, the battles between humans and wolves had been evenly matched due to the scarce human poption making it hard to eradicate the wolves.

    But as the poption grew and firearms became widespread, the bnce of power shattered.

    Civilization imed an eternal victory.

    Perhaps the dogs, who sided with humans and nowzed around in homes, were the true victors.

    However, this is a medieval fantasy world.

    Wolves were still dangerous monsters, and dire wolves even more so.

    "You''re fighting well."

    Ianmented as he watched the dire wolves getting beaten by the knights.

    Dire wolves were terrifying for farmer-level humans but not for well-armed knights.

    Facing the knights on an open field, the dire wolves were getting crushed.

    Did a wizard even need to be there?

    As he thought this, Lady Serena said,

    "It''s because the leader isn''t here now."

    "The leader?"

    "The dire wolves are led by a werewolf."

    Ian whistled.

    Last time it was a vampire. Now a werewolf.

    "He''s probably watching us from hiding, waiting for us to tire."

    Werewolves are monsters with intelligenceparable to humans.

    They learn and use humannguages, making use of human informants.

    The werewolf was lurking around, waiting to raid, after hearing the Baron was sick.

    "...I think someone intentionally lured the werewolf here."

    The "someone" Lady Serena mentioned didn''t need further exnation.

    It was surely Lady Catherine.

    You speak of Lady Catherine as if she were a wizard.

    Lady Serena''s eyes shed with hatred.

    "You might not know yet, but Catherine is a suspicious woman."

    "Suspicious?"

    "That woman was originally a shepherdess. But after spending one night with the Baron, she became his second wife. Don''t you find that odd?

    "A man with a wife, taking a strange woman as his wife just because they spent a night together."

    ...

    Ian didn''t know what to say.

    From a modern perspective, it was indeed strange.

    But this is the amazing Middle Ages, right?

    In a ce where bizarre and ridiculous events areughed off, Ian''s perspective couldn''t help but differ from the medieval norm.

    Ah, even by medieval standards, a one-night stand marriage is weird.

    But then there''s Anna from Frozen with Prince Hans...

    Oops.

    Anyway.

    "So, you''re saying Lady Catherine cast a spell on the Baron?"

    "If it''s not magic, it''s inexplicable! Her bing his wife! The Baron falling ill! The sudden increase in monsters!"

    Ian replied with a smile,

    "But people say, Lady Serena, that you''re the wizard?"

    "..."

    "That you made a pact with the devil for youth."

    Lady Serena red at Ian with a stern expression.

    Of course, Ian wasn''t fazed.

    His face had thickened from ying the wizard.

    "Do you really think that?"

    "Why wouldn''t I?"

    "I have... I have no reason to harm the Baron!"

    "How would I know Lady Serena''s circumstances? Conversely, do you have evidence that Lady Catherine is a wizard?"

    "... That woman is cunning."

    "Yes. No evidence then."

    It alles down to the same thing.

    Lady Serena intended to make Ian see how dangerous Lady Catherine was.

    But Lady Serena is just as suspicious, at least for now.

    "If you can''t cure the Baron, I''d appreciate it if you left the domain quickly."

    "Oh, is it already time to kick me out?"

    "This is not a ce for idlers!"

    Ian''sment about her being like a wizard seemed to have insulted Lady Serena greatly.

    She showed an emotional side, as if deeply offended.

    But that also meant she was sincere about this matter.

    "We''ll leave when the timees. For now, I''ll start with having dinner with Lady Catherine."

    "..."

    "Today''s hunt was fun."

    Ian waved and returned to the castle, hinting he might side with Catherine.

    Lady Serena must be furious, but what could she do?

    Lady Serena quietly watched Ian''s back as he left.

    A cold wind blew from the east.

    ---

    ---

    Ian and Kira were invited to dine with Lady Catherine.

    The invitation surely came right after rumors spread about Ian''s heated conversation with Lady Serena.

    "I showed you a poor side of me before."

    The banquet prepared by Lady Catherine was morevish than Lady Serena''s.

    There were more dishes, and expensive ingredients were used.

    The most eye-catching ingredient was undoubtedly pepper.

    "We''re being treated to luxurious food."

    "Hehe. Please enjoy."

    Kira could hardly contain her amazement at the pepper-sprinkled meat.

    Despite her posing as a wizard and wandering around, she had never been treated so grandly before.

    Well, she had to flee before anyone could treat her...

    Pepper was an ingredient reserved for victory feasts.

    It had been a while since she felt her heart race.

    Sitting at the table, she sneakily nced at Ian.

    Wow... Ian showed no change in expression, looking at the pepper as if it were mere ck beans.

    Kira marveled anew.

    A real wizard really is different!

    Of course!

    A wizard wouldn''t be shaken by something like pepper!

    With that thought, Kira grasped the cold meat tightly in her hands.

    And took a joyous bite!

    Wow! Delicious!

    The fragrant pepper and the salty taste of the meat were perfect.

    But then she felt Ian''s gaze on her.

    Ian looked at her as if she were a barbarian...

    Kira felt embarrassed for no reason.

    Ah, well.

    I''m a fake wizard who''s never had pepper before.

    However, Ian''s disdain for Kira was for a different reason.

    Why on earth is she eating meat with her hands?

    Even Lucy wouldn''t do that.

    In the Empire, there were regions that used cutlery and those that did not.

    Talian was a family with a deep history, and their domain was one of the first to adopt cutlery due to interactions with fairies.

    So, Lucy used a fork.

    But many Northerners, including people from Devosi, enjoyed eating with their hands.

    Meat tastes best when torn with your hands!

    Ian felt his brain ache seeing people grasp and chew meat with their hands.

    Am I the normal one for finding Empire nobles barbaric?

    What''s the point of eating food sprinkled with expensive pepper if you''re just going to tear into it with your bare hands?

    "Aren''t you eating, Wizard?"

    "... I will."

    Haah.

    Ian took a deep breath and tore into the meat with his bare hands.

    I''m Indian. I''m from India...

    Kira looked at Ian worriedly.

    Even though we were invited here, does he really need to pick at his food like that?

    Kira couldn''t imagine that Ian was reluctant to eat with his hands.

    She guessed something else was bothering him!

    And others thought the same.

    Wizard Ian seemed dissatisfied with the meal.

    Someone stood up and shouted.

    "Wizard! If you have aint, speak up!"

    "???"

    "Lady Catherine has prepared this grand event for us! Yet, you, a guest, show nothing but displeasure throughout! Are you trying to ruin this asion?"

    It turned out to be a young man around Ian''s age, who seemed younger than expected.

    He was Lady Catherine''s son.

    However, Ian didn''t care who the person was.

    That onement snapped Ian''s patience.

    What, to someone trying hard to eat right now?

    Ian immediately retorted.

    "Aint? Comint? F*ck, you serve a piece of meat colder than a corpse and expect us to eat it with our bare hands, and you ask aboutints? Yes, you f*cker. I have aint!"

    The old Ian might have let it slide, but having been through a lot as a wizard, Ian''s personality had toughened up.

    Not that he''d ever admit it.

    They say not to bother a dog when it''s eating.

    When Ian was criticized about his eating, he snapped back.

    Normally, when a wizard loses their temper, nobles back off.

    It''s foolish to try to outdo a wizard in a rage.

    But fools exist everywhere.

    Lady Catherine was flustered, and her son''s face turned red with anger.

    "Wizard! Have you lost your mind? Have you gone mad?"

    The minor nobles present as guests were just as shocked.

    Few understood the situation, and even if they did, they had no say and kept quiet.

    Ideally, someone should mediate, and after a brief apology, everyone would sit down again.

    But Ian couldn''t care less.

    He could just demonstrate his power and receive an apology.

    [Ian! Why are you angry?]

    [What''s wrong? Ian! What happened!]

    [Just wait! We''reing!]

    As Ian disyed his anger, darkness filled the room.

    "Ugh, aaaah!"

    "What is this...!"

    Lady Catherine''s guests screamed in terror.

    For those experiencing dark magic for the first time, fear is themon reaction.

    After all... you can''t see anything!

    Adults know that darkness itself can''t harm humans.

    But magic-induced darkness turns even adults into scared 5-year-olds.

    They trembled in fear that the darkness might harm them!

    "Yeah. I had aint, so I spoke up."

    "..."

    In the pitch-dark, only Ian''s voice coldly echoed.

    You did more than just speak...!

    The guests wanted to cry but desperately kept their mouths shut.

    If they said anything and the wizard threw a bigger tantrum, they wouldn''t be able to handle the consequences!

    "Damn these barbarians."

    Ian muttered, feeling unfairly treated.

    Making me eat cold meat with my hands.

    What? I should smile?

    Is this some kind of new culinary torture?

    But looking at the chaos in the dining room, Ian felt he might have overreacted.

    As a civilized person, he should''ve just said, ''Ah. I would have preferred a fork and knife.''

    Then, with a flicker, a beam of light appeared.

    It was Kira.

    "Enough, Ian. Everyone''s scared."

    "... Alright."

    With a wave of Ian''s hand, the pitch-ck darkness disappeared.

    The guests sighed in relief and looked at Kira as if she were a savior!

    "Wizard... What might we have done wrong...?"

    "Fork. Knife."

    "...?"

    Luckily, someone who had purchased forks from a merchant brought one to Ian.

    As for the knife... it was reced by the magical sword Anor-lsil.

    The reason for this was the ''heating'' feature.

    Ian grinned and sliced the meat, warming it up.

    Seeing everything was already a mess, he decided to do as he pleased.

    "Ah, refreshing. This is how you eat a steak."

    Ian chuckled wickedly as he skewered the warm meat with his fork.

    People felt an indescribable fear watching the wizard cut meat with a magic sword.

    That wizard... is freakishly odd!

    However, Kira was deeply moved by Ian''s performance.

    Ah! The peculiarity of a true wizard is on another level!

    Using arge weapon for cutting meat! I''ll have to use this trickter!

    Kira stored this image of Ian in her mind, nodding vigorously.

    Ian was indeed a wizard worth admiring.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    There was a bit of amotion, but the dinner ended well enough.

    Despite the unexpected incident, Catherine earnestly tried to achieve her goal.

    Like Lady Serena, Catherine wanted the wizards on her side.

    ''She''s heading straight for a confrontation.''

    After the dinner, Iany alone in his room, lost in thought.

    With Ian unable to heal the Baron, who was theirst hope, a violent conflict was almost inevitable.

    Ian had three choices: help Lady Serena, help Lady Catherine, or if neither, leave the Baron''snds.

    And frankly, Ian was leaning towards the third option.

    What was there to gain by getting involved in someone else''s family feud?

    Nothing really.

    Sure, pushing someone to victory could bring money and connections, but those weren''t urgent needs for Ian.

    He hadn''t found the mystery he was searching for.

    It was not too bad an idea to just leave and drop Kira off at the university on the way out.

    However, that night, something bizarre happened.

    It was something Ian had never experienced before, and it was shocking.

    ---

    ---

    Ian woke up to a rustling sound.

    As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard the noisy chatter of darkness.

    [Ian''s awake!]

    [Let''s get up too!]

    "..."

    They were ying with Ian again while he was asleep.

    Since this wasn''t the first time they yed such pranks, Ian ignored it.

    The problem was the strange silhouette outside the window.

    ''...?''

    Something with the shape of a hunched human was looking into Ian''s room.

    More precisely, it was looking in the direction of Ian''s room.

    It kept turning its head as if searching for something.

    After watching for a while, Ian realized what it was doing.

    ''Ah. It can''t see into the room...''

    The cause was the mysteries of darkness ying around Ian.

    Because of their mischief, Ian''s room was filled with darkness so thick that one couldn''t see an inch ahead.

    The intruder lingered at the window for a while before carefully stepping into the room.

    As the moonlight faded, Ian could fully observe the intruder.

    What hade to Ian''s room in the middle of the night was...

    A monkey.

    ''???''

    Ian was baffled.

    Why would a monkeye into a person''s room?

    But the real baffling situation hadn''t even started yet.

    The monkey had a knife strapped to its back.

    Then, with a murderous look in its eyes, it slowly drew the knife.

    Ian, a level 3 summoner who could somewhat read the will of beasts, sensed ''murderous intent'' from the monkey.

    The ember of absurdity burning in his mind was extinguished as if doused with cold water.

    Ian snapped to attention.

    This was no time to be rambling about this midnight monkey visitor.

    This creature...

    Was clearly an assassin sent by someone!

    ''An assassin? In my room???''

    He briefly entertained the foolish thought that it might just be a lost, harmless monkey.

    But the situation was clear.

    Someone had sent this assassin monkey with the intent to kill Ian.

    For a moment, Ian had a ridiculous thought.

    ''Maybe I''ve be a big shot?''

    Who would have thought he''d be weing an assassin sent by someone?

    Back in his modern-day life, he couldn''t have even dreamed of it.

    But here, Ian was a renowned wizard, acknowledged by people.

    Someone who felt threatened by Ian''s presence must have sent the assassin to eliminate him.

    Once he understood the situation, cold sweat ran down his spine.

    It was a relief that the mysteries of darkness were up to their tricks; otherwise, he might have been killed by the assassin in his sleep.

    To be killed by an assassin while working as a wizard would be an utterly pointless death.

    Ian pulled himself together.

    Right.

    In a world where people easily disposed of others when things went awry, he was toocent.

    Thank you, mysteries of darkness.

    [Not sure what, but Ian likes it?]

    [If Ian''s happy, we''re happy too!]

    The mysteries of darkness were, as always, mindlessly content.

    They were simple beings, happy to crack jokes beside Ian.

    But those beings had saved Ian''s life.

    As Ian drew his sword, Anor-lsil, he spoke to the assassin.

    "[Who are you?]"

    "Squeak!"

    The monkey assassin immediately threw its dagger in response, but the throw missed pathetically.

    Ian wasn''t naive enough to engage in conversation directly.

    He used the mysteries of wind to distort the direction of his voice.

    In the enveloping darkness, Ian''s location was impossible to pinpoint by sight alone.

    Perhaps a bat assassin might have stood a chance, but the limitations of a monkey assassin were clear.

    Hearing Ian''s voice, the monkey assassin crouched low, ready to strike with its knife.

    Ian had no desire to approach the assassin.

    After all, he wasn''t armored, nor was he confident in his swordsmanship.

    Ian was certain he would lose to the monkey in a swordfight, quite disastrously.

    Better not to engage clumsily and keep his distance.

    However, the assassin found itself in the same predicament, unable to approach Ian.

    Thus, a strange standoff continued.

    "[Who sent you?]"

    It was a question asked in vain, but Ian posed it anyway.

    Hoping the dumb beast would answer, Ian was disappointed to find the monkey wasn''t as dumb as he thought.

    "Squeak! Squeak!"

    [You don''t need to know about my master! You''ll be dead in a few days anyway!]

    Ian seriously considered throwing Anor-lsil at it but held back, knowing a miss would be utterlyedic.

    Yet, he couldn''t help but seethe with anger.

    Dead? Me?

    "Squeak! Squeak!"

    [Wizard! Know your ce! If you value your life, don''t make a fuss and just leave this ce!]

    With a fierce squeal, the monkey jumped out the window.

    Ian immediately kicked the door open and shouted.

    "Guards!"

    "At your service!"

    Thanks to thedies of the Baron''s household being at odds, a night watch was in ce.

    Though, of course, they were of no use to Ian.

    "Report to the guard captain. An assassin came to my room."

    "An assassin???"

    "Yes. Someone who detests wizards..."

    Ian stopped mid-sentence and suddenly looked up.

    The enemy hates wizards.

    And in this castle... there are two wizards staying.

    ''Kira!''

    "No, follow me first!"

    "Ah. Yes!"

    Ian rushed to Kira''s room with the guard in tow.

    Thanks to the mysteries of darkness, Ian had escaped death.

    But what about Kira?

    Could she, who only pretended to be a wizard, fend off an assassin''s de?

    "Kira!"

    Ian burst through the door and immediately locked eyes with her.

    Fortunately, she was alive.

    However, a dagger thrown by the assassin was lodged in her right arm.

    "..."

    "..."

    The first thing she did, even with a dagger in her arm, was... to clean her room.

    Kira was tidying up, blood dripping from her arm, worried someone might enter and question her about her ''magic tools.''

    "Go fetch the guard captain. And Belenka, if possible."

    "Yes!"

    After sending the guard, Ian approached Kira.

    He couldn''t help but chuckle at her state.

    Even in a life-threatening moment, Kira tried not to blow her cover.

    "...Ian. This is something."

    Kira stuttered, lifelessness in her eyes.

    Ian thought for a moment.

    Some might criticize Kira''s foolishness.

    Questioning whether her identity was more important than her life.

    But Ian understood her.

    To her, [Wizard Kira] was as important as life itself.

    If [Wizard Kira] dies, the real Kira dies too.

    [Wizard Kira] was her greatest achievement, shaping her entire being.

    Kira knew how pathetic and miserable she was.

    Regardless of Ian''s potential criticism, she was prepared to endure.

    But what came from Ian''s mouth wasn''t criticism.

    "Are you okay?"

    "...Ian. I..."

    "I''ll clean this up. You, keep your arm raised above your heart. Damn, you''ve bled a lot."

    Ian busily hid Kira''s belongings.

    Kira was captured by a strange emotion as she looked at Ian.

    In her life, how many people had covered for her ws and protected her? Just one.

    A man like her father, the heretic Laventa.

    But he had been killed by thieves.

    After his death, Kira had been alone, forced to feign strength for survival and sacrifice herself for [Wizard Kira].

    The experience of someone stepping in for her felt foreign and odd.

    Unexpectedly, Kira found herself tearing up.

    Whether it was the pain from the dagger or a burst of repressed sorrow, she couldn''t tell.

    "Hey! Are you okay?!"

    "I''m, I''m fine..." she sobbed.

    Ian was slightly surprised when Kira suddenly burst into tears.

    Pretending to be okay, but maybe she''s rattled after all!

    Hiding the blood-stained tools and stemming the bleeding from Kira''s arm...

    Ian slowly felt a smoldering anger, or perhaps something even stronger.

    Meeting the actual assassin, the experience was more disgusting than imagined.

    Someone tried to kill me? And they failed because they got caught?

    What kind of bastard-

    "Ian!"

    Belenka, in her nightgown, appeared in a flurry.

    As expected, Belenka was unharmed. Only the wizards had been attacked.

    Ian clenched his teeth without realizing it.

    There''s no fun in this.

    Harassing someone who was about to leave?

    Ian decided to drastically change his ns of a peaceful farewell with the domain.

    Ah, yes.

    My staying in the domain is an eyesore, isn''t it?

    I''m not budging until I crush the bastard.

    From today, I''m the haunted spirit of the Devosi Barony.

    Might as well fix the geographical coordinate system while I''m at it.

    "Belenka. It looks like we''ll have to stick around here a bit longer."

    Ian''s ominous deration was met with a quiet nod from Belenka.

    "Just what I hoped for."

    ---

    ---

    The news of an assassin targeting the wizards turned Devosi Castle upside down.

    Of course, it only "turned" it upside down.

    "I''ve heard the news. You must be deeply concerned."

    "Oh dear, are you alright?"

    Thedies expressed their regrets about the previous night''s tragedy.

    They promised to do their utmost to prevent such an incident from happening again and vowed to find the culprit.

    Ian felt a strange sense of dj vu with thedies'' promises.

    Haven''t I heard this before? In a past life???

    "It''s definitely Catherine''s doing. She must be punished at once...!"

    "Serena has gone too far this time!"

    Regrettably, thedies seemed more interested in using the incident for political gain rather than in finding the perpetrator.

    Ian stared nkly at thedies who took turns visiting, wondering if he could truly obtain proper cooperation from these people.

    It seemed unlikely.

    Despite a thorough search, the perpetrator wasn''t caught. It only served as an opportunity to escte the nder between them.

    Moreover, thedies subtly pressured Ian, suggesting he should start taking sides.

    Then they would step in more actively.

    It was a damn frustrating situation for Ian.

    It was clear one of thedies had sent the assassin.

    What if he ended up supporting the wrong side?

    Ian would be nothing more than a puppet in thatdy''s hands.

    Tension hung over the castle.

    No one knew about the monkey assassin that attacked Ian.

    The clergy shouted about demonic work, while the rational med a wizard.

    Although security was tightened, a shadow of despair grew over people''s faces.

    Pessimists muttered that a curse had fallen upon the Devosi domain.

    Amidst the chaos, Ian calmly organized his thoughts.

    ''The enemy is most likely a summoner.''

    It was an important clue gleaned from the monkey assassin.

    The monkey had used the term [Master] and seemed familiar withmunicating in Maronius.

    The traces of a wizard, specifically a summoner, were evident.

    If the assassin had been trained by a summoner, it made sense why it exhibited human-like behavior.

    The problem was figuring out where the summoner was hiding...

    ''Damn wizards.''

    Ian was reminded once again how troublesome wizards can be.

    Skulking in the shadows, scheming in secret made them a tiresome foe to contend with.

    However, Ian had no intention of giving up just because they were annoying to deal with.

    He felt he wouldn''t be satisfied until he saw the face of the one who had sent the assassin.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    Unmasking a wizard who has concealed their identity is no easy task.

    Wizards are versatile beings.

    Take Ian, for example, who had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. It wasmon for other wizards to hide a trick or two of their own.

    Most wizards did not hide their identities since there was no benefit to doing so.

    Revealing oneself as a wizard usually garnered all sorts of respect.

    On the other hand, pretending not to be one and mingling among themoners could result in being stabbed without a word of protest.

    After all, wizards are human too and can be sent to the afterlife with a stab from a drunkard''s knife.

    But now, Ian had to deal with a wizard who was hiding their identity.

    And this wizard was believed to be under the protection of nobility.

    "Let''s start with security measures."

    Before falling for the same trick again, Ian took precautions in advance.

    He dispersed birds to create a surveincework and asked for the nobles'' cooperation to strengthen the guard.

    Since the assassin was a threat to the entire castle''s security, thedies were more than willing to cooperate.

    "Until this is over, the three of us will sleep together."

    "...?"

    Belenka volunteered for close protection, though her definition of ''close'' was a bit too literal forfort.

    Ian was content with moving to a room without windows.

    But Belenka brought Kira along, deciding that all three of them should sleep together.

    Ian said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

    "It''s unusual for men and women to share a bed..."

    Belenka tilted her head in confusion.

    "Share a bed? What are you talking about?"

    "..."

    This is Confucianism.

    A doctrine that encourages the separation of men and women.

    The barbaric people of Western fantasy knew nothing of Confucius''s teachings. That''s why they have such a different sense of distance.

    "Nonsense again. You spouting nonsense isn''t new."

    "Are you sure it''s okay to sleep with a man?"

    After finally understanding Ian''s point (with some trantion issues), Belenka blushed slightly and became irritated.

    "Come on! Just skip over that kind of thing! If I were to ask you how you feel about sharing a bed with a grown women, how would you feel?"

    "Ah..."

    Now that he thought about it, that made sense.

    Belenka had moved to sleep in the same ce to protect her colleague and employer, so emphasizing the issue of gender was unnecessary.

    Ian readily apologized.

    "Sorry."

    Belenka snorted and asked Kira.

    "Kira, you''re okay with it, right?"

    Kira responded with her characteristic haughtiness.

    "Of course. It''s rather exciting, isn''t it?"

    Despite the cumbersome process, the security measures were effective.

    There were no further assassination attempts.

    In fact, when Ian started to actively search for the culprit, it felt as if they were avoiding him.

    Feeling the enemy''s hesitation, Ian became even more proactive in his investigation.

    "Assassins. Monsters. And a Baron."

    He saw connections between the different incidents.

    The assassin was a trained monster, and the enemy raiding the viges led a pack of dire wolves as a werewolf.

    "A summoner who actively controls monsters."

    The wizard who attacked Ian made one critical mistake.

    He failed to recognize Ian''s summoning ability.

    The enemy probably thought Ian was surely a practitioner of dark magic, which was correct.

    Ian was indeed a user of dark magic.

    But they likely never dreamed Ian was also versed in various types of magic, with summoning being his strongest.

    Ian had a wealth of knowledge in summoning magic.

    Based on that knowledge, he pursued the summoner.

    ''Assassins and werewolves are both monsters... So?''

    Ian thought calmly.

    If he spected that the summoner was doing someone''s dirty work with monsters... Would that be too far-fetched?

    ''The possibility is there.''

    Ian decided to push forward with the clues he had.

    The keyy with the Baron''s two wives.

    Dayster, Ian sent messages to both wives in turn.

    The message was toe to the Baron''s bedroom.

    ---

    ---

    Lady Serena visited the Baron''s room alone.

    As soon as she opened the door, a crow greeted her with a loud caw.

    "?"

    Looking around in confusion, she saw nothing unusual except for the crow.

    However, Lady Serena was soon startled.

    A young man with ck hair.

    Ian Eredith Raven had appeared before her at some point.

    "What, what''s this?!"

    Lady Serena was genuinely surprised to see Ian.

    Wasn''t there no one here just a moment ago?

    Unbeknownst to Lady Serena, this was a form of deception.

    After first drawing her attention with the crow, Oberon, Ian, who had been hiding in the shadows, walked out.

    "It''s nothing serious. Just a simple test."

    "...A test?"

    Ian shrugged and exined.

    "I had Oberon say a phrase. If you were a wizard, it would''ve elicited a response from you. But it seems you didn''t understand Oberon."

    "What phrase? Was it an insult?"

    Lady Serena squinted her eyes.

    No matter if it was a crow that delivered the message, if the content was an insult, it was enough to upset anyone.

    Ian calmly replied.

    "It was about preparing to confess to the heavens."

    "...Excuse me?"

    "Look behind you."

    Following Ian''s direction, Serena turned around and froze.

    Behind her, a knight in ck armor, Belenka, was emerging from a wardrobe with a crossbow in hand.

    Lady Serena trembled and said.

    "Are you... going to kill me?"

    Ian almostughed at the absurdity.

    "Why would I kill you? That was just a precaution. If you were a wizard about to cause trouble, she was supposed to shoot."

    "..."

    Lady Serena btedly understood Ian''s strategy.

    The idea was to first throw a chilling sentence via Oberon, and if she understood and turned around, Belenka, hidden in the wardrobe, would shoot with the crossbow.

    It was a trap a summoner would surely fall into.

    As mentioned, this was a test.

    However, despite understanding the situation, Lady Serena was furious.

    "I can''t believe you''d do this in the Baron''s bedroom!"

    "You were the one who gave me ess."

    "I told you to treat the Baron, not to concoct schemes!"

    "Yes. I wanted to simply treat the Baron too. But without setting a trap, it was impossible to save him."

    "What do you mean..."

    "If I told you the person who attacked me is the same person who targeted the Baron, would you believe me?"

    Ian exined calmly.

    "I''ve pieced together several clues and hypothesized that a summoner brought down the Baron. It''s still a hypothesis that we need to confirm. That''s why we brought you here."

    "..."

    "I n to seek cooperation from Lady Catherine as well."

    Lady Serena red at Ian, gripping her hands tightly.

    "As I''ve said before, I have no reason to harm the Baron. I love him, and my son is set to inherit the title!"

    "I understand. I didn''t think you had any reason to harm the Baron either. But..."

    "But?"

    "To be honest, my trust in this world has significantly diminished..."

    "???"

    Lady Serena blinked, unable to understand Ian''s words.

    What world? Trust? What is he talking about?

    Belenka coughed to get attention.

    "Ian."

    "Ah. Sorry. So, I don''t know everything about the world, and I thought you might have some hidden circumstances. Perhaps rted to your youthful appearance and its secrets..."

    "Are you ttering me now?"

    "It''s not ttery but sincerity. You still look as if you''re in the bloom of youth. No, not just in bloom, you are a flower, Lady Serena."

    Lady Serena reflexively smiled, forgetting that she had just been threatened with murder.

    As a matter of fact, this was inevitable.

    There was no woman in the world who can simply ignore apliment about her appearance.

    Especially in an era without developed media and ack of stimtion.

    Modern people, marinated in all sorts of trivial content on the inte, might justugh off even the most sappy ttery, but for people from this world, even light ttery felt deeply moving.

    Ian was just spouting nonsense as if it were a joke.

    Take a look atmunity forums or YouTubements.

    The kind of nonsense Ian was going on about would be forgotten and moved on from in a second.

    However, Lady Serena was quite pleased with Ian''s ttery.

    To the point where Belenka found it ridiculous.

    "Ian. Did youe here tomit adultery?"

    "No, what kind of terrible usation is that!"

    What! How dare you utter such vile NTR (cuckoldry) nonsense in front of us!

    Ian was a staunch believer in true love.

    A contrived love story was better than a well-crafted NTR tale, a fact even recorded in ancient texts.

    NTR is horrifying enough, but with a married woman?

    The Baron, if he were awake, would be shocked!

    "Isn''t it disrespectful to speak of such things in front of the sleeping Baron!"

    "...And what about you, spewing such nonsense in front of the Baron?"

    "Oh. That''s true."

    Come to think of it, this was the Baron''s bedroom.

    Ian had no excuse if the Baron actually woke up.

    Anyway.

    "Be honest! Lady Serena! Why do you look so young!"

    "Well, even if you ask me..."

    "Is it some kind of magic? You must have a secret I don''t know about! Are you in collusion with a wizard!"

    "There''s no such thing! What can I do if I was born this way!"

    "Don''t lie! There''s no exining your appearance without magic!"

    Lady Serena blushed.

    Looking at her, she indeed seemed like a woman in her mid-twenties.

    "Stop teasing me!"

    "Do I look like I''m teasing? This is a serious investigation! Just tell me! What''s the secret of your face?! How do you still maintain such a youthful appearance!"

    "Ugh...!"

    Belenka red at Ian with cold eyes.

    It was definitely something they needed to know, but...

    Why did it seem like he was flirting?!

    Belenka scoffed at Ian, who teased thedy with all sorts of bizarre words.

    She wished the Baron would wake up and end this.

    ---

    ---

    After the interrogation, Ian acknowledged Lady Serena''s innocence.

    It wasn''t a strong suspicion from the start.

    He doubted her only because this was a fantasy world.

    In fact, this world wasn''t one where rational deduction yed a big role.

    It directly vited the rule from detective fiction: "Do not introduce a Chinese character[1]."

    Here, "Chinese" referred to "a person who performs mysterious magic."

    It was a western perspective that anything unknown from the East was considered mystical.

    Given that magic could pop up unexpectedly in this world, Ian suspected Lady Serena might be hiding something...

    But the investigation showed she was innocent.

    Lady Serena had worked to drive out monsters and maintain order in the castle while the Baron was incapacitated.

    She had no motive to harm the Baron, as she said.

    The only mystery, her youthful appearance... turned out to be natural.

    Lady Serena was not the culprit working with a wizard.

    She promised to spare no support in saving the Baron.

    That left only one person.

    ''Lady Catherine.''

    Reflecting on it, Lady Serena had always imed Catherine was suspicious.

    She couldn''t understand how a woman from a shepherd background became the Baron''s wife overnight.

    Could Lady Catherine really be involved with magic?

    Or was it all just a coincidence?

    "Mr. Wizard, did you call for me?"

    In the dark room, Ian opened his eyes.

    Lady Catherine, too, hade to the Baron''s room alone.

    It was the most secure ce in the castle, so she felt no need to be cautious.

    Like with Lady Serena, Ian tested Lady Catherine''s magical abilities.

    The result?

    Lady Catherine didn''t understand a word Oberon said.

    Meaning, Lady Catherine was not a wizard either.

    So then...

    "Mr. Wizard? This crow..."

    "He''s like a friend to me. His name is Oberon."

    "Oberon, ma''am!"

    "!!!"

    Lady Catherine was startled when the crow spoke human words.

    While it''s true that traveling jesters could train birds to speak, the depth seemed different when a wizard did it.

    "Can you, a wizard, handle animals?"

    "Rather than handling, I converse with them. I can summon, after all."

    Ian gently stroked Oberon.

    The crow made a purring sound, just like a chicken would.

    Engrossed in petting Oberon, Ian failed to notice Lady Catherine''s eyes wavering.

    "So... Mr. Wizard. Besides this crow, are there other summoned creatures in this room?"

    Ian stopped petting Oberon.

    "What do you mean..."

    Suddenly, Catherine stepped closer to Ian.

    Belenka aimed her crossbow, but Ian raised his hand to stop her.

    Unseen by Belenka, Ian could see it.

    The fear and pain in Catherine''s trembling eyes.

    "...No. There were a few bugs hiding, but Oberon took care of them all."

    As soon as Ian finished speaking,

    Catherine shivered and whispered,

    "There are more summons in this room besides this crow, Mr. Wizard."

    "Where are they?"

    Catherine answered,

    "One is with me, and the other, inside him."

    "..."

    "We don''t have much time... Please... Help us... Mr. Wizard..."

    Ian realized then.

    Catherine wasn''t a patron of a wizard.

    She was a victim, ensnared by one.

    ---

    [1. raei: Ronald Knox''s "Ten Commandments" (or "Decalogue") for writing detective stories... one is "No Chinaman must figure in the story." LOLOL, this was in 1929. There was a big stereotype that regarded the East as a source of mystery or inexplicable elements.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    Join the discord! Here

    Catherine was a shepherdess.

    Born as the daughter of a poor farmer, she became a girl who had to leave for work, practically sold to a wealthy family, when her household ran out of food.

    The wealthy family handed Catherine over to be a shepherd''s apprentice, and after she was trained, she was tasked with looking after the wealthy family''s flock of sheep.

    Being a shepherd in these times was an extreme job.

    The work itself wasn''t that difficult.

    It merely involved letting the sheep graze in the field and moving them to a new pasture once the grass was depleted.

    However, everything else about the job was hard and exhausting.

    She had to eat and sleep alone in the vast fields.

    There were no people to see, only sheep and dogs forpany.

    Wolves were always a threat, and if robbers came by, she had to fear for her life.

    If the sheep were ever harmed due to negligence, Catherine was the one who had to cover the losses.

    People pointed fingers at Catherine, calling her dirty and suspicious.

    This was because she worked out of sight, so nobody knew exactly what she was up to.

    For Catherine, the future was like an empty dream.

    It was unclear if she could even marry properly.

    It was a life where being kidnapped by thieves and used as a pawn was considered lucky.

    "I want to live well..."

    The only friends of the shepherdess were the sheep and the stars.

    She would look up at the stars filling the night sky and make a wish.

    "Please let me marry a rich man and livevishly without lifting a finger, eating and living well!"

    It was a wish that seemed impossible to fulfill.

    That''s why it remained a fantasy.

    If it were toe true, it would be considered a miracle.

    But perhaps her desperation reached the heavens.

    One day, a miracle came to Catherine.

    "Poor, pitiful child. I pity you and will give you a chance."

    "Who, who are you?!"

    "I am a nameless wizard."

    With white hair and eyes, the wizard, who appeared to have descended from the heavens, handed Catherine a mysterious pill and said,

    "In a few days, Baron Devosi will pass by this road. Put this in his drink, seduce him, and you will be his wife."

    "Really...?"

    Hundreds of thoughts swirled in Catherine''s head.

    Who was this wizard, what was this pill, and why was she being instructed to seduce the Baron?

    But the wizard offered no exnation.

    There was no need for it.

    "If you refuse, so be it. If you decline, then its not your destiny."

    "Dest...iny?"

    "You have two destinies. One is to be the wife of the Baron and live that life. The other is to be taken away by thieves and bear a child you do not want."

    Catherine knew it well. She had no future ahead of her.

    This was her first andst chance.

    "I''ll do it! Please, let me!"

    The wizard handed the pill to Catherine with a smile.

    "Go and seize your destiny."

    Indeed, a few dayster, Baron Devosi passed by Catherine.

    He even asked her for water from the well.

    The opportunity hade.

    "Destiny."

    Following the wizard''s words, Catherine imed a new fate.

    She became the wife of the Baron and bore and raised a son well.

    Her miserable past was buried in darkness, and only a dazzling future shone brightly.

    Everything felt perfectly right.

    ...Until the wizard returned.

    "Its been a while, Catherine."

    "You are!"

    "Since you chose the destiny of being the Baron''s wife, your destiny and mine have intertwined."

    The wizard''s white eyes gleamed brightly.

    "I count on you, child."

    The moment the wizard returned.

    Catherine became the wizard''s ve.

    ---

    ---

    ''Catherine was looking for an opportunity.''

    Ian tried to calm Catherine, thinking to himself.

    Catherine wasn''t the wizard''s employer; she was a ve captured by the wizard.

    In the past, she had followed the wizard''s advice and fed the Baron the pill.

    As a result, the Baron took Catherine as his wife, and she lived as the Baron''s wife.

    Until now, Catherine believed she had been helped by a kind-hearted wizard passing by.

    It was a naive thought, fitting for a simple shepherdess girl.

    But Ian immediately thought of a specific type of wizard upon hearing the story.

    ''...Space-time wizard.''

    Space-time wizards, who deal with the mysteries of time and space, know the future.

    They move about, choosing ''a better future'' and scheming to alter the future to their liking in any way possible.

    Catherine had thought her meeting with the white wizard was a coincidence.

    But to Ian, that person was a space-time wizard.

    It was all nned.

    If that''s the case, Catherine bing the wizard''s ve was also a part of the space-time wizard''s n.

    ''Deliberately turning Catherine into the Baron''s wife and then making the Baron fall ill...''

    It was an action that was difficult to understand at once.

    But what the space-time wizard saw in the threads of destiny was known only to them.

    "I, I thought that wizard... felt pity for me and introduced me to the Baron."

    "...You didn''t something was off when you gave the pill to the Baron?"

    Catherine, tearfully, said,

    "I knew it was a damned thing to do! But...! If I hadn''t done as the wizard said at that time, I would have died miserably!"

    "Calm down. What''s done is done."

    The wizard who came back for Catherine, ckmailed her into cooperation, fearing her past actions would be exposed.

    She couldn''t defy the wizard.

    Moreover, the wizard whispered promises of making her son a lord.

    "After the Baron passes away, if you drive Lady Serena to be used as a witch, the title wille to you," he said.

    "...? But why would the wizard want your son to be a lord...?"

    Another mysterious scheme of a space-time wizard?

    Catherine hesitated before finally speaking out.

    "That woman... said she would marry... my son."

    Damn.

    Ian managed his boiling energy with deep breaths, trying not to die from shock.

    To make Catherine the Baron''s wife in her youth.

    Then, reappearing decadester to do what?

    To marry Catherine''s son???

    F*ck, is this something a person cane up with?

    Is she not a modern person reincarnated after ying too much of some medieval simtor called Crusader[1] or something?

    Ian understood the wizard''s n.

    Manipte Catherine to eliminate Lady Serena and Baron Devosi, then marry Catherine''s son to be the next Baroness...

    At that moment, Ian was certain.

    Space-time wizards are all out of their minds.

    And to choose Catherine''s son of all people?

    Ian had seen him a few times.

    Strong-willed, hot-tempered, and easy to manipte.

    Why on earth would she want such a half-baked guy as a husband...

    That''s when it happened.

    Loud noises came from outside.

    "Move aside at once!"

    "Calm down! Right now, Wizard Ian is treating the Baron..."

    "Shut up! Secretly calling in the mother, what sort of treatment is this supposed to be!"

    "What are you talking about! Wizard Ian is a faithful man!"

    "Pff! As if the halfwits who couldn''t even cure my father''s illness have much to say! If you keep blocking the way, I''ll have you dragged out!"

    This person, no way he''s a gentleman.

    Ian knew the owner of that voice. It was Catherine''s son.

    "You can''t go in...!"

    A quarrel was unfolding outside. The son trying to enter the Baron''s room and the clergy blocking his way.

    Reluctantly, Ian prepared to greet the visitor.

    But the enemy acted faster.

    "Ah...! Huh...!"

    "Lady?"

    "Ugh...!"

    Lady Catherine clutched her chest and copsed.

    Her face was red, and her breathing wasbored.

    Thedy''s condition was not normal.

    "This damn thing-"

    Ian shouted at her with all his will.

    "Get ahold of yourself!"

    But it had no effect.

    Is it because my summoning level is too low?

    Ian, who even shared a friendship with a drake, was a decent summoner, right?

    At the appropriate moment, a status window popped up.

    [Creatures without intelligent thought, like insects, can only be controlled through instincts. Bug summons are very safe. They can''t be taken away by enemies!]

    [Master of Summoning, Demonite]

    It was the same with Inn''s insect summons.

    Ian, who preferredmanding flocks of birds, hadn''t considered this, but insect summons were just too stupid to lure Maronius with.

    Since they couldn''tmunicate, there was no way to control them.

    The only option was to deal directly with the summoner.

    Thud!

    The door opened, and all eyes turned towards it.

    "What?!"

    The Baronessy copsed in front of Ian.

    Belenka stood with a crossbow in hand.

    The situation was all too obvious.

    Eyes filled with confusion and anger were fixed on Ian.

    "What is this-"

    Ian focused intensely, observing the eyes of Catherine''s son.

    The pupils shrank in panic.

    While expressions and gestures can be faked, controlling the dtion of one''s pupils is much harder.

    He wouldn''t be able to fake that.

    Catherine''s son was genuinely flustered.

    Meaning, he knew nothing about this situation.

    "Belenka!"

    "Ian!"

    Ian and Belenka called out each other''s names almost simultaneously.

    The two moved in perfect sync as if it was all pre-arranged.

    Belenka threw away the crossbow and drew her sword, creating space between the son and his guards.

    Ian drew his magic sword, Anor-lsil, and aimed it at Catherine''s son.

    In the blink of an eye, they secured the VIP.

    "Everyone, back off!"

    "Knight Belenka! What is this madness!"

    Belenka then shouted confidently,

    "I am proving my innocence!"

    Ian internally apuded Belenka''s audacity.

    Was this the so-called honor (by force)?

    It was dubious how this proved her innocence, during the Middle Ages, this was how.

    Getting captured by the enemy only meant undergoing a brutal interrogation, euphemistically called questioning.

    What could one expect from the ignorant medieval justice system?

    Now that Ian too was a medieval man, he needed to abandon the concept of justice of a weak modern person.

    Nowyers to work for you, no trustworthy courts, no judges.

    Suspected by someone? Solve it with strength!

    "Wizard Ian! Do you realize what you''re doing!"

    "I do. I''m saving the Baron."

    "What do you mean...!"

    "We''ve obtained information that Lady Catherine''s son has conspired with a wizard."

    Ian nced at the captured man as he spoke.

    He pretended to be brave but was shaking.

    "If we squeeze him a bit, we might find the culprit who harmed the Baron. Shall we?"

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, the attendants screamed their heads off.

    Ian understood their feelingspletely.

    Squeeze a high-ranking individual to find a possibly non-existent wizard?

    Unthinkable.

    But if they let go of Catherine''s son now, they might never get another chance to find the wizard.

    In short, they needed to lure the enemy out.

    Ian decided to leave the aftermath to Lady Serena and focused on drawing out the wizard.

    The wizard had invested a lot in Devosi Castle.

    They couldn''t abandon Catherine''s son.

    "Belenka. I''ll need your help."

    Ian was slightly worried.

    What if Belenka refused to cooperate?

    But Belenka, with her characteristic indifferent smile, replied,

    "It''s been a while since we''ve had such a big job. Of course, I''ll help."

    She was a knight with the attitude of a frencer.

    After all, frencers have to work like dogs when there''s work to be done.

    Ian and Belenka used Catherine''s son as a shield to escape Devosi Castle.

    It was a bold provocation.

    "I knew obstacles would appear in my destiny... but you''re quite the madman."

    It was intense enough to draw out the wizard.

    "You? You''re the one who unleashed a monkey in my room?"

    The white-haired wizard looked at Ian andughed.

    She was dressed as a maid.

    "Yes. I''m Larabel. A wizard who explores the secrets of the world."

    Shadows began to appear one by one behind the wizard.

    They were Larabel''s summoned creatures, dire wolves.

    "Our destinies are intertwined now. One of us will live, and one will die."

    Feeling her intense will, Ianughed.

    His opponent was an aplished summoner.

    But.

    Ian was no less formidable a summoner himself.

    ---

    [1. raei: Crusader Kings! Funny enough, a reader in my discord (Paradigm) rmended this game to us a week ago. This must be fate! Going to try it this weekend.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Larabel was a space-time wizard.

    Like any other space-time wizard, she became one at the encouragement of her peers, who called it ''fate,'' and Larabel naturally epted this destiny.

    "You''re going to do great things in the future. Won''t you join me in creating a better tomorrow?"

    "...Me?"

    "Yes! You can be a great wizard!"

    Larabel had a mentor who opened up the future to her.

    But one day, her mentor was [eliminated] by another space-time wizard.

    The reason was absurd.

    It was because the mentor had opposed the opinions of other space-time wizards.

    "Why! Why did you kill my mentor!"

    "Having him alive didn''t promise a bright future. It was a necessary act to change the timeline."

    "Killing people to change the timeline? Are you f*cking kidding me?"

    Although Larabel became a space-time wizard following her destiny, she was not happy about it.

    They were too obsessed with fate, blinded by it.

    Even gambling their necks on a future that might not evene to fruition.

    Tired of the selfish actions of space-time wizards, Larabel left their council to forge her own path.

    Naturally, the space-time wizards tried to kill her to prevent the future from changing.

    But Larabel, being a space-time wizard herself, wasn''t easily caught by her enemies.

    "I need my own power."

    To stand against the sinister plots of the space-time wizards, she needed a support base.

    So, she began the groundwork to build her own force.

    Taking over the Devosi Barony was part of the n.

    "Wizard Ian. It''s a pity you didn''t understand my warning. The night I sent you a summon was ourst branching point to avoid our sh."

    Ian was dumbfounded by Larabel''s shameless words.

    So when assassins crawled into my room, should he have thought, ''Oops! Someone''s after me! I''m a dead man!'' and just run away?

    What''s with the attitude that it was Ian''s fault for not running away!?

    "Why does a b*tch who sends assassins talk so much?"

    From the moment he nearly got assassinated, Ian had no intention of backing down.

    He was determined to get back at the culprit by any means necessary, and he was close to doing just that!

    Larabel mocked him, saying,

    "I peered through the veil of the future. There, I saw your death, Wizard Ian."

    "Bullsh*t."

    Future, branches, space-time... Ian knows nothing about these things.

    But at least it was clear that Larabel wasn''t a great space-time wizard.

    If she truly were, she would''ve foreseen the failure of Ian''s assassination.

    Larabel couldn''t even predict whether Ian would live or die.

    Yet she ims to be a space-time wizard.

    Even among fire wizards, there''s a clear difference in skill between a level 1 and a level 9.

    By the same logic, even if Larabel is a space-time wizard, if her skill (level) isn''t high, the same would go for her overall magical ability.

    Ian''s spection was urate.

    Indeed, Larabel hadn''t trained deeply in space-time magic.

    After all, she left the space-time wizard council on her own ord!

    Yet, Larabel believed she was a space-time wizard, relying solely on her shallow foresight magic.

    "Just one question. When you sent that monkey into my room, did you also see my corpse then?"

    "..."

    "You must have. You saw my death in the future and sent an assassin. But, f*ck, it failed, didn''t it? So, you''re trash, aren''t you?"

    "... Foresight isn''t as simple a magic as you think it is..."

    "Excuses of a loser, heard loud and clear."

    As Ian mocked, Larabel''s expression soured.

    Larabel had a lot to say.

    Originally, the future was fluid and unpredictable.

    Even if one sessfully observes a future, there''s no guarantee the present will follow that path into that future... yada yada yada.

    But all that is just excuses.

    Yes. Next, please.

    Larabel''s space-time magic wasn''t worth mentioning.

    The real threat was her summoning magic.

    "No matter what you say, your death won''t change!"

    As Larabel projected her will, the dire wolves leaped up all at once.

    "[Tear him apart!]"

    The strong will of the summoner was conveyed to the summons.

    The dire wolves, to fulfill the summoner''s wish, all charged at Ian simultaneously.

    This could be seen as a magical attack on a wizard.

    Ian had experienced such a situation before.

    Yes, it was during his underground duel with Inn.

    A wizard''s will can change everything...

    That will can be blocked by another wizard''s will!

    Ian concentrated his mind, filled with firm will, and shouted.

    "[Stop!]"

    "!!!"

    As the shout containing the essence of level 3 summoning magic echoed, the dire wolves panicked and stopped what they were doing.

    Ian''s will had blocked Larabel''s will.

    Gritting her teeth, Larabel shouted again.

    "[What are you doing! Don''t be afraid! He''s just a scarecrow with a big mouth!]"

    The dire wolves growled.

    They gained a bit of courage from Larabel''s will, but...

    "[You dare bare your teeth at me, who has befriended the king of the mountain!]"

    As Ian shouted once more forcefully, the dire wolves lost their morale again.

    Larabel was both amazed and dumbfounded by Ian''s ability.

    ''No...! What kind of image did he project?''

    A dire wolf is a strong carnivore. Naturally strong wolves, but now imagine them bigger.

    Moreover, dire wolves were not usually intimidated by mere killing intent.

    Living in packs, they knew that there was no enemy they couldn''t take down if they attacked together.

    Yet, the dire wolves cowered before Ian.

    The image mixed with Ian''s will was truly formidable.

    Larabel couldn''t even guess what kind of image Ian had conjured.

    And for good reason...

    The image, or the vision, Ian had in mind was his interspecies friend, Drake Longtail.

    Who was Longtail?

    Longtail, the [Holder of Hannam The Hill].

    In a tough post-apocalyptic era, he was a sessful man who owned his own home.

    No matter how brave a dire wolf might be, it can''t match the courage of a man with his own house.

    Ugh! The aura that only those with a home possess...!

    ... Well, it''s actually just because a drake was an excessively high-level monster.

    Anyway, Ian transmitted the image of Longtail he knew to the dire wolves.

    The dire wolves thought Ian was part of the same ''pack'' as Longtail and got scared.

    Thinking that if they attacked Ian, Longtail woulde for revenge.

    "[Attack!]"

    "[Back off!]"

    "[I said attack!]"

    "[Only those who want to die,e at me!]"

    Larabel and Ian red at each other, spewing crazy verbal attacks.

    This was what a wizard''s fight was like.

    Both sides just running their mouths, that''s all there was to it.

    Poor dire wolves couldn''t do anything, caught in the middle of the summoner''s spat.

    An irritated Larabel yed her next card.

    "Damn it...! Lewis! Ztan! Come out and deal with that bastard!"

    Two figures walked forward.

    One was a werewolf. The other was a monkey.

    "Screech! Screech!"

    [I warned you! You are going to die!]

    Excited, the monkey charged at Ian.

    Despite the human woman standing in front, the monkey''s n was to ignore her and swiftly go straight for Ian''s neck.

    It was a clever n.

    ...That was until it got caught by the tip of Belenka''s sword.

    Belenka, seeing the monkey trying to leap over her, mercilessly swung her sword and tore the monkey apart.

    "Kaak!"

    The monkey, ripped from head to toe by the longsword, rolled on the floor, covered in blood.

    Belenka lightly swung her sword and muttered.

    "What the hell? Is that thing insane?"

    It seemed to underestimate her for standing still all this time.

    But it knew nothing, absolutely nothing about Belenka.

    Unlike the monkey, the werewolf approached cautiously, measuring the distance.

    Having seen live the monkey turn into the ripped seam of a stuffed toy, it was a natural decision.

    "You''re not just any talent, miss!"

    "Thanks for thepliment! Chihuahua!"

    The werewolf was much stronger than the monkey.

    It calmly dodged the longsword, looking for an opportunity to take down Belenka.

    Belenka, not wanting to engage in a brute strength contest with the werewolf, focused on draining its stamina by keeping it at bay with the tip of her sword from a distance.

    It was going to take time to decide the oue.

    For Ian, this was the perfect opportunity.

    The chance to capture Larabel!

    Now, there was nothing standing between Ian and Larabel.

    Ian drew Anor-lsil and aimed it at Larabel.

    By unleashing the power of the sun here, he could link it to fire magic with the resulting mes.

    The situation was highly favorable for Ian.

    But.

    "As expected. The process to reach thest timeline is difficult, isn''t it?"

    "...?"

    Larabel still hadn''t lost herposure.

    "Wizard Ian. You n to overpower me with that magic sword, don''t you?"

    "Wow. How did you foresee that?"

    "I already knew everything. That you wouldn''t be assassinated. That you would draw me out. That the dire wolves wouldn''t eat you, nor would Lewis kill you."

    "..."

    All thates out of her mouth are lies, naturally.

    Ian was astounded by Larabel''s bluster.

    She knew it all would fail?

    And she didn''t prepare any countermeasures?

    After everything fails, ''Hmm. I knew I was going to fail.''

    Ian could say that too.

    "So, how are you going to deal with it?"

    Yes, Ian thought Larabel was just bluffing again after another wrong foresight.

    However, this time Ian was wrong.

    Larabel really had foreseen her own failure and had a trump card hidden in preparation.

    With all possibilities twisted and the future reshaped into thest timeline...!

    A trump card to surely kill Ian!

    "Of course."

    Larabel pulled something out from her belongings.

    It was something Ian was all too familiar with.

    A magic scroll...!

    "I didn''t want to use this precious item, but I have no choice."

    "This f*cking-"

    Before Ian could react, Larabel tore the magic scroll, activating the magic stored within it.

    mes swirled around Larabel.

    "ording to my foresight, Ian. You die in mes."

    That was undoubtedly a scroll containing very powerful magic created by an ancient archwizard.

    Waves of zing mes rose up like serpents.

    The tables had turned.

    "..."

    Overwhelmed by the sight, Ian momentarily lost his words.

    "Wizard Ian. Still doubting your death?"

    Larabel said, mocking Ian.

    "In my eyes, all I see is your death."

    The wave of mes rushed towards Ian.

    The breathtaking mes captivated the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

    "Ian!"

    Even Belenka and the werewolf paused their fight.

    ''... It''s hot.''

    Watching the wave of burning mes, Ian recalled a memory from the past.

    The memory of when he was learning fire magic from Fire Wizard Eredith.

    ''Listen to the voice of the fire, Ian!''

    Air hot enough to cook his face.

    Fire white enough to burn out his eyes.

    Ian was afraid of the fire before him.

    Who wouldn''t be afraid of fire, being born of life?

    But the fire dislikes cowards.

    The mystery of fire was a being that ceaselessly burns everything.

    Its only identity is arson, born to incinerate and turn everything to ashes, returning to the void once thebustion of all isplete.

    To be with the mystery of fire, one needs the resolve and madness to turn even themselves to ashes.

    ''...Damn it!''

    Don''t be afraid, Ian. You''re a wizard.

    Didn''t Eredith teach you?

    Haven''t you walked into a pit of fire and emerged unscathed?

    Listen to the voice of the fire.

    You will not burn to death.

    To survive, he had to somehow listen to the voice of fire.

    Ian reminded himself over and over again.

    However, the inherent fear thates with being a living being was hard to shake off.

    ...

    Ian had to admit it.

    He wasn''t a great fire wizard.

    He was a novice wizard who had entered the mystery of fire not by aptitude, but with the help of his status window.

    "Ian!"

    Facing the oing heat, Ian felt intense pain.

    The heat seemed to explode his entire body, searing his nerves.

    Ian''s clothes caught fire.

    ''Focus... concentrate...!''

    If he couldn''t meet with the mystery of fire, Ian would burn to death right here.

    That damned space-time wizard''s prophecy woulde true.

    Ian gritted his teeth, trying to confront the approaching mes.

    "Ian!!!"

    That''s when it happened.

    Something heavy and soft gently pushed Ian aside.

    ''... Huh?''

    Ian didn''t understand what was happening.

    It was too confusing.

    In Ian''s ce...

    Surrounded by fire.

    Was Kira.

    Kira had pushed Ian aside and was standing against the wave of fire.

    Ian stared nkly at Kira.

    Her entire body zed like a torch.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Kira, who was resting in Devosi Castle, opened her door at the sound of amotion outside.

    "What''s all this noise?"

    The first face that came to mind was Ian''s.

    Ian had warned her beforehand that there might be trouble, to be prepared just in case.

    What Ian was looking for was a wizard hiding in the castle.

    The reason for the disturbance outside could be a confrontation between Ian and the wizard.

    "That, that is..."

    The guard stammered, unsure of the situation.

    "Ian has... kidnapped the second young master..."

    "What?"

    "I''ll find out more!"

    Kira was baffled by the absurd response.

    What''s happening? Ian kidnapped someone?

    She thought the guard was mistaken.

    But it was true.

    "Lady Serena."

    "Have you heard? Ian has caused trouble."

    No, why is this true?

    However, Kira nodded at the Baroness''s following words.

    "Surely, it must be about finding the wizard."

    "Then, shouldn''t notifying us be the next step..."

    "It must be the wizard''s trickery. The situation is urgent; let''s follow Ian''s lead."

    Lady Serena assessed the situation shrewdly.

    Knowing that Ian was after the wizard, she decided to act alongside him.

    "Let''s stabilize the castle first and then assist Ian."

    "Yes, mydy!"

    Lady Serena quickly took control.

    No one in Devosi Castle could stop her.

    With the Baron incapacitated and Lady Catherine in aa, Lady Serena was as authoritative as the king.

    "Don''t make a fuss!"

    "But, mydy...! The second young master...!"

    "Karton will be saved by the wizard here."

    Kira stepped forward confidently.

    Priests, knights, and vassals alike nodded in agreement.

    Gdin eximed.

    "If Lady Kira is taking charge, we can rest easy!"

    "Indeed! Please save the second young master, Lady Kira!"

    Kira! Kira!

    Everyone shouted her name.

    Amidst the chaos, Lady Serena whispered.

    "I''ll take responsibility for the castle. Please take care of Ian, wizard."

    "...Leave it to me."

    Lady Serena trusted Kira.

    Being a wizard endorsed by everyone, she felt safe entrusting Ian''s life to her.

    "The one in league with the wizard might target you, Kira. Please be careful."

    While Lady Serena calmed the knights, Kira, along with a trustworthy retainer, followed Ian''s trail.

    "We believe in you, Kira!"

    "Kira! Please save the second young master!"

    "Please take care of Ian, Wizard."

    Atop a horse, Kira clenched her teeth.

    ''...No. I''m not the person you think I am.''

    She wasn''t a wizard.

    She was just a fake pretending to be one.

    She wanted to run away right then.

    Even if she found Ian, there was nothing Kira could do.

    ...

    But Kira did not stop.

    Wizard Ian was someone who affirmed her.

    The only one who knew her true nature, covered in lies.

    Fake magic. Shallow lies. Deception.

    Even knowing all this, he acknowledged and understood her.

    And now, to abandon Ian and run away?

    What about after running away? What future awaited?

    Life as an eternal fugitive and a perpetual liar.

    Kira had started lying to save someone she loved.

    But now, to abandon someone dear to her to preserve a lie, that was unthinkable.

    "Wizard! Over there!"

    The retainer shouted, clearly panicking.

    Kira took off her hood and stared nkly ahead.

    A giant pir of fire was erupting.

    "My God..."

    "What on earth..."

    How tall was it? 10 meters? 20 meters?

    It was clearly visible even from afar, mes so vast the size was hard to estimate.

    It wasn''t just fire; it was appropriate to call it an explosion.

    "...Ian!"

    Kira turned her horse towards the exploding mes.

    But the horse refused Kira''smand.

    Kira abandoned the horse and ran alone towards the pir of fire.

    "Wizard!"

    She heard someone calling her from behind, but she ignored it.

    Kira was protected by the mystery of fire, a fact proven by Ian.

    Kira had yed with dangerous fireworks several times before but had never been burned.

    Maybe, she could be safe this time too.

    She believed in that possibility.

    "Ian!!!"

    What she saw as she ran was a huge curtain of fire.

    Waves of heat that seemed to burn everything.

    Beyond the flickering mes, Kira spotted Ian''s silhouette.

    Without a moment''s hesitation, she threw herself through the mes.

    Just to buy Ian some time to escape.

    As soon as Kira saw Ian, she crashed into him, pushing him away.

    Ian sat down, staring nkly at Kira.

    ''Run away. Ian.''

    Kira wanted to say it.

    But she couldn''t breathe because of the billowing mes.

    Kira''s body zed up like a torch.

    ...

    The protection of the mes...didn''t work.

    Kira understood.

    It was enough of a vile act that she had exploited the mystery of fire until now.

    Even if it turned its back on her now, she had no right to feel wronged.

    Amidst the burning mes, Kiraughed.

    Wow. This is exactly like when my dad died, isn''t it?

    Kira Laventa. The daughter of Laventa.

    The pagan jester Laventa had died trying to protect Kira from thieves.

    Surrounded by the burning mes, Kira quietly closed her eyes.

    Almighty God. Did my dad go to a good ce? No, since he didn''t believe in You, he must be in hell.

    Then, I want to go to hell too.

    Dad alone in hell... would be too lonely.

    Since I''ve lived a life full of lies, I naturally belong in hell, right?

    Kira quietly and indifferently prepared for death.

    Her life had been riddled with lies.

    Yet, to die engulfed in mes wrought by magic. Isn''t death somewhat honest?

    ''Live, Ian. You''re not meant to die here.''

    With herst strength, Kira prayed to God.

    Even at the end.

    Thank you for letting me know a man like Ian.

    Without Ian, I would have been just an empty woman.

    The fire burned.

    From ancient times, fire was a means of burnt offering to the gods.

    Therefore, God answered.

    [Commendable, Kira. I understand your faith. But Kira, it''s not your time to die yet either.]

    ''...?''

    Kira was startled.

    Did she just hear a voice...?

    Kira listened carefully.

    The voice she heard was no illusion.

    Someone was really calling her.

    "...Kira!"

    Huh?

    "Wake up! Kira!"

    Kira opened her eyes.

    There.

    A wizard, enveloped in fire, stood before her.

    "It''s not over yet! It''s just the beginning! Focus and listen to the voice of the fire!"

    "...Ian?"

    Wizard Ian lifted Kira to her feet, holding her close.

    "You are a wizard! Kira Laventa!"

    "...!"

    Ian shouted.

    At the same time, Kira''s heart pounded as if it would burst.

    She found herself tightly holding onto Ian''s hand.

    [Good! You half-burnt pieces of wood!]

    Kira heard a voice loud enough to deafen her.

    It was the mystery of fire.

    The mystery of fire was shouting in a voice so immense it seemed to engulf the world.

    [Who will burn with me first!!!]

    ---

    ---

    First, Ian invested all his points in fire magic.

    [Your fire magic ability has increased!]

    [LV UP!]

    [LV UP!]

    [Skill: Fire Magic  Lv 3]

    [You''re a pretty decent fire wizard]

    For a moment, Ian considered how to escape the approaching mes.

    But all options seemed hopeless.

    The mystery of the wind?

    Did he n to fan the 20-meter tall pir of fire?

    Dig into the earth with the mystery of the earth?

    Was he aspiring to be y-baked Ian someday?

    Damn it, Ian had no choice but to acknowledge Larabel''s ability to foresee the future.

    This was the ultimate trap prepared to kill Ian.

    A trap prepared by a space-time wizard who peeked into the future.

    Normally, one would definitely die.

    But Larabel was a crappy space-time wizard.

    Her foresight has been wrong several times already.

    There was no rule saying she couldn''t be wrong this time too.

    Above all, Ian had a secret weapon that defied themon sense of people from other worlds.

    That was the status window.

    Ian decided to go all in, investing all his points into fire magic, and confront the situation head-on with his enhanced fire magic.

    "[Fire!]"

    [YEEESSSS!]

    A colossal shout that seemed to tear the eardrums rang out.

    Being in the middle of a wave of fire, the presence of the mystery was immense.

    An overwhelming will that transcended human cognition pressed down on Ian''s mind.

    ''Argh!''

    Ian''s body swelled as if inting upon contact with the giant will.

    His boiling blood coursed through his body and spurted out of his nose.

    Ian, bleeding from his nose, looked at the mystery of fire.

    Just by speaking and affirming the will.

    He already felt like he was going to lose his mind.

    ''...No!''

    But he couldn''t copse.

    If he lost consciousness here, the body of a wizard who had lost his will would be consumed by the mes.

    The mystery of fire paused its arson for a moment to converse with Ian.

    [We don''t have time! Hurry! We need to burn more!]

    "[Fire, just listen to me for a moment...]"

    [Fire! mes! Arson! Bring more to burn! No, bring everything!!!]

    This f*cking lunatic!

    Ian continued to convey his will to the mystery of fire, but the mystery was only focused on arson.

    He could understand.

    From the moment it ignited, the fire needed to burn as much as possible until it was extinguished.

    But the fact that it was about to burn Ian too was not at all wee!

    ''...Master! How on earth did you be friends with such a crazy bastard?!''

    Ian suddenly found Eredith, who specialized in fire magic, incredibly impressive.

    What, did you set your house on fire to get close to it?!

    Suddenly, Ian remembered Eredith''s teachings.

    "What the mystery of fire likes... is arson."

    "Arson?"

    "Yes. Actually, the mystery of fire is very easy to befriend. You just need to stay by its side until it extinguishes."

    "...?"

    "A fire''s life is from the moment it ignites to the moment it extinguishes. If you stay with it until it extinguishes..."

    "I get it. We be lifelongpanions, right?"

    "Exactly! Just watching the fire and ying with it by its side is enough to befriend the mystery of fire. However, the problem is..."

    If youck aptitude, the mes will burn the wizard before that.

    That''s what master said.

    Fire wizards enter the pit of fire themselves to elevate their level.

    There, they wait for the fire to extinguish, building a bond with the mes.

    If they safelyplete the ritual, they be capable of wielding stronger fire magic...

    But if they miscalcte the amount of wood or ignite too strong a fire, the fire wizard burns before that.

    Thus, the ultimate fate of all fire wizards... is to be mes themselves...!

    ''I''m going insane!''

    In the end, Ian had to endure within the 20-meter tall pir of fire until the mes tired out.

    Moving and losing concentration meant instant death.

    "Talk to the fire, convey your presence and will! If you break off in the middle, you''ll burn up immediately!"

    Ian recalled Eredith''s teachings.

    Transmitting his will to the mystery was very easy for Ian, being a Maronius master and a level 3 fire wizard.

    But what about presence?

    This was the realm of innate talent.

    It was about attracting the mystery''s attention, a part Ian couldn''t ovee with effort.

    But fortunately, Ian had a rising star of fire magic, attracting the mystery''s attention, by his side.

    "Kira! Wake up! Kira!"

    Ian forcibly woke the copsing Kira.

    With Ian''s willful cry, the heat enveloping Kira disappearedpletely.

    "...Ian?"

    "It''s not over yet! It''s just the beginning! Focus and listen to the voice of the fire!"

    Ian shouted.

    "You are a wizard! Kira Laventa!"

    Whether a fake or a fraud, that didn''t matter.

    Kira had a talent for fire magic.

    Ian needed Kira''s presence.

    [Good! You half-burnt pieces of wood! Who will burn with me first!!!]

    The mystery of fire felt the presence and will of the wizard, bing even more spirited and boisterous.

    Ian hurriedly shouted.

    "Kira! I''ll recite to you the secrets of fire magic that my master taught me!"

    "What, what?!"

    "Just listen! First! Feel the presence of the mes and push yourself into it! Ultimately, be prepared to even let your body be fuel!"

    "Okay!"

    Kira stored the intricacies of fire magic, the secrets Ian told her, in her mind.

    As Kira, naturally talented in fire magic, actively made herself known, the burden on Ian significantly decreased.

    ''To be fuel myself.''

    That was a very easy mindset for Kira.

    After all, she had jumped into a pit of fire, prepared to burn herself to save Ian.

    [HAHAHAHAHA! Look! My beloved logs! This is the true nature of the world!]

    Giant mes swirled.

    Ian, with thenguage of Maronius, and Kira, with her natural ability to attract the fire''s attention, conversed with the fire, watching it burn away.

    The fire continued to show interest in the two wizards, ensuring they weren''t burnt to death.

    It would be too wasteful to lose friends who yed with fire together like this.

    Surprisingly, amid the chaos, Ian felt his understanding of fire magic skyrocket.

    Thinking about it, this wasn''t much different from the training method Eredith taught Ian.

    Eredith had also thrown Ian into a pit of fire to teach him fire magic.

    This was just like that time!

    [LV UP!]

    [Skill: Fire Magic  Lv 4]

    [You are quite an excellent fire wizard!]

    ''No...''

    Ian smiled bitterly as he saw fire magic reach the highest level among all the magics he had collected.

    Now, instead of being called summoner Ian, he should be referred to as fire wizard Ian.

    ---

    ---

    Larabel burst into manicughter as she watched Ian enveloped in mes.

    "Hahahaha! Yes! Burn! Burn into nothing but ashes!"

    She used a scroll filled with mes, meticulously prepared by a wizard of the ancient Golden Empire.

    Larabel knew Ian was apetent wizard.

    But he''s a dark wizard, right?

    What can he possibly do with such pathetic mysteries of darkness?

    As Larabel''sughter echoed,

    Belenka dropped her sword.

    "Ian..."

    Then, the werewolf stopped attacking.

    "Do you surrender,dy?"

    "..."

    Belenka was speechless.

    Ian... the versatile wizard Ian...

    To die so futilely...

    "I don''t know what rtionship you have with him, but on behalf of my master, I apologize."

    "Is that supposed to beforting? Chihuahua?"

    Belenka hated the Chihuahua... werewolf.

    Can''t you see the severity of the situation?

    She would have killed him long ago if she could.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Don''t be too disheartened. Knight of Baekguk."

    "...?"

    Someone passed by Belenka.

    A man she had never seen before.

    "Who..."

    The man, with a stoic expression, ignored Belenka and immediately approached Larabel.

    Larabel, who had beenughing for a while, noticed the man a bitte.

    And she was shocked.

    "You... you!"

    The man took off his hood.

    Silver hair cascaded down.

    "It''s been a while, Larabel."

    "Gerard!"

    Wizard Gerard.

    Larabel knew Gerard.

    They had once faced each other at a conference of space-time wizards.

    "How...! There was no future where you appear!"

    As Larabel screamed,

    Gerard answered bluntly.

    "I came after changing the future."

    "...What?"

    "Meaning, I''ve moved to and sought out a timeline where Larabel and Gerard meet."

    "!!!"

    Larabel was a space-time wizard. She can predict and choose futures.

    However, predicting the future was not her magic alone.

    Gerard was also a space-time wizard.

    And a far superior onepared to Larabel.

    "How...! There shouldn''t have been such a branch...!"

    "Larabel."

    Gerard looked at Larabel with cold eyes.

    "Did you think the scales of time would tip only in your favor?"

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Larabel''s body trembled uncontrobly.

    "No... That can''t be... Such a future cannot exist..."

    She wanted to deny reality.

    Space-time wizard Gerard appeared before her eyes.

    The implication was clear.

    All her ns had been seen through, and soon, everything she had built would be rendered useless.

    "See for yourself."

    Gerard spoke coldly.

    Larabel, forcing her immobile head to turn, looked at the storm of mes.

    The pir of fire, which had reached the end of the sky, was now reduced to a height of two meters.

    Through the mes, Larabel saw two figures.

    The wizard Ian and a red-haired woman, hispanion.

    "How...! That''s impossible!"

    Gerard''s prediction was correct.

    Ian was alive.

    Through the burning mes.

    Enveloped in the mystical brilliance of red mes.

    Trampling the ashes, sparks scattering.

    The wizard Ian walked forward.

    "Impressive."

    Gerard muttered lightly as he watched Ian.

    "Doesn''t it look like a phoenix? Rising to new life from a massive fire."

    "...Shut up, Gerard."

    Gerard, without malice, merely expressed his thoughts on Ian''s appearance.

    However, Larabel could only think that Gerard was mocking her.

    She had no options left.

    Herst resort was blocked.

    Larabel was utterly defeated.

    "Tell me one thing, Gerard. How did you bring him back to life? How did he withstand my storm of fire scroll?"

    Gerard answered bluntly.

    "Do you really think I saved Ian?"

    "...What?"

    "You still don''t understand the way of the space-time wizard."

    Larabel felt deep shame at Gerard''sment.

    Yes, her question was wed.

    If Gerard had decided to ''save'' Ian, he would have sought out a timeline where the storm of fire scroll was never used.

    A space-time wizard changes the future, not interfere with what has already happened.

    But the storm of fire did happen, and Ian was caught in the terrible fire.

    Meaning, Gerard deemed it okay for Ian to be caught in the storm of fire!

    "That''s ridiculous...!"

    If true, it was astonishing.

    Surviving the storm of fire purely on magical ability, without any external help!

    Larabel changed her question.

    Ian''s abilities were beyond her foresight.

    How was that even possible?

    "In the future I foresaw, Ian always burned to death! But Gerard. How did you predict Ian wouldn''t die?"

    This was a much better question.

    Feeling as if she were back in a meeting of space-time wizards, Larabel awaited Gerard''s answer.

    "You didn''t see Ian''s essence, and I did. That''s all."

    "...The essence of that wizard?"

    Gerard slowly nodded.

    "Larabel, in this vast world, the perspective of a single wizard is extremely insignificant and trivial. It''s a beginner''s mistake to worship a moment of the future you glimpse as the truth."

    "..."

    "Think broadly and diversely. Always remember that the information you acquire with your eyes is iplete and partial."

    So, what is Ian''s essence?!

    Larabel swallowed her words.

    She was curious, but asking would hurt her pride, making it seem like she was begging.

    Gerard stopped the small talk and looked straight ahead.

    There, a young man with ck hair was walking towards them.

    "Phew. That was damn annoying."

    Ian, approaching Larabel, noticed Gerard a bitte.

    "Who are you?"

    Gerard answered without any change in expression.

    "No need to be so wary, Eredith''s disciple, Ian. I''m just here to give you some advice."

    No, isn''t that suspicious?

    Talking calmly with Larabel and the way he suddenly appeared to give advice.

    Ian was doubtful whether he could trust this man.

    Isn''t he on the same side as Larabel?

    But then, out of nowhere, Kira yelled.

    "Hey! You''re the one from back then...!"

    "???"

    Ian looked at the two, bewildered.

    Surprisingly, Kira and Gerard knew each other.

    "Good to see you again, fire wizard Kira."

    Gerard waved his hand mechanically.

    He didn''t look pleased at all.

    "Was the advice I gave you useful?"

    Kira bit her lip and red at Gerard.

    "Advice?"

    "Yeah. I''ve met this guy before."

    Kira looked at Gerard resentfully and said.

    "You told me to run to Baron Damon''s domain for a good oue...!"

    Slowly, painful memories of being tormented by Baron (bandit leader) Damon resurfaced.

    Back then! How much heartache I went through!

    If Ian hadn''t helped me, I would''ve been exposed as a fake wizard and sold into very by now!

    Kira, suddenly angry, clung to Ian''s arm.

    Phew. Now I feel a bit calmer.

    Gerard nonchntly met Kira''s gaze and said.

    "Well, it seems to me, the good oue has already happened. Right?"

    Ian and Kira''s eyes met.

    Kira jumped back in surprise, releasing Ian''s arm.

    "Oh, no! This is...! It''s a habit from doing it to my dad...!"

    "...Cling all you want."

    "Sorry!!!"

    Ian brushed off an embarrassed Kira and spoke privately with Gerard.

    "So, you''re saying you sent Kira to Baron Damon?"

    "Yes."

    "Why?"

    Then Gerard smiled faintly.

    Ian thought Gerard''s smile was somewhat creepy.

    "For a ''better future''."

    ---

    ---

    After capturing Larabel, Gerard found a suitable ce to settle down.

    Some werewolf named Lewis or something was also captured as part of the set.

    Belenka was in charge of watching the prisoner.

    "To be honest, I''m uneasy."

    Belenka grumbled about why they didn''t just kill Larabel right there.

    Indeed, the mindset of an isekai high school girl with a longsword was different.

    Clearly not apetent wizard worth a ransom, and keeping a wizard who could cast insane magic like a storm of fire alive was too unnerving.

    But Gerard opposed executing Larabel.

    "There''s no chance of Larabel escaping, so rest easy."

    "How am I supposed to believe that?"

    Belenka left to watch over Larabel, saying she had to keep an eye on her.

    Belenka, the only knight, didn''t trust Gerard''s words, but Ian and Kira did.

    He was an experienced space-time wizard.

    A space-time wizard vouched for it, so Larabel couldn''t escape.

    "Right. You asked why sending the wizard Kira to Baron Damon would lead to a better future?"

    At the mention of ''wizard Kira'', Kira flinched.

    In the storm of fire, Kira indeed heard the voice of the mystery of fire.

    And she managed to appeal to the mystery, even having a brief conversation.

    Now, Kira couldn''t be considered an ordinary person.

    Though her magic was unstable, Kira was a wizard.

    "If Kira hadn''t moved to Baron Damon''s territory, she would soon have been captured by ve hunters and sold to the harem of the Sultan in the Sand Empire."

    Kira stopped herself from clinging to Ian''s arm out of reflex.

    But when Ian signaled it was okay, she rxed and grabbed his arm.

    A future in the Sultan''s harem? How could such a future exist?

    "And Ian. You would have died from Larabel''s scroll."

    "...I thought that might be the case."

    "Well. I would have intervened before you died. But thanks to Kira changing the branching point, that future disappeared."

    "Branching point?"

    Gerard nodded.

    "A crucial event that changes the future. Space-time wizards call it a branching point."

    "A future where Kira goes to Baron Damon and one where she doesn''t... Something like that?"

    "Good, you catch on quick."

    Ultimately, it means the futures of both wizards changed because Kira met Baron Damon.

    Ian looked at Gerard with a skeptical gaze.

    It was true that Kira made the right choice at the branching point.

    But the person who gave her that advice was... this guy, right?

    "I admit it. Thanks to your advice, Kira and I gained enlightenment. Both of us have improved our mastery of fire magic."

    However, Ian couldn''t understand Gerard''s motives.

    It''s true that this event led to growth for both Ian and Kira.

    But what does Gerard gain from this?

    "But why did you give Kira that advice? What do you mean by a ''better future''? Exactly?"

    But Gerard looked at him as if to say, what are you talking about?

    "Shouldn''t you know better than anyone else? Ian Eredith Raven?"

    "??? Me?"

    As Ian made a puzzled face, Gerard realized the situation and nodded.

    "I see. You haven''t reached that point yet."

    "What hasn''t reached? What are you talking about?"

    "Ah. You don''t know."

    "..."

    "Then let''s leave it at that. Further discussion seems pointless to both of us."

    No. F*cking hell.

    Ian wanted to punch Gerard right in the face.

    What kind of as*hole talks like that?

    Furious as he might be, Gerard truly didn''t speak any more about the ''future.''

    Instead, he dropped a more shocking revtion.

    "Wait a minute. Gerard. You told my master... to make me a wizard?"

    "Yes. It''s been over 8 years now."

    Ian was astounded.

    So, this space-time wizard... was the one who advised Eredith to train Ian as a wizard!

    Gerard had advised Eredith that ''good things will happen if you take Ian as your disciple.''

    Following that advice, Eredith took Ian as her disciple.

    In essence, Gerard was practically the one who made Ian into a wizard...!

    "Well, thanks... I guess?"

    Ian awkwardly expressed his gratitude.

    But Gerard didn''t pay any attention to Ian.

    "It was just a choice for a better future."

    So much for saying thanks.

    Ian decided to forget any gratitude he felt towards Gerard.

    After all! Ian only had one master, Master Eredith!

    "Take this, Ian."

    "Huh?"

    Gerard offered something to Ian.

    It was an item Ian had be somewhat familiar with after seeing it a few times.

    A magic scroll.

    "Whether you take it or not is your choice. But if you do, good things will happen soon."

    "What kind of magic scroll is it?"

    "It contains space-time teleportation magic."

    Oh. Space-time teleportation?

    An incredibly useful item.

    Space-time teleportation was something not even the superior technology of the modern world could mimic, a truly fantastical item!

    It was undoubtedly a scroll made by a space-time wizard.

    "How you use it is up to you. However, since it''s an item that can cause a branching point capable of changing world lines, I rmend you use it wisely."

    In short, Ian could use it whenever he felt like it.

    "Can''t you just outright tell me when it''s best to use it?"

    "No. If the future is disclosed in the present, is it still the future or does it be the past?"

    "...?"

    Ian didn''t press further.

    It was an incredibly useful space-time teleportation scroll.

    He figured he could make good use of it no matter how he used it.

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "I guess I have to go now."

    The story wrapped up roughly.

    The space-time wizard had turned his back afterying out a series of perplexing tales from start to finish.

    Ian seemed to understand why Eredith despised space-time wizards.

    ''Space-time wizards are all a bunch of sneaky bastards!''

    Space-time wizards know the future.

    But the sneaky part is that they cannot disclose this future to others!

    It wasnt just because of the space-time wizards'' rules.

    [If the future is disclosed in the present, is it still the future or does it be the past?]

    The future has not yet happened, so it remains the future.

    However, the past is firmly fixed.

    It doesnt change, so it remains the past.

    But if by disclosing the future, it bes fixed from the current moment... can it still be considered the future?

    No. The moment the future is disclosed, it merges with the present and bes part of the past.

    Thus, the hard-earned foresight of the future ceases to be the future, and a new future takes its ce.

    ''Well, what the hell is that supposed to mean. Tsk tsk.''

    It might soundplex at first, but the meaning is simple.

    Suppose Ian learned space-time magic and foresaw the future.

    Ian foresaw that Belenka would die tomorrow around lunchtime, struck by a horse.

    Shocked, Ian tells Belenka, "Youre going to die tomorrow!"

    Heres the problem.

    Will Belenka actually die tomorrow at lunchtime, struck by a horse? Or not?

    The answer is "No."

    Why?

    Belenka knew in advance about being hit by a horse and decided not to go out at lunchtime.

    Therefore, she wasnt struck and saved her own life.

    Then another problem arises.

    Can Ian truly be said to have properly foreseen the future?

    The answer is "No."

    Ian foresaw a future where Belenka dies.

    But by disclosing the future he foresaw, Ian saved Belenka''s life.

    In other words, Ian negated the future he had foreseen by his own disclosure.

    In essence, the future Ian foresaw stopped being the future.

    The fluidity of time is so immense that even the most experienced space-time wizards cannot be certain about how their statements might alter the future.

    Therefore, space-time wizards try not to disclose the futures they foresee, keeping them to themselves.

    Only by doing so can they preserve the future intact.

    "Ian. I''d like to take this troublemaker off your hands. What do you think?"

    Gerard, holding the ropes that bound Larabel, asked Ian.

    Larabel had attempted to take Ian''s life several times and had been captured; by rights, Larabel''s life was practically in Ian''s hands.

    "What are you going to do with her?"

    "I cant tell you the details. There''s use for her, that''s all."

    Ah, right. I didnt expect a proper answer anyway.

    Ian shrugged.

    He had intended to send Larabel to the heavens himselfhe wanted her out of sight.

    But Gerard taking her instead?

    That could work.

    The result was the same since Larabel would be gone.

    However, Ian was reluctant to just let her go.

    "I dont feel like giving her up. It feels unfair to let her go after what she did."

    "Hmm. I understand. You have the right to seek revenge."

    Gerard offered something to Ian.

    It was a beautifully crafted gem, filled with a powerful force.

    "This is the [Eye of the Wind]. It contains the power of the wind, capable of summoning gusts."

    "Hmm..."

    As expected.

    It was an object filled with mystery.

    Something like an artifact.

    "If you hand over Larabel, Ill give you this as a ransom. Itll be a useful item for you, Ian."

    Ian tilted his head slightly.

    The jewel was indeed useful. But its effect seemed too trivial.

    A gem that generates gusts?

    Ian could also create gusts if he just talked to the mysteries of the wind.

    If it could create gusts without any conditions, it might indeed be useful...

    That''s when it happened.

    [Challenge  Worship the Sky! Condition has been fulfilled.]

    [The ''Worship the Sky'' challenge has been activated.]

    "...?"

    Suddenly, the status window started functioning.

    Ian was puzzled but opened the status window anyway.

    [Challenge  Worship the Sky!]

    [To petition the sacred sky, appropriate ritual implements are needed. Create tools for the sacrifice that will satisfy the sacred sky. These tools will bring you closer to the sky.]

    [Objective: Create the true Anor-lsil.]

    [Gather the following items to harness the power of Anor-lsil.]

    [1. Something containing the power of the sky]

    [2. Something containing the power of the clouds]

    [3. Something containing the power of the wind]

    [4. Something containing the power of the stars]

    [5. Something containing the power of the sun]

    [6. Something containing the power of the moon]

    [Once the true Anor-lsil ispleted, the Worship the Sky! challenge will proceed.]

    "..."

    What is this, a sudden worship... no, a surprise quest?

    Due to theck of a detailed exnation, the specifics were unclear.

    However, Ian intuitively sensed it.

    This quest was directly rted to the mystery of the sky, the ruler of this world.

    It was a quest connected to the one who reincarnated Ian in this other world and who provided the status window.

    Completing the true Anor-lsil would narrow the distance between the sky and Ian.

    Then...

    He could possibly question the grand ruler of this world about his reincarnation in another world.

    "How about it, Ian. I think the [Eye of the Wind] would be useful to you. Wont you hand over Larabel to me?"

    Ian asked Gerard with a smile.

    "Why? I can call upon the wind myself, can''t I?"

    Gerard also responded with a smile.

    "You know best why you need this gem, Ian."

    ...Space-time wizards.

    Ian was sure of it.

    Gerard knew that Ian was connected to the sacred sky.

    Although it seemed he didn''t know exactly how they were connected.

    Gerard hoped Ian would meet the sacred sky.

    That would be Gerards idea of a ''better future.''

    What would happen if Ian met the sacred sky?

    That was unknown.

    Only those cunning space-time wizards would likely know the big picture.

    "I wouldnt mind if you executed Larabel. However, you wouldnt get the Eye of the Wind, and I would have to find a new ally."

    Ian didnt overthink it.

    He had grown quite ustomed to life in the medieval fantasy world.

    He had be used to exchanging lives for ransom.

    "Alright. Ill hand over Larabel. It''s not exactly an exchange, but I hope you treat her like a ve."

    Ian could have killed Larabel, but then he would have to search for another item containing the power of the wind.

    That would be too bothersome.

    Once Ian decided, Gerard said with a smile.

    "I havent mentioned it yet, have I?"

    "What?"

    "Larabel is already my ve."

    "..."

    Since she was already a ve, saying to treat her like one was not quite right.

    Gerard led Larabel away, disappearing beyond the forest.

    "See you again, Ian."

    "Well. Come back if you need something."

    ---

    ---

    Surprisingly, Gerard brought up the Space-Time Wizard Council to Ian.

    "You will someday participate in the council of space-time wizards."

    Ian was slightly surprised, as it essentially meant that Ian would learn space-time magic.

    None other than the prophecy of a space-time wizard.

    Ian was almost certain to be a space-time wizard.

    "But, that will be after youvepleted your task."

    "Task?"

    Gerard patted Ians head with a smile.

    He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, so patting 18-year-old Ians head looked quite natural.

    "Dont overthink it. Your actions will shape your future."

    "Right?"

    The past umtes to be the future.

    It''s an unchanging truth, known to everyone.

    "Be true to the present, Ian. Live each day diligently, and one day, youll find yourself in a ce you never imagined."

    Ianughed at Gerards advice.

    It was something a YouTube motivational speaker might say.

    It was as direct as it was a clear truth.

    Live honestly.

    Ian took action to put Gerards advice into practice.

    First, he nned to deal with the werewolf he had captured.

    "Since I''ve released Larabel, maybe I should sacrifice this one?"

    Ian intended to take the werewolf to Devosi Castle.

    Since Gerard had taken Larabel, they needed someone to me for themotion.

    The werewolf was a suitable monster for the role.

    A wolf that speaks humannguage?

    Perfect for the medieval folks to get overly involved.

    If Ian and Kira talked it up properly, the medieval people would be satisfied burning the werewolf.

    In fact, if the two wizards really put on a show, they could even make an innocent farmer look like an evil wizard.

    "Wait a moment! Your Grace, might we have a brief conversation?"

    "?"

    Realizing that he was about to be burned, the werewolf kneeled beside Ian and cried out in desperation.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    The werewolf''s ent was just too much.

    Why the hell does this guy speak like that?

    Indeed, the werewolfs voice had a thick foreign ent mixed in, buttery and uniquely bizarre.

    It sounded like a voice actor dubbing a foreign movie, overly exaggerated.

    "Where did he learn ournguage?"

    As Ian muttered, Kira whispered back.

    "That one seems to be from the Kingdom of Rnd, doesnt it?"

    "The Kingdom of Rnd?"

    To the west of the Holy Empire, there was arge kingdom.

    Unlike the Holy Empire, which was only an empire in name, the Kingdom of Rnd was a true centralized monarchy.

    "Belenka. Didnt your father work in the Kingdom of Rnd?"

    "He did."

    The Kingdom of Rnd was also Belenkas destination.

    She intended to seek employment again from the noble her father had served.

    "If you''re asking about the homnd of thismoner, yes. Ie from a nameless ce in the beautiful countryside of the Kingdom of Rnd"

    "Shut up. Chihuahua."

    Belenka smacked the back of the werewolfs head.

    He grimaced and closed his mouth, making him look more like a dog-man than a werewolf.

    "Ian. We probably don''t need this guy''s body, shall we just take the head?"

    As Belenka spoke, the werewolf teared up.

    That''s too much!

    Why wouldn''t a person need their body!

    It''s so precious!!!

    "Your Grace! I am Lewis of nche! I was merely employed by the wizard! If you release me, I promise to pay a suitable ransom!"

    Then Belenka remarked.

    "You must have been in charge of tormenting the people and controlling the dire wolves, Ian. This one is a monster. Is there any need to show mercy to one who is not human?"

    "Your Grace! Although half of me is beast, the other half is human! I do have a human heart, even if it is just half! To prove it, look at this!"

    Werewolf Lewis frantically pulled something out.

    It was a token of Heaven''s Faith.

    Belenka shouted in anger.

    "This monster! You dared to steal a holy symbol?"

    "Oh, it''s a misunderstanding! This is mine! I officially joined Heaven''s Faith and received this item!"

    My goodness.

    Ian was amazed.

    A werewolf was a follower of Heaven''s Faith?

    Seriously?

    "He must have pretended to join! While professing to follow the teachings of the heavens, did he not attack innocent people!"

    Then Lewis sternly replied.

    "The ones who kill the most farmers are not monsters, but human knights. Theymit murder while bearing holy artifacts. Does that not mean they too have forsaken the will of the heavens?"

    ""

    Belenka was speechless.

    Knights casually kill farmers.

    Simply because they are bothersome.

    Yet, priests still recognize these knights as followers of Heaven''s Faith.

    Then what difference is there between the werewolf who has undergone the initiation rites and knights steeped in ughter?

    Ian snickered.

    "Well. Think of him as a knight in a fursuit."

    "Damn."

    "Oh! Thank you! Your Grace!"

    Lewis bowed deeply, moved by Ian''s merciful decision.

    Lewis was genuinely moved, not just pretending.

    He didn''t know what the term "fursuit" meant, but he clearly heard the word "knight"!

    To be called a knight, even as a mere werewolf!

    The Church of Heaven''s Faith, which had initiated Lewis, had treated him like a monster, but Ian called him a knight, treating him like a human.

    Unlike the native inhabitants of this medieval fantasy world, Ian almost had no prejudice against different races because he had be familiar with them through modern creative works (ironically, he had never actually seen one).

    A furry knight with a cheesy ent?

    Well... why not?

    Upon closer look, Lewis seemed to have the kind of appearance that extremely wealthy people would go crazy for.

    If Ian had been a furry enthusiast, he would have saved his life without a second thought.

    "This Lewis, given the chance, I will prove my worth and repay my ransom!"

    A typical human ruler would not have employed Lewis.

    Despite being a follower of the Church of Heaven, Lewis was a different race and considered untrustworthy.

    But Ian had once been a modern human, and now he was a wizard.

    ustomed to cooperating with beasts and free of prejudice against other races, he asked,

    "So, what can you do?"

    "I can fight on the battlefield like human knights, and more importantly, I canmand wolves!"

    Wolfmand, huh.

    That was quite an impressive ability.

    Ian listened seriously to what Lewis had to say.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Wolves have always been a nuisance to farmers.

    Even a single wolf can be too much for a human to handle.

    When arge wolf attacks with murderous intent, even a strong adult man would find it difficult to fight back.

    Therefore, territories gued by wolves periodically hold hunting contests to cull them.

    Baron Devosi also frequently organized wolf hunting contests.

    The lord enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, knights and hunters showcased their skills and earned money, and the farmers were happy to be rid of the damn wolves; it was a joyful event for everyone.

    However, Lewis had the ability to get rid of wolves without the need for a hunting contest.

    It was a very appropriate skill for a small and poor territory.

    Not bad, huh?

    Ian seriously considered using Lewis.

    Of course, wolf control was not a skill Ian needed.

    Ian was a summoner and could project his will onto beasts.

    In fact, it was even possible for Ian tomand wolves directly.

    Ian was thinking of the Talian territory.

    The ability to control wolves could be used appropriately there.

    It would be a great help to the peasants as it would allow for the removal of wolves without needing to mobilize knights and hunters.

    Alright. Belenka. Let Lewis go.

    ... Understood.

    Belenka reluctantly freed Lewis from his bindings, still wary of him.

    But Ian was not.

    As a summoner, he could feel Lewis''s emotions.

    There was no problem in releasing him.

    It felt simr to how it was with Longtail.

    Freed from his restraints, Lewis bowed respectfully.

    Thank you for trusting me, your Grace.

    Lewis of nche. You have sworn to follow the will of Heaven, so I consider you worthy of making a just contract with me. Do you agree?

    I agree!

    You were captured as my enemy, but my mercy saved your life. If we were to convert that into money...

    Its worth a hundred imperial gold coins.

    Thank you, Belenka. He says he owes a hundred imperial gold coins. Lewis of nche, if you pay me a hundred imperial gold coins, you are a free man.

    Merciful one. I am grateful for your generous decision, but I have no gold.

    Then you shall earn the equivalent of a hundred gold coins to pay your debt. Do you agree to this arrangement?

    I agree!

    Belenka made a motion as if to draw her sword.

    Should I do it?

    I need to do it to make the master-servant contract.

    Ah.

    Ian tapped Lewis''s shoulder with Anor-lsil.

    Lewis of nche. Until you have fully repaid your value, you are a knight in my service. If you break this contract, you shall suffer eternally in hell before the almighty wrath of Heaven.

    I, Lewis, swear by Heaven, I will not break this holy contract. Until my debt is paid, the wizard Ian is my master.

    Thus, the master-servant contract between Ian and Lewis waspleted, ording to the typical doctrine of the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    The witness was Belenka of Wintz.

    Now, Lewis was a knight of a wizard.

    I never thought Id see a werewolf be a knight in my lifetime.

    As Belenka grumbled, Ian just shrugged.

    So what? He''s a believer in the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Well, thats true.

    Actually, Belenka had no ce to talk.

    She too had be a knight to Ian to repay a life debt.

    Then, a status window appeared before Ian.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Summoning  Werewolf Summon]

    [Call upon your knight and servant, the werewolf Lewis, to fulfill his knightly duties. Lewis will respond to your call.]

    Ian whistled softly.

    A werewolf was also a magical being, able to be bound by summoning magic.

    Thus, Lewis was doubly bound by contract and skill.

    ... I never thought I would formally serve you like this.

    Lewis looked at Ian with a profound gaze.

    He was a werewolf handsome enough to make furry enthusiasts lose their minds, but Ian felt no interest in him.

    Ah.

    A werewolf has style, thats all.

    I only thought about a magical contract... to have my debt formally acknowledged like this...

    ???

    Ian pondered for a while what that meant.

    Was having a debt written in a contract really something to be happy about?

    But Ian didn''t know.

    In this world, even getting recognition for having a debt was difficult.

    It was rare to specify debts in terms of a few gold or silver coins as Ian did.

    Most often, creditors exploited debtors ''until they were satisfied,'' and very few could protest.

    After all, those who came to collect debts were usually stronger.

    At least someone had to be a knight or higher to formalize a debt into a contract.

    Once a contract was finalized, even a king couldn''t interfere because it was made in the name of the almighty Heaven.

    Interfering would mean facing divine punishment or falling into hell.

    Therefore, the weaker individuals wanted their debts precisely formalized in contracts to avoid future disputes.

    "Ian, are you going to take that guy with you on your travels? It could be a hassle."

    He was almost certainly going to attract trouble.

    Even though he was a follower of the Church of Heaven, Lewis was a werewolf.

    Someone could kill him, make it look like an ident, and easily get away with it.

    "No, I''m sending him to Lucy."

    "To Baron Talian?"

    Ian nodded.

    Wolf control was not a useful skill for Ian''s travels.

    It was much better to send Lewis to assist with the security of the territory.

    "Lewis, I''m assigning you a mission."

    "Command me, my master."

    "First, take care of Devosi''s dire wolves. Once you''re done, head to Talian."

    "To Talian, you say?"

    "Yes. When you meet Baron Talian, tell her you were sent by Wizard Ian. She''s a friend of mine, so serve her diligently, as you would serve me."

    A werewolf like Lewis would certainly enhance Talian''scking force.

    Lewis understood themand and bowed.

    "I will depart immediately."

    Ian conveyed his will to Lewis using his summoning skill.

    [I might call you like this asionally. When I do,e right away.]

    [Ah...! This is magic! Understood!]

    There were advantages to making a monster a knight.

    Following Ian''s orders, Lewis took control of the dire wolves and disappeared into the forest.

    Wizard Larabel and the werewolf Lewis were both disposed of.

    Now, the only thing left was Catherine''s son, who Ian had ''kidnapped.''

    "Let''s return to the castle."

    ---

    ---

    "Damn."

    Ian sighed briefly.

    Catherine''s son was nowhere to be seen.

    Letting him roam free to avoid getting him killed in a fight had backfired.

    "Ian. Found him."

    But Belenka, who had been searching around, quickly located him.

    It took her less than ten minutes to find a ce where someone might hide.

    "Please, just spare my life..."

    He had prostrated himself before Ian could even speak.

    It was both ridiculous and a bit pitiful.

    Not all noble sons were brave.

    Some were weak and trembled at the slightest things.

    Had he been born a farmer''s son, he would have been trampled on all his life.

    "Come on. Everything''s over now, let''s go home and talk more."

    Ian patted his back and headed towards the castle.

    As expected, the castle was upied by Lady Serena.

    "Look! There''s Lord Ian and Lady Kira!"

    "It seems Lord Ian has defeated the wizard!"

    "Lady Kira must have helped!"

    The residents of the castle had heard about the situation from Lady Serena.

    Of course, Lady Serena had hurriedly shared the information to calm things down.

    Who knew how things might turn out otherwise?

    But Ian had seeded in capturing the wizard and returned to the castle triumphantly.

    Heaven seemed to bless Ian too, as the dawn light bathed the castle walls in a golden glow.

    "I have returned."

    Lady Serena was relieved to find that Catherine''s son, Carton, was alive.

    Even if Carton had died, it wouldn''t have been a problem, but a tender part of Lady Serena''s heart still remained.

    She wasn''t corrupt enough to rejoice in the death of a child she had lived with like family.

    "Did you seed?"

    Ian answered with a nod.

    Belenka, carrying a massive pole, stood confidently before the crowd.

    "Wow!"

    "My God. What is that?!"

    "Is that a monkey? But it''s carrying a sword...!"

    The creature Belenka had tied to the pole and dragged here was... a monkey assassin.

    Now that Larabel had been sold off and Lewis had been recruited as a subordinate, the only monster left to me for the chaos was the monkey assassin.

    Fortunately, the monkey assassin looked grotesque enough on the outside.

    "Look at its clumsy imitation of a human!"

    "It''s definitely an evil monster!"

    Excited priests picked up stones and threw them at the monkey''s corpse.

    Thud, thud.

    As blood and flesh sttered, the priests erupted in cheers.

    "Wo!"

    "The evil monster is dead!!!"

    Ian watched this scene and sighed.

    What is this?

    A game of bursting balloons?

    Though he had tried to make it look like a wizard, the priests began desecrating the body immediately, turning all his effort and care into nothing.

    But regardless, the situation had been neatly wrapped up.

    "As you can see, this monster was the culprit disturbing the order of Devosi Castle."

    "Oh!"

    "It does look like it!"

    The story that a magic-learned monkey manipted monsters to toy with humans struck a chord with medieval hearts.

    "Tell us more! Go into more detail!"

    The ssic confrontation between humans and monsters, between good and evil, is a universally appealing theme.

    It''s a fundamentally overflowing, super entertaining topic.

    While modern people drowning in a flood of creative content might find the human-monster battle a familiar, repeatedly brewed broth, for the medieval fantasy folk, it was still a guaranteed box office hit.

    And a wizard had chased down and fought the monster all night?

    Sh*t, I''m damn curious!

    People crowded around Ian like clouds, shouting.

    "Part two! Release part two!"

    "Tell us now!"

    Ian looked at the priests throwing tantrums like crybabies, I want part two~ give us part two~, and clicked his tongue.

    Tsk tsk.

    They''re so vulnerable to dopamine.

    No wonder they seriously believe that the more peculiar a wizard is, the stronger they are.

    "I''ll tell you the storyter. Let''s first go see the Baron."

    "Ah! Let''s go right now!"

    Ian made his way through the crowd to Baron Devosi''s room.

    There, Baron Devosi and Lady Catherine were lying side by side.

    Ian spoke strongly in thenguage of Maronius.

    "[Return.]"

    Then, the Baron and his wife simultaneously spat something out.

    "Haah!"

    "What the...!"

    It was a white worm-like creature that resembled a centipede.

    A monster cultivated by Wizard Larabel, it was a type that sucked the life force from its host.

    Ian frowned.

    No wonder they couldn''t find anything.

    The ''disease'' that had been tormenting the Baron was arge parasite, not some mysterious magic or germ.

    In modern times, an MRI, or heck, even an X-ray would have revealed its identity.

    It was the first time Ian had seen this method of imnting parasites in a human body.

    Had he known about it, he might have thought of it, but this time he hadn''t known to look for it.

    Having taken control of the summons from Larabel, Ian easily eradicated the parasitic worms.

    "These creatures were the culprits tormenting the Baron."

    "Ah..."

    Lady Serena copsed with a sigh, tears flowing despite the many onlookers.

    The maids, instead of stopping her, joined her in her tears.

    Ian decided to let Lady Serena cry as much as she needed.

    Just as Ian was about to leave the room, Lady Serena grabbed him.

    "...Thank you. How can I ever repay this kindness..."

    Ian shrugged.

    He didn''t know, nor did he want to know the psyche of ady thrown into a hostile environment after her husband fell ill from an unknown cause.

    "Don''t mention it."

    But Ian felt good, having uncovered many mysteries and secrets.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Having been freed from the parasite, Baron Devosi quickly regained his health to a visibly noticeable extent.

    He wasn''t really sick, just severely drained of energy.

    Naturally, he recovered by simply resting and eating well.

    In his healthier days, he was vigorous enough to enjoy wolf hunting, so he naturally bounced back and quickly got out of bed.

    After a few months, Baron Devosi gathered people at Devosi Hall.

    His original vassals, the clergy who came to treat him, casual visitors, and even Ian and his group were there, making it quite crowded.

    Baron Devosi repeatedly praised his servants and loyal vassals who had cared for him to the end.

    "How happy I am to have such loyal followers by my side."

    "Oh, your excellency, that''s too much praise!"

    To Ian, it seemed like just lip service, but the servants felt the weight of the emotions differently.

    It was a noble''s direct praise!

    A glory worth spreading around the neighborhood, not just to a wife, husband, or children!

    Of course, they might have been happy expecting a reward following the lip service.

    The Baron, havinge back from the brink of death, was sure to throw money around tomemorate the event.

    He announced to everyone how close he hade to crumbling under the scheme of an evil wizard, hoping that such an event would never happen again.

    "Coming all this way for me. Your kind hearts must reach the heavens."

    "It must be the grace of heaven that took care of you, sir."

    The clergy chuckled as they listened to the Baron''s words of gratitude.

    In reality, the clergy didn''t really do anything when they arrived.

    They just prayed among themselves, ate, and chatted.

    Only one thingthey upied the front of the Baron''s room to prevent any suspicious people from entering.

    That was their sole contribution.

    But Baron Devosi had to express his gratitude to the clergy.

    Why? Because he survived thanks to the care of heaven!

    He had to pass on his thanks to heaven through the clergy.

    The clergy would go home, taking a generous stipend with them.

    The value of their prayers so far + the cost of performing a holy service for heaven.

    Even just showing up to eat meant money, an insanely sweet deal.

    This is why even those without faith join the clergy.

    "And the wizards, Ian and Kira."

    Ian and Kira were the center of everyone''s attention.

    They were the heroes who had tracked down and eliminated a malicious wizard controlling monsters, saving Baron Devosi.

    No one doubted the wizards'' contributions.

    "I can''t thank you enough, young friends. You are the saviors of my life."

    Kira stepped forward with a proud expression.

    "There''s no need to thank us. That bastard provoked me first, so I just took my revenge."

    People were amazed by Kira''s lofty tone.

    Kira had witnessed a vast mystery and survived.

    For those whoe into contact with beings beyond humanprehension, the light of their soul changes.

    Kira herself didn''t realize it, but her eyes began to show a strange, mysterious glow, like a touch of madness.

    It was because Kira was a wizard without a foundation.

    If she had learned the Maroniusnguage and been able to refine the mysteries she experienced into words, there wouldn''t have been any physical changes.

    But she entered the world of magic with 100% pure talent, unaware of how to control the mysteries manifesting in her body.

    "Truly, Lady Kira...!"

    "She really is an amazing person!"

    Especially when Ian used dark magic to stir trouble, the vassals who had received Kira''s help trusted her immensely.

    Ian also chimed in.

    "Well. It was nothing. I didn''t do much, really."

    It was true.

    After resisting the firestorm scroll, Gerard had sorted out the situation.

    However, people thought differently.

    They thought Ian was showing extreme humility!

    "Such self-control, he must be a remarkable wizard!"

    "There''s a rumor he''s also part of the clergy, diligently following the scriptures!"

    Everyone praised Ian''s humility, but one person was uniquely embarrassed.

    It was Kira.

    With a stunned expression, Kira stared at Ian.

    Hey!

    If you''re being humble, what does that make me?!

    Ian smirked and responded with a smile.

    Let''s see. An Archwizard?

    It suited Kira far better to be a humble wizard rather than cosying as an Archwizard, given her personality.

    But she had blurted out a haughtyment almost out of habit.

    Haah...

    Kira briefly looked downcast, but quickly adopted the proud demeanor of a mboyant fire wizard.

    Like it or not, the role-y had to continue.

    "Baron? My legs hurt from standing here, do I have to keep standing?"

    Kira asked naturally, and Baron Devosi smiled slightly.

    Kira was speaking rudely, but... Kira was unnecessarily outstanding in appearance.

    If Ian had said the same thing, "Hey Baron, do I have to keep standing?" he would have immediately beenbeled a rude wizard...

    But when Kira said it, it somehow looked adorable!

    "Kira''s contribution..."

    "Cough. She reminds me of my niece."

    "...?"

    Ian was dumbfounded seeing the vassals smile like uncles.

    No, think of her as rude here...!

    "We''ve kept our guests standing for too long. Let''s call it a day and meet again at the banquet!"

    ---

    ---

    Having saved the baron, Ian wanted to leave Devosi Castle.

    But naturally, people wouldn''t let him go.

    Starting with the clergy, not only the Baron himself but even the Baron''s two wives kept seeking him out almost daily, always trying to stick around.

    "Ian! We have a very pious bishop in our parish, how about I introduce you to him..."

    "How do you like Devosi Castle? I would like to offer you the position of Devosi''s sage..."

    "Ian. Would you like to meet my daughter?"

    "Wizard Ian! My son wants to apologize..."

    Ian was truly a delectable(?) talent.

    Young and unmarried, he already possessed outstanding magical abilities.

    He wasn''t just some rootless wizard picked off the streets but the sole disciple of the great fire wizard called [The Rising Star of Drawald], Eredith Manskal.

    Moreover, he was a devout follower of the Church of Heaven''s Faith, talented enough to perform miracles of heaven as a cleric.

    He was bound to be extremely useful!

    So, people clung to Ian disgustingly.

    ''Please f*ck off, you bastards...''

    Ian''s annoyance level was increasing by the day.

    Surrounding him, people wouldn''t stop pouring out offers like, be my vassal, serve the bishop, marry my daughter, and so on, driving him almost insane.

    Ian was alone in his room, drawing a magic circle.

    He was trying to add the Eye of the Wind to Anor-lsil.

    ''The mysteries of the sun and moon... are originally contained in Anor-lsil.''

    Ian considered the materials needed to create a true Anor-lsil.

    Sky, clouds, wind, stars, sun, moon.

    All mysteries rted to the sky.

    Thinking a bit further, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say they''re connected to the universe.

    In other words, to create a true Anor-lsil, one must cram it with powers like a microcosm...

    ''... I''ll need to find an incredible amount of mysteries.''

    Gerard had provided the object containing the mystery of the wind.

    But Ian had to find the other mysteries himself by running around.

    Combining the powers of these mysteries was also an issue.

    The status window simply said, ''Collect the powers of these mysteries~'' very casually.

    But Ian, who actually had tobine them, agonized over finding the right magic with a groan.

    ''A phrase that would simultaneously call the wind and sun...''

    So Ian drew and erased the magic circle several times, pondering how to add the power of the wind to Anor-lsil.

    He needed to simultaneously invoke the mysteries of the wind and either the sun or moon...

    But he couldn''t think of the right phrase!

    [Dear Wind and Sun, this is the first time I''m greeting you in writing. I am the wizard Ian. I have arranged a meeting to foster harmony between you two...]

    Scratch scratch.

    Ian hastily erased the magic circle he had drawn.

    The stress from dealing with people was about to explode!

    "Why the hell do I have to write something like aposition!"

    I was a science student, damn it!

    If I''m a wizard, ask me to do spell calctions, not write letters!

    High-speed operations! Calcting multiple forms!

    Why the hell do I have to write letters!

    That''s what those damn humanities students are for!!!

    Knock knock.

    "Wizard sir, it''s M. May Ie in...?"

    "Get the f*ck out!!!"

    M was Mrs. Serena''s daughter.

    She kepting to serve Ian, hoping to marry him. Ian was just tired of it.

    Ian yelled to drive M away and refocused on his magic circle.

    [Subject: Anyone interested in a meetup with mysteries?]

    [I''m wizard Ian. I want to hold a meetup with the wind and the sun, any mysteries interested? If so, like and follow. I''ll start.]

    "... f*cking hell."

    This wasn''t right.

    No matter how many times he tried, magic was damn difficult!

    "Ian. What are you doing alone in your room?"

    "Ah, who is it now? Why don''t you just f*ck off?"

    "Why should I? Why would I?"

    Bang.

    The door opened on its own, and Kira came in.

    She held a tray with fragrant bread and dried fruits.

    Oh, just when I was getting hungry.

    As soon as she closed the door, Kira let out a small sigh.

    "... Sorry. Did I disturb you? I''ll leave right away..."

    "? You''re leaving? Weren''t you here to hang out?"

    "Well, I was, but you seemed busy..."

    Seeing Kira act like she had a split personality, he understood the situation.

    She had encountered M outside and acted like a wizard.

    "Ah. So this is from M?"

    "Yes... she just left, so I said I''d deliver it."

    Oh. I should thank herter.

    Ian thought so but forgot after just 3 seconds, distracted by the magic circle.

    Kira quietly munched on the bread while sitting on the bed.

    Ian, seriously drawing the magic circle, was both fascinating and amusing to her.

    [Don''t miss this rare chance! The fantastic Ian Show! We''ll serve the mysteries properly! Juste!]

    She didn''t know what it was about.

    But watching him skillfully handle all sorts of characters as he filled in the magic circle...

    "...Impressive. Really."

    Kira smiled unknowingly.

    To have mustered the courage to seek out such a talented wizard.

    Maybe it was the finest thing she had ever done in her life.

    For Kira, who was a fake wizard, a fraud, to finally have some use, she could only be thankful for heaven''s grace.

    "Phew. I''d lose my temper if I did more."

    "Are you stopping?"

    "I''ll do itter."

    Unlike her, who pretended to be a great wizard with fake expressions, Ian was drawing the magic circle, striving for his own development.

    Kira felt a sense of relief watching Ian.

    Their paths had crossed by chance, and he had saved her life.

    But after fighting Larabel, she felt like she had repaid her debt somewhat.

    Now, she felt she could leave without any regrets.

    "Ian."

    "Yeah?"

    "I''m thinking of leaving soon."

    "...?"

    Wizard Kira was saying goodbye.

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "You''re leaving? Alone?"

    "Mm..."

    Kira twisted her hair with her hands as her face turned hot.

    "I''ve learned the principles of magic from you... I think I can manage on my own..."

    Ian felt an old-man grumpiness stirring inside him for the first time in a while.

    "Ha!"

    To think you''re getting ahead of yourself just because you luckily stumbled upon an opportunity and reached a new level! Kira Laventa!

    True mastery, like a castle built on sand, cannot stand without diligent internal cultivation!

    Are you already dreaming of your magical debut with just superficial enlightenment?

    ...Ian''s thoughts were a bit odd, though.

    The point is, Kira''s skills are still severelycking.

    Indeed, Kira had enough talent to survive contact with the mystery of fire.

    But relying on her shallow skills to perform fire magic could easily burn everything around her.

    This is because she''s ignorant of thenguage of fire, including that used by Archwizard Maronius.

    Even ifmunication fails, friendship is still possible, like between humans and animals.

    However, for a proper friendship, conversation is essential.

    "So what about thenguage of Maronius? How will you learn the magguage?"

    "I''ll... gather the tuition..."

    "How will you earn the money? By scamming again?"

    "Why would you say that?"

    "I thought you decided to stop pretending to be a fake wizard."

    Kira avoided Ian''s gaze, her head bowed.

    In a subdued voice, Kira muttered, "I don''t want to be in debt to you again."

    "Debt?"

    Ian asked incredulously.

    If anyone should feel indebted, shouldn''t it be Ian?

    Kira was a great help when Ian fought with Larabel.

    Gerard even said that Ian would have died without Kira.

    But Kira didn''t see it that way.

    She only thought of repaying the debt for when Ian helped her against Baron Damon and the vampire.

    In fact, Kira believed she owed more debt now that Ian had helped awaken her magic.

    "Ian. Personally, I respect you. I mean it."

    "..."

    "You are certainly a great wizard. And you''ll be even greater. You don''t need to waste time on a fake wizard like me. It''s a waste."

    Tears welled up in Kira''s eyes, perhaps overwhelmed by her emotions.

    Ian slowly shook his head.

    Kira was seriously mistaken.

    She believed herself to be worthless.

    In this medieval fantasy world, everything is biased.

    Information and resources were skewed, making inequality the norm.

    Kira lived a lower-ss life even among themoners.

    Being a wandering jester, a life scorned and ridiculed among the lower sses, she couldn''t properly recognize her own talent and abilities.

    "So. You think you''ll be a burden?"

    "...Sorry."

    Kira was born in the wrong era.

    Had she been born in the modern era, she would have been a great actress, receiving everyone''s attention.

    Since no one ever affirmed her talent, she had long concluded herself to be a worthless human.

    ''I need to show her, her own value.''

    But to Ian, Kira was a woman of tremendous talent.

    Firstly, the fact that she caught the interest of the mysteries of fire was an incredible talent.

    Apart from her magical talent, her acting skills and guts were admirable.

    Yet, Kira herself was unaware of her talents.

    ''Capital therapy is indeed the best.''

    Throughout the ages, financial therapy has been the best for those suffering from depression.

    Doesn''t feel better even after seeing money? Maybe the amount wasn''t enough.

    Ian wanted to demonstrate Kira''s abilities numerically.

    Money is best in such times.

    "Okay. I''m not your master. If you want to leave, I can''t stop you."

    Ian responded briskly, and Kira smiled faintly.

    "Thanks, Ian, for everything up till now."

    "But what if I hire you as mypanion?"

    "?"

    Kira looked confused, not understanding what he meant.

    "Companion? Me? You want to hire me?"

    "Yes. I''ll pay you, so follow me."

    "That''s... what..."

    "Why? You were going to work for money anyway. Is there a problem with me hiring you?"

    Kira gaped.

    There obviously was a problem.

    As a child, Kira was a jester, and as she grew up, she became a scam artist.

    Simply put, she didn''t know how to do a proper job!

    What could Ian possibly have in mind by hiring Kira, who can''t really do anything?

    Her only value was being a young woman...

    "!!!"

    If she hadn''t be a con artist, she would have been a dancer.

    And among the dancers, many also worked as prostitutes.

    After all, selling beauty for money wasmon, and the mindset was to make the most of it while in their prime.

    So why is Ian giving money to Kira...?

    Thinking this far, Kira, her face turning bright red, stuttered out,

    "I, I, I can''t do... that kind of thing...!"

    "??? I haven''t even said anything yet?"

    "But Lady Belenka is there too! How can I...!"

    "Belenka?"

    Ian was puzzled.

    Belenka was a front-liner, and Kira was a back-liner.

    Their positions were totally different, so why would that matter?

    "Wouldn''t three be better than two?"

    Eek!

    Kira pped a hand over her mouth.

    Does that mean one Lady Belenka isn''t enough!

    How depraved!

    No, wait!

    Was there something going on between Lady Belenka and him?!

    "Indulging in lewd acts will send you straight to hell! Ian!"

    "???"

    Ian spent a while trying to figure out what Kira meant.

    He then realized what kind of indecent fantasies she was imagining and was dumbfounded.

    "That''s what you think when money is involved? Crazy woman!"

    "No! That''s justmon sense!"

    Common sense be damned!

    ...or so he thought, but then he realized again that this really was a medieval fantasy world wheremon sense was dead.

    It''s Ian''s fault for being reincarnated into such a world, right?

    Afterward, Ian had to sweat fixing Kira''s wrong notions ofmon sense.

    <center>---</center>

    <center></center>

    <center>---</center>

    Ian''s goal to cheer Kira up was perfectly achieved.

    "So... please take care of me until I gather enough for my tuition!"

    After receiving financial therapy, Kira returned to her room with a big smile.

    Ian had made a contract to share a portion of the earnings from their travels with Kira.

    Kira, the half-baked wizard, was happy to have a strong backer in magic, and Ian was pleased to freely utilize Kira''s fire magic, acting, and sleight of hand.

    If Ian was the boss, then Kira and Belenka would be the employees.

    Actually, they were high-ss manpower who could work for any noble without any problems, so in some sense, they could be called a mercenary group.

    If they just filled up with some lower mercenaries for numbers, something worthy of being called Ian''s army would beplete.

    ''Should I just go ahead and establish a country like this?''

    Ian thought to himself andughed.

    Power-hungry wizards were quitemon.

    They all neglected their cultivation and focused onnd grabbing and power struggles, bingmon lords.

    If Ian decided to takend seriously, well, it wasn''t impossible.

    If he just returned to the Taliannds and married Lucy, he''d be Baron Talian just like that.

    But he wasn''t reincarnated into another world just to be some country baron, right?

    He felt like seeing the face of God would be somewhat satisfying.

    ��For now, I want to explore the North.��

    If he wanted to gather mysteries useful for strengthening Anor-lsil, he had to travel the world diligently.

    It wasn''t just because of the Space-Time Wizard Council; the North was filled with numerous mysteries.

    For example, the existence of the Ice Phoenix that Longtail had told him about.

    Ian roughly set his direction toward the colder North.

    "It''s time to leave."

    Ian informed Baron Devosi of his departure and prepared to leave the castle.

    The sooner he started, the better, as dying would only make it harder to leave.

    But just as Ian was about to leave, a strange visitor arrived.

    "Ian, sir! Have you heard the news?"

    "What is it?"

    "Takarion has arrived!"

    Who cares. That thought almost escaped his mouth.

    But having be less patient while living as a wizard, Ian decided to let the words slip out.

    "Who cares."

    "No, I mean the ''Golden Finger'' Takarion!"

    For a moment, Ian thought of a gentleman whose name started with ''Shi'' and ended with ''Miken[1],'' but then he dismissed the thought.

    Golden Finger?

    What kind of nickname is that?

    In this ce, influenced everywhere by the ancient Golden Empire, the Holy Empire had a tendency to randomly attach the adjective [golden] to things.

    If you wanted to seem a bit fancy, you''d name something with a ''Golden'' this or that.

    Those who idolize the Golden Empire think anything with ''golden'' in the name is ''Wow. Impressive!''

    And Takarion was probably in the same vein.

    "Who is that?"

    "My God. You don''t know the Golden Finger? Where did you practice your faith to not know this?"

    "..."

    For the record, Ian was a wizard. Not a religious person.

    But the clergy treat him almost like one of their own.

    It seems like a case of religious gaslighting, trying to make Ian one of them.

    Ian didn''t blink.

    "Golden Finger my ass. Want to bet if it''s real gold?"

    "Ah, no. Such irreverent speech is..."

    "Our merciful God doesn''t punish you just for talking smack."

    The clergy broke out in cold sweat and said,

    "The Golden Finger is a monk who wrote the [Gospel of Marcus]."

    "Gospel?"

    Ian recalled hearing about such gospels when he was with the Santiago Knights.

    The clergy often called it the [Codex], a book detailing the deeds of 13 saints.

    ''A monk who wrote a gospel must have really studied history.''

    But the reaction of the other clergy indicated otherwise.

    "Golden Finger? That chatan?"

    "Seriously. I don��t get why people fall for that scammer��s bullsh*t!"

    Opinions about the Golden Finger Takarion were divided into extremes.

    Those who liked Takarion praised the Gospel as ''opening a new horizon in faith.''

    But those who disliked him wouldn''t even utter his name.

    "What on earth is so special about the Gospel of Marcus?"

    Then a clergy quickly brought over the Gospel of Marcus.

    "Read it now!"

    Hey! Try it! Try it!

    Seeing the clergy so enthusiastically promoting it, it seemed like it could be fun.

    Ian decided to humor him and read the Gospel of Marcus.

    And he realized.

    Wow... damn...

    This is damn interesting!!!

    The Gospel of Marcus chronicles the life of [Saint Marcus], starting with his great birth, his growth, trials, and enlightenment.

    But none of that crap caught Ian''s eye.

    The gospel continuously emphasized [Hero Marcus].

    In the gospel, Marcus was the ultimate alpha male, toying with all sorts of women.

    Kings tremble before him, and emperors envy Marcus''s poprity.

    Even in thetter part, Marcus shoots a ''Marcus-Death Beam'' from his hand!

    Wow! The Supreme Demon Lord!

    "Is this really a gospel?"

    Ian asked them in disbelief.

    The clergy, nodding with a deep expression, resembling an otaku who had seeded in proselytizing.

    "Aah. You''ve realized... the greatness of the Gospel of Marcus..."

    He wasn��t wrong. The Gospel of Marcus was a brilliant book.

    In the realm of pure entertainment.

    In a world without Netflix or NovelPia, Ian felt a dopamine rush he hadn''t experienced in a long time.

    If a modern person like Ian could enjoy it so much, imagine the medieval people?

    That''s why extreme ''Golden Finger fanatics'' exist.

    God does exist, and He is currently serializing!

    His name is the Golden Finger, Takarion!

    Please release a sequel already! It makes no sense that there��s only one gospel with 13 saints!

    However, in Ian''s view, the Gospel of Marcus was not a proper religious text.

    It was inly a web novel.

    Seriously, how does it make sense for Marcus to shoot a death beam from his fingers and defeat a great demon?

    Shooting demons with a death beam?

    It��s definitely entertaining. There''s no doubt about the fun factor.

    But it doesn''t make sense.

    "The Gospel of Marcus is filled with nonsense! It''s a poorly made object cobbled together from rumors without any proper verification and is not worth reading!"

    "Are you doubting the achievements of Saint Marcus? That''s disappointing!"

    "No, who said Saint Marcus is a fake? It''s the Gospel that''s...!"

    The problematic part is that while it exaggerated Marcus''s achievements, it didn��t deviate much from the contents of the Bible.

    To put it simply:

    The Bible is a historical record.

    It''s urate and could bepared to the [Annals of the Joseon Dynasty].

    A saint is a great figure, like a king.

    So, the Gospel of Marcus was like a biography of King Sejong.

    But imagine a book about King Sejong where he wipes out barbarians with a beam saber.

    There are actual records of him defeating barbarians, so that��s okay, right? (Nope)

    Obviously, it has no historical value.

    That''s why the orthodox treat it like kindling.

    But... it��s fun!

    Many secretly hoped that the Gospel of Marcus was [true].

    After all, it was set in the distant past, its authenticity couldn''t be verified.

    The logic was, why not just assume there was a beam saber during the Joseon era?

    So, the followers of Takarion recognized the Gospel of Marcus as a valid gospel.

    "Takarion! Takarion has arrived!"

    The greatest light novel author of the era... rather, the monk Takarion who writes gospels, visited Devosi Castle.

    Upon seeing Takarion, Ian was quietly amazed.

    Wow.

    Takarion was a man of impressive stature. Meaning, he was quite fat.

    Monkss usually don''t gain weight due to their hard physicalbor and austere lifestyle.

    But it seemed this man indulged in food to cope with the pains of creation.

    "Sh! My brothers!"

    "...?"

    "Oops. My apologies. I keep forgetting thatmoners don��t know the ancientnguage. Ha ha! I just said hello!"

    "Sh! Takarion! My brother!"

    Followers of Takarion exchanged greetings in thenguage of the ancient empire.

    Takarion happily epted the greetings.

    ...All the while, Baron Devosi and his two wives were giving side nces.

    ��This guy, he��s no ordinary one.��

    Memories of Ian''s past life subtly surfaced.

    He felt like he had seen such a character before.

    Was it in middle school? High school? Or was it in the military...

    Anyway.

    The first impression of monk Takarion was that he was a bastard you absolutely did not want to associate with.

    ---

    [1. raei: uh I think I got this right... Shimiken. Japanese ''porn'' actor ''credited with having s*x with over 10,000 women in the course of making 10,000 films.'' Maybe he has the ''Golden finger'' nickname as well? Couldn''t see anything. ]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Monk Takarion was a lucky man who was born in the right era.

    Humans are born and die, irrespective of the era.

    Every human is born with some innate talent.

    When one''s inherent talent matches the era, they be a celebrated individual who lives well and dies content.The problem arises when one''s talent does not align with their era.

    Consider a white-cor worker with inherent sword-fighting skills, or a medieval farmer born with coding skills��likely, they will die without ever realizing their capabilities.

    "Why is the world so unfair?" one might sob, dying without ever recognizing their hidden talents.

    Life is short, and time passes in the blink of an eye.

    Even finding and developing one''s talent requires luck.

    Take Kira, for instance, born with acting talent but unfortunately in a medieval fantasy era��an unlucky case of being born in the wrong era.

    In contrast, Takarion, or rather Max, was extremely lucky with his timing.

    Like 90% of the Empire''s poption, he was born the son of a poor farmer.

    During the year Max was born, a severe drought struck.

    While people starved, Max, only one year old, had to find a way to survive.

    Since Max couldn��t yet walk, his parents had to find a means of survival for him (if he could walk, he would have had to find it himself).

    His parents gave (or rather, threw) him to a nearby monastery, where Max became a servant.

    Under the monastery''s protection, Max naturally followed the path of a monk.

    As a child, Max was timid and fearful, not mixing well with others and often bullied due to his nature.

    Feeling pity for him, the monks taught him and took care of him.

    Max was amazed by the principles of the world as he read the Bible, and his heart raced at the brilliant exploits of the 13 saints.

    Wow! Heroes! Saints!

    In truth, saints were far from heroes.

    They were dedicated to the Faith, striving to spread the will of Heaven.

    But young Max didn''t know that.

    Saints never lost, always seeded, and were loved equally by God and humans.

    Max, always beaten by the popr kids and ridiculed as a fool, was theplete opposite of a saint.

    Whenever he was beaten by the popr kids, he would think: If Saint Marcus saw this... You all would be dead meat...!

    Max imagined Saint Marcus appearing and giving those kids a righteous beating.

    Holy punch! Holy kick!

    You devil bastards would piss yourselves and flee to a sulfur-smelling pit!

    Saint Marcus! Please punish these bastards!

    "What have you been mumbling about?"

    "He''s imagining his dading to save him LOL."

    But Max''s fantasies were just that��fantasies.

    Neither Saint Marcus appearing to save Max nor the popr kids receiving a righteous beating ever happened.

    A normal child would have stopped fantasizing and focused on reality, trying to find ways to be beaten less.

    But Max was different.

    He escaped into more borate fantasies and an even vaster worldview!

    Forget the cold reality, let''s imagine Saint Marcus...

    "Saint Marcus had a girlfriend named Cassandra, a cool beauty with an S-grade body. Her catchphrase was ''Hmph! Pathetic!'' Although she pretended otherwise, she really liked Saint Marcus..."

    Hehe.

    Fun...

    Max''s fantasies became more borate day by day.

    One day, a monkmissioned Max to transcribe and restore the [Gospel of Marcus].

    "Me?"

    "Yes. You know the entire life story of Saint Marcus, don''t you?"

    Before he knew it, Max had be a famous saint-otaku.

    He could talk about Saint Marcus all night!

    Being friendly with the monks and having learned to read, Max began to copy the gospel easily.

    Not just copying, Max added his own annotations and thoughts to it.

    Since a servant of the monastery, Max, wouldn''t seem cool enough, he changed his name to something cooler: [Takarion].

    Wow. Doesn��t this pen name just scream ''Golden Empire intellectual''?

    "I��ve finished it!"

    "Huh?"

    The monks were taken aback after reading the Gospel of Marcus that Max had created.

    While the transcription was well done, the content was bizarrely excessive!

    "Marcus shooting light from his fingers, toppling demons... Where did you get this information?"

    "An angel told me in my dream."

    "...?"

    But to dismiss it as mere nonsense would be an oversight; the content was too meticulously crafted, almost as if an angel really had told it.

    In this new story, the Saint Marcus portrayed was quite impressive, even to the monks.

    Yes, Max, or rather the writer [Takarion], had a talent for creation.

    He had a knack for writing incredible fan fiction!

    "Max. I��ll lend you the library; keep writing."

    The abbot at that time smelled money in Max��s writings.

    Surprisingly, the abbot had the talent of an editor.

    His talent whispered to him.

    This... will sell.

    Backed by the abbot��s support, Max feverishly wrote the [Gospel of Marcus �C Takarion ver].

    Soon, Max��s writings elicited an immense response.

    "No way! Have you ever seen something this freaking entertaining?"

    "Wow! This is what you call a sermon! This is what you call a gospel!"

    "Marcus! Takarion! They are gods!"

    "...? Isn''t that sphemy?"

    The Gospel of Marcus, penned by Takarion, sold like it had wings.

    The monks stopped the tedious job of copying the dull old gospels and clung to copying the gospel written by Takarion himself.

    The human copiers (monks) tirelessly produced books.

    The abbot sold the gospels to cities and merchants.

    Takarion arrogantly sat at his desk, munching on snacks while plotting the next installment.

    Within less than five years, something astonishing happened.

    The previously penniless monastery was now sitting on a mountain of money!

    "From today, we start praising Takarion. Takarion! He is a god!"

    "No, that sounds like sphemy..."

    A few devout monks worried about the monastery��s corruption...

    But the abbot, having tasted real money, had no intention of stopping the gospel publishing business.

    Before long, Max was more often called by his pen name, Takarion, than his real name.

    He had be the pir of the monastery, a popr star and a great author among them.

    "Yo! Sh! My brothers!"

    "Sh! Takarion! How was your writing today?"

    "Ah, as perfect as usual."

    The unlucky boy, who used to get beaten and indulged in creepy fantasies, had be an author with a nose stuck up in the air, [a great author].

    ---

    ---

    When the legendary author Takarion, who dared to spheme gods, descended upon the Devosi castle,

    The monks went wild.

    "That''s Takarion... look at his truly distinguished presence!"

    "Ah... my whole life has led up to this moment, to behold Takarion��s face..."

    "What are you doing! Takarion! Take me with you now!"

    "Damn! Takarion! I like you..."

    Amidst their fawning andining.

    Ordinary people like Ian couldn��t understand what the hell was going on, but the monks were 100% sincere.

    The author of the [Gospel of Marcus], which captured humor, emotion, and faith all at once, was right before their eyes!

    Why would they hold back when their life-changing author was right there?

    Takarion, used to such reactions from the monks, chuckled and responded.

    "Well, thank you for your interest, but it��s a bit overwhelming ughs)."

    "Oops! We��ve been rude!"

    "I have so many questions I want to ask you! Ahh... I can��t hold back! I want to discuss this right away!"

    The monks, having met their favorite handsome author, lost all sense of propriety.

    They were so overwhelmed that even the Baron and Baroness Devosi didn��t register in their minds.

    No matter how great an author Takarion might be, he was still just a monk.

    In the presence of Baron Devosi, the rightful ruler and noble of thend, he should naturally bow his head.

    However, Takarion behaved as though he was the host, with Baron Devosi and his wife acting as mere guests.

    The priests, unable to bear it any longer, eximed, "Enough, Takarion! Youe here as a guest yet forget even the basic manners required! Aren''t you ashamed?"

    Takarion responded shamelessly, "Sorry... I''ve never really participated in society, so my manners might becking... I don''t know how, but I''ll try to improve...(cough)."

    "I really feel like pping him."

    "Father Roman! That''s too harsh! To p Takarion?"

    As soon as the priests admonished Takarion, the monks quickly rallied to his defense, rising up like a swarm.

    There''s a saying about like attracting like, isn''t there?

    With many already finding him unbearable, the defense by the monks only increased the number of people who wanted to curse him.

    Ian was among them.

    "Everyone''s too agitated. Let''s calm down and simply exchange greetings," suggested Baron Devosi, managing the situation withposure.

    Once the host intervened, no one else dared to speak out.

    "Pleased to meet you, Takarion. I am the Baron of Devosi."

    "I''m Takarion. But I must admit, I''m not fond of the atmosphere here..."

    The priests, especially those who disliked Takarion''s [Gospel of Marcus], red at him as if they wanted to tear him apart.

    "I came to help because the Baron is ill, but the atmosphere is too intimidating... I''m thinking about just going back..." Takarion confessed.

    Kira whispered to Ian,

    "His way of speaking is weird. Maybe he fell out of an apple tree as a kid."

    That might be true.

    Criticizing someone''s manner of speaking might seem petty, but Takarion''s speech was so atrocious that even the reticent were tempted toment.

    Takarion muttered to himself with a gloomy expression,

    "I even brought a special relic for the Baron... If the atmosphere continues like this, I might just leave..."

    A devout priest, unable to tolerate the situation any longer, shouted, "Just go back to the monastery!"

    Chaos ensued once again.

    Ian''s initial intuition when he first saw Takarion was spot on.

    Takarion was simply a natural troublemaker.

    One could only imagine the headache of having attended the same middle school, high school, or military service with him.

    ''Well, good luck with that, Baron Devosi.''

    Thank goodness he''s someone else''s problem.

    ...At least, that��s what Ian thought.

    ---

    ---

    The reason Golden Fingers Takarion visited the Devosi domain was, of course, to earn the title of a saint.

    The 13 saints listed in the holy scriptures are known as ''primary saints'' and are considered particrly special.

    Besides these 13, clergy whoter performed miracles or showed remarkable deeds are called ''secondary saints'', ranked just below the primary saints.

    While the number of primary saints is fixed at 13, the title of secondary saint can be awarded indefinitely.

    Achieving a miracle or notable deed earns one the title of saint.

    However, if these titles are granted too liberally, the value of being a saint diminishes, potentially tarnishing even the reputation of the original 13 saints.

    Thus, the evaluation for sainthood is carried out with strict and meticulous criteria.

    Was a miracle performed? To what extent?

    Who witnessed it, and how many were affected?

    If Takarion could cure Baron Devosi of his mysterious illness, it would indeed qualify as a [miracle of healing].

    That��s why clergy from nearby areas, having nothing better to do, flocked here and fell into deep prayer.

    Who knows? Perhaps their heartfelt prayers might move the heavens and heal the Baron.

    After all, if sessful, it��s a jackpot; if not, they''ve lost nothing.

    Takarion too visited Devosi��s domain with this light-hearted intention.

    If the Baron were aware, he''d be appalled by such audacity.

    While lives hang in the bnce, theye here to gamble for achievements?

    But if their gamble pays off, the Baron''s illness would also vanish, so as irritating as it was, the Baron had to tolerate it.

    That is, if the Baron was still bedridden.

    Fortunately, Ian Eredith Raven and Kira Laventa neatly resolved Baron Devosi''s issue.

    The clergy gave lukewarm apuse.

    "Wow! Congrattions, Baron! You must stay healthy now~"

    As the incident wrapped up and cleanup was about to begin, Takarion appeared.

    He was embarrassinglyte.

    Am I, Takarion, supposed to return empty-handed like a loser?

    Takarion was greedy.

    Although he had be a star overnight by writing the Gospel of Marcus, he was not content with just being a famous author.

    He aspired to be a saint! A bishop! An archbishop!

    Starting as a nobody, his dream was to end as a great figure!

    That was Takarion''s ambition.

    He had left thefortable confines of the monastery to pursue this dream...

    It would be too unjust to go back empty-handed now!

    ''There are reports of evil spirits in the domain of Archbishop Linaein. Let''s go there.''

    He had initially avoided visiting another''s territory of the same faith, but given the circumstances, it was not the time to be concerned about others'' opinions.

    Even if it meant facing criticism, he was determined to achieve something noteworthy and return!

    As the popr author of the gospel, he could count on his fans for support!

    It was while Takarion was nning his trip that a servant suddenly appeared, visibly agitated.

    "This is a disaster!"

    "What''s all the fuss about?"

    "The relic... the relic...!"

    The relic?

    Takarion remembered the relic loaned to him by the abbot, head tilted in confusion.

    He had mentioned going to heal Baron Devosi''s illness, and they had lent him the item...

    It wasn��t some great treasure, just a in, round white stone.

    "The relic was broken!"

    "What?!"

    Takarion felt as if his own head had shattered.

    How could that item break!

    The servant rambled on.

    "It wasn''t a stone; it was an egg!"

    "An egg???"

    "Yes! And it has hatched!"

    Following the servant��s exnation, Takarion was dumbfounded.

    "The wizard named Ian touched the relic, and it, well, it hatched!"

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Devosi Castle was noisy every single day.

    It seemed that the noise had only gotten worse since the Baron woke up.

    For some reason, priests and monks were shouting over each other, each refusing to be outdone.

    Their arguments almost always centered around the value of the [Gospel of Marcus]."Should the clergy really be fighting like this?"

    Bewildered, Ian asked a priest from Talian.

    The Talian priest smiled awkwardly and responded, "It''s a theological debate, so... it can''t be helped."

    Fundamentally, monks are not supposed to debate with priests since priests hold greater authority in speech, being recognized by the 13 Saints for their sacramental acts.

    Monks, on the other hand, are just overly enthusiastic about Heaven''s Faith.

    If priests are like professional clergy, monks might be considered amateur enthusiasts of Heaven''s Faith.

    That''s the difference between a professional and an amateur.

    However, this doesn''t mean priests can always suppress monks outright.

    Though not authorized to perform sacraments, monks also spend their lives practicing and living by the heavenly teachings.

    Both sides are formidable, hence debates are inevitable.

    "The priest is a leader, and the monk is a practitioner. It''s not easy to say definitively who is right or wrong."

    In a way, priests are like fathers, tasked with teaching and leading their followers.

    Conversely, monks are like elder sons, learning and growing on their own, living to put the teachings into practice.

    Imagine one day, the elder son brings a light novel titled [Is Saint Marcus Too Powerful?] and starts distributing it among children.

    If the father yells, "Why do you like such a bad book?"

    And the elder son retorts, "What do you know, Dad! You''re just an old fogey!"��No, that''s too dramatic.

    Anyway, it''s an unavoidable situation.

    No matter how much priests detest the [Gospel of Marcus], they can''tpletely disregard the will of the monks.

    ''I knew it. If I stay any longer, I''m going to lose my mind.''

    Ian quickly decided it was time to cut ties.

    Now, with nothing left to do, the only thing remaining was to leave the castle.

    Suddenly, Takarion caused a big stir, making it awkward to leave, but now seemed like a good opportunity to sneak away.

    "Kira, do you know where Belenka is?"

    "Yeah, she was eating."

    "Again? She just ate."

    After Lewis the werewolf wiped out all the dire wolves, the knights became unemployed overnight.

    They all ended up bing home security guards.

    Every day, just ying and eating...

    Since the battle had just ended, there were no knights training.

    The idle knights showcased their appetites at their daily feasts.

    Belenka was caught up and trapped in this dining hell.

    "Anyway. These knights..."

    Ian clicked his tongue as he thought about the foolish knights.

    He wondered what eating a lot had to do with fighting well.

    But since knights believe it''s disastrous to be looked down upon, they stake their lives on trivial things like ''eating a lot.''

    "Let''s go. Let''s take Belenka and go see the Baron."

    "Ah, okay. But we might need to wait until the banquet is over..."

    "Never mind. Just sneak her out, whatever."

    Ian headed to the castle''s dining hall.

    The dining hall was bustling with the knights'' gathering.

    "Belenka, did you eat a lot?"

    "...Ian?"

    As soon as Ian arrived at the dining hall, he spotted Belenka.

    Her eyes half-closed as she devoured a mountain of meat.

    Somehow, seeing her stuffing herself with meat, he didn''t feel the slightest bit envious.

    "Oh! Lord Ian! You''vee to visit!"

    "Come on! Take a seat! Hey! Bring over a ss!"

    The knights quickly made space for Ian, warmly weing him.

    "And Lady Kira to the seat..."

    "I''m fine. I''m managing my figure."

    As Kira gave a slight smile, the knight backed off with a goofy expression.

    Then, turning back with a poker face, Kira proved once again to be a master of expression acting.

    "Managing my figure..."

    Belenka''s expression turned gloomier.

    She was blessed with a body that didn''t easily gain weight, but even that has its limits; daily binge eating inevitably leads to weight gain.

    Yet, tly refusing to attend feasts was problematic due to the importance of maintaining rtionships as a knight...

    That''s when it happened.

    "Argh!"

    At the unexpected scream, Belenka turned her head.

    In a public dining hall, there was only one person who could make such a scene.

    "These crazy bastards! Are they trying to assassinate me now? Larabel! Did Larabel put you up to this!"

    "No, why are you saying that? All of a sudden?"

    "Are you guys actually eating this! You call this meat!"

    It was none other than Ian Eredith Raven.

    Ian, who had picked up the meat with his hands, soon shuddered as he experienced the torment of hell.

    Ah! This stench! This texture!

    What the hell are these bastards eating!!!

    "Ahaha! That was pig testicles. It''s good for virility!"

    "Ugh!"

    Not all meat is the same.

    The meat that the knights were gorging on at the feast was offal, fresh from the ughter.

    After days of marathon feasting, all the good cuts were gone!

    So they were thriftily grilling and eating even the less favored parts...

    Ian just happened to join them at that moment.

    "Quick, drink some alcohol. It''ll get rid of the stench."

    Ian guzzled down beer in a frenzy.

    Then, after belching��

    The smell of pig urine came up his throat.

    Ian felt like he was going to pass out.

    "The stench is disappearing? What��s disappearing!"

    "It will disappear. After about 10 more drinks..."

    Ah. He meant consciousness would disappear.

    The cause of the smell? The brain that receives olfactory signals.

    If you incapacitate the brain, the stench disappears too!

    ''Stupid knights...!''

    Unable to stand it any longer, Ian resorted to his secret weapon.

    Chili powder.

    Spiciness has a magical way of making even the worst meat somewhat tasty.

    This is a fact proven by the [Gospel of Pork Belly].

    Ian shoved a heap of chili-covered pig skin into his mouth.

    Atst, relief. Comfort.

    A peaceful smile yed around Ian''s lips.

    Yes. This is what food should be like.

    "What did you just eat?"

    The knights, curious about Ian��s strange reaction, approached him.

    "It''s chili powder, it��s spicy. It might even make you cry."

    It''s no joke.

    Naive northerners might cry like girls if they eat peppers.

    "Hahaha! That''s too much of a joke! How could a brave knight cry over food..."

    The knight scooped up a handful of chili powder, sprinkled it on the meat, and shoved it into his mouth.

    Ian didn��t even have time to stop him.

    "No, you sprinkled way too much..."

    "Argh!"

    "...Even I can��t eat it like that."

    The knight was bawling his eyes out.

    He cried like a girl.

    "Water... some water, please...!"

    Buzzing.

    The feast-going knights crowded around Ian.

    They came wondering what themotion was about, and oh boy.

    It was a total mess.

    A knight bawling his eyes out and Ian, looking at him sympathetically.

    "What''s the matter! What��s going on!"

    "Show me what you saw!"

    As theirrade was dying,ughter bloomed on the knights�� faces.

    In these stimtion-starved medieval times, even such events were dopamine parties.

    Hahaha! Look over there! A knight crying over food?!

    Super fun.

    This is what a festival, a banquet is.

    "He cried after eating this?"

    "No way! That can''t be!"

    "Let me try it... Argh!"

    "How can this be so... Argh!"

    The knights, one after another, ate Ian''s chili powder, screamed, and rolled on the floor.

    Afterughing uproariously at each other, it was now their turn to cry and wail.

    "Help me..."

    "Water, please..."

    Ian watched the chaos unfold in the banquet hall and chuckled.

    He hadn��t intended it, but the banquet was effectively over.

    "Belenka. Let''s slowly head out."

    Belenka sniffled.

    What��s this? Did she eat some chili powder too?

    "No need to use precious magic ingredients on my ount..."

    Belenka quickly realized why Ian had turned the banquet into chaos.

    Right... it was to rescue Belenka from the dining hell! (not).

    "I owe you again."

    All this over a bit of chili powder.

    Though it was a pity to waste the chili powder, it was, after all, just food.

    Having seen an amusing spectacle, he was fairly satisfied.

    "Alright, let��s say that��s the case, and go see the Baron."

    ---

    ---

    Baron Devosi, having risen from his sickbed, was doing very well, both eating and living well.

    The castle had fallen into chaos entirely because the Baron had been bedridden.

    Now that the Baron was healthy, there was no reason for such chaos.

    Lady Serena and Lady Catherine had reconciled and were getting along fairly well.

    Well, with the Baron ring sharply, there really wasn''t a way for them not to reconcile.

    "Wee, Lord Ian."

    Baron Devosi couldn''t help but smile whenever he saw Ian.

    Not content with having chased away the wizard who had thrown the castle into chaos, Ian had also saved the Baron''s life.

    Human greed knows no bounds; the Baron even started fantasizing about how great it would be if Ian married his daughter and settled down in the castle.

    Ah! I want a wizard son-inw!

    "I''m d to see you''re doing well."

    "Ha-ha! It��s all thanks to your good care."

    Ian was checking the Baron''s health for thest time, just in case there were any unforeseenplications.

    However, after monitoring him for over a week, no problems were found.

    "It''s good to see you healthy. So, I was thinking about hitting the road..."

    "Ugh, suddenly my stomach..."

    "Don''t bullsh*t me, your excellency."

    Ian��s remark made the Baron chuckle.

    Being openly rude to nobility was one of the privileges of being a wizard.

    "So, you''re finally leaving. After setting my daughter''s heart ame."

    "Me?"

    Ian, recalling Lady Serena''s daughter, M, cocked his head.

    While he had been staying at the castle, M had followed him around.

    But beyond following him, she hadn''t really done anything else.

    "She often says how impressive your magic is."

    "Um. I guess I am quite impressive."

    Kira nodded slightly, her earlobes turning red, while Belenka looked at Ian with an incredulous expression.

    "Ha-ha! You really are entertaining! So, how about bing our castle''s wizard..."

    "I''ll have to decline."

    "Listen to the end before you respond! If you stay, I would give you my daughter��s hand in marriage..."

    "I''m d I declined in advance."

    "You really aren''t interested in M. She''s such a beautiful girl."

    The Baron stopped joking. From how unswayed Ian was, it was clear how resolute he was.

    "I��ve spoken to Gdin. I��ve set aside some travel funds for you, pick them up when you leave."

    "Thank you, Baron."

    Lady Serena and Lady Catherine also chimed in.

    "We''ve each added a little something to it."

    "I''ll pray only good thingse your way."

    Ian bid them farewell with a cheerful heart.

    "Well then, I��ll be off..."

    Just as Ian was about to leave the Baron��s room, he hesitated upon spotting a peculiar object.

    On the table was something he hadn''t seen before, yet it strangely drew him in.

    "Baron, what is this?"

    The Baron naturally picked it up and handed it to Ian.

    "It��s a relic that Takarion brought."

    "A relic?"

    A relic. Literally, a sacred object.

    However, being sacred didn��t necessarily mean it held any magical power.

    Anything associated with a saint was called a relic.

    A spoon used by a saint? A relic.

    Clothes worn by a saint? A relic.

    A saint''s hair? A relic.

    Of course, using a spoon a saint had used wouldn''t grant the power to exorcise demons. A spoon is just a spoon.

    Most relics were just antiques.

    But sometimes, very rarely, an object truly imbued with the mysteries of the heavens would be called a relic.

    With mild curiosity, Ian examined the relic.

    "It looks like an ostrich egg."

    "What kind of egg?"

    "Oh, a monster egg."

    The ��relic�� that Takarion had brought was white, round, and light.

    Too light to be a monster''s egg, it seemed more like a hollow stone.

    "Be careful. If it falls and breaks, even I can''t make excuses for you."

    "I''ll be as careful as I can."

    Ian responded indifferently as he inspected the relic.

    He wasn��t a fool.

    Why would he carelessly handle such an expensive-looking item and risk breaking it?

    ''I feel like... there''s something about it...''

    Ian examined the relic from all angles, his intuition, honed from his studies of mysteries, suggesting there was more to this simple white stone.

    That''s when it happened.

    [...release me.]

    "???"

    [...please send me back.]

    It wasn''t his imagination.

    Ian heard a voice.

    Crack!

    "No, Lord Ian!"

    "Takarion''s relic!"

    "...Huh?"

    Cracks spread across the surface of the ''relic.''

    Suddenly, a bird-like head squeezed through the cracks and popped out.

    "Peep?"

    "..."

    "..."

    Both the Baron and his wife, as well as Ian''s party, were momentarily speechless.

    "Squawk, squawk!"

    The bird-like head began to cry out.

    "Lord Ian! What in the world have you done!"

    "No, Baron, you saw it! I didn''t do anything!"

    The room plunged into confusion.

    It wasn��t just Ian''s party that was confused.

    "Wizard Ian has destroyed the relic!"

    "No, that''s not it! He''s hatched the relic!"

    "Wizard Ian has hatched the relic!"

    The clergy were also thrown into disarray.

    "Is this a miracle?"

    "A miracle of hatching?"

    "Could it be! Was Wizard Ian a saint all along?"

    Hearing the rumors, Takarion burst out of his room.

    ''A saint? A saint, really?''

    Not him, Takarion, with the golden touch, but some wizard bes a saint???

    ''Impossible!''

    Takarion immediately ran down the hallway, his belly jiggling.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    A miracle is defined as an act performed by God.

    Clerics prove God''s existence through miracles, received via sacred petitions.

    However, often God performs miracles through the body and speech of a cleric.

    Those chosen by God are then revered as saints.Indeed, it was a miracle.

    Theme stand up, water turns to wine, and people walk on water as if it were solid ground!

    Many clerics tirelessly work to bring about these miracles. They throw themselves off cliffs, leap into pits of fire, and travel to gue-ridden regions...

    Of course, God likely pays no mind to such reckless acts.

    Yet clerics, in their desire for sainthood,mit these acts of madness.

    Chosen by God!

    What a prestigious title!

    "Wizard Ian has awakened the dormant relic!"

    "If this isn''t a miracle, what is?"

    Already brimming with a desire for sainthood, the clerics, like patients with saintly ADHD, couldn''t remain calm when faced with an event resembling a miracle.

    "Hmm. Is that all?"

    "What?"

    "Isn''t this an overreaction to just an egg hatching? Perhaps it was simply time for it to hatch."

    Debates ensue about what constitutes a miracle.

    These men, typically found reading the Bible and eating, never back down on matters regarding the divine.

    "Wizard Ian did not perform a miracle, brothers!"

    "Takarion!"

    At that moment, as the controversy over [Ian''s Miracle] simmered, a storm named Takarion took center stage.

    "Last night, I received a revtion from an angel in my dream."

    "Oh!"

    "The same angel''s voice that I heard while writing the Gospel of Marcus!"

    Takarion, whenposing the Gospel of Marcus, included various absurd (but entertaining) elements.

    For instance, there''s a scene where Mark shoots a death beam from his finger.

    Skeptical priests would ask, "How could you possibly know about events from the Golden Empire era?"

    To which Takarion would automatically respond:

    ''An angel told me in a dream~''

    Meaning, he was talking in his sleep.

    However, it wasn''t actual issue.

    In this world, dragons fly and wizards hear the winds speak.

    Surely a saint could shoot a death beam, right?

    After all, when you insist it was true, it bes so.

    In this medieval fantasy world, where verifying the truth was impossible, even rumors are often epted as truths.

    "The Lord in heaven has told me! That egg was actually prepared just for me, Takarion!"

    "Oh!"

    Here, there are monks who would literally die for a word from Takarion.

    So Takarion, as usual, began to insist his version of events was the truth.

    The glory of a miracle would not be stolen by some unknown wizard!

    "Did Takarion perform the miracle?!"

    "Saint Takarion! Saint Takarion has appeared!"

    ---

    ---

    "No. What is this..."

    Just as they were about to set off, an absurd situation unfolded, leaving Ian dumbfounded.

    The absurdity that the relic turned out to be merely an egg was bad enough.

    Outside, clerics were heatedly debating whether Ian possessed the qualifications of a saint.

    Yet Ian had no desire to be a saint.

    Ian is a wizard, not a priest.

    There would be no advantage to being called Saint Ian.

    While there might be benefits, actively pursuing the title of saint was unnecessary.

    Bing a saint would only further entangle him with religious figures, a prospect both dubious and undesirable.

    Ian preferred to focus on the present.

    A fluffy, soft-feathered bird tumbled before his eyes.

    "Do you know what this is?"

    Belenka had summoned hunters to ascertain the identity of the bird.

    However, the hunters unanimously dered they had never seen such a bird before.

    "I''m not sure."

    "Perhaps we''ll know once it matures."

    Hunters familiar with adult birds usually don''t know much about chicks.

    Ian was no expert on birds, so he was unsure of the bird''s identity.

    From the start, it was unclear what to call a bird born from a relic.

    "[What species are you?]"

    "Cheep, cheep!"

    His attempt tomunicate using Maroniusnguage proved futile.

    It was like asking a newborn, "What species are you?" and expecting the reply to be, "Yes! I am human!"

    The principle was the same.

    "Ian, are you going to keep this bird?"

    Kira asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

    She had wanted to raise the baby bird from the moment she saw it.

    Since it was motherless, someone needed to take care of it.

    However, Ian found the idea of raising the bird bothersome.

    "No. I should return it to that Takarion guy. It came from his relic, right? Then he''s its rightful owner."

    "...True."

    Kira nodded, clearly disappointed.

    Even if Ian wanted to keep it, it was doubtful the monks would allow it.

    The bird was born from Takarion��s relic.

    If the relic was lost, at least keep the bird.

    The abbot would surely be unhappy if they lost both the relic and the bird to Ian.

    "Wizard Ian! I have something to say,e out!"

    The owner of this unrefined tone was predictably Takarion.

    Ian sauntered out into the hallway where Takarion, pompously surrounded by a crowd of monks, waited.

    "My bird! When are you going to give it back?"

    Ian quickly caught on to what Takarion wanted.

    Right after the bird hatched from the relic, Ian had taken the chick under his care.

    Being a Level 3 Summoner, he was naturally skilled at handling animals.

    Letting a chick that had struggled to be born die would be utterly futile.

    Thus, everyone left Ian to it, knowing that if something went wrong with the bird, they could disim responsibility.

    "Well, I was nning to return it soon," Ian responded nonchntly, annoyed by Takarion.

    He intended to give the bird back once it was in good condition.

    A newborn chick is like a baby just out of the delivery room. Shouldn''t it dry off before being handed back to its mother?

    But Takarion believed Ian was lying, simply because he was nervous.

    ''I can''t let him monopolize the credit for hatching the relic!''

    Takarioncked social skills, having been raised in a monastery all his life.

    As a child, he was ostracized, having no real friends, and after he began writing, he only received adtion from his fans.

    Thus, Takarion didn��t know how to interact with people.

    "I, I hatched the relic! It��s only natural you return it to me!"

    Was this a rap?

    Ian looked at the stuttering Takarion with a peculiar gaze, wondering if he might have fallen from an apple tree and hit his head as a child.

    "You��re saying you hatched the relic?"

    "Yes!"

    Takarion struck a triumphant pose as the surrounding monks erupted into enthusiastic apuse.

    "Typical Takarion!"

    "The beloved of God!"

    Takarion smirked internally, confident.

    ''Hehe. What are you going to do now, Ian!''

    The first to strike in a fight often wins.

    Since the medieval influencer Takarion had initiated the im, "I was the one who hatched the relic!", he felt sure he had outmaneuvered Ian.

    No matter what excuse Ian could make, it was a victory for Takarion.

    ''Really?''

    Contrary to Takarion��s expectations, Ian was secretly grinning inside.

    Wow! I thought I had ruined the relic, but it turns out I hadn��t! Lucky me!

    Now that Takarion had publicly dered he hatched the relic, the monastery couldn��t possibly me Ian.

    Takarion had been fretting over Ian stealing the glory, but that was just a typical religious mindset.

    Ian, as a wizard, had no interest in miracles or anything of the sort.

    So when Takarion showed interest, Ian quickly passed it off.

    "Take the bird! I need to travel! Haha, I was wondering why it broke! It was your fault! Ha ha!"

    "��?"

    Takarion''s expression turned awkward.

    Saying it was his fault made it sound like he had done something wrong...

    "I''ve kept it safe, so please take it."

    Ian quickly returned to his room and came out with the baby bird.

    The baby bird had inevitably be a headache for Ian.

    After all, the relic wasn''t his.

    It was an item from the monastery, so whether it hatched a bird or a dinosaur, the rightful owner was the abbot.

    Even though Ian was a wizard, there was no guarantee he could take something from the monastery and get away with it.

    He wasn''t particrly attached to it either.

    "Kira! Hurry up and give the bird back!"

    Ian called out cheerfully, relieved to be unburdened.

    Kira, who had been petting the baby bird, looked slightly disappointed.

    "You came to take Winnie back, right?"

    "You''ve already named it?"

    "Yeah... we have to give it back. Sob sob. Winnie, you have to be strong even at the monastery!"

    Ian forcibly took the bird from Kira and handed it to Takarion.

    "Here you go."

    "Oh! Thank you!"

    Takarion reached out for the bird, his heart beating with anticipation.

    He believed that once he took it back, he would be celebrated as the monk who hatched the relic.

    That was when it happened.

    "Peep! Peep!"

    "???"

    As Takarion��s hand approached, the baby bird cried out in a terribly sad and desperate sound.

    No matter how much Takarion tried to calm it, it was futile.

    "Why is the bird acting like this?"

    "Indeed. It should be a divine creature hatched by Takarion ording to God''s will..."

    The murmuring of the monks made Takarion break out in a cold sweat.

    It was a crisis.

    If the bird rejected him here, the situation would beughably absurd!

    "Come, nestle in my embrace!"

    Takarion tried to force the bird to embrace him.

    The more he tried, the more sorrowfully the chick cried.

    "Peep! Peep!"

    ''...Is this right?''

    Even Ian began to worry.

    Could he end up breaking the bird''s bones?

    Unable to stand it any longer, Kira intervened.

    "Come here! Mommy will hold you!"

    Kira had unwittingly be a bird mom.

    "No..."

    Takarion tried to prevent Kira from taking the bird but...

    As Kira''s beautiful face came close, he froze.

    The monk, an otaku, was not good with women...

    ''Saint Marcus...!''

    Before he knew it, the bird wasfortably nestled in Kira''s arms.

    As Kira stroked it, the bird calmed down as if it had never cried.

    "My goodness! Takarion was rejected by the divine creature!"

    "Indeed! Ian was the true hatcher of the relic!"

    "Saint Ian! The wizard beloved by God!"

    Takarion was stunned, and Kira was distracted by the bird.

    And Ian felt like his head was going to explode with all the noise from the monks...

    ... I need to travel! Damn it!

    ---

    ---

    "My bird! Give it back!"

    "No, damn it. If it doesn''t want to go with you, what do you expect me to do?"

    Handing over the bird felt like handing it over to die.

    But not handing it over seemed like they would chase him to the ends of the earth.

    Eventually, it was time for some lively negotiation.

    "Ian. Can we go to the monastery?"

    "That seems like the right choice."

    Belenka and Kira voted to go to the monastery.

    Since they couldn��t just toss the bird and leave, the n was to go there, hand it over, and then leave.

    Ian asked the monks for their opinion, just in case.

    "If we take the bird to the monastery��"

    "That would be best!"

    They didn��t even pretend to refuse.

    So, the toss failed.

    Thus, Ian''s next destination was decided: a medieval monastery.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Around the time wizard Ian was being tormented by monks, a young lord of a distant, small domain in the west was frequently sighing.

    "Ah..."

    Her hair was as dark as the night sky and her eyes sparkled a bright yellow.

    And a pointed hat, straight as the horns of a beast."My lord, I have something to report."

    "Come in~"

    The lord of this domain was, surprisingly, a girl.

    Her name was Lucy Talian, the rightful heir and ruler of the Talian domain.

    She had many concernstely.

    "What is it now? Thieves again?"

    "No, this time it''s wolves."

    Lucy''s administrative officer reported in azy tone.

    It was not a tone appropriate for addressing a lord, but there was no one to correct him.

    Even though Lucy was the legitimate heir of Talian, lineage alone does not guarantee authority.

    Especially now, as her family had been swept up in conflict and ascended to the heavens, leaving few capable advisors in the domain.

    "The band of thieves that appeared before are still causing chaos in our domain. And now, wolves. There''s no end to the chaos."

    "..."

    "So, regarding the proposal I made earlier..."

    Lucy scowled.

    The officer''s proposal was to hire mercenaries managed by his rtive as the domain''s military force.

    Currently, Talian had hardly anyone who could be called a soldier, simply because there were no funds avable.

    After relying on Count Catina during thest domain war, they had handed over most of the domain''s finances to his forces.

    Thus, the costly soldiers had been dismissed...

    With no soldiers, security had worsened.

    Upon hearing that Talian had neither money nor soldiers, local thieves began to prowl, targeting Lucy''s coffers (her citizens).

    "If we bring in my cousin, he''ll quickly drive away the wolves. He can handle the thieves too!"

    "Perhaps. That might be true."

    The administrator''s logic was sound.

    The current disorder in the domain was ultimately due to ack of military strength.

    Replenishing soldiers and clearing out thieves would stabilize the lives of the citizens.

    ...However, in this process, Lucy would inevitably have to be wary of the mercenaries and the administrative officer.

    Doesn''t this scene seem familiar?

    Yes.

    It��s simr to when Talian was attacked by the usurper, Graham.

    Lucy is a girl, an unmarried one at that.

    If external mercenaries took over the domain andter married Lucy, bing nobility would be a piece of cake.

    Thus, Lucy could not make a hasty decision.

    She did not want to repeat the same mistakes.

    "Think carefully. The longer you take, the more the people will suffer."

    The administrator reached out to Lucy with a meaningful smile.

    Lucy immediately knocked his hand away.

    Firmly, with strength.

    "The decision is mine to make."

    "Of course, my lord."

    The administrator bowed his head and closed the door.

    He wore a sinister smile.

    Lucy Talian was a spirited girl.

    A prey worth hunting.

    There''s no fun in hunting unresisting prey.

    The more Lucy struggled, the more thrilling the hunt became.

    ''It seems she��s waiting for that wizard to return...''

    The mystery-seeking wizard, Ian, who had saved the Talian domain.

    The administrator had seen Ian from a distance a few times.

    The ignorant mercenaries had praised Ian as a great wizard, the savior of Talian.

    But excluding the aura of a wizard, he was just a green youngster.

    ''By the time you return, it''ll already be over. Wizard Ian!''

    The administrator had no intention of simply handing over the Talian domain.

    Initially, he had offered himself as the administrator to be the next lord of Talian.

    The exploits shown by the usurper Graham had inspired many.

    Hey, you too can be nobility!

    Even though Graham''s uprising ended in failure.

    Many ambitious individuals saw it as an opportunity.

    It was truly a pity that he failed!

    It would have seeded had the wizard not intervened.

    There was now saying others couldn''t try a second or third time.

    So, the administrator threw down the gauntlet.

    He had no ns to forcibly seize the domain like Graham did.

    Instead, he intended to gradually build up merits and gain the trust of those around him, then mobilize the military to take control of Lucy.

    It would take time, but fortunately, Lucy was young.

    A few years'' investment was eptable.

    "Hehe. Everything is proceeding as nned."

    The thieves currently attacking the Talian domain were actually friends of his mercenary cousin.

    Indeed, these jobless mercenaries had simply lowered their g and turned to thievery!

    The one who had called these mercenary-thieves was the administrator, and he would also bring his cousin to drive them away.

    It was all a well-orchestrated game.

    "With the people already suffering from thieves, and now with wolves joining the fray... Hehe."

    How long could such a delicate young girl endure?

    It was during one of his sinister chuckles that the rm was raised.

    "Sir Administrator, there''s trouble!"

    "What''s all thismotion about?"

    A subordinate came running in, eximing.

    "An army is approaching!"

    "???"

    The administrator was stunned by his subordinate''s report.

    An army in Talian domain?

    Which mad lord had decided to march an army into ournd?

    There was absolutely no reason for it???

    "That army... while marching, encountered the thieves and..."

    The subordinate hesitated before continuing.

    "...smashed the thieves to pieces."

    "Damn it��"

    The administrator felt a rage boiling inside as if his blood were reversing flow.

    Why would they attack the thieves who were just living (?) peacefully?

    "We need to see who this bastard is!"

    The administrator hurried to the stables.

    By then, Lucy had already gone to meet this mysterious army.

    Lucy was equally confused.

    "An army passing by just happened to defeat the thieves?"

    "Yes, Your Excellency! Truly honorable people!"

    The subordinate reporting was filled with admiration, but.

    Lucy was a bit puzzled.

    The knights she knew were all mere thugs with swords.

    Unless they were devout military monks like the Santiago Knights, they wouldn''t fight thieves for the sake of honor!

    "Was there a dispute?"

    That was Lucy''s guess.

    She then met with the leader of this mysterious army, a middle-aged man with a finely groomed mustache.

    "Oh! Delighted to meet you! You must be the Baron of Talian!"

    "And you are?"

    "I am Baron Damon!"

    "?"

    Lucy searched her memory.

    Being a noble, she was familiar with all the nobles in the surrounding domains.

    But Baron Damon? She had never heard that name.

    "Perhaps... are you a wandering knight?"

    Lucy asked if Baron Damon led a war band, possibly a knight who managed his own mercenary force.

    "No! I am a lord. My domain is over in the Amarico Mountains."

    "???"

    This made even less sense.

    Nobody lives there, right?

    At best, it''s a haven for bandits...

    ''Ah.''

    Lucy arrived at a logical conclusion.

    This man is a bandit...

    "Wizard Ian introduced me, so I came to visit. I''m nning to head South and wondered if I could stay for a while."

    "Ian?!"

    Lucy was so surprised she rushed up to Baron Damon.

    Baron Damon burst outughing.

    Her face flushed at the mention of the name, clearly a girl in love.

    "Yes. That wise wizard has given me invaluable advice."

    "Ian is indeed intelligent!"

    Baron Damon and Baron Talian bonded over their admiration for Ian.

    And they both thought simultaneously.

    If she likes Ian, she must be a good person!

    "Ah! I captured some thieves along the way. Just a little gift to pass the time."

    "Ahaha. You shouldn''t have."

    He sounded like a man who had just bought a ham set at a department store.

    A line of tied-up thieves (mercenaries) came forward, each looking as gloomy as a cloud.

    "Sh*t... I should have stayed and farmed back home..."

    "Followed this dumbass captain and now we''re totally screwed..."

    Baron Damon was given supplies while staying in the Talian domain.

    Of course, he wasn''t just sitting around; he was actively hunting down thieves.

    "Hahaha! It feels great to shoot something other than deer in the mountains!"

    The snipers following Baron Damon were thrilled, taking potshots at the thieves with their bows and enjoying themselves immensely.

    The leader of the thieves, suddenly finding himself the prey, was furious and confronted the administrator.

    "This f*cker! Did you set this up to screw me over?"

    "No, it was just a coincidence! How could I possibly have summoned an army?"

    The administrator desperately tried to calm the thief.

    "Just hold on a little longer; they''ll be gone soon! Let the wolves stir things up while youy low."

    "...I''ll trust you one more time."

    The thieves disappeared, and fierce wolves took their ce.

    "Wolves... It''s kind of hard to hunt them like this."

    Baron Damon found it slightly troublesome.

    In the mountains, it was easy to shoot at visible range with a bow, but on the open ins, even chasing them down was a challenge.

    Neither Baron Damon nor the Baron of Talian had enough horses to form a cavalry.

    Then, an extraordinary figure appeared in the domain.

    "Oh! So this is the Talian domain!"

    "Yikes! It''s a monster!"

    It was a furry werewolf.

    Lucy was startled by the sudden appearance of this furry knight.

    However, the werewolf casually presented a symbol of Heaven''s Faith.

    "Calm down,dy. I am a faithful servant following the will of the heavens."

    "Huh?"

    "I''ve made a master-servant pact with Wizard Ian and havee here ordingly."

    "Ian???"

    He''s another one of Ian''s friends?

    Lucy was momentarily speechless.

    First a bandit chief, and now he''s made a pact with a werewolf?

    "I''ve noticed there are quite a few wolves around. I''ll take care of them."

    "Uh... Okay."

    Werewolf Lewis charged into the pack of wolves with nothing but his bare hands.

    And in less than a day, he returned as the king of the wolves.

    "I''ve subdued them all. The wolves won''t harass the people of the domain anymore."

    "Wow."

    Lucy was impressed. This guy was effective.

    Lewis gave a sly wink.

    "Make sure to document this well so I can report it when Ian returns."

    "Uh, sure."

    I''m not sure what''s happening, but...

    With the addition of Baron Damon and Lewis, the security in the Talian domain waspletely restored.

    The residents of the domain sent uproarious cheers to Lucy.

    "Wow! Long live our lord!"

    Lucy responded with a noble''s smile.

    "Lucky me."

    "Oh, there are more people now. It''s lively and nice."

    "Ah, the Fairy Queen!"

    The Fairy Queen, visiting the Talian domain after some time, nodded as she saw the bustling domain.

    Lucy was governing well! (Or not)

    "Here. This is fairy silk made for Ian. Make sure you take good care of it."

    "Thank you!"

    Lucy stroked the exquisite fairy silk with a broad smile.

    Wow! This is valuable!

    Ian had told her to handle it as she saw fit, but Lucy nned to carefully look for a buyer.

    If she messed it up, she wouldn''t be able to face Ian.

    Just then.

    "Mydy! There''s a visitor outside looking for you!"

    "Again?"

    This time, the visitor was...

    A nun.

    "Hello, sister. I came at Ian''s rmendation. I heard there''s precious fabric here... I happen to know a bit about tailoring."

    "..."

    By this point, Lucy became curious.

    What exactly was Ian doing out there?!

    Regardless of Lucy''s questions, the Talian domain was bustling more than ever.

    It was a sign of prosperity.

    ---

    ---

    Ian had left the castle after receiving some pocket money from Baron Devosi and his wife.

    The sun was zing, and the breeze was refreshing.

    It was perfect weather for traveling.

    "It''s so hot... Maybeing out wasn''t such a good idea..."

    If only Takarion would stop spouting nonsense.

    "Ha... If only I could have a refreshing fruit juice right now, I''d wish for nothing more..."

    "..."

    "Nothing more..."

    What do you want me to do about it?

    Takarion, having heard of Ian''spetence as a wizard, kept trying to get something extra out of him.

    "Can''t you make some ice?"

    "What do you think magic is?"

    Traveling is tough.

    You must eat and sleep on the road, never knowing when you might encounter monsters or thieves.

    Ian''s party were all professional-level travelers, and the monks were used to hardships and had great patience.

    But Takarion was not one of them.

    "Ah... Can we rest soon?"

    "Just a little longer! Brother Takarion! If we stop here, we won''t make good progress!"

    "My legs feel like they''re going to break!"

    Ian sighed.

    Clearly, someone used to just fiddling with pens at home had crawled out of the monastery dreaming of riches and honor.

    "Takarion~"

    "Huh?"

    At that moment, someone on the road called out Takarion''s name.

    A beautiful woman with long flowing blond hair came running.

    Ian, of course, and the others were shocked.

    The woman was dressed as a nun.

    "A nun?"

    "Is there a convent nearby?"

    "But why is she dressed like that..."

    She was wearing a modified nun''s outfit.

    A skirt in the style of a Cheongsam that exposed her legs and a long sash passing under her ample chest.

    Her hair flowed freely, adorned with a pure white headband!

    "Oh!"

    Ian was impressed.

    Such futuristic attire in this uncivilized medieval fantasy world!

    It was incredibly pretty!

    It could easily fit right into a cute girl gacha game.

    However, unlike the admiring Ian, the monks could not hide their anger.

    "That, that! What kind of indecent outfit is that!"

    "Have you ever seen such a lewd nun!"

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Mionia was a nun.

    During a difficult childbirth, her mother vowed to dedicate her child to God if both survived.

    Mionia was born safely and thus, dedicated to God.

    She became a nun, not by her own will, simr to many medieval people who couldn''t choose their own futures.

    The problem was that Mionia had little faith.

    "Haah, life."

    Indifferently, Mionia leaned against the convent walls, watching the street.

    All she saw were women walking arm in arm with men, ordinary women who were born into ordinary families, married into ordinary families, and became housewives.

    "...I''m jealous."

    Mionia envied these ordinary women.

    The strict life of a nun was too much for her.

    She disliked getting up at dawn for prayers and always having to behave modestly and demurely.

    Especially the clothing!

    The mother superior was particrly strict about the young nuns�� attire.

    Monks, having vowed to dedicate everything to God, must only look towards God.

    Therefore, any attire that attracted attention was uneptable.

    Moreover, the God of their religion is often depicted as female, widely recognized as the Goddess.

    A nun tempting men in her holy robes under the eyes of the Goddess?

    The watching Goddess would be justified in striking her with lightning.

    It would be no crime.

    Thus, the nun��s robes had to be solemn and neat.

    "Mionia! Can''t you wear your veil properly? Your hair is sticking out again!"

    "Ohe on! Just overlook a bit of hair!"

    "And did you shorten your top again? What''s with that tight-fitting dress!"

    "I didn��t shorten it! What am I supposed to do if my breasts get bigger!"

    "You should have brought a bandage to cover that vulgar chest!"

    "What? You old hag!"

    Mionia was the troublemaker of the convent.

    Daily, she fought, pulling hair and scrapping with the other nuns, who called her a devil''s spawn and ascivious woman.

    But Mionia felt wronged.

    Did she want to be a nun?

    No, she had been dedicated by her parents as a newborn!

    She wanted to quit being a nun, meet a decent man, have children, and start a family.

    However, the mother superior wouldn��t let her go.

    Since she was dedicated to God, she was told she had to work for God until her death.

    The mother superior��s logic was wed.

    God never said it was okay to exploit people like ves, nor had she ever forced unwilling people into service.

    But the mother superior was a greedy human.

    Why would she release a legally free ve?

    "Mionia. If you finish all the tasks I give you, I��ll secrize you."

    "Really?"

    "Of course. I swear to God."

    Eagerly, Mionia followed the mother superior��s orders, hoping to be secrized.

    But the difficulty of the secrization tasks far exceeded Mionia��s expectations.

    She began to doubt if it was even meant to bepleted.

    Perhaps there was never any intention to secrize her from the start?

    The mother superior��s request turned out to be participation in an assassination.

    "Excuse me? You want me tomit assassination?"

    "Oh. Assassination? I said coborate in meting out divine punishment."

    She never used the word ''assassination'', but to Mionia, it was the same thing.

    Divine punishment? Are you kidding? Using the name of the Goddess to justify murder?

    "Don��t worry, Mionia. The target is a shameless fraudster. God would reward you for this."

    How do you know that?

    Mionia swallowed her doubts but remained silent.

    She had already uncovered the mother superior��s sinister scheme.

    If she withdrew now, the punishment might be far worse than mere confinement within the convent walls.

    "Go. Do what you must."

    "Yes, Mother Superior," Mionia replied.

    After receiving instructions, Mionia left the convent to meet with an aplice.

    "So, have you heard enough?"

    "No, not yet..."

    "The one we need to handle is a monk called [

    Golden Finger Takarion], who has sinned by writing a misleading gospel that has confused many."

    Mionia swallowed dryly.

    She had never imagined she would be entangled in a plot to kill someone...

    "What should I do?"

    "You are to serve Takarion a meal."

    "...Is that all?"

    "Yes. We will poison his food. By the time he finishes his meal, he will be facing divine judgment."

    As the assassin continued, Mionia realized why she had been chosen to assist in the assassination.

    "ording to rumors, Takarion has a weakness for beauties."

    "A beauty?"

    "It seems, Sister Mionia, you are quite liberal, even by our convent��s standards..."

    Incredibly, the assassins had brazenly requested her to use her charm.

    Mionia was stunned but couldn''t deny it.

    Indeed, she was likely capable of seducing Takarion to serve him the meal.

    "Just so you know, don''t even dream of betraying us. Besides us, there are other trapsid out for him."

    It was a warning to avoid getting herself killed.

    Mionia nodded but was continuously gued by doubts.

    Was it really right to cooperate in an assassination for her secrization?

    If she had been uneducated, she might not have even considered this dilemma.

    However, she was a nun, educated in the words of God and the proper way to live.

    God, what should I do...

    While she pondered this, the monk named Takarion arrived.

    Dressed in a modified nun''s habit that she had tailored herself, Mionia went out to greet him, questioning whether his death was truly for the sake of God.

    ---

    ---

    "What have you done to the holy robes!" the monks eximed, frothing at the mouth upon seeing the nun''s attire.

    "What! This is not a nun''s habit!!!"

    How could a habit that show so much skin!?

    Furthermore, the nun''s body itself wasscivious.

    Ascivious body inscivious clothing?

    Conclusion: Ascivious nun.

    Unlike the monks, Ian was simply amazed.

    Wow! Nun cosy!

    Familiar with modern, distorted images of nuns, Ian didn''t see anything strange about her attire.

    Though there was some exposure, by modern standards, it wasn''t severe at all.

    She could walk around aic event in that outfit without feeling out of ce!

    "It''s infuriating because it''s pretty," Belenka remarked calmly, arms crossed.

    Kira slightly furrowed her brows.

    "That''s pretty? You have weird tastes."

    "Think of it as a regr dress, not a modified nun��s habit. Isn��t it quite nice?"

    "Well... hmm."

    The more she considered it, the more it seemed to make sense.

    Based on a nun''s habit, if it had been made from decent fabric, it could have been a design worthy of beauty.

    Kira realized with embarrassment that she found thescivious nun''s habit... pretty.

    Why? Why does it look pretty?

    Perhaps because Ian was staring so intently.

    ...Humph. Maybe it would suit me even better.

    It was an attire that even women admired, not just Ian.

    The stimtion nearly made Takarion faint!

    Huff! Huff!

    He gasped for air.

    He was an otaku who had confined himself to writing light novels��no, gospels��in his room.

    In these gospels, he described all sorts of beautiful women.

    Back then, Takarion had no inhibitions; he found joy in creating female characters!

    However, standing in front of a real woman, Takarion was utterly inept.

    "Brother Takarion! I have thoroughly enjoyed your gospel! My name is Mionia, and I am your fervent follower!"

    "Ah... um... yes."

    "I heard you were passing through and I just had to meet you. It feels like a dream to actually be here!"

    As Sister Mionia approached, Takarion''s face turned bright red.

    She was a beauty on par with Belenka or Kira, an insurmountable challenge for a basement-dwelling otaku!

    "In honor of our meeting today, I would like to offer you a meal... if you��re not too busy, could you spare some time?"

    "Ah... um... well..."

    Takarion stumbled over his words.

    It was evident, as clear as someone who had fallen from an apple tree as a child.

    "Look here! Sister Mionia! There are limits to shamelessness! How can you, dressed like that, offer to dine with our Takarion!"

    "Be quiet!!!"

    Unable to stand it any longer, some monks spoke up, but Takarion immediately defended Mionia.

    The monks felt a deep sense of betrayal...!

    "No, Takarion! Are you siding with a woman who looks like a whore?!"

    "Watch yournguage! I will not tolerate any insults to Sister Mionia!"

    "Oh, Takarion!"

    Mionia gently embraced Takarion.

    Both Takarion and the monks were utterly astonished.

    Mionia, who drove everyone crazy, was truly a superstar in every sense of the word.

    "Hmm..."

    Ian watched and tilted his head slightly.

    But really, no matter how much you respect Takarion, was he so charming to cling to him like so?

    For a woman to wear such attractive clothes and cling to a man is no trivial act.

    It requires serious intent, whatever that may be.

    Surely Sister Mionia isn��t blind...

    Could she actually have a bizarre taste for someone like a hopeless otaku?

    "Is she trying to steal his organs?"

    "Is she under some kind of spell?"

    Belenka narrowed her eyes sharply.

    Her past experiences had made her suspicious of wizards.

    Ian just shrugged.

    The organment was just a joke.

    He didn''t know the full story.

    Perhaps she really dressed that way out of fandom, wanting to appear attractive to Takarion.

    Then, Kira murmured softly.

    "There might be... some ulterior motive."

    "Huh?"

    "The way she acts... It doesn''t feel sincere. Like she��s performing?"

    As an expert in acting, Kira sensed something off in the nun''s behavior.

    But just because it appeared a bit awkward, they couldn''t interrogate her as if she were a criminal.

    "Let''s go! Let''s have that meal!"

    "You��re so cool, Takarion!"

    By now, Takarion waspletely enamored with Mionia.

    Ian quietly followed the two.

    ---

    ---

    Murder is a sin.

    All murders are sinful, but some are especially egregious.

    Specifically, the murder of a clergyman.

    It goes without saying that all adherents of Heaven''s Faith dread going to hell��a ce filled only with terrible suffering.

    However, life sometimes brings moments when sinning seems inevitable.

    For instance, killing a passerby to steal their food when on the brink of starvation.

    In cases deemed ''unavoidable,'' the gravity of the sinmitted is said to be much lighter than that of other crimes.

    Those who have taken up murder as a profession took note of this nuance.

    They realized that even the same act of murder can carry different consequences depending on the circumstances.

    If we kill someone by ident, it''s not really our fault, right?

    For instance, stabbing someone with a knife is a clear case of murder.

    But what if you poison someone instead?

    What if it''s by serving them a meal prepared with an exotic ingredient that people didn''t know was poisonous?

    Wow. Had no idea that eating food made with such strange ingredients could kill someone! It was a case of willful ignorance.

    Yet, murderers are desperate people.

    If there''s even a slight chance that the gravity of their sin could be lessened, they will take it, no matter how foolish it may seem.

    Those nning Takarion''s assassination reasoned simrly.

    Even though the higher-ups denounced Takarion as a fake and a fraudster, to those below, Takarion was still a clergyman.

    They didn''t want to kill a clergyman with their own hands!

    The higher-ups shared this reluctance.

    So, they devised a clever solution.

    "Let''s assassinate him with a poison unknown in the empire!"

    "Let''s use a poison even the clergy don''t know about!"

    "Maybe then our sin will be lessened?"

    They looked for food that appeared harmless but was in fact filled with deadly poison.

    Pufferfish or poisonous mushrooms were too well-known, so they were out.

    Sprouted potatoes were too weak in toxicity, so they were out.

    After filtering through various options, they stumbled upon a certain red, round vegetable.

    "This is supposed to be dangerous?"

    "Yes! It''s said to be a deadly food if eaten!"

    The vegetable the assassins discovered was called [tomato].

    "Hmm. It doesn''t look dangerous at all. Are you sure it''s deadly?"

    "Would you like to try some?"

    "Are you insane? If we confirm its toxicity, it bes an actual assassination! We''re just supposed to be serving food by chance. Takarion has to die without our knowledge!"

    "Ah! Right! That was close!"

    Rumor has it that everyone who ate this [tomato] died.

    So, well... Takarion would probably just die off casually too!

    Thus, the assassins waited with a pot of tomato soup, as Mionia brought Takarion to them.

    "Hehe... Let''s send him to hell! Foolish Takarion!"

    The assassin stirred the tomato soup and chuckled sinisterly.

    With such ruthless assassins after his life, Takarion��s life was as fragile as a candle in the wind!

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    There''s a theory known as "Fan Death."

    It��s a spooky tale iming that if you slept in an enclosed room with a fan running, you would be found dead the next morning.

    This urban legend had be so well-known in South Korea that it was even featured on the 9 PM news.

    Parents with young children panicked after hearing news reports that sleeping with the fan on could kill you."Oh my! How terrifying! How can we live like this!"

    "Don��t turn on the fan at night! If you do, you''ll die!!!"

    Worried their children might die, they didn��t allow fans to be used during the hot summer.

    The entire nation seriously believed in the fan death theory.

    In fact, it wasmon for some to lock themselves in their rooms and turn on the fan after arguing with their parents.

    "Don��te in my room! I''m going to turn on the fan and just die!"

    Children who waited for death in front of a fan in a tightly sealed room...

    Well, as everyone expected, they all woke up fine the next morning.

    Yes.

    The fan death theory is indeed just an urban legend.

    Logically, how could a fan on its own, kill a person?

    However, just because it was reported on the news, the adults in South Korea took the [Fan Death] theory seriously.

    You might think, why not just test it and find out?

    But, if by some rare chance, the fan death theory was true, wouldn��t the experiment end with a dead body?

    That''s why the fan death theory didn''t easily fade away.

    Urban legends might seemedic from the outside, but in the inside, they''re tragedies.

    The [Tomato Death Theory] that spread in the northern part of the Holy Empire was just like that.

    A priest had died after eating a tomato imported from the south, for some unspecified reason.

    Although the exact cause of death was not determined, other priests in the vicinity attributed the priest''s death to the tomato.

    "They died after eating a tomato, right?!"

    "We need to educate the people about this!"

    The priests hurriedly taught the farmers that tomatoes were a "crop that causes death when eaten."

    If any brave farmer had verified the truth, the priests�� teachings would have been exposed as false.

    But no farmer wanted to risk their life to challenge the priests�� ims.

    Then as now, curiosity equals heaven.

    It means going to meet God.

    "So, eating this means you die?"

    "Yes! It''s dangerous, so don��t evene close!"

    Tomatoes are one of the popr crops in the southern Coral Sea that people can''t eat enough of.

    If Sword Master Salvador from the South saw this, he would burst intoughter at the absurdity.

    Logically, why would anyone in the South cultivate in mass a crop that kills when eaten?

    But the northerners seriously believed in the [Tomato Death Theory].

    ... And so, assassins began buying tomatoes for assassinations.

    "Keke... I''ll send you straight to hell, Takarion!"

    That��s why Takarion''s assassins ended up making tomato soup.

    ---

    ---

    Ian had the chance to eat under a roof for a change, but it sparked no particr emotion in him.

    He had already grown tired of the medieval dining style.

    Most likely another salted roast dish wasing.

    Grill, steam, boil.

    Once the cooking was done, just sprinkle some salt on it.

    There, the exciting medieval cuisine isplete!

    Easy, right?

    In fact, this ridiculously simple cooking style can be seen all over contemporary Europe.

    Bread, meat, and a bit of vegetables are grilled, steamed, boiled... and simply eaten.

    A typical example is steak.

    Grilling can be considered an art form, but when ites down to it, it��s just grilled meat served with butter.

    Throw in some asparagus, and you''re done.

    Even monks consider a simple meal a virtue.

    Looking at the attire of the nun Mionia, she seems to live a free-spirited lifestyle...

    But could it really be more luxurious than a noble''s meal?

    Until recently, Ian had been residing at Devosi Castle, a prosperous estate where he even enjoyed meals sprinkled with pepper.

    The meal was served at a merchant''s house, which appeared to be the residence where Sister Mionia was staying.

    "There isn''t much, but please eat your fill!" the homeowner obsequiously offered as he served the food.

    Surprised, the monks murmured among themselves.

    "What kind of food is this?"

    "The soup is bright red... really unusual, isn��t it?"

    It wasn''t just idle chatter.

    The food the merchant had prepared was indeed unusual.

    It was a soup, but the broth was as red as blood.

    "The smell is quite nice though."

    Neither the monks, Belenka, nor Kira knew what this red soup was.

    The only ones who knew the identity of the soup at this gathering were the merchant, Mionia, and Ian.

    ''...Tomato?''

    Ian silently guessed.

    He tasted the soup with his lips.

    It was a tangy vor.

    ''Wow...!''

    Yes, it was indeed tomato soup.

    Moved nearly to tears by the tangy, refreshing taste he hadn''t experienced in almost 20 years, Ian was overwhelmed.

    Tomato!

    It''s a staple in every hamburger, not to mention how its distinctive tangy umami vor finds its way into all sorts of dishes, especiallyplementing meat dishes well.

    After eating only greasy meat for so long, tasting the tangy tomato was an eye-opening experience.

    Yes! You medieval folks!

    Don��t just gorge on meat; eat some proper vegetables too!

    Having seen just the tomato soup, Ian was already excited about the main course.

    Surely the merchant must have brought precious ingredients to treat the clergy!

    Just as Ian was thinking this, there was a sudden noise.

    Thud!

    Someone roughly pushed back their chair and stood up.

    It was Sister Mionia.

    "What��s the matter, Sister?" the merchant asked Mionia with a smile.

    Mionia was visibly shocked.

    That''s...soup made with [tomatoes]?!

    Is he nning to kill everyone here!!!

    Sister Mionia trembled, then looked at the merchant with a stern expression.

    "What in the world are you doing?" she demanded.

    "What do you mean, all of a sudden?"

    "You intend to serve this meal to everyone here? Really...! Do you think that��s the right thing to do!"

    Startled by Mionia''s outcry, the monks looked puzzled.

    However, the merchant remained calm.

    "Of course, I must treat everyone. Wouldn��t it be strange to give special treatment to just one person?"

    "...Is that so," Mionia''s voice sank, filled with betrayal.

    Even if she had been forced to join the table due to the mother superior''s threats, she had no intention of standing by during a massacre.

    Yes. This was already the realm of massacre!

    Feeding tomato soup to everyone seated here! How horrifying!

    Takarion awkwardly chuckled.

    "Sister. Why are you suddenly...?"

    Just then, Mionia flipped Takarion''s soup bowl.

    "Ah!"

    "Sister?!"

    Immediately after flipping the bowl, Mionia shouted, "Everyone, take your hands off the soup! It contains poison!"

    "What, what?!"

    "Poison, I tell you!"

    Spitting hurriedly, Ian spat out his saliva.

    "Poison? Did she say poison?"

    "Damn it. I just tasted a little. Am I okay?"

    "What foolishness," the merchantmented with a gesture.

    Then, men armed with swords appeared en masse.

    "Mionia. Was it that hard to follow orders?"

    "It''s ten times harder to follow someone who intends to poison everyone!"

    Mionia countered as the merchant approached her with a sinister smile, the monks immobilized by the swords pointed at them.

    "Keke... No choice then. I must send you first to the Lord."

    "You... despicable human!"

    The merchant extended something to Mionia.

    Ian cocked his head, puzzled.

    "It��s a deadly poison from the Coral Sea. Eat it."

    "Keke...!"

    Although the merchant imed it was a deadly poison...

    It didn��t really look like one, did it?

    That��s because the ''deadly poison'' the merchant handed over was actually a tomato.

    "Come on! Eat it quickly!"

    "Ugh! The Lord is watching your sins!"

    "Hahaha! Eat it quickly, Mionia!"

    Mionia desperately shook her head.

    To Ian, she looked like a child who was being picky about their food...

    ''Things have gottenplicated again.''

    Ian calmly collected himself and assessed the situation.

    He had epted an invitation to a dinner hosted by a nun, but the venue turned out to be filled with assassins.

    Among them, there was only one person they truly wanted dead��Takarion.

    ''But from their readiness to draw swords, it seems they were nning to kill all of us.''

    The assassins intended to kill not just Takarion, but also his fellow monks and even Ian''s group.

    The evidencey right before Ian��the tomato soup.

    ''...''

    Ian scooped up some more soup and brought it to his mouth.

    Focusing, he recalled a conversation he had once had with Mani, a seasoned herbologist.

    ''You might need to forage in the forest, so I''ll teach you my magic to detect nt poisons.''

    ''Oh, magic?''

    Mani, the skilled herbologist, had taught Ian the magic to identify nt toxins.

    Until now, there had never been a need to use this magic because he had never foraged for nts.

    But now, it was incredibly useful.

    ''...Just as I thought.''

    Ian was certain. There was no real poison in the soup.

    It was a delicious soup made solely with tomatoes.

    There might be some unknown poison that Ian was unaware of, but at least he knew the tomatoes were safe to eat.

    Ian subtly scanned the surroundings.

    Belenka was immobilized by the sword pointed at her, but Kira was rtively less closely watched.

    If Ian created a diversion, there would be enough chaos.

    "Alright, Mionia. If you ingest the poison yourself, I will spare the others."

    "Really?!"

    The assassin sneered wickedly.

    "Of course."

    It was a lie.

    It was merely a ploy to coerce Mionia into [suicide].

    But for the desperate, there was no choice.

    "Fine. I''ll eat it," Mionia said, as if sighing.

    Perhaps it was for the best.

    Though coerced, she had participated in such a sordid affair as assassination while serving God.

    If she could atone for her sins even slightly with her life, then she was content.

    Whether she liked it or not, she was a servant of God.

    Mionia held the poison (tomato) in her hand. Her hand trembled.

    Belenka��s eyes were sharp, as if ready to spring into action at any moment.

    Ian quickly sent a message.

    The tomato soup moved on its own and disyed the words.

    [Wait.]

    "...?"

    Belenka didn��t understand the message Ian sent.

    She couldn��t read...

    But she sensed that Ian was nning something.

    Ian took a deep breath and prepared to initiate his ''wizardy''.

    "I can no longer stand listening to this."

    Ian''s voice filled the dining area and spread throughout.

    Both the assassin and Mionia stopped what they were doing and looked at Ian.

    "What? Who are you?"

    Naturally... The assassin had no idea who Ian was.

    Indeed, he knew nothing about Ian��s entire party.

    He just thought they were some nobles'' children participating in a pilgrimage with the monks.

    So when Ian stood up, nobody really paid attention.

    "What are you doing? Sit down immediately..."

    "Put the knife away."

    Ian stared directly into the swordsman''s eyes andmanded with a voice that carried the unique persuasive power of a wizard.

    "What, what?!"

    "Put the knife away. What, do you n to stab someone with that? Are you a murderer?"

    "..."

    The swordsman, upon making eye contact with Ian, seemed to lose hisposure.

    Ian, who had frequently encountered mystical forces, had an indescribable madness in his gaze that could unsettle the soul of the faint-hearted.

    "No, no sir..."

    Unintentionally, the swordsman used formal speech.

    The enigmatic aura emanating from Ian brought forth an indescribable sense of oppression, naturally drawing out formal speech.

    Ian dismissed the swordsman and confronted the assassin.

    The assassin sized up Ian and remarked,

    "Must be some noble''s son. But if I stab you, you''ll die just the same, won''t you? If you don''t want to die, just sit down and shut up."

    Ian maintained hisposure.

    Ian was a farmer''s son.

    "You said you��d spare the others if I eat the poison? Then, may I eat it?"

    "!!!"

    "!!!"

    As soon as Ian spoke, the monks were shocked.

    "No, Ian sir! What are you saying!"

    "That must not be! It absolutely must not be!!!"

    "Rather let me! I will eat it instead!"

    They were startled by Ian''s sudden action.

    At the same time, they were deeply moved.

    To offer up his own life for others...

    What a holy sacrifice!

    However, contrary to the monks'' thoughts, Ian was not thinking of ''sacrifice'' at all.

    It was just a tomato...

    His aim was to create a disturbance and distract the guards.

    In short, it was just a performance by an ordinary wizard.

    "Uh, uh..."

    Takarion hesitated as if he were in urgent need of a restroom.

    He wanted to make a grand ''sacrifice'' himself, but he just couldn''t find the words.

    "This can''t be! What are you suddenly saying!"

    Mionia stepped forward, flustered, looking at Ian.

    Apparently, he seemed like a noble��s child traveling on a pilgrimage with the monks.

    To think he decided to sacrifice himself to save others! (Not really)

    Ian made up a suitable response to console Mionia.

    "It is a believer��s duty to step forward for those devoted to the clergy."

    "Ah...!"

    Mionia unwittingly teared up.

    There were many who professed faith with their lips.

    However, most sought faith only in words and never practiced it directly.

    Such transparent and pure faith!

    Mionia felt as if the darkness in her heart was slowly clearing.

    "But...!"

    "If you pray for me, sister, a miracle might happen, and I might survive."

    "..."

    "Please, will you pray for me."

    As Ian spoke with a smile, Mionia burst into tears.

    Sacrifice is a word not easily uttered.

    Mionia too found it difficult to continue shouting for her own death when Ian offered himself instead.

    Instead, she decided to pray for Ian.

    "I will... I will... Sob! Yes, I will pray!"

    "Brother Ian!"

    "Sob! I too! I too will pray for Brother Ian!"

    The monks collectively shed tears.

    ...Ian felt a bit embarrassed.

    Anyone would think he was headed to his death.

    But Ian had no intention of dying at all.

    All Ian needed was to sufficiently distract the assassins'' attention.

    "You''re offering to eat the poison instead?"

    "Yes."

    "Ha ha ha. What a fool. Well, go ahead if you really want to."

    The assassin readily consented to Ian''s proposal for self-sacrifice.

    After all, his n had been to eliminate everyone, including Takarion.

    Ian volunteering to die meant one less person he needed to forcibly kill.

    It was also somewhat distasteful to harm such a devout person directly.

    Ian stood in front of the assassin.

    The assassin regarded Ian with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, finding amusement in the situation.

    It was also an opportunity to witness firsthand the supposed toxicity of the [tomato].

    "Hehe. Are you sure you won''t regret this? You can still go back to your seat, and I''d understand."

    Ian smirked, confidently gripping the tomato.

    He then bit into it without any hesitation.

    "��!"

    "��!"

    Sister Mionia covered her mouth.

    A frail monk sniffled.

    "For us... such a sacrifice...!"

    "Ah... Ian... are you truly a saint...!"

    Regardless of their reactions, Ian chewed the tomato thoroughly and swallowed.

    It was delicious��unexpectedly so.

    ''Delicious.''

    "I might as well have another."

    Ian picked up a second tomato.

    "Gasp!"

    "Two, two of them...!"

    "Stop! Really! You''ll really die!"

    The monks wailed in despair.

    Ian''s actions deeply moved them, and the room was again filled with tears.

    Meanwhile, the assassin sneered, amused by Ian''s apparent foolishness.

    "Ha. He''s so eager to die. Good thing I didn''t interfere!"

    "Hurry up and die, you fool!"

    Ian, ignoring the reactions around him, bit into a third tomato.

    It was just as delicious as the others.

    That''s when the assassins began to feel something was off.

    ''...? What''s going on?''

    ''Why isn''t he dying???''

    After eating three supposedly deadly nts???

    Ian chuckled.

    Eating tomatoes isn''t going to kill anyone.

    "Curious why I''m still alive?"

    Nods.

    The assassins were staring nkly at Ian, witnessing a rare spectacle they couldn''t have paid to see.

    Even the swordsman guarding Belenka and Kira was distracted by Ian''s performance.

    Now''s the chance!

    Snap!

    Ian snapped his fingers and shouted,

    "It''s all thanks to Kira''s fireworks!"

    Caught off guard by Ian''s sudden deration, the assassins werepletely baffled.

    Fireworks? What fireworks?

    But Kira knew exactly what Ian wanted.

    Showtime, Kira!

    "[Fire!]"

    As she shouted, Kiraunched the fireworks.

    The guards, who should have restrained her, were so captivated by Ian''s performance that they couldn''t react in time.

    With a thunderous noise and fireworks bursting like a fountain, the guards were startled and scrambled backward.

    However, Kira��s fireworks were merely dazzling and not lethal.

    But as the guards backed off...

    The ck Knight seized the opportunity to draw her sword!

    In a sh of silver light, a severed head flew through the air.

    It was Belenka, wielding a longsword.

    Caught off guard, the subordinates watched helplessly, unable to fight back.

    It felt like being caught in a fairy''s prank.

    "What are you... exactly?"

    Ian, retreating into the shadows, responded,

    "Ian. A wizard."

    But it was not the mischief of a fairy, but the sleight of hand of a wizard.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    It was evening, and the sun had set.

    Ian''s condition was excellent.

    Soon, the entire house was filled with pitch-ck darkness.

    [Ian! We''re here!]With the darkness fully deployed, Ian was virtually invincible.

    When you can''t see, even taking a step is challenging, much less pursuing and fighting enemies.

    Ian had also cast a spell on Belenka.

    "[Wind!]"

    This was the magic of echo localization, developed in Baron Talian''s tomb.

    The spell visualized sounds, enabling one to distinguish objects even in the dark.

    "Hmm."

    As the mysteries of the wind whispered, Belenka sensed a blurred distinction of objects around her.

    However, unlike the confined underground, the magic was significantly weaker in the open air above ground.

    The wind and sound spread in all directions, echo localization did not function well in these conditions.

    Thus, Belenka could only strike down enemies who were nearby.

    "Yikes!"

    As the situation quickly reversed, the assassins lost theirposure.

    They had thought this mission was only about dealing with powerless monks.

    Clergy are distasteful to kill, not difficult.

    But among Takarion''s group was a wizard��a highlypetent one!

    ''Surely Takarion is blessed by the gods?!''

    ''I was wrong...! We should have never started this!''

    As their n went awry, the assassins panicked.

    There was a n B prepared in case of assassination failure, but that was irrelevant to the assassins.

    "Run away!"

    "Scatter! Everyone scatter!"

    Sensing their failure, the assassins sought their own survival, fleeing in all directions.

    Some were caught by Belenka running in random directions, but most escaped the house and vanished into the darkness beyond.

    Ian did not pursue the assassins.

    More precisely, he could not pursue them.

    "Surrender! I will surrender!"

    "???"

    "I''ll pay a ransom, just spare my life!"

    The assassin leader had fallen to his knees.

    Ian was bbergasted.

    What nonsense about ransoms? Are you worth that?

    "Excuse me, just to check, are you royalty?"

    "No. But..."

    It wasn''t worth listening further.

    Ian drew Anor-lsil and aimed at the assassin''s chest.

    "..."

    Just before he swung the sword, his fingertips trembled slightly.

    To medieval people, killing was as routine as daily life, but not for Ian.

    Glory and sin are two sides of the same coin.

    Murder is an honorable act but also a sin that eats away at one''s humanity.

    Suddenly, the darkness lifted.

    Belenka approached Ian and said,

    "I can do it instead."

    Ian looked at Belenka.

    She was his knight.

    She could bear Ian''s sins without him having to get his hands bloody.

    But Ian shook his head.

    "No."

    Ian was not a modern person; he was a medieval resident.

    Here, there were nows or officers to protect Ian.

    To defend oneself, one must wield violence.

    Ian needed to be ustomed to violence.

    "If you spare me, I''ll give you a treasure map hidden with gold and jewels! I can give you alcohol and women too! Please spare me!"

    Ian scoffed in disbelief.

    Money, alcohol, women.

    That''s all the wealth gathered from a lifetime of killing?

    Ian positioned the de''s tip downward, plunging it between the corbones.

    "Gurk!"

    The de smoothly disappeared into the flesh.

    It was Ian''s first time wielding a sword, yet he miraculously avoided hitting any bones��a stroke of beginner''s luck perhaps.

    When Ian pulled out Anor-lsil,

    Thud.

    The assassin copsed like a wine bottle from which the cork had been popped, spilling blood profusely.

    Belenka whistled softly.

    "Indeed a good sword. It''s usually not so easy to pull out a de that''s been driven in so deeply."

    "..."

    "Is this your first time killing someone, Ian?"

    Ian nodded mechanically.

    A strange sensation lingered at his fingertips��excitement and trembling.

    And that sensation was eerily pleasant.

    Humans instinctively pursue violence.

    By destroying others and instilling fear, they affirm their own strength.

    Violence carries a pleasure addictive enough to ensnare humans.

    "Yes, revenge is sweet. But Ian, don''t forget that even revenge is an act of taking life."

    Belenka lightly patted Ian''s shoulder.

    Because violence is pleasurable, humans can easily be addicted to it.

    Those addicted to violence are no different from monsters.

    Belenka pointed this out.

    She hoped Ian would remain a pure human forever.

    "[Those who y with the devil''s toys will one day be devils themselves]. When we reach the vige, let''s go to the temple and pray, Ian."

    "...Right."

    Ian took Belenka''s advice to heart.

    Revenge is also murder.

    Revenge could be justified, but to someone addicted, it was like a game.

    If one were to draw a sword just because someone bumped into their shoulder, that wouldn''t be justice but madness.

    Ian felt he had be even more medieval.

    He was already medieval, but now even more so.

    For modern people, murder is a crime, but for medieval people, it''s a matter of honor.

    Now, Ian was [The One Who Defeated the Assassins].

    "Is everyone alright?"

    Once the situation had settled, Ian checked on the monks.

    Fortunately, all the monks were safe.

    They had hidden under the dining table as soon as themotion started.

    "Oh! Ian!"

    "Truly...! You must be a messenger sent by the heavens!"

    The monks rushed to Ian,peting to greet him.

    Even Takarion hesitantly offered thanks.

    "Um... thanks, I suppose... well fought..."

    Ian nodded nonchntly.

    Both physically and mentally, he was so exhausted he felt he could copse at any moment.

    But it wasn''t over yet.

    "I''m sorry to say this, but we need to leave quickly!"

    It was Sister Mionia.

    The infuriated monks immediately cursed.

    "Trying to deceive us again?!"

    "What kind of scheme are you plotting this time!"

    "First, change out of that obscene outfit!"

    Sister Mionia''s face turned red.

    "Uh, I''m not an obscene nun! And I''m serious!"

    The atmosphere could turn hostile.

    Ian intervened to mediate.

    "Let''s hear what Sister Mionia has to say."

    "Hmph! You call that a sister? Can you say that after seeing how she''s dressed?"

    "Why? She looks pretty."

    Ian''sment surprised Mionia, who covered her mouth.

    The monks were confused,

    And Belenka sighed.

    "There he goes with his sweet talk again."

    The monks wondered briefly if Ian had been seduced by a demon.

    But the faithful Brother Ian surely wouldn''t be seduced by a demon...

    They concluded that Ian''s sense was just a bit off.

    "Hmm..."

    "Maybe it''s because he''s a wizard, he has a unique way of seeing things..."

    Mionia gave Ian a slight nod of acknowledgment.

    Kira whispered to Belenka in a low voice.

    "Ian seems to like those kinds of clothes..."

    "Must be a guy thing, I guess."

    Hem hem.

    Mionia raised her voice.

    "Everyone, listen. Soon, barbarian warriors will invade this ce."

    "Barbarian warriors?"

    The monks were startled.

    Barbarian warriors were not amon sight in the Empire.

    "Yes. As far as I know, they are mercenaries hired by Count Lumin, prepared in case the poison assassination failed."

    The assassins themselves were aware that the assassination using [tomatoes] was uncertain.

    In fact, the [tomato assassination method] benefited only the assassins, allowing them to im that the clergymen died mysteriously after they had merely served food.

    If they truly intended to ensure the monks'' deaths from the start, they would have prepared an actual poison.

    However, Count Lumin, a devout follower of Heaven''s Faith, did not want to burden the assassins with the heinous sin of murdering clergy.

    So, they initially prepared a tomato assassination.

    If the assassination failed, they would simply smile and send the monks on their way, then attempt a second assassination.

    That would be the [Barbarian Assassination Method].

    "Barbarians..."

    "This is serious," the monks murmured, worry spreading across their faces.

    Followers of Heaven''s Faith would never harm clergy due to the fear of repercussions in the afterlife.

    But barbarians are different; they are pagans!

    They do not believe in Heaven''s Faith, so to them, killing hundreds or even thousands of clergy is not frightening at all!

    Count Lumin had cunningly prepared the most suitable assassins to kill clergy��barbarian warriors, who were ruthless murderers, well deserving of the term ''clergy killing machines.''

    "We must seek help from followers of Heaven''s Faith as quickly as possible."

    Ian nodded.

    If the barbarian warriors attacked, it would be difficult to guarantee the survival of the monks.

    Ian, capable of using various spells and even possessing a space-moving scroll, had nearly zero chance of being killed by the barbarians.

    However, nearly zero does not mean absolutely zero.

    In the dreadful sanitary and medical conditions of the medieval period, even a stray arrow could result in a fatal poisoning.

    Avoiding pointless fights was always the right choice.

    Ian had one advantage: the enemy were barbarians.

    Thisnd was imperial territory, overflowing with followers of Heaven''s Faith.

    Knights eager to earn glory would rush over,ughing andpeting to help.

    Any knight Ian met on the road could be a shield for his group.

    "I understand the situation, but there''s still something I''m unsure about."

    A monk pointed at Mionia and said,

    "What if this woman is trying to lead us to the barbarians?"

    Ian looked at Mionia silently.

    She was the woman who had altered her nun''s habit to seduce Takarion, making it somewhat indecent(?).

    Could they trust a woman who was once their enemy?

    "Sister Mionia, swear to heaven and tell us the truth. Why did you betray them? Why are you on our side now?"

    Mionia sighed as if exhausted.

    "I just wanted to escape the convent life, so I did as I was told. I participated in the assassination knowing it was to kill Takarion. Yes, that''s my sin."

    "You were trying to kill me from the start?"

    "Will you shut up for a second. Sister, please continue."

    "But the assassins intended to eliminate all of you. I didn''t want to see you all die. That''s a sin I couldn''t bear. So, I told the truth."

    If Mionia hadn''t betrayed them, Ian and his group would have simply walked out of the house after eating.

    But soon, they would have encountered barbarian warriors and fought.

    Mionia had ruined everything. Conversely, she had also saved everyone.

    "You made a difficult decision," Ian remarked.

    "...It��s not something to be praised for. It was merely reaping the sins I cultivated."

    "If you had remained silent, you could have gotten what you wanted. Instead, you kicked it away yourself."

    Ian said with a smile.

    "Perhaps it''s not yet time for you to leave the convent life."

    The monks nodded in agreement with Ian''s words.

    Choosing to follow divine teachings over immediate benefits is a behavior more fitting for a clergyman than an ordinary person.

    All the monks decided to trust Mionia��s words��except for one.

    Except for Takarion.

    "What?! She tried to kill me! And that doesn''t bother you???" Takarion eximed incredulously.

    "Well, that can happen," Ian replied matter-of-factly.

    "What do you mean, that can happen?"

    It seemed Takarion stillcked self-awareness.

    Considering how much he had done.

    "Sister Mionia! You said you liked me! That you respected me!"

    Takarion''s voice was almost desperate.

    Mionia responded sternly, "Are you an idiot? You believed that?"

    "It... it was a lie?"

    "The very idea that I could like you isughable. Don��t you even look at your face when you wash? Oh, right, you probably don��t realize since you barely wash."

    "That��s too much!!! You even said you liked my gospel!"

    "Ah, the gospel. Honestly, your gospel is awful. It truly deserves divine punishment, you know? You tried to make Saint Marcus a hero at the expense of treating other saints like idiots," Mionia criticized bluntly.

    "Well, that was simply to highlight the achievements of Saint Marcus..."

    Takarion attempted to justify.

    "The Saint Garhan who you described as aplete fool is Count Lumin��s most revered saint," Mionia revealed.

    "..."

    Takarion''s face turned pale.

    "Wait... you tried to kill me just over that?" he asked in disbelief.

    Mionia scoffed, "Just over that? Do you think living a life of faith is a joke?"

    Ian nodded in agreement.

    Indeed, issues involving a favorite character are serious matters, especially if your favorite character is turned into an idiot in some weird fanfic.

    As an ex-modern person, Ian could somewhat understand Count Lumin''s rage.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    A gospel, formally speaking, is a book that contains the sayings of ancient saints.

    Gospels filled only with truly good teachings are nearly non-existent.

    Such gospels are initially hard to understand.

    Starting with ''Saint Marcus says~'' isn''t effective when no one even knows who the hell Marcus is.

    Thus, it''s necessary to include who Marcus was and what achievements he umted.

    Then, the faithful can say, ''Saint Marcus was indeed a great man~'' and pay attention to his teachings.

    Therefore, the method forposing a gospel was as follows:

    Firstly, the essential words of the saint must be written. These parts are almost never omitted or distorted because any tampering would cast doubt on the gospel''s purity.

    Once the essentials are covered, the rest of the book can be freely fleshed out.

    This ''freedom'' in writing is quite broad since there were no specific qualifications required to write a gospel.

    For instance, the Bible must never be distorted or tampered with. The Bible is a perfect artifact in itself; altering even a single letter wouldpromise its sanctity.

    However, gospels are different.

    The very first gospel was written to more widely disseminate the teachings of the 13 saints.

    A monk recorded these teachings and lent the document to a friend.

    The friend copied its contents into a new book and then returned the original.

    The book was borrowed again, copied, and so on...

    Thus, while the core content remained, details often changed.

    ''Did you see the scene where Marcus punishes the Sky General?''

    ''Huh? Sky General? The scene I read was him punishing a barbarian.''

    ''This is inconsistent.''

    ''Ah, that''s not important!''

    Anyway, Marcus did punish them, right? Let''s have a drink~

    As a result, popr parts became [official], and less popr ones became [folk tales].

    ''Breaking news! Saint Marcus actually shootsser beams from his fingers!''

    ''...Who the hell said that?''

    ''Golden Finger Takarion mentioned it.''

    ''Bullsh*t! There''s no such thing in the official settings!''

    ''Shut up! What do the officials know!''

    ''???''

    In this sense, Takarion was a badass.

    With divine penmanship, he instantly captivated readers'' hearts, boasting firepower strong enough to threaten the official status with a solid concrete fandom!

    Takarion was a famous fan of Saint Marcus and, of course, portrayed Marcus as a superhuman demon, a sphemy even to gods.

    His written gospels seriously pissed off many monks.

    But where there is light, there must also be shadow.

    While the monks were washing their pants by the creek...

    An unknown author published a new gospel.

    It was a healing gospel filled with the quaint daily life of Saint Garhan.

    The monks devoured the new gospel and soon burst intoughter.

    ''Garhan''s daily life haha''

    ''A devoted believer who cared deeply. But that was all there was to him~''

    ''Honestly, if it''s for augh, Garhan tops the chart~''

    As soon as the gospel was released, mocking letters came pouring in.

    The author, Count Lumin, couldn''t help but be baffled.

    Why, Saint Garhan???

    Count Lumin was a devout believer of the Heaven''s Faith. His hobby was reading gospels.

    As he read gospels every day, he eventually developed the ambition to create and publish his own.

    He believed Saint Garhan embodied the cleanest and most transparent religious life and published a gospel documenting his deeds.

    But the image of Saint Garhan turned out to be an utter disaster.

    The cause was... Takarion, that bastard.

    Takarion turned Saint Garhan into a f*cking idiotic troll just to promote Saint Marcus!

    Count Lumin was indignant.

    He diligently wrote a sequel to clear up the misunderstanding by documenting Garhan''s achievements.

    However, it astonishingly received little attention.

    The reason was simple: Count Lumin''s writing was dull.

    It was a true gospel, containing only genuinely good teachings and acts of kindness.

    Confronted with the book''s wholesomeness, the faithful turned away.

    For every single book of Lumin''s sold, dozens of Takarion''s flew off the shelves.

    Watching Takarion''s books sell like hotcakes, Count Lumin''s heart was torn apart.

    Ah, I''m so envious.

    I want to be a sessful gospel writer too.

    Takarion, it was you.

    The person walking in front of me was you.

    Whenever I see you, my world copses.

    And it''s still copsing...!

    Count Lumin lost sleep night after night due to his growing envy.

    The more he thought about it, the more he hated Takarion.

    No, Takarion''s gospel is all bullsh*t.

    It''s full of ridiculous content.

    But why do people like such things!

    He had believed that Takarion, who had cruelly trampled on his favorite saint, would surely receive divine punishment.

    But far from being struck down, Takarion was bing more sessful every day.

    This wasn''t right.

    Takarion needs to be punished.

    But if the heavens won''t strike him down, then who will?

    ''...Me?''

    That was the conclusion Count Lumin reached.

    He must deliver divine retribution to the heretic Takarion on behalf of the heavens!

    He was a count of the empire, a noble with the wealth and resources to easily snuff out a person.

    Count Lumin began devising a n to assassinate Takarion, starting with a poisoning disguised as an ident.

    If that failed, he nned an attack using barbarians.

    The count''s ambitiously prepared first n was thwarted by the wizard Ian, but the n involving the barbarian attack remained intact.

    "So, I just need to take care of this Golden Finger Takarion, right?"

    Count Lumin nodded as he looked at the bear-like man before him.

    The term ''bear-like'' was not metaphorical. He was actually wearing bear skin.

    Berserker Bjorn.

    Berserker, or Berserk, means ''one who wears bear skin.''

    Bjorn had in a giant brown bear with just a hand axe at the age of fourteen and had made its skin into clothing.

    Since then, he has be an infamous undefeated warrior.

    It was no coincidence that this seasoned warrior hade to the distantnds of the empire seeking a raiding adventure.

    "You''ve got it. Just get rid of Takarion by any means necessary."

    "Good. I hope he''s a healthy guy. He''s supposed to be a saint of your God, so he won''t be a weakling, right? Right?"

    Berserker Bjorn chuckled, his ck teeth shing.

    "He''s a miraculous guy, right? Eh?"

    Count Lumin cursed Bjorn with his eyes.

    Miraculous my ass. What kind of person is Takarion?

    In the eyes of the northern barbarians, the saints of the Heaven''s Faith were close to miraculous beings, humans who performed divine miracles!

    "That guy is the most deceitful heart-shaker among all I know. His letters are infused with venom, and his handwriting bears the marks of corruption..."

    "Ooh! Very miraculous!"

    Count Lumin was merely trashing on Takarion''s amazing penmanship.

    But Bjorn took it as a testament to Takarion''s supernatural abilities.

    Wow! The saint has the power to beguile people!

    Truly miraculous!

    "Great. I''ll definitely take him back to my homnd!"

    "..."

    Count Lumin cocked his head, puzzled.

    But why has he been obsessed with this miraculous thing?

    And what''s this about taking him back to his homnd?

    "You''re free to deal with Takarion however you wish, but is there really a need to capture him?"

    Are you nning to enve him?

    Takarion is despised by even God, so he''d be useless even if captured.

    However, Bjorn''s next statement made Count Lumin shudder.

    "Ah. I n to use him as medicine."

    "...Medicine?"

    "Yes. Since he''s miraculous, he''ll definitely have powerful effects."

    Despite Count Lumin''s limited knowledge of medicine, he knew well that when something is used as medicine, the ingredient usually doesn''t fare well.

    "Dear heavens. My God!"

    Count Lumin felt his mind might reel from the barbarians'' terrifying savagery.

    They worship a bizarre deity called the Ice God.

    And ording to the rumors he had heard, the Ice God doesn''t punish cannibalism.

    ''...Should I call it off now?''

    Count Lumin''s faith was stirred.

    If he chose to, he could send all these cruel pagans to the executioner.

    What a horrific end Takarion would meet if taken away by these pagans!

    "Hmm."

    But then he reconsidered; he just wanted the job done.

    Although it was pitiable, Takarion was a sinner who had confused countless believers with his sphemous gospels.

    Well, he''smitted many sins, hasn''t he? Let him die a terrible death!

    "Leave the Swan River empty for now. Escape there once the job is done."

    "That''s refreshingly straightforward! Chief!"

    Count Lumin shook hands with the barbarian Bjorn.

    This was a few days before Takarion''s arrival at Devosi Castle.

    ---

    ---

    Close to midnight, at the home of an merchant.

    After the situation ended, Iany sprawled out, resting.

    The surroundings were a mess, but hecked the energy to move a finger.

    "Master Ian. Are you feeling alright?"

    The monks took great care of Ian''s health.

    Ian had voluntarily eaten a tomato, mistakenly thought to be poisonous.

    It wouldn''t have been surprising if he suddenly felt ill.

    "I''m fine. It wasn''t poisonous anyway."

    "What? But didn''t that person say it was poisonous?"

    Several naive monks truly believed Ian had eaten poison.

    "It wasn''t poisonous."

    "Don''t lie! I''ve also heard rumors that those bright red fruits are poisonous!"

    No matter how much Ian exined, they wouldn''t understand.

    "You''ll definitely feel sickter! Definitely! For sure!"

    "..."

    Go ahead, curse me.

    For some monks, proving that their beliefs were correct was more important than Ian''s health.

    "Sob... To think you''ve ruined your body for us..."

    "..."

    That way, Ian''s sacrifice (?) seemed even more significant.

    Let it be.

    "I feel a bit sick, but I''ve recovered thanks to the protection of God."

    "Oh! How could that be!"

    "It''s a miracle! It''s a miracle!"

    "Everyone! Let''s sing of God''s greatness!"

    It all came back to praising God.

    The mighty One had taken care of Ian~

    "I feel like I''m going to die of exhaustion, so let''s rest here tonight and leave at dawn."

    "Is that alright? What if the barbarians attack..."

    "There are none nearby. They aren''t prepared, so they won''t attack tonight."

    Ambushing isn''t for everyone.

    You need to thoroughly understand the local geography and gather as much light as possible using numerous torches.

    Ian used dark magic to scan the surroundings for any light sources.

    The mysteries of darkness detest light, so detecting anyone with a torch was easy.

    However, there were no torchbearers, indicating there were no barbarian ambushes.

    "Even running away requires stamina. Let��s get some sleep and leave at dawn."

    "Yes... You��re Ian, right?"

    Sister Mionia bowed her head.

    "I��m really grateful for everything today."

    Ian nodded absently, weary from the constant thanks.

    But one question lingered in his mind.

    "Who modified the habit?"

    Since a nun��s habit is also a religious garment,ypeople usually wouldn��t dare to touch it, fearing divine punishment.

    "Oh."

    Mionia blushed, apparently aware that her attire was considered indecent.

    "I mended it myself."

    "Oh, yourself? You��re quite skilled, aren��t you?"

    Expecting harsher criticism, Mionia was baffled by Ian��s praise.

    Given his devoutness, she had expected a lecture on the propriety expected of clergy, not apliment on her craftsmanship.

    "Hmm..."

    Whether Mionia was puzzled or not, Ian was already harboring a rather quirky thought.

    With such skill, wouldn��t she do well professionally making clothes?

    He briefly imagined Lucy in a modified nun''s habit.

    Oh, it was sacrilegious, but he liked it.

    Ian seriously considered suggesting that Mionia think about switching careers to be a designer.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    As dawn broke, Ian and hispanions prepared to set off.

    "Where''s the nearest castle from here?"

    "It''s Baron Inoti''s castle."

    "Let''s head there and seek help."

    Ian decided to take refuge in a nearby noble''s castle.

    The opponent was a barbarian.

    So they ran away like they were being chased by wild beasts.

    Although they were being pursued by enemies, Ian and his party took the time to have breakfast.

    It might feel like they were procrastinating, but it was a rational decision.

    In a situation where they didn''t even know where the enemies were, skipping a meal would only drain their strength unnecessarily.

    In fact, since the enemies also did not know where Ian''s group was, it was necessary to eat to preserve their strength.

    It was a kind of Red Queen[1] effect.

    With both sides eating, it turned out to be no waste of time at all.

    "Hmm?"

    While rummaging through the food storage for breakfast ingredients, Ian discovered a peculiar sack.

    He was originally just checking if there were any tomatoes left.

    Unfortunately, they had eaten all the tomatoes the day before.

    "What''s this?"

    A tightly wrapped small sack.

    It clearly seemed like an item that had been handled with care.

    Though the merchants who had stayed in this house were impostors, the house itself was indeed a real merchant''s residence.

    Therefore, there were valuable items in the storeroom.

    Ian carefully unwrapped the sack.

    What could be inside? Maybe cloves or pepper?

    But as soon as he unwrapped the sack, a fragrant smell tickled his nose.

    Ian instantly knew what it was.

    "Ian? What are you doing there?"

    Kira entered the storeroom, looking around curiously.

    Ian immediately extended the sack towards her.

    "Kira. Do you know what this is?"

    "Um... not sure?"

    Kira sniffed the scent, her eyes widening.

    "It smells sweet!"

    "Right? This is coffee... but I''m not sure what it''s called in the Imperialnguage."

    "Coffee?"

    The item Ian had found was none other than coffee.

    Coffee was a crop grown in the far south of the Empire.

    It was amon item in the southern part of the Empire, but mostly unknown in the north.

    "It looks like there''s a millstone over there. Let''s try grinding it."

    Ian took the sack containing coffee beans and headed to the backyard.

    He gathered some charcoal, lit a fire, and started roasting the beans in a pan.

    It was the most primitive way of roasting.

    "Ian. What strange thing are you doing now?"

    As it was getting close to mealtime, Belenka, who had been looking for Ian, saw him engaged in another odd activity.

    "Are you trying to boil spoons?"

    "No, what spoons."

    Belenka often saw Ian boiling spoons, performing some kind of disinfection.

    It was Ian''s desperate effort to maintain personal hygiene even while traveling.

    However, Belenka couldn''t easily understand Ian''s actions.

    ording to Ian, it was a kind of ritual to drive out disease...

    She didn''t really understand the connection between spoons and diseases, but since the wizard said so, she just went along with it.

    She thought to herself that if someone caught a coldter, she might as well boil a spoon in front of them.

    "Good timing. Can you grind this for me?"

    "...?"

    Belenka did as Ian instructed and turned the millstone.

    The finely ground coffee powder piled up.

    The sweet aroma tickled her nose, and Belenka couldn''t help but admire it.

    "The scent is really good."

    "Isn''t it? I''m going to brew coffee with this."

    "Oh. That sounds promising."

    Fortunately, Ian had also found sugar in the storeroom.

    Before discovering the coffee, he had wondered if he should just dump the sugar into his mouth.

    Now that he had made coffee, the use for the sugar was pretty much decided.

    Ian added water and sugar to the finely ground coffee powder and boiled it.

    Finished.

    Not Turkish coffee, but rather Turkic coffee.

    Ian ground the coffee with a millstone, added it to water, and boiled it��this was how medieval coffee was made.

    Espresso machine? A clean Americano? Those are for fragile modern folks.

    True coffee is the kind that leaves grit from the ground beans swirling in your mouth!

    Ian poured a medieval Americano for everyone, staying true to his Korean roots��he loved coffee.

    For Koreans, if chili powder is passion, then coffee is rationality��a drink that forcibly wakes up the brain and boosts efficiency.

    As he sipped the thick brew, memories of his past life shed before him.

    Ah! How I miss being tied to the office, drinking coffee, and having to work all night long on an off day!

    "Damn, that''s good."

    The coffee he enjoyed after such a long time was so delicious it nearly brought tears to his eyes, and it was functional too!

    Ian''s group had to run hard. The awakening effect of the coffee would help them get moving.

    "Come on, everyone, grab a cup!"

    Drinking coffee in the morning finally made it feel like real life.

    Generously, like a boss distributing morning coffee, Ian shared it with Belenka and Kira.

    There was even enough left to offer some to the monks.

    "This is... really good."

    "Yeah! Tasty!"

    Unsurprisingly, Ian''s employees were thoroughly impressed, and he smiled contentedly at their warm reaction, though he regretted the absence of cakes or cookies to apany the coffee.

    "I''ll share some with the monks too."

    As he stood up, Belenka hesitated.

    "That''s... um. Do as you think best."

    "...? Why? Is there a problem?"

    Could she be reluctant about giving the leftover coffee?

    But it was toote to hoard the coffee just among themselves after leaving too many suspicious traces.

    Sharing from the start was better than being used of greedily consuming all the good stuff ourselves.

    "I''m not sure if the monks will like it."

    "They''ll like it."

    Ian reassured her and, without much thought, took the coffee to the monks.

    "Anyone for morning coffee?"

    "...?"

    The monks looked on in shock.

    "No! Brother! What is this devilishly ck water?!"

    "Ah, this is..."

    Ian started to exin, thinking they didn��t know what coffee was.

    But he was mistaken. The monks already knew what it was.

    "That! It��s the beverage seen by Saint Marcus when he went on his southern campaign in the empire of sand!"

    A saint, huh? Why would a saint go on a southern campaign?

    Must have happened in the Takarion Universe.

    "Hah. Drinking a heretic''s beverage is dangerous for a believer of Heaven''s Faith~"

    Takarion took this opportunity to tease.

    He was jealous of Ian''s exploits. It was just the right moment.

    Ian was unfazed, almost pleased.

    No way, you''re not going to drink this good stuff?

    Sh*t. Today''s coffee is ruined��

    "Really not going to drink?"

    "Rather, we are concerned. If we carelessly partake in the beverage of heretics, might we not incur divine punishment?"

    "Well. I''ll reconcile with God through prayerter."

    "What kind of talk is that. Just give it to us. We''ll return that sphemous beverage to the earth."

    "You want to throw away perfectly good coffee?!"

    "Better than drinking it and receiving divine punishment!"

    Ian then understood why Belenka had reacted so lukewarmly.

    Fundamentally, the monks were conservative and touchy, unable to tolerate anything against the teachings of Heaven''s Faith.

    As a knight who had often been harassed by clergy, Belenka instinctively distrusted the monks.

    "Give it here!"

    "No! How can you throw away brewed coffee!"

    The idea of throwing out such preciousmodities as coffee and sugar was unthinkable.

    "Hold on!"

    Ian, desperate to protect the coffee, shouted,

    "I''ll ask right now! Right this instant!"

    "??? Ask what?"

    "I''m going to ask the heavens if we can drink it!"

    Caught off guard by Ian''s deration, the monks hesitated, unable to object rashly.

    Given Ian''s history of hatching holy relics and oveing deadly poisons, it would look odd to challenge him now.

    ''Yeah, if Ian asks, perhaps the heavens will respond...!''

    ''They will surely say no!''

    Ian stood in front of the coffee and shouted in thenguage of Maronius,

    "[ck water! Can I drink it?]"

    He deliberately chose a magicalnguage unknown to the monks to make it appear more impressive.

    He nned to perform a little show and then, dering, "[Since it''s allowed, I''ll drink it~]," make his escape.

    However.

    [Yes! Of course, Ian.]

    Ian had not anticipated that his prayer would actually reach the heavens...!

    [Enjoy it to your heart''s content~]

    "Look over there!"

    "What on earth?!"

    While Ian was pretending to pray and putting on a show, the coffee pot glittered brilliantly in the sunlight!

    "It''s a blessing!"

    "Ian has blessed the heretic''s beverage!"

    Ian opened his eyes and was at a loss for words at the sight of the coffee sparkling with divine light.

    "..."

    What on earth is the deity of Heaven''s Faith up to...

    ---

    ---

    "The saint of coffee! Ian!"

    "Let me too! Let me drink the blessed coffee!"

    Ian pleaded with the monks to stop making a fuss and finished his breakfast.

    It seemed that the deity of Heaven''s Faith was just bored and ying tricks.

    Would it hurt to just talk openly?

    [Challenge �C Don''t forget to worship the heavens!]

    "..."

    Ian irritably shut off the status window that popped up like a malicious ad banner.

    If they want a serious conversation, finish Anor-lsil or something.

    "Oh! This is the blessed coffee!"

    "Do you feel any special power?"

    Ian asked the monks, who were guzzling down the coffee.

    If it truly was blessed, some sort of buff might appear...

    "I can''t believe it! I feel tremendous power...! Power is surging!"

    "My God. Is this the power of a blessing?!"

    Ian shook his head in disbelief.

    That''s the power of caffeine.

    But since the monks were joyfully frolicking, he left them to it.

    Highly concentrated caffeine is hard to distinguish from a blessing, after all.

    "Let''s get going."

    "Yes!"

    Ian left the merchant''s house and headed for a nearby castle.

    Though they were fleeing, their pace was surprisingly slow.

    Belenka had argued for moving slowly.

    "We don''t know each other''s locations. There''s no need to exhaust ourselves by moving too quickly."

    Indeed, the barbarians and Ian''s group were unaware of each other''s whereabouts.

    They might have initially headed towards the merchant''s house selected for the assassination, but what then?

    There was no answer.

    They might as well spit on their palms to decide.

    Of course, a guide with tracking skills would lead the way, so they weren''t relying entirely on luck.

    But tracking was just as difficult.

    In a world without proper maps, chasing an unseen enemy is an incredibly hard task.

    Why the situation was so was due primarily to Sister Mionia''s betrayal.

    Her betrayal had caused the assassins to lose their base, leaving the barbarian trackers adrift.

    Thus, Ian''s group walked away.

    The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze blew.

    The scent of the fresh grass growing in the fields was even sweet.

    Ian yawnednguidly.

    Ah, I wish I could just spread out a mat and take a nap...

    "We''ll pick up the pace once we get closer to the baron''s castle."

    Their march was leisurely, but they maintained a minimum level of alertness.

    Whenever Takarion threw a tantrum, the idea of rest vanished.

    "I want to rest... I want to go home..."

    Takarion mumbled as broth drooled from his mouth.

    Ian was quietly amused.

    Can a person sweat that much? Is he melting?

    He might shrink by the time we reach the monastery.

    "Right. You should have just stayed home. You''d have no meals missed and no risk of assassination. Wouldn��t that be nice?"

    Ian taunted, prompting Takarion to scowl.

    "I didn��t want toe out either! But sitting in the monastery doesn��t sell the Gospels!"

    "Is that so?"

    In the Gospel industry(?), fame trantes directly into money. The more famous you be, the better the Gospels sell.

    Ian whistled softly.

    Writers of this era have to hustle and sell on foot.

    Must be tough~

    "When I be a saint... just imagine how well the Gospels will sell..."

    "Aha."

    If Takarion had healed Baron Devosi, the surrounding people would have made a huge fuss, proiming him a saint.

    Already popr, Takarion��s fame would have skyrocketed had he demonstrated a healing miracle. It would have been a golden opportunity to silence even his critics, an event Takarion wouldn��t want to miss.

    "But you broke my relic...!"

    Takarion, feeling wronged, trembled, his double chin quivering.

    Ian was a bit taken aback. Now that he''s gotten a little familiar, he''s speaking quite openly?

    "It wasn��t broken, it hatched. And did I want it to hatch? What can I do if it decided to wake up on its own?"

    "..."

    "And if you wanted the saint title, you should have rushed to help Baron Devosi the moment he copsed. What��s the use of whining now, when youy in the monastery until the rumors reached me?"

    Takarion shuddered but couldn''t respond. Ian��s words were all factual.

    Kira, who had been listening, chimed in.

    "While we''re on the topic, I have a question. Winnie hasn��t eaten at all. Do you know why?"

    The creature, not a relic but hatched from a pure white egg, was now under Kira��s care.

    Kira, skilled with her hands, has kept the bird safe.

    Ian wasfortable with Kira continuing to look after the bird.

    "Hmm. Maybe it��s because that bird is special."

    Takarion avoided Kira��s gaze as he muttered to himself.

    He still couldn��t meet her eyes.

    "Maybe it��s a bird-of-paradise?"

    "A bird-of-paradise?"

    The Paradise bird, with its grand name, is a bird that flies in the sky living only on dew, not needing to eat and having no legs since it never needs tond.

    "But this one has legs."

    "Maybe they''ll fall off as it gets older?"

    "Really?"

    Ian nced at the young bird, tilting his head.

    The baby bird mimicked Ian, tilting its head too.

    "Are you a bird-of-paradise?"

    "Peep! Peep!"

    Ian wasn��t a bird YouTuber in his past life, so he didn��t know much about birds.

    Even if he had been a bird YouTuber, he probably wouldn��t know; this bird was likely a genuine fantasy bird.

    But since Takarion said so, Ian thought it might be true.

    He''s the guy who brought the relic, so he must know something.

    "Caw! Master!"

    "What is it, Oberon?"

    Oberon pped his wings andnded on Ian��s shoulder.

    Being a bird of freedom, Oberon often disappeared for days at a time before returning.

    Ian had no intention of stopping him.

    After all, the bird he had found was just a stray that he nned to release back into the wild.

    It had only stayed because it liked the food Ian gave it.

    [I''ve spotted some strange guys nearby!]

    It was not wee news.

    [They were wearing bear skins!]

    "Either a crazy hunter or... a barbarian. One of the two."

    Most likely thetter.

    Ian passed along the news Oberon had brought to Belenka.

    ---

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 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    "We need to hurry."

    After hearing Ian''s story, Belenka responded calmly.

    Her calm demeanor naturally influenced the monks to remain calm as well.

    It seemed like something major had urred, but since the knight didn��t say anything, it must be alright!

    Ian''s group quickened their pace without any visible disturbance.

    Ian felt certain about one thing: Belenka was truly a professional.

    "No matter how skilled they are at tracking, they won''t easily catch up. We''re well ahead."

    "Hmm. What if they do catch up?"

    "Thinking of the worst case scenario? If that happens, we just need to throw Takarion to them. We won''t get hurt."

    As Belenka picked up the pace, the rest of the group found it hard to keep up, especially Takarion.

    "Haah. Haah... I want to go home..."

    "We are going home now."

    "..."

    Takarion red at Ian, but that was as far as he went.

    He was too exhausted to speak.

    Thanks to Belenka''sposed leadership, their escape was smooth.

    However, the news Oberon brought soon after disturbed Ian''s group.

    [They''re noting this way?]

    "What?"

    Ian''s group had inadvertently taken a different path from their barbarian pursuers.

    That was a relief.

    But the problem was that at the end of the barbarians'' path, there was a vige.

    "We''re going to run into them."

    As Belenka stated this calmly, the monks became noticeably agitated.

    The barbarians, having lost their way, would naturally head to the small vige.

    Like how a sparrow can��t pass a mill without stopping, the barbarians would naturally plunder the vige.

    "Is there... Isn''t there anything we can do?"

    The monks raised their voices anxiously.

    Ordinary travelers might haveughed in this situation.

    Wow! What idiots! They can''t even chase properly!

    Why should we care if some random vige gets looted?

    We''re safe anyway!

    But most of Ian''s group were monks.

    Like the Santiago Knights, they were fundamentally good people.

    Was fleeing and throwing the pursuing barbarians off our trail really the right thing to do?

    The answer was ''no.''

    "... Let''s run away!"

    "Takarion!"

    Takarion, without a moment''s hesitation, advocated abandoning the vige.

    Ian was impressed.

    Wow. He doesn''t seem like a monk, does he?

    "Hey, if we die here, it''s just a worthless death, brothers! Let''s get our heads straight! We are not meant to die here!"

    "..."

    Some monks fell silent, empathizing with Takarion''s words.

    However, many still raised their voices.

    "Would Saint Marcus have chosen to flee using innocent vigers as shields if he were here?"

    "..."

    Takarion knew the answer to that question better than anyone.

    Saint Marcus was a superhero.

    A paragon of virtue, like Captain America from Marvel Comics.

    Saint Marcus would have definitely rushed to save the people, a fact best known by Takarion, the author of the Gospels.

    But...

    ''... I''m not him.''

    Takarion''s fists trembled.

    He was not Saint Marcus. Unlike the superheroic Marcus, Takarion was just an ordinary man.

    No. Even calling him ordinary was too generous.

    He was a loser.

    He could excel in a story with a pen in his hand, but in a real crisis, he was quieter than anyone else.

    What could a mere fanfic writer do here?

    Takarion felt unjustly wronged.

    "... We are not Saint Marcus. There''s no way to stop the pagans!"

    A look of disappointment crossed several monks'' faces, those who had equated Takarion with Saint Marcus.

    "Ian."

    The monks'' gazes turned towards Ian.

    Takarion is not a saint because he can''t perform miracles.

    But what about Ian?

    A wizard known as a miracle worker.

    He has the power to turn the impossible into possible.

    "Is there a way?"

    "Hmm..."

    Ian thought it over.

    He was not a religious person, nor was he someone looking to save others.

    He simply thought it was unfortunate for the vigers who would suddenly face barbarians, but inevitable.

    "If you help the vigers, we''ll reward you as soon as we return to the monastery."

    "Our monastery will do the same. We will give you a treasure that we have long preserved. So..."

    Sister Mionia also bowed her head.

    "Please, Ian."

    This situation could have appeared as a quest window in a game:

    [Emergency! Help the people in crisis!]

    [Save the vigers from the threat of the barbarians.]

    [Reward �C Monastery''s treasure]

    "Just a moment."

    Ian called over Belenka and Kira.

    "What do you think?"

    "Either option is fine by me."

    Surprisingly, Belenka was in favor of helping the vige.

    Ian was slightly puzzled. Public opinion aside, was it necessary for Belenka?

    But after hearing Belenka''s exnation, Ian understood.

    "By killing the barbarians, we''re saving many faithful lives. It will certainly be a good deed."

    "A good deed?"

    "We knights rarely get the chance to perform good deeds. So when an opportunity arises, we must seize it."

    Belenka was a knight.

    Regardless of honor or anything else, a knight ultimately makes a living by killing.

    This means they kill as naturally as they eat.

    However, as a knight and a believer, they want to reach heaven while still engaging in killing.

    It''s contradictory, but that''s the reality.

    That''s why knights do not hesitate to perform good deeds whenever the opportunity arises.

    It''s more about securing their ce in heaven than fighting for honor or a greater cause.

    In short, Belenka saw saving the vige as a way to earn points toward heaven.

    "And it''s not reckless. The vigers aren''t fools; there will surely be a fight. We''ll just be striking the barbarians from behind."

    It meant they had a shield in the form of meat.

    "I agree."

    Kira spoke calmly.

    She had never experienced a real battle, having only cosyed as a wizard. But this didn''t mean she shied away from such situations.

    After all, it was Kira who had thrown herself into danger to save Ian at Devosi Castle without hesitation.

    That''s two votes in favor.

    But the final decision rested with Ian.

    And Ian made his decision.

    "Let''s go fight."

    It was ufortable having enemies on your tail.

    It was better to take the chance to eliminate them in advance.

    And while at it, collect the reward from the monks.

    "We''ve decided. Let''s go stop those barbarians."

    "Oh! Ian!"

    The monks showed fervent support for Ian''s decision.

    Look at that faithful wizard!

    Surely the heavens sent him to save the innocent!

    "Safe travels!"

    "We''ll be waiting!"

    The monks gathered together to send off Ian.

    Ian and hispanions moved towards the vige where the barbarians were approaching.

    ---

    ---

    Ian and Belenka remained unflustered.

    The two had faced numerous battles together, including the Talian territorial battles. They weren''t the type to avoid a fight now.

    But Kira was slightly nervous.

    This was her first time going into a fight as a wizard.

    "Caw!"

    [Enemies in sight!]

    Through Oberon, Ian assessed the size of the enemies.

    About 20 barbarian warriors.

    Barbarians cross to the empire from the snow-covered northernnds by boat. Each barbarian boat can hold about ten people, so there were roughly twenty raiders on two boats.

    ��That''s a lot.��

    Twenty thieves was a considerable number.

    Ian, who had adjusted his thinking to medieval times, noted.

    "Get out of our vige, you monsters!"

    The vige was well-fortified, surrounded by tall wooden palisades, suggesting frequent skirmishes with enemies.

    Stones whizzed over the palisades.

    Ian imagined medieval people throwing stones at monsters and thieves to survive and paused for a moment of silence.

    As he got closer, the features of the barbarians were clearly visible.

    Tall, with filthy clothes.

    And the rest of their physical features... were identical to those of the empire��s citizens.

    It wasn''t really a surprise. Barbarians and imperial citizens shared the same roots.

    Civilized barbarians are imperial citizens. Those who aren''t civilized are just barbarians.

    Some were already climbing the palisades.

    It was an unparalleled opportunity for Ian.

    "Phew."

    Ian briefly gazed at the bright sky.

    The sun was hot, and the sky was piercingly blue.

    The weather was crystal clear.

    Under the searing sun, the mysteries of the wind frolicked joyously.

    Darkness could not be summoned at all.

    "Kira."

    "Yes?"

    "If we call forth fire, you can handle it, right?"

    Kira nodded.

    Ian left the control of the fire to Kira and focused his mind on the mysteries of the wind.

    Listening closely, he could hear the roaring voice of the wind.

    "[Wind.]"

    [Hello, human! Today is a great day for flying, isn''t it?]

    Yeah. It''s so nice it''s exhrating.

    As Ian spoke in thenguage of magic, nature responded vibrantly to the will of the wizard.

    Belenka and Kira watched Ian perform magic, holding their breath.

    No matter how many times they saw it, it never stopped to amaze.

    [I''m busy flying around-]

    [Where are you heading?]

    Ian aimed his staff at the group of barbarians.

    The wind would hit right there.

    As he projected his will, Ian shouted.

    "Kira!"

    "[Fire!]"

    Kira ignited the mes and shouted.

    Her grasp of the Maroniusnguage was basic, yet sufficient to convey her will.

    Kira didn''t know how to properly converse with the mysteries, but she had a talent for receiving their affection.

    Language is a powerful bridge for empathy, yet non-verbalmunication is also entirely possible.

    As soon as Kira shouted, the mystery of fire rushed in like a puppy heeding its master��s call.

    [Burn everything down!!!]

    Like dogs obsessed with walks, the me was obsessed with arson.

    It simply meant it was satisfied with setting things aze.

    "Ian! I can''t hold it for long!"

    Kira desperately controlled the fire and shouted.

    She was currently in sync with the mystery, but if her focus slipped even slightly, she would lose control and it would turn into a wildfire.

    However, there was no need to hold on for long.

    Ian sent the burning fire swirling with the wind.

    "[Wind, whirl!]"

    The mystery of the me and the mystery of the wind.

    When the two mysteriesbined, the result was astounding.

    The barbarians were horrified to see a whirlwinding at them out of nowhere.

    "What, what is that!"

    It wasn��t just any whirlwind.

    It was a burning whirlwind!

    It felt like a mini version of the me storm magic that space-time wizard Larabel had demonstrated with a magic scroll.

    The barbarians felt as if their souls were slipping away as they watched the burning whirlwind.

    Wow. So the empire has burning whirlwinds!

    Damn it! The blizzards back home were like fairies!

    They never thought for a second that this whirlwind could be the work of a wizard.

    They thought it was a naturally urring me storm!

    Indeed, it seems that without the blessing of the Ice God, all sorts of horrific events unfold here!

    The barbarians who safely returned home would spread tales about the burning whirlwind they had seen on imperialnds.

    "Run! Run!"

    Upon seeing the approaching fire whirlwind, the barbarians fled without a backward nce.

    The barbarians who were climbing the palisade were pitiful.

    "Come on, you bastards!"

    The barbarians left behind became prey for the enraged vigers.

    Belenka leisurely pursued the barbarians and returned with a couple of their heads.

    Ian walked back to the vige, stretchingzily.

    "It was nothing."

    "..."

    Kira had a lot she wanted to say but she held back.

    After all, two wizards had used their magic at the same time.

    Isn''t that just f*cking impressive?

    It would have been weirder if the barbarians had been able to resist the magic.

    "Still, it feels a bit dull..."

    Ian watched the fleeing barbarians without even turning his head and slightly tilted his head in curiosity.

    Those bastards. Did they reallye to kidnap Takarion?

    It felt just like they were thieves who hade to raid the vige out of boredom.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    ��Oh my god! Heavens above!��

    The residents, who had been hiding behind the fence, rushed out all at once.

    When the barbarians d in beast skins swarmed in, they thought they were doomed.

    But, what a surprise.

    A wizard appeared out of nowhere and conjured a fiery whirlwind, burning the barbarians away!

    Well, hardly anyone actually burned to death...

    Even if it was just making them abandon their plunder and flee, the wizard''s presence was a tearfully wee sight.

    Especially the vige chief, who fell in love with Ian as soon as he saw him.

    He wasn''t gay, but fell in love nheless.

    Ian��s help was that wee.

    ��Sob...! Thank you so much!��

    Ian was startled as the chief tried to hug him.

    Damn. Why does the crying sound like that?

    In fact, Ian was more interested in driving off the barbarians than helping the vige.

    Helping the vige was just a byproduct.

    So, seeing the chief crying his eyes out didn��t move him at all.

    He was more worried that the remnants of the barbarians might return.

    ��Well. I just happened to pass by.��

    As Ian spoke, the chief cried even harder.

    Given his sentimental tears, he was clearly a man going through menopause.

    So maybe it wasn''t about falling in love at first sight...

    Receiving the love of an older man did not please Ian at all.

    So, he subtly shifted the credit to someone else.

    ��God whispered to me. There are people in danger, so go and help them.��

    [Eh? I never said that...]

    ��No way!!!��

    ��It��s truly the Lord!��

    ��I knew it, dammit!��

    Since the vigers were devout believers, they epted Ian��s exnation.

    Man, I was so annoyed during prayers every weekend!

    And to think, God sent us a wizard!

    Ah! This is why I pray!

    ��We have nothing to give, being poor, but we can offer a meal...��

    ��Bring a cow!��

    ��Let��s have a festival of blood!��

    The vigers, as if drugged, collectively got high on ��wizard euphoria.��

    In fact, this is often the reaction whenmoners witness magic.

    Events that transcend human understanding.

    The very person who performed such miracles!

    Having such a wizard right in front of them, it was only natural they couldn��t keep theirposure.

    Ian let the vigers run wild.

    They''re just happy.

    Leave them alone, and they''ll calm down on their own.

    ��We''re a bit busy. If you really want to enjoy yourselves, go ahead and ughter a cow or a pig.��

    ��You can''t just send a wizard away empty-handed! Come on in, don��t be shy...!��

    ��I told you, I''m busy.��

    ��...��

    As Ian spoke calmly, the chief also quietly shut his mouth.

    A wizard��s voice carries their will.

    In other words, others can easily pick up on Ian��s ��mood.��

    If you smile in front of an angry person or sigh heavily in front of a happy person, it was naturally annoying.

    Thus, people naturally pick up on others�� moods.

    But Ian��s voice, that of a wizard, exhibts these ques even more.

    You might be able to y games in front of a crying neighbor, but not in front of a screaming mom. (If you can do both, congrattions. You''re immune to magic!)

    ��I''m, I''m sorry.��

    The chief, feeling as though he hadmitted a crime, apologized unwittingly.

    Ian quickly silenced the chief''s rambling and got straight to the point.

    "Select the fastest runner and have them contact the lord. We need to root out these barbarians."

    "Ah, yes! Of course!"

    The vige was bound to the lord by a feudal contract.

    They paid their taxes with their produce and in return received the lord''s protection.

    It was somewhat like dealing with primitive, ancient gangsters.

    Once the vige requested help, the lord was obliged to respond.

    If he didn''t? They could simply terminate the feudal contract.

    Since the baron would have breached the contract first, termination was a perfectly legitimate right for the vigers.

    Barons were plentiful anyway!

    In the Middle Ages, a baron was basically like a vige head��each vige had one.

    Running to another baron and saying, "Please protect us!" would suffice.

    Then, the neighboring baron would happily lead his troops into the territory.

    If the confused lord asked, "Why the hell are you messing in my territory?"

    The response could be, "Your people couldn''t stand it and came to me. From today, your vige is mine."

    The territory shrinks.

    Although a noble��snd is granted by the emperor, viges could certainly change hands.

    Thus, the lord would surely respond to the vigers'' request for help.

    Soon, knights on horseback and pitiful soldiers would arrive to fight the barbarians!

    "That should solve it."

    Ian felt pleased and smirked.

    I don''t know who the local baron is, but surely he wouldn''t be so inept as to lose to just ten barbarians.

    The n to assassinate Takarion was now up in smoke.

    It was at that moment.

    "Ian. There''s a problem."

    Belenka approached with a stern expression.

    She was returning from interrogating a freshly captured prisoner.

    As evidence, her gauntlet was stained with dark red blood...

    "What''s up?"

    However, things weren''t as straightforward as Ian had hoped.

    "These barbarians. They weren''t the ones chasing us."

    "...What?"

    Ian raised his voice.

    He had assumed they were barbarians roaming around for the purpose of assassinating Takarion.

    But it turned out, these barbarians were just nomads wandering the empire!

    "Did I just waste my efforts?"

    "Waste your efforts? What do you mean?"

    "Hmm. You might not understand. Ian sometimes talks nonsense like this. It might bother you at first, but you''ll get used to it."

    Ian hung his head in disappointment.

    But a momentter, he shook it off in just three seconds.

    He might have exerted his energy in the wrong ce, but he still did a good deed.

    Doing good is always beneficial.

    Who knows?

    Maybe because of his good deeds, he might end up in heaven when he dies.

    It would certainly suck to wake up in hell after dying in a tragic ident.

    "Let''s just count it as a good deed."

    Neither Belenka nor Kira had anyints.

    Belenka was a knight eager for good deeds, and Kira naturally enjoyed helping others.

    Kira even shed a few tears.

    "The fact that I was able to help these people... I''m so happy, Ian."

    "Really?"

    "I''ve only watched from a distance until now... Sniff. Now I''m truly a wizard..."

    Though Kira had been ying at being a wizard, her roots were on the streets. She was a down-to-earth woman.

    Kira was satisfied that she had helped people in difficult situations.

    Ian looked at Kira and lightly nodded.

    Well. It''s a good time.

    He still shuddered when he remembered the seven long years he endured while learning Maronius.

    But when he actually used magic after all that hard work, Ian felt an indescribable emotion.

    Studying was a b*tch, but the fruits of thatbor is sweet...

    ��?��

    Ian tilted his head as he thought that far.

    But Kira uses magic withing having to study.

    Damn, I really feel the talent difference.

    Of course, that was Ian��s misconception.

    While Kira was indeed a talented wizard, she couldn��t possibly use magic on her own without Ian��s help.

    A fire wizard who doesn��t know the Maroniusnguage just ying with fire?

    Perfect recipe for getting burned.

    No matter how tame.

    For instance, even if a pet tiger is docile and safe, one bite could send a fragile human to the afterlife.

    Being friendly with a tiger and actuallymunicating with it arepletely different things.

    The same goes for the rtionship between mysteries and humans.

    That��s why Eredith emphasized the importance of the Maroniusnguage to Ian.

    Besides, Kira was a pretty pathetic wizard who couldn''t handle anything but fire magic.

    ��I need to get back quickly.��

    ��Yeah. The monks will be waiting.��

    Ian considered it a good deed done and hurriedly left the vige without taking any payment.

    What they offered as payment were things like bantam chickens and honey liquor.

    How could he possibly carry all that around on his travels?

    Upon returning to the monks'' temporary campsite, Ian was horrified at the sight of the devastated camp.

    It was aplete mess.

    ��F*ck����

    It didn��t seem like it had taken even half a day.

    It had already been razed?!

    A disheveled monk spotted Ian and burst into tears.

    ��Lord Ian��! Wahhh!��

    ��They did this? They��ve alreadye and gone?��

    Those damn barbarians.

    A woman in a nun��s habit with a daring design approached.

    It was Sister Mionia.

    ��While you were away, Lord Ian�� they stormed in.��

    "...What about Takarion?"

    Mionia said sorrowfully.

    ��He''s been kidnapped.��

    Not long after Ian had left, a group of barbarians had stormed in.

    Luckily, since the monks had set up camp on an open hill, they had been able to escape in time.

    Except for one.

    Except for Takarion.

    ��Brother! Run!��

    ��Gasp... Huff! I can��t run!��

    ��Damn! I��ll help you!��

    The monks tried everything they could to take Takarion and escape.

    But Takarion was too slow...

    It was the fate of a writer whocked exercise.

    ��Sh*t.��

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    It was absurd that the barbarians had attacked so quickly and that only Takarion had been caught.

    Was he just doomed to fail?

    If you needed an excuse, it was likely that those who came for Takarion targeted him first.

    But even taking that into ount, it was a headache-inducing situation.

    ��Waah waah...��

    Ian tried to console the monks.

    ��Calm down. Takarion isn''t dead, right? They took him alive?��

    ��Yes... Sob sob...��

    ��Then don��t worry. The empire''s brave young ones will surely rescue Takarion!��

    Ian would never say he��d do it himself.

    ��But����

    The atmosphere was grim, but there was nothing the monks could do.

    They were meant to pray, not to fight.

    Just surviving an encounter with the barbarians was enough to be thankful to the gods for.

    ��Belenka. If you go after Takarion����

    ��Hmm. It��d be difficult. We need to solve the supply issue first. And if we''re ambushed, it''d be a headache.��

    Belenka was also lukewarm in her response.

    ��Don��t worry too much. The rumors about the barbarians must have spread by now, knights will be dispatched.��

    Defeating barbarians and rescuing monks was a feat any knight would covet.

    A rescue team for Takarion would form voluntarily.

    "We have tasks toplete, don''t we?"

    "Indeed."

    They were headed to the monastery to deliver a bird that had hatched from a sacred relic.

    Their mission was not to escort Takarion.

    It''s the Middle Ages, where people drop dead like flies.

    Takarion''s death (not yet confirmed) is unfortunate, but...

    Those who are alive have their own futures to think about.

    "Right. Let��s deliver the bird first and then think about the rest."

    Urging on their unwavering steps, Ian and hispanions continued their journey.

    ---

    ---

    A few dayster, Ian safely arrived at Takarion''s monastery.

    "This is the Blue Key Monastery."

    "Oh."

    Despite its location in the suburbs, far from the city, the monastery radiated a certain splendor.

    Originally, the Blue Key Monastery wasn��t very wealthy.

    But Takarion, the man in question, had changed everything.

    The mega-hit of the Gospel of St. Marcus led to an explosive increase in donations!

    Sadly, Takarion was no more.

    It had be the Takarion Monastery without Takarion.

    "What do you mean by that!"

    A thunderous shout hit their ears.

    A timid-looking man and a sly-looking man were seen walking side by side through the garden.

    The monk led Ian in front of the two men.

    "Say that again! What happened to Takarion?!"

    "Calm down, please! Abbot! We have guests!"

    "Shut up! Do I look like I��m in any state to calm down?"

    Ian observed the abbot of the monastery, who was throwing a tantrum without even looking at him.

    Ah, I see. The standard here.

    ��What a mess.��

    It seems that the money Takarion brought in had only served to grease their bellies.

    The abbot treated guests like they were worthless.

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

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    The monastery of the Empire adheres to the principles of poverty.

    Monks are those who pray to God, having sworn to live their lives ording to God''s will.

    God has never decreed, "Engage in business and enjoy riches and glory."

    Monks do not obsess over making money. They lead lives dedicated to helping the weak, serving others, sharing, and giving generously.

    Thus, in principle, it should be impossible for the monastery to umte wealth.

    ...But principles are meant to be broken.

    Before serving God, monks are also people who live in the secr world.

    If the secr world demands money, they can''t help but be influenced by it.

    The monastery is like a club for followers of Heaven''s Faith.

    It''s a gathering ce for people who love Heaven''s Faith so much they pour their lives into it.

    Since it''s a club, it operates on the membership fees of its members.

    But who really cares about those tiny membership fees?

    Even the little money they do have is spentvishly on service.

    In the countryside, it doesn��t matter. All you need to do is eat, crap, and pray.

    But the closer you are to a city, and the more people you have to take care of, the more desperately the monastery needs money.

    So, how does the monastery make money?

    The best way is to secure generous donations from wealthy nobles.

    Monks gently coax dying nobles to make donations.

    "Hey~ You look like you won''t live much longer. Why not donate to the monastery and secure your ce in heaven?"

    "Deal."

    But what if the local lord is hale and hearty?

    Or if he''s already donating to a temple instead of the monastery?

    Then, n B is initiated.

    They start a business!

    The easiest business for monks to enter is brewing.

    Excessive drinking is a sin, but the monastery can mitigate this sin.

    Since they don��t own farnd, they use their surplusbor to produce secondary products instead of farming.

    "Haah. Let''s have a drink."

    Renis, the abbot of the Blue Key Monastery, served beer and sausage.

    Both were products easily made from the surplusbor in the monastery.

    They prayed at dawn and ran a medieval factory by noon.

    Ian looked at the neatly prepared drinks table and licked his lips.

    Damn, this is small beer.

    "Shall we toast?"

    "Toast?"

    Ian led the toast.

    "God��s blessing!"

    "God��s blessing."

    Ian savored his beer in one go and tore into the sausage with his bare hands.

    Mmm. Damn good.

    The beer was excellent, but the sausage was mediocre due to the poor quality of spices.

    Ah. When will I escape this damned super-salt food?

    The monastery abbot also downed his beer in one go and grumbled angrily.

    "Count Lumin! I knew that petty man would cause trouble! How dare hey a hand on our monk?!"

    He first thanked Mionia.

    "That was a brave act, Sister Mionia. Without you, other monks might have been in danger."

    "I merely did what a servant of God should do."

    Currently, Sister Mionia''s situation was uncertain.

    She has betrayed everyone from the abbot to Count Lumin.

    Having be unpopr with the powers that be, she can''t return home now.

    It was also awkward to enter a nearby convent.

    At least she had to flee to a ce beyond the reach of the convent abbot''s influence.

    Secrize as she wanted?

    Imagine a young, unmarried woman roaming alone in a post-apocalyptic medieval world.

    She wouldn''t end up in a good situation.

    The best for Mionia would be to find a kind-hearted convent or to meet a kind-hearted man and marry him.

    Both were difficult, but still.

    At that moment, a sly-looking priest muttered.

    "Tsk. The purpose was righteous, but the means were a mess. Daring to betray your superiors and act independently. If she had worked under me, I would have beheaded her."

    "..."

    Mionia could make no reply. Because he was right.

    Heaven''s Faith''s doctrine emphasizes strict obedience: subordinates must executemands from superiors without question.

    This is because the highest authority in Heaven''s Faith is God.

    Imagine the absurdity if subordinates refused to follow God''s simplemand of "Do this~".

    ... However, that priest was mistaken.

    The type of obedience expected in Heaven''s Faith differs from the military''s rigid hierarchy.

    Ian was vaguely aware of this distinction because Dehitri of the Santiago Knights, the madman with clear eyes, had exined it.

    "A clergy''s obedience should always be directed towards God, not human authority!"

    "...? Why are you telling me this?"

    At that moment, Ian thought he was just being talkative.

    But traveling through a medieval fantasy era, he realized that religious knowledge could actually be quite useful.

    After all, religion and the Middle Ages are inseparably linked.

    "Don''t you know?"

    Ian couldn''t grasp why a clergyman would demand such militaristic obedience.

    It seemed odd, but since the other monks remained silent, Ian held his peace.

    Yet, the priest''s offensive speech didn''t stop there.

    "To behead? What a radical priest," Belenka sneered.

    She implied it was inappropriate for someone serving God to speak so casually about executing someone.

    The priest didn��t even blink.

    "That��s noment for azy knight to make."

    "..."

    "Didn��t you just dawdle like a slug when Takarion was captured by heretics? There��s noziness worse than that. You''d have no right toin even if you burned in hell."

    Did I mishear that?

    Ian was so shocked that he stared at the priest.

    But he hadn''t misheard or misunderstood.

    Kira, sitting beside him, eximed, "What did you just say? How can you talk like that!"

    "Shut up, woman."

    Kira��s face turned pale.

    She was a wizard, respected by all as a miracle worker, whether her magic was real or fake.

    And yet, someone dared to openly provoke her!

    "You just called me a woman like that..."

    "Must your ears be blocked? Didn''t my words sound clear to you? Or have you only ever encountered fools trembling at your trivial magic?"

    The priest spoke with venomous cruelty.

    "Make no mistake, wizard. This isn��t a ce lenient enough for your illusions to work."

    "..."

    Ian flinched.

    Could this bastard be a wizard himself? Was that why he was choosing such harsh words?

    If this guy was a cleric of the church, he was experiencing a taste of his own medicine.

    It was amusing when he was the one dishing it out, but encountering someone who could give it back was incredibly frustrating!

    Belenka quietly sipped her drink, and Kira sadly bowed her head.

    Seeing hispanions, a surge of heat rose within Ian.

    Whether the opponent was a cleric or some high-ranking official of the church.

    ''...Who cares!''

    Ian immediately sprang into action as a wizard.

    "Excuse me. Who are you?"

    "You?"

    The priest looked at Ian as if he were absurd.

    "Did you just address a direct disciple of Saint Marcus as ''you''?"

    "A direct disciple of Marcus?"

    "Yes. I am Zoltin, a disciple of Lord Teranos and a direct disciple of Saint Marcus," the priest, Zoltin, proimed boastfully.

    There! How about that, you insignificant wizard!

    The person you''ve been insulting is someone of this stature!

    But unlike the puffed-up Zoltin...

    Ian was unimpressed.

    A direct disciple of Saint Marcus? Wow, impressive. But what of it?

    Am I a clergyman?

    I''m a wizard!

    Had he introduced himself as a disciple of Eredith, he would have immediately bowed.

    In martial arts terms, that would be like meeting a senior.

    But it was different with clergymen.

    Originally, wizards and clergy often antagonize each other.

    "So what?" Ian asked.

    "What do you mean?" responded Zoltin.

    "I don''t understand what you''re getting at. Just because you''re a direct disciple of Saint Marcus, you think it''s okay to speak so rudely? Do we look like we have no ears or brains? Aren''t the people you insulted all followers of Heaven''s Faith and children of God?"

    Ian tantly blurted it out.

    It was a very wizard-like thing to do.

    Belenka, who knew Ian well, smiled contently, thinking, ''That''s so Ian!''

    She viewed Ian as a quirky wizard.

    Although his entricity was sometimes hard to deal with, at that moment, she found it incredibly reassuring.

    Look at him! That crazy bastard is our crazy bastard!

    Zoltin''s face turned beet red at Ian''s relentless wizard behavior.

    He was undoubtedly a high-status priest, a direct disciple in the line of Saint Marcus and a highly respected priest serving alongside Teranos!

    "This... This..."

    Zoltin stuttered, already halfway to a breakdown.

    It was clear from his inability to speak.

    The most surprised by Ian''s odd behavior was none other than the monastery abbot, Renis.

    "Watch your words!" he admonished Ian, shocked.

    And understandably so, as Zoltin held a status like a prince in thisnd among the nobility.

    "Do you even understand what it means to be a direct disciple of Saint Marcus?" Renis questioned.

    "I don''t know," Ian replied nonchntly.

    "That man is going to be the next cardinal!"

    Ah, a cardinal.

    Ian had heard of such a title in fantasy novels��a high religious official.

    Ian wasn''t a priest, so he wasn''t an expert on religious matters.

    However, he had studied the scriptures thoroughly during his time with the Santiago Knights, especially under the fervent instruction of Brother Dehitri, the madman with clear eyes.

    This gave him knowledgeparable to a seasoned monk, enough to engage in proper debate.

    "Everyone is equal under heaven. Why should I bow down just because someone is a disciple of Saint Marcus?"

    Ian challenged.

    "No matter what..."

    Renis started to protest.

    "What are you going to do if I don''t bow?"

    Ian interrupted.

    Renis was astounded by Ian''s unorthodox logic.

    Is this guy totally insane?!

    The person he''s challenging is a future cardinal, someone who will be the highest religious authority in this area.

    Naturally, offending him could make for a difficult future!

    Common sense would suggest bowing down.

    But at the same time, Renis felt a shiver run through his body because Ian''s logic was wless.

    "Uh... uh..."

    Renis stammered, his mind going nk.

    In Heaven''s Faith, a ''cardinal'' refers to a direct disciple of one of the 13 saints, who obviously deserved respect and reverence.

    However, ording to Ian''s reasoning, even a cardinal, under the sacred heavens, is just another human being.

    Emperors, kings, nobles.

    Popes, cardinals, priests.

    Knights, farmers, ves.

    All are equal.

    It''s utterly foolish to differentiate among humans when the supreme ruler of heaven is watching!

    "What, are you going to bring an army? Call some knights?"

    Ian asked sarcastically.

    "Then what makes a cardinal different from a lord? You''re not making people kneel before God, but before a sword,"

    Ian argued.

    "Shut up!"

    Zoltin cried out pitifully.

    As a religious man, he vaguely understood that Ian was right.

    A high-ranking clergyman is meant to be respected, not to wield worldly power.

    Therefore, Zoltin should have been persuading Ian, not trying to suppress him with force.

    While logically this may be true, in reality, Zoltin was a person of power.

    With just a will to act, he could easily crush a presumptuous wizard by force.

    As the next cardinal, he wielded the church''s power.

    "How dare you babble in front of a disciple of Saint Marcus! I will open a religious trial to judge your sins myself!"

    Zoltin shouted at Renis.

    "Abbot! Bind this sinner immediately!"

    "No, no... this person brought relics to the monastery, a benefactor..."

    "Do you not hear me! Am I notmanding you!!!"

    Helplessly, the monks began to gather cautiously around, watching Zoltin''s cues.

    At that moment, Belenka kicked the table and drew her sword!

    "Whoops!"

    Beer and sausages soared through the air.

    The monks panicked and retreated.

    She looked at Zoltin calmly, but her cold gaze burned with violence and rage like mes.

    A chilling murderous intent emanated from her.

    Zoltin involuntarily swallowed dryly.

    "If you touch Ian, I''ll cut down even a clergyman."

    "How dare...! Are you threatening a servant of God with a sword!"

    "Which servant of God oppresses believers for their own authority? If there is such a servant of God, I will personally punish them."

    Belenka was known for her physical straightforwardness.

    "Anyone who truly believes Ian is guilty, step forward! Ovee me and prove that guilt!"

    As Belenka drew her sword, the abbot Renis felt darkness descend before his eyes.

    Ah! Now it truly is the end��

    "It''s so noisy I can''t sleep! You lot!"

    Just then, an old man pushed through the monks.

    The monks quickly bowed their heads.

    "Isi has arrived!"

    "Yes, indeed."

    The old manughed upon seeing the chaotic dining hall.

    "These guests are as lively as rascals!"

    Ian flinched when he saw the old man''s eyes.

    A gaze filled with either vitality or madness.

    A mysterious aura was present.

    What''s this? Is he a wizard?

    "Who will exin this ruckus to me?"

    "I will," Zoltin quickly said.

    Of course, he described the situation to his advantage.

    Ian is a bastard and a bad guy, and I''m the good and innocent victim��essentially that was the gist.

    Ian was stunned but waited silently for his turn to speak.

    After listening to Zoltin''s exnation, the old man:

    "Hmm."

    Nodded his head then:

    "You incredibly stupid fool!!!"

    He smacked Zoltin''s head with the back of his hand!

    Ian quietly admired this.

    He thought the old man was no ordinary elder. Some sort of Shaolin monk?

    Maybe he''s not a wizard but a martial artist.

    Hmm. That makes sense.

    Monks being martial artists was a fact proven by countless games.

    "Aaagh!"

    Zoltin copsed after the old man''s physical reprimand.

    He looked up at the old man with a bewildered expression.

    "Why me?!"

    "Because you crossed the line! Is that how Teranos taught you? I''ll go find that bastard right away��"

    "Calm down, elder!"

    The old man, boiling with anger, started beating Zoltin again.

    After energetically thrashing Zoltin, he sighed deeply and bowed to Ian.

    "Sorry about that. A friend''s disciple has done something foolish."

    "Um, who are you...?"

    "My name is Isi. I am a humble servant of the heavens."

    Ian awkwardly extended his hand.

    Coming from a Confucian culture, Ian was not used to an elder bowing to him.

    "Hmm. Hmm. You came to return a relic? And Takarion was kidnapped by barbarians in the process?"

    "Yes, elder."

    Monk Isi sighed deeply.

    "Could youe to my room for a moment to talk?"

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "Under the sky, all people are equal."

    The monk, Isi, ced a cup of mint tea in front of Ian.

    It''s a drink that clears the mind.

    "Those are really good words. Heh."Ian took a sip of the mint tea.

    A fragrant and refreshing scent.

    Ian nodded happily.

    Ah, this is mint.

    Anyone who wants to throw chocte into this refreshing scent is clearly a madman.

    "Many forget this fact."

    "It can''t be helped, can it?"

    "It can''t be helped?"

    Ian said as he put down his teacup.

    "Aren''t there many nobles among the clergy? That Zoltin fellow seemed like a noble too."

    "You got that right. His uncle is Duke Gazous."

    Wow. A duke.

    He thought he had an authoritative air, but he had no idea he was a duke''s nephew.

    There are five dukes in the empire,monly known as the Empire''s Five Dukes.

    A duke has a presence like that of a significant kingdom''s king.

    Zoltin is practically like the king''s nephew.

    "The Church is increasingly bing ssist."

    Isi seriously worried about the future of the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Originally, in the Church of Heaven''s Faith, there is no hierarchy.

    At the highest ce, there is God, and all other humans are equal.

    No matter how great the 13 primary saints are, they are still human.

    What about the disciples of the 13 saints? They are nothing.

    Yet, around them, the direct disciples of the saints are highly revered.

    The disciples of the 13 saints are called ''cardinals,'' and among them, the disciple of Saint Casius is referred to as ''pope.''

    This was evidence that the secrization of the Church of Heaven''s Faith was progressing.

    ��Nobles are bing clergy.��

    Under the sky, all humans are equal but...

    Are they really equal under the roof of the temple?

    Can a beggar begging on the streets and a wealthy noble, both believers in the same God, truly be considered the same kind of follower?

    The answer is ''no.''

    Nobility-born clerics wield money and connections, dominating the religious world.

    A respected cleric frommoner origins?

    No matter how much respect they get, without demonstrating a miracle of God, there are clear limits.

    The priest next door, born from a count, passively performs the miracle of multiplying bread from his pocket.

    How could amoner priestpete with that?

    ''Equality'' is bound to break.

    Thus, farmers bow their heads to clergy as they would to nobility.

    And the clergy walk around as stiff as if they were lords themselves.

    A second nobilization is underway.

    ��Hmm. The atmosphere is indeed not good."

    Belenka shrugged her shoulders.

    Isi burst intoughter.

    "It''s different from the Eastern Church. They don��t even know who the pope is there, do they?"

    ��The only clergy I know is our local priest.��

    Belenka is from Wintz, located in the east.

    Unlike the Imperial Church, where the infiltration of nobility was actively progressing, the religion in Wintz remains everyone''s.

    The reason is simple...

    Wintz is a poor and barrennd, so there was no need for nobles to snatch even the clerical positions.

    Thus, while Belenka believed in the Church of Heaven''s Faith, she didn��t know who the pope was.

    Nor did she need to.

    To Belenka, the pope was just another religious man.

    After all, humans are equal, so what difference does being a pope make?

    That was her mindset.

    Actually, she was right. The pope was just a human.

    "Especially as secr influences grow stronger. The emperor, that bastard, is not only failing to restrain it, but he��s encouraging it..."

    In the empire, there exist lord-bishops, nobles who are both lords and clergy.

    Yes, they were hybrid nobles.

    The emperor had granted them territories, making them lords, but they were also clergymen!

    These hybrid nobles usually pledged their loyalty to the emperor.

    Isi disapproved of such bishop-lords because they were creating a situation that could spark jealousy between the pope and the emperor.

    Would the cunning nobles around them just ignore this conflict?

    It wouldn''t be surprising if they tried to stir trouble between the two.

    "That dimwit bettere to his senses this time," Isi said, refilling Ian''s cup with mint tea.

    "Thank you for teaching Zoltin. It wasn''t ordinary teaching either; have you studied the Bible?"

    "I learned a bit from Dehitri, a monastic knight of the Santiago Knights," Ian replied.

    "Ah, the Santiago Knights! I''ve heard of them. They are truly righteous, aren��t they?"

    Ian could only nod.

    Even by modern standards, they were remarkable for wandering the empire and practicing benevolence and service merely to help humanity.

    "That''s what living a life of faith is all about..."

    Isiughed bitterly.

    "Spending all day brewing beer and busy peddling some worthless gospels...��

    Monk Isi was an old man burdened with many worries.

    ---

    ---

    Abbot Renis and Monk Isi talked for quite a long time.

    Zoltin? That bastard was always an outsider.

    He used to im he was a disciple of Saint Marcus until Isi��s sincere punch knocked some sense into him.

    He probably wanted to transform into a rat and hide in a hole.

    Originally, Zoltin treated the monastery like his own home, but after being chastised by Ian and Isi, he no longer dared to approach the guest areas.

    "Ian, I have a request for you," Renis said once they had agreed on their opinions.

    "A request?"

    "Yes, it rtes to the holy relic you brought."

    Ian looked puzzled.

    Wasn''t it supposed to be over when he returned it?

    "Initially, Takarion... that dimwit ''borrowed'' a holy relic I had brought from the north in my youth," Isi exined.

    "What?"

    Ian was surprised.

    It was Isi''s relic?

    "In those days, I was too spirited. While studying various things, I wondered: Ian, do you know that barbarians and imperial people have the same roots?"

    "Well, more or less..."

    It was something Teacher Eredith had already mentioned.

    Originally, indigenous people lived on imperialnds, but barbarians from the north forced them out and took over.

    Thus, barbarians and imperial people are rooted in the same history.

    "Isn��t it strange? Why do we worship the sky, while the barbarians still worship the cold ice god?"

    Ian wanted to say it wasn��t strange at all but kept silent to avoid a harsh response.

    In the warm empire, they farm and thus worship the sky.

    In the cold north, the barbarians worship the ice god for survival, right?

    However, this was a very non-religious perspective.

    Ian decided to show some empathy.

    "Now that you mention it, you��re right."

    "I thought so. To satisfy my curiosity, I went north myself. I preached the word of the sky to the barbarians there."

    "..."

    In South Korea, there��s a saying: ''Curiosity equals heaven.''

    It means that curiosity often leads to dangerous oues.

    To Ian, Isi��s curiosity seemed like the kind that was perfect for getting him killed.

    A monk who went to thend of the barbarians to spread the word of God!

    It looked like a sure path to martyrdom!

    But not for Isi.

    He had actually... seeded in his mission!

    "It was tough, but I eventually found a tribe that understood well. They were originally the Ice w Tribe, but now they''ve changed their name to the Sky w Tribe."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    How the hell did he manage that?!

    Seeing a case of sessful proselytization among barbarians was actually refreshing.

    That��s why other monks respect Isi...

    While madness is just madness, pulling off such madness brilliantly can turn you into a hero.

    Isi was someone teetering on the boundary between a madman and a hero.

    ��At that time, as a sign of renouncing their faith in the ice god, the Sky w Tribe gave me their sacred object. They said it was necessary and told me to take it back to the empire.��

    ��So, what you brought was����

    ��Yes, that ��holy relic.����

    Isi red at Renis.

    Renis was sweating profusely, at a loss for words.

    ��I, I thought it was truly a sacred object����

    ��A relic is a relic! Even if it��s a pagan one!!!��

    No words could defend him.

    The item Isi had brought when he was young had been kept in the monastery for about 30 to 40 years.

    It had be misunderstood as a sacred object among the monks due to distortions in theirmunications.

    ��Squeak! Squeak!��

    Ian looked at the bird that had climbed onto the table.

    So, this creature, originally from the north, hade to the empire through the hands of a monk and had been hatched by Ian��

    Its backstory was lengthy, a creature with a pitiful tale.

    ��But now that you''ve awakened this bird, we need to send it back north.��

    ��Why? Can��t we keep it at the monastery?��

    Isi looked incredulous.

    ��Would we keep a creature revered by pagans in the monastery?��

    ��Well, maybe we could convert it?��

    "That��s like saying a manticore can be nice."

    ��...��

    Ah. Instant understanding.

    The only way to make a manticore nice was to kill it and send it to heaven. There are just some things in the world that cannot be reformed.

    ��I think it''s like a phoenix.��

    ��A phoenix? Takarion called it a paradise bird, didn��t he?��

    ��Takarion? What does he know?��

    Ian was genuinely impressed by Isi��s sharp logic.

    Ah. That��s how he managed to convert barbarians!

    A wise old man indeed. Ian��s respect for Isi rose a notch.

    ��All we need to do is return it to the Sky w Tribe. I hear it doesn��t want to leave your side?��

    Ian shrugged.

    Since it got along well with Kira, maybe sending Kira alone north wouldn��t be too bad.

    But that would be pretty awful.

    As the leader, he should go too.

    ��So, I��d like you to go north.��

    Renis quickly interjected.

    ��And if Takarion is alive! Please, rescue him!��

    ��Ah. A rescue.��

    He wasn��t exactly enthusiastic.

    If it were a kidnapped princess of some country, he might have yed the hero.

    But heading to the freezing north to rescue a Church of Heaven''s Faith fanfic writer?

    No romance whatsoever.

    And it seemed unlikely that Takarion was alive.

    Taken by barbarians, he probably didn��t make it.

    So the primary mission became returning the bird revered by the barbarians.

    The secondary mission was to check on Takarion''s fate, and if possible, rescue him.

    ��Hmm...��

    Ian pondered a bit.

    He had actually been nning to visit the north anyway.

    At the northern frontier is where the Space-Time Wizard Council is located.

    He had thought about meeting some wizards there.

    At the same time, he might look into the existence of the ice phoenix that Drake Longtail mentioned.

    But now that it came to actually going to a cold ce, it felt a bit bothersome...

    ��If you go north, I will give you something you��ll find interesting.��

    Isi spoke as if he had read Ian''s thoughts.

    He was indeed a wise old man.

    "You''re a wizard, aren''t you?"

    "Yes, I am."

    "Do you know that barbarians also possess magic?"

    "Barbarian magic?"

    At this, Isi pulled something out of his pocket.

    Renis gasped from the side.

    "No! Elder! Why have you brought a pagan object into the monastery?"

    "It''s my decision."

    The item Isi extracted was a half-torn card.

    "What is this?"

    "It''s an object used by those who worship the ice god to cast magic. It''s called [Arcana] in the ancientnguage."

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    "It means ''mystery''."

    Ian said nonchntly.

    Clergy often used ancientnguages in daily life.

    Arcana simply meant ''mystery.''It meant a card imbued with mystery.

    It was understandable, given the nature of their profession and the fact that they were often immersed in ancientnguages.

    As long as it wasn��t just for show like Takarion, it was eptable.

    ��Yes, mystery,�� Isi replied with a smile.

    ��Do you need some time to think? Why not take a short walk with me?��

    Ian walked through the monastery with Isi to clear his thoughts.

    The golden sunlight illuminated the afternoon monastery, making the vibrant nts sparkle as if showing off their vitality.

    ��Ian, what do you think magic is?��

    Isi asked abruptly.

    ��Suddenly?��

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    He wasn��t a wizard and hadn��t expected to discuss magic with a monk he had just met.

    ��Magic is amunication between mystery and humanity,�� Ian responded fluently, despite his surprise, a result of rigorous theoretical training under Eredith.

    ��What, then, is mystery?��

    ��It��s an existence beyond humanprehension. Trying to understand it is futile because it''s iprehensible. You just have to feel and ept it,�� Ian exined.

    Mystery refers to everything that moves in unknown ways beyond human cognition��from natural elements like fire, wind, earth, and water to transcendent entities like the world, universe, and fate.

    And a wizard is one whomunicates with these mysteries.

    Ian looked at Isi and asked,

    ��But why do you ask? Did you suddenly want to be a wizard in yourter years?��

    ��A wizard... Do you see me as one?��

    Isi responded with a challenging question.

    The conversation seemed to be going off track, but Ian replied,

    ��No, you appear to be a monk.��

    ��What if I manipted fire in front of you? Would I still look like a monk?��

    Ian��s expression was subtle.

    A quirky old man.

    Ian revised his view of Isi. His quirks made him seem somewhat wizard-like.

    ��I might think you''re casting a spell.��

    ��Yes. Fire is a destructive element that swallows everything. It carries the power of both earth''sva and sky''s lightning. But the nature of fire is closer to the sky than the earth. Do you know why?��

    Isi continued.

    Ian shrugged.

    ��Because it holds the power of purification.��

    Isi smiled contentedly.

    ��Exactly. Your knowledge is impressive.��

    Fire represents destruction but not merely that��it''s destruction for the sake of renewal and rebirth.

    If Ian were to describe it using the concepts from his previous life as a science student, it would be the chaotic power between cosmos and chaos.

    Fire is energy. It��s the flow of entropy.

    ��That��s why heaven uses lightning to punish humans. Lightning embodies the power of purification,�� Isi exined.

    ��It means topletely cleanse even the sins of sinners.��

    ��Right. It��s both punishment and reformation.��

    Isi stretched out his hand as if grasping the sun, casting shadows on his wrinkled face.

    ��Hell uses fire to punish humans for the same reason. The fires of hell both chastise and purify the sins through a ritual of burning.��

    ��Well. So they say.��

    Isi continued reaching out his hand.

    Suddenly, the monk swung his fist toward the ground.

    Whoosh!

    ��...?��

    Then, something astonishing happened.

    A bright me followed Isi��s fist, ring briefly before disappearing!

    Ian was startled.

    "zing fruits!"

    "What?"

    "Firefist Isi! Fire Punch! Fire Punch!"

    "...That reaction is a bit much."

    Isi was unfazed, but Ian was truly astonished.

    Just reaching towards the sun had caused mes to burst from thin air?

    Isi yfully tapped Ian''s shoulder and asked again.

    "So, I ask again. Am I a wizard or a monk?"

    Ian took a deep breath.

    Upon reflection, it wasn''t that surprising.

    Ian, a wizard, could summon darkness with just a gesture.

    It was rare but entirely possible for a monk proficient in the mysteries of the heavens to ignite mes.

    "You are a monk."

    "Oh? Why do you say that?"

    "Because the fire earlier was a result ofmuning with the sky. It would be difficult to produce the same effect again."

    "Ah, you''ve got it right again. Wisdom is the privilege of the old, yet here you are, so astute, it almost dampens my spirits."

    The feat Isi had shown was indeed divine magic.

    Having a deep understanding of the scriptures and making a heartfelt plea to the divine can result in miraculous oues��that''s what divine magic is.

    Isi used magic without the need for Maronius.

    His faith was so deep and firm that he could convey his desires to the divine without spoken words, a testament to his devoutness.

    "You''re right. I couldn��t replicate that myself. But you, as a wizard, could produce the same result again."

    If miracles always happen, they aren''t miracles but techniques.

    A wizard''s magic systematizes the process ofmunicating with the divine, ensuring consistent results.

    That''s the difference between miracles and magic.

    "The magic of the northern barbarians is somewhere between miracles and techniques," Isi said as he handed Ian a torn card.

    "I don��t believe in the Ice God, so it''s useless to me. But Ian, as a wizard, you could learn to wield the divine through conversation with the mysteries."

    A new kind of magic...

    Ian pondered for a moment before epting the card.

    Exploring new magic was Ian��s forte.

    Who am I?

    A cheat yer from another world.

    My status screen is invincible, and I am a god.

    ...Calling myself a god seems a bit much, so let''s stick with wizard.

    Ian is a wizard.

    He couldn''t miss an opportunity to encounter the divine.

    "And if you bring that Takarion fellow, you would make Zoltin owe you."

    "Zoltin?"

    "He originally came to meet Takarion. Didn''t Takarion write the Gospel of Marcus? Zoltin is a disciple of Saint Marcus."

    Aha. Ian understood the situation.

    Zoltin hade to the Blue Key Monastery to meet Takarion, but Takarion had left to heal Lord Devosi��s illness.

    It was a mix-up due to the medieval world''s slowmunicationwork.

    Even though the Church of Heaven''s Faith had its ownmunicationwork, coordinating like having telephone lines was impossible.

    "Since Zoltin has prayed for Takarion''s safe return, if you bring him back safely, Zoltin will owe you a favor."

    This wasn��t bad news for Ian.

    As a wizard, Ian asionally shed with the religious sector.

    Having a high-ranking clergyman owe him would be beneficial.

    Creating a debt with Zoltin could be useful someday.

    "Alright. Let''s make a trip up north, why not."

    Ian tucked the Arcana card into his chest as he spoke.

    ---

    ---

    The night at the Blue Key Monastery was brightly lit, which was quite astonishing since having light in a medieval night without a single electric bulb was remarkable in itself.

    The main source of light in the Middle Ages was naturally candles.

    While candles might seem romantic and joyful, the candles Ian had experienced were truly dreadful.

    Their light barely illuminated anything beyond what was right in front of them.

    Outdoor activities were absolutely impossible with them, and inside, they provided just enough light to barely read a book.

    It''s no wonder that the light bulb, invented by the so-called inventor and patent thief Edison, was considered a revolutionary innovation for humanity.

    Ian had nearly ruined his eyes more than once under the poor light of candles.

    Where is the smartphone? Where is the bright shlight mode?

    He would realize once again how much modern people took the blessing of light for granted.

    Instead, Ian often resorted to using dark magic in ce of candles.

    However, the monastery now was as bright as day.

    Well, that''s an exaggeration, but it was bright enough to be shocking since a candle''s light is minuscule.

    But light many, and the story changes.

    "What''s all this?"

    Ian lost his words as he looked at the hundreds of candles filling the altar.

    Being a medieval man, Ian knew just how expensive a single candle was.

    Burning hundreds in one night?

    To Ian, it looked like an immense amount of money was burning right there, making the sight even more overwhelming.

    "Since you''re here, why not pray before you leave?"

    "Pray?"

    Monks were kneeling and praying earnestly.

    It was indeed a monastery through and through.

    "It''s a prayer for the safe return of Brother Takarion," exined Abbot Renis, who was deep in thought.

    What could the monastery do for Takarion, who had made it so wealthy?

    The result of that thought was prayer��a reasonably rational oue since mercenaries were unreliable and mobilizing crusader knights took too long.

    Now, the money Takarion had painstakingly earned from his writings was being burned away in hundreds of candles.

    "Just a prayer."

    Ian moved towards the statue of the goddess.

    Belenka, who was already praying, nced at Ian.

    "Did youe to pray?"

    "Uh, yeah."

    Belenka made room for Ian.

    "What did youe to pray for?"

    "I hadn��t really thought about it. Maybe for safe travels?"

    The abbot had hoped Ian would pray for Takarion��s well-being.

    But what did Ian care about Takarion?

    "Then, let��s first pray for the unknown man you sent to heaven," suggested Belenka.

    "Ah, right."

    Ian had killed someone in defense during the assassin��s attack, and Belenka had once suggested praying for forgiveness when the opportunity arose.

    "How should I pray?"

    "I��m the expert here. First, ask forgiveness from the family and friends of the man whose life you took."

    "..."

    Belenka was a knight, an expert in both killing and apologizing.

    "That bastard tried to kill me first. Should I still be the one to apologize?"

    "Hmm. Would the mother of the dead assassin think the same?"

    "Damn it, really."

    Challenged by Belenka��s cunning logic, Ian grumbled and closed his mouth.

    The weight of life is fair to everyone.

    Even the most insignificant creature has a mother and a father, and even the most wretched and insignificant human has parents who love them.

    It went without saying. Taking a life is a sin.

    "Your face looks troubled."

    "There��s no reason to be happy."

    As Ian��s expression darkened slightly, Belenka spoke as if tofort him.

    "As a senior inmitting sins, let me give you some advice... don''t dwell on it too much. The deed is already done."

    "... Didn''t you just tell me to ask for forgiveness from the victim''s family?"

    "You should seek forgiveness, of course. But don''t expect to be forgiven. Forgiving an enemy is almost divine."

    It''s difficult to forgive a sinner, especially if that sinner has harmed one''s own family.

    If it were easy, then saints wouldn��t be called saints.

    That''s also why ''Love your enemy'' is amandment.

    "It''s hard to get forgiveness for sins alreadymitted, but..."

    Belenka lightly tapped Ian''s shoulder and continued.

    "I can pray for your sins."

    "..."

    "That''s the knight''s way. Carry your sins, but perform more good deeds so that you may receive more prayers than the sins you''ve umted."

    Belenka slightly squinted her eyes and smiled.

    "You are not alone, Ian. If demons from helle seeking your sins,"

    "I will fight for your innocence, staking my honor."

    Her bright blue eyes sparkled in front of the candlelight.

    One must bear the sins they havemitted; that''s karma.

    However, one can still pray for a sinner.

    If a sincere prayer reaches heaven, then the weight of that sin might be lightened somewhat.

    Ian looked at Belenka for a while, then turned his head with a chuckle.

    "Then I''ll pray for you, Belenka."

    "... For me?"

    "For your sword, which exists for justice. If anyone denounces the blood on your de as filthy, I''ll defend you to the end, staking my knowledge and magic."

    Belenka closed her eyes and sped her hands together, her smile not fading.

    "This is really... I have such a reliable master."

    In front of the brilliant hundreds of candles, the knight and the wizard prayed for each other''s souls.

    Their prayers were so earnest that they seemed to reach the heavens.

    ...The stars twinkled in the night sky.

    It was the kind of night where Takarion might yell from afar, "You bastards! Pray for me!!!"

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Once the decision to head north was made, Ian began preparing for his journey.

    The monks of the Blue Key Monastery, Isi, and even Zoltin actively supported Ian''s journey.

    "You know, Ian? The idiots were calling you ''Saint Ian''?"

    "...The idiots?"Ian responded incredulously.

    The monks had been half-jokingly, half-seriously giving him the title of a saint, which he already knew about.

    The monks who had traveled with Ian, especially those whose lives Ian had saved, called him ''Saint Ian, the Patron Saint of Coffee.''

    Of course, this was because the monks were overly obsessed with their religion.

    Being monks who associated everything with God, instead of simply saying ''Thank you'' or ''You are a lifesaver'', they collectively expressed their gratitude by calling him ''Saint Ian.''

    "You mean the monks?"

    "To call a monk an idiot just like that..."

    "They are idiots."

    "..."

    Isi, that person, had a way of going off the rails. No wonder he went proselytizing in thends of the barbarians.

    "The Patron Saint of Coffee, huh? Until now I��ve been drinking it secretly, but from now on, I''ll drink it with your blessing."

    "Please, cut the crap."

    Isiughed with a chuckle.

    He really seemed like a mean old man.

    "Actually, there was talk of officially making you a saint."

    "Really?"

    "Really. And do you know what happened?"

    Isi said,ughing.

    "I told them to stop talking nonsense and go copy the scriptures instead."

    "Ah. Yes."

    The monks who had traveled with Ian had seriously proposed making him one of the saints of Heaven''s Faith.

    Naturally, Ian was not recognized as a saint.

    His deeds were not exactly saintly.

    Surviving after eating a tomato was just because tomatoes are harmless.

    The blessing of coffeecked impact.

    Maybe if he went down to the origin of coffee and performed a miracle in front of everyone, he might actually be the Patron Saint of Coffee...

    Ian let Isi''s words go in one ear and out the other.

    Bing a saint of Heaven''s Faith didn��t interest him much.

    He felt that he would naturally meet the deity of Heaven''s Faith as he learned magic, anyway.

    "Ah! Ian! Isi!"

    Mionia, dressed in a neat nun��s outfit, greeted them.

    Since arriving at the monastery, Ian had never seen Mionia��s inappropriate nun outfit.

    Wearing such sphemous attire in the monastery could literally get her beaten to death, no joke.

    The abbot of the monastery had hastily procured a proper nun��s outfit, and she had be a guest in the women��s rest area.

    "Ah. Mionia. How have you been? Not too bored?"

    "Kira and Belenka have been keeping mepany, so I''m okay."

    She said she was fine, but her expression told a different story.

    Mionia''s face was filled with worries.

    It was understandable.

    She had betrayed her convent on her own initiative and sided with Takarion and the Blue Key Monastery.

    For now, she was taking refuge in the monastery... but she had nowhere else to go.

    "Are you bored? Want to go to the barbarian vige with me?"

    When Ian asked, Mionia was horrified.

    "Are you suggesting I go there to die?"

    No way, she''s not going for that.

    Although Ian, the wizard, had reached a level where he enjoyed wandering, Mionia, who had lived in a convent all her life, had no connection with traveling.

    "Have you forgotten? I almost died at the hands of the barbarians too! And yet, you''re suggesting another trip?"

    Ian tilted his head.

    Isn''t that normal?

    Ian was beginning to forget, but traveling in this era was an exceedingly rare act.

    Venturing intonds teeming with thieves and monsters was impossible without a definite purpose.

    Cases like Ian, who traveled freely, were extremely rare.

    Traditionally, a wizard was like a one-eyed man in a vige of the blind.

    This means that to others, he was utterly insane.

    "It��s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but I am actually a pretty good wizard. I have plenty of tricks to avoid danger."

    Ian spoke sincerely, but Mionia responded with sarcasm.

    She clearly disliked the idea of traveling.

    "You don''t think those could be yourst words?"

    Typical malest words �C thinking everything will be fine.

    Ian was at a loss for words.

    Indeed, it��s often true that men die after repeatedly saying, ''It''s okay, it''s okay.''

    "So, what are you going to do?"

    "Haah..."

    Mionia sighed deeply.

    The most certain method was to ask Isi to arrange for Zoltin''s protection.

    However, in that case, it was highly likely that Mionia could no longer leave the convent.

    But Mionia was a youngdy dreaming of a secr life.

    Her dream was to ditch this tiresome nun��s habit and marry a wonderful man!

    "Sister. Remember what you saidst time? That you made your nun''s habit yourself."

    "��!"

    Mionia was startled and looked around frantically at Isi.

    Luckily, Isi did not know about Mionia''s ''lewd nun''s habit.''

    "You made the nun''s habit yourself? You must be quite skilled?"

    "And excellent in aesthetics too."

    "Ah! Uh! That is... well..."

    Mionia, her face turning red, red resentfully at Ian, but he turned his head pretending not to notice.

    No, it was really beautiful.

    Mionia��s fashion sense was more modern than medieval.

    Had she been born in the modern era, she might have be a renowned fashion designer like Prada.

    Perhaps a movie titled [The Nun Wears Prada] could have been made?

    "So here��s what I��m thinking."

    Ian proposed to Mionia.

    "How about making clothes for a friend of mine?"

    "...Clothes?"

    Mionia reflexively thought of Belenka and Kira.

    Belenka, tall with a full figure, seemed suited for a flowing dress.

    Kira, with alluring eyes and a seductive look, seemed perfect for a fancy dress...

    Was Ian fond of such mboyant designs?

    However, Ian mentioned an unexpected name.

    "It would be great if you could make clothes for Baron Talian."

    "Talian? That barony way up in the northwest?"

    Mionia was a bit puzzled.

    Making clothes was not difficult for her, and the distance being far to the northwest was not an issue.

    That ce was beyond the abbess��s reach.

    Moreover, if she were making clothes for the baron, she might receive the baron��s protection.

    "But I''ve never made men��s clothes before..."

    The problem was that Mionia was a nun.

    She knew women''s bodies well, but not men��s. Naturally, her sense for men��s fashion wascking.

    "Ah. That��s okay."

    "Excuse me?"

    "Baron Talian. She��s a woman."

    Mionia made a peculiar face for a moment.

    All his travelingpanions were women, too.

    This ��friend�� Baron Talian was also a woman?

    "Hmm. Okay, I understand."

    After finishing the conversation, Mionia seriously considered Ian��s proposal.

    Fleeing to Baron Talian��snd... was not a bad idea.

    Actually, it was quite a good one.

    Her identity would be vouched for by Ian, so there shouldn''t be any problems.

    If she received the baron''s protection, there would be no danger.

    Moreover, if things went well, she might settle down there?

    "Alright."

    Mionia had made up her mind about her next residence.

    It was a barony governed by a noble named Lucy Talian.

    ''I''m sick and tired of being harassed by the clergy.''

    She opted to seek refuge under a noble rather than receive protection from the clergy.

    Determined, Mionia rushed to Ian and announced:

    "I will go to Talian''s domain!"

    "Ah, you''ve made a good choice."

    Mionia was confident.

    She was sure she could create garments charming enough to captivate a young female noble!

    She left the convent a few days before Ian''s departure, following the path he had suggested, and safely reached Talian''s domain.

    Talian''s domain turned out to be much better than she had expected.

    Strong soldiers were actively clearing out thieves.

    And a werewolf passing by greeted her warmly:

    "Ah! Hello, Lady! You��re a new face here!"

    "???"

    Werewolves roam around the domain?

    Is this correct?!

    Mionia was momentarily startled, but the werewolf showed her a symbol of Heaven''s Faith, which reassured her��

    Not really.

    "Yikes! It''s a monster!"

    "Please calm down, Lady. Do you not see this symbol? I am a servant dedicated to the will of the heavens."

    "Then, what''s your favorite scripture verse?"

    "Genesis 1:1. [Let there be light.]"

    My goodness. He speaks Ancient?!

    Mionia had no choice but to believe the werewolf''s sincerity.

    Sheter realized:

    This was indeed a domain introduced by a wizard.

    Even with something abnormal roaming around, it wasn''t strange at all!

    After all, Ian himself was an exceedingly odd wizard!

    "You came on Wizard Ian''s rmendation! Oh! He is my master!"

    ...That figures.

    Mionia grumbled to herself.

    "Come this way. I will introduce you to the baron."

    The werewolf, Lewis, led Mionia to Lucy.

    "Hello, sister. I came here because Ian introduced me."

    "...? Who are you?"

    Lucy, the lord of Talian, was puzzled by the sudden appearance of the nun visitor.

    "I heard there''s precious fabric here... I happen to know a bit about tailoring."

    "???"

    That was how Sister Mionia ended up in Talian''snd.

    ---

    ---

    "Then, Ian. Take care."

    Ian departed from the Blue Key Monastery amid farewells from the monks.

    The abbot and the other monks came out in droves to pray for his safe return.

    "wizard Ian! Please save brother Takarion!"

    "Please save him!"

    Ian waved casually as he rode off.

    That Takarion fellow.

    Although his usual antics were annoying, the love he received from so many people suggested he wasn��t all that terrible.

    Indeed, what wrong had Takarion done?

    His only crime was being annoyingly and excessively good at writing.

    Enough so that a count filled with envy sent an assassin after him.

    "You really have it tough, huh?"

    "Squeak! Squeak!"

    Ian spoke to some sort of holy? bird.

    This creature would be taken care of by the converted barbarians of the north.

    Ian, along with Kira and Belenka, arrived at the dock heading north.

    "Are you really okay?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine."

    "Me too."

    The journey to a cold and barrennd.

    He had suggested they stay in the empire because it might be tough for the two women, but Kira and Belenka chose to follow Ian north.

    "I still have debts to pay, I can''t just hang around in the empire."

    "I need to make money too. The north is tough, so the pay must be pretty good?"

    Kira and Belenka smiled at each other without hesitation.

    Seeing hispanions'' smiles, Ian felt a deep sense of security.

    It was a psychologicalfort he hadn''t known when traveling alone.

    This is why people seekpanions for their journeys.

    "Let''s go!"

    As the sails were lowered, the vessel carrying Ian smoothly sailed across the sea.

    Under the bright sun, seagulls pped their wings, flying alongside the sailing ship.

    After several days of sailing, Ian reached his destination.

    "Land in sight!"

    It was a chilling, icynd.

    The territory of the northern barbarians.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The North is a barbard.

    To Ian, once a modern man, both the North and the Empire appeared to bends of barbarians.

    However,pared to the North, the Empire was civilized.

    Primarily because the Church of Heaven''s Faith''s Faith was widespread, many people fearedmitting sins.Stealing, fraud, lying, and murder were all considered sins.

    What happens if youmit a sin? You go to hell when you die.

    There, in the eternally burning mes of hell, souls suffer until they are purified.

    In any era, all humans fear death.

    Therefore, the citizens of the Empire try to live as virtuously as possible.

    The existence of a hell for liars and swindlers enabled the development of a [credit society].

    People must trust each other and strictly uphold contracts once made.

    If they''re not? It''s straight to hell, of course.

    If you''re a follower of the same Church of Heaven''s Faith''s Faith, you can trust each other.

    Thus, even though the Empire wasposed of immigrants from the North, it could still be considered and of civilized people.

    But the North was different.

    It was and of warriors bleeding on the cold tundra!

    In the North, there was only struggle, and strength and discipline dominated everything.

    "It''s not as cold as I expected," said Belenka, looking around.

    Ian half-listened to her, pleased by the firm ground underfoot.

    "It''s summer now. The North is warm in the summer too."

    "You timed it well."

    Had they visited the North in winter, they would have experienced firsthand what bone-chilling cold was.

    "My homnd feels even colder."

    "Wintz?"

    Belenka nodded.

    Wintz was famous for its long and harsh winters.

    In the depths of winter, the entire country turned into a snowfield, with people freezing to death in droves.

    "...I''m a bit cold."

    Ian, born in the northern Empire, and Belenka, from Wintz, were resistant to the cold.

    However, Kira, from the southern Empire, felt the chill more acutely.

    "Oh! People from the Empire!"

    A Northerner ran up to Ian''s group.

    Ian stared intently at the Northerner.

    He had felt this when he fought a Northern raider before, but seeing it again, it was clear.

    You couldn''t really tell them apart from real Imperial citizens.

    It felt just like visiting a somewhat colder Empire.

    The Northerner was a young man with fiery red hair.

    His bushy beard was the only thing that distinguished him from the Imperial citizens.

    "I''ve been waiting for you! I am Gunnar of the Sky w Tribe!"

    "I''m Ian Eredith. Ie from the Blue Key Monastery."

    "Ha! I''ve already heard about you! Let''s go."

    Ian followed Gunnar through the streets.

    This ce was a fortress built by Imperials, now managed by the Northerners.

    Note that it was not the Holy Empire but the Golden Empire.

    Yes, this fortress was built nearly a thousand years ago and was incredibly dpidated.

    It was originally constructed by the Golden Empire as a colony in the North...

    After the copse of the Golden Empire, it became no man''snd, swiftly seized by the Northerners.

    So Ian''s impression was simple.

    Wow. This looks like a great ce for a school trip.

    Taking amemorative photo by those walls would be perfect.

    Ian still thought of school trips first, rather than wars, when he looked at the walls.

    The medieval world is like an antique shop. Really.

    "..."

    He had barely walked a few steps when he felt stares pouring down.

    At the end of those stares was Belenka.

    "An Imperial?"

    "What an odd looking imperial."

    The Holy Empire and the Northerners share the same roots; hence, they look quite simr.

    Belenka hailed from Wintz, essentially making her a foreigner.

    In the Holy Empire, where people often arrived from various regions, foreigners were not umon.

    However, at this fortress, since only Imperials and Northerners were usually seen, encountering someone of a different race was a rare sight.

    Not only was it rare to see someone of a different race, but Belenka was also a beauty capable of turning heads just by passing by.

    Naturally, the gloomy Northerners'' eyes were drawn to the arrival of such an attractive longsword-wielding schoolgirl.

    "Hey! Are you folks from the Empire?"

    "Heh heh... Wanna hang out with us?"

    At first nce, these guys clearly seemed like trouble, as if they had ''I''m a delinquent~'' stamped on their foreheads, subtly approaching.

    Ian, with his arms crossed, sighed.

    Damn it. Is there nond free of these thug extras?

    Having consumed hundreds of films,ics, and novels, Ian could easily predict what was about to unfold.

    These thugs would charge in, leading to a confrontation with Ian and his group.

    "F*ck off! This person is a guest of our tribe!"

    Gunnar waved his arms, driving the thugs away.

    Then, chuckling, the thug extras quietly backed off.

    "Heh heh heh. Is that so? Take good care of the guest... heh heh..."

    "Ho ho. Be sure to feed them something delicious. Show them the honor of the Northerners."

    "Hey,dy from the Empire. Have a great trip in the North. Hehe..."

    ...And the thug extras retreated.

    Ian was surprised.

    Aren''t they supposed to attack and get beaten upter?

    Isn''t that the mon sense] in web novels?

    However, contrary to Ian''s expectations, the North operated under a different kind ofmon sense.

    Northerners are barbarians.

    Yet, surprisingly, Northerners rarely caused trouble because the punishment for such acts was unimaginably harsh.

    The standard punishment in the North was [execution].

    There were no prisons in the North.

    If a crime serious enough for imprisonment wasmitted... they simply chopped off heads.

    Someone fought with someone else? They better reconcile amicably.

    Can''t reconcile? Then it''s exile.

    Refuse to leave? Execution.

    The legal code of the Northern barbarians was short and concise, like a student''s study guide.

    Don''t know aboutplicated things!

    Commit a crime, and it''s execution! Execution!

    Therefore, Northerners tended to be more polite than Imperials.

    Being rude could literally cause your head to explode.

    In the civilized world, there are many troublemakers because being rude doesn��t split your head open.

    "Ugh. Those Red Bear tribe guys."

    Gunnar clicked his tongue, then chuckled.

    "They''re always so lively!"

    "..."

    Northerners lived in a tribe-centered society.

    Everyone in a vige knew each other, and almost all were familiar with those in neighboring viges or tribes.

    It wasmon for marriages to be arranged with the next vige.

    Troublemakers who stirred up themunity would have their heads chopped off...

    Naturally, only those with verified manners remained.

    "Phew. You''ll receive even more attention when we get to our tribe."

    "I expected as much."

    Gunnar had prepared a carriage in advance.

    It wasn''t exactly a horse, but some strange animal that resembled a deer.

    At least, it wasn��t an animal Ian was familiar with.

    A domesticated deer with a horn like a unicorn?

    What is that?

    But regardless of knowing the animal''s name, you can still ride in the carriage.

    The carriage carrying Ian''s group swiftly exited the fortress.

    "It''ll take about two to three days, if we''re quick."

    On the road, Gunnar briefly updated them on the situation of the Sky w tribe.

    "You''vee at a really bad time. It''s really bad right now."

    "Seems like you''re about my age. Why not speak casually?"

    "Ah, should I? Right now, the tribe is in chaos. Not just our tribe, but all the others too."

    There were two major tribal coalitions in the North.

    The Okaha tribal coalition, located in the south, is where Gunnar and the Sky w tribe belong.

    To the north was another tribal coalition known as the Sgonu.

    These two coalitions have been shing in armed conflict for many years.

    "It seems like those Sgonu bastards might attack us soon,"

    Gunnar predicted, speaking of an impending tribal war.

    War, in fact, was not an umon urrence.

    Even the fertilends of the warm Empire experience daily conflicts.

    How much more so in the barren North?

    "Hmm. Is your tribe in danger?" Belenka asked.

    "No, our warriors are strong. The Sgonu bastards have attacked us several times before. But this time it''s different," Gunnar''s expression turned serious.

    "Different? How so?"

    "You might not know, but it was hunting season up until recently. Now is the time to stock up on ''Yagon,'' a type of beast, for winter... but this hunt was a disaster."

    The expressions of Ian''s group turned grave at this news.

    In the modern age, where food production and storage technologies are extremely advanced, very few people suffer from starvation.

    But the medieval times are different.

    Food production is grueling and storage even more so.

    Imagine producing a hundred million tons of wheat this year; you''d eat well for now, but no matter how much is saved, by next year it would all rot and turn to worm food.

    This is the fundamental reason why, despite bountiful harvests, starvation is still a threat.

    Tobat this, humanity has developed preserved foods, but limitations still exist.

    Missing a single food production opportunity could mean there''s no backup.

    "Probably the Sgonu bastards messed up their hunt as well."

    "...So both sides are starving."

    "Yes. That''s why they''ve taken up arms. Rather than starve to death this winter, they''d rather raid us to survive."

    Simply put, it''s a fight for survival.

    Until now, if conflicts were due to minor disputes, now they were fighting out of desperation, as if the entire tribe''s survival depended on it.

    "It''s unfortunate you''vee all this way; our tribe probably won''t wee you."

    "We weren''t nning to stay long, but still, thank you for weing us."

    "That just means the tribal elders dislike it. The priest and I don''t mind you. Look, I''m also a follower of the Church of Heaven''s Faith," Gunnar said, showing the symbol of the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Belenka and Kira reflexively made the sign of the cross.

    "Seeing this with my own eyes is something new. Who would have thought there would be followers of Heaven''s Faith up here in the North."

    "Most of our tribe believes in the Sky God. Althoughtely, more people have been converting..."

    As they spoke, snow swirled fiercely from the sky.

    The carriage, led by a horned horse, plowed steadfastly through the snowfield, almost as if proiming, ''This is just everyday life in the North!''

    Ian felt reassured by the sturdy animals, which looked more like deer than horses.

    "Huh?"

    Suddenly, Gunnar, who was driving, shouted.

    "Damn it''s cold!"

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Something''s chasing us from over there!"

    Momentster, something huge, ugly, and monstrous emerged from the snowstorm.

    "Holy sh*t."

    Ian had never seen such an ugly monster in this medieval fantasy world before.

    "It''s a troll!!!"

    The monster attacking the carriage was indeed a troll.

    Known for residing in the North, trolls are infamous for their massive size, strong bodies, and ugliness.

    The starving troll, drooling, charged straight toward the carriage.

    Its target was clear.

    "Elk! That bastard is after our elk!"

    "What?"

    To think of eating our sturdy, national treasure elk that''s been faithfully running through the snow for us???

    "Are you insane? Really?"

    Ian immediately sprang into action.

    First, he surveyed his surroundings to assess the situation.

    It was a cold, snowy evening.

    The most powerful presences were, as always, the mysteries of cold and darkness.

    ''...I can''t use either of them.''

    However, the opponent was a monster d in thick hide.

    Moreover, it had the ability to urately track prey even on a snowy night.

    Neither cold nor darkness were effective against it.

    Then, other magic must be used.

    Ian cleared his throat and, with strong resolve, shouted.

    The most powerful weapon of a wizard.

    It''s the voice.

    "[Listen up, you beast!]"

    Ian amplified his voice using the power of the wind''s mystery.

    As Ian suddenly bellowed out loudly, Gunnar was startled.

    ''What, what the hell?!''

    This was Gunnar��s first time seeing a wizard in action.

    Though he had been informed beforehand that Ian was a wizard.

    The actual magic he saw was beyond his imagination!

    "[Dare you attack one who has shared friendship with the king of the mountain!]"

    Grrr...

    When Ian scolded loudly, the troll hesitated and slowed down.

    Gunnar gaped at this absurd sight, shocked.

    ''My God... he''s scolding a troll?''

    Gunnar thought Ian''s scolding was effective.

    But the troll was just startled, not overwhelmed by Ian''s will.

    [I... am hungry... I''ve been starving... I need to eat...!]

    ''Tsk.''

    Ian tried projecting the image of a drake, but the troll, being no trivial monster, wasn''t intimidated by the image of the drake.

    It might have been startled a bit.

    However, right now, the troll was in a situation where it was willing to risk danger to satisfy its hunger.

    ''If that''s the case.''

    If talking doesn''t work, the only option left is to use force.

    "Gunnar! I need to borrow some peat!"

    "Uh? Uh...?"

    Borrow what???

    Confused, Gunnar stared at Ian.

    Peat is a solid fuelmonly used by Northerners.

    But what was he nning to do with it...

    As Gunnar pondered this, he was speechless at Ian''s next action.

    Ian ignited the peat with an Anor-lsil.

    Then, he grabbed it... with his bare hands!

    Holding the zing fireball in his hand, Ian shouted.

    "Take this! Fireball, you bastard!"

    Ian threw the burning peat.

    It was, literally, a ''fireball''...

    Gunnar watched in shock as the troll, hit by the fireball, screamed.

    who throws a fireball with bare hands?!

    ''Is he...pletely insane?''

    Gunnar��s first impression of wizard Ian was.

    ''That guy��s crazy.''

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    TL/Editor: raei

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    Gunnar was astonished as he watched Ian toss a fireball as casually as one might throw a snowball.

    He wasn''t the only one that was shocked.

    [It''s hot! So hot!]

    The troll, too, was caught off guard by the sudden ze."Ian! Are you okay?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine! This is fun. Kira, wanna try?"

    "Uh, um?"

    Surprised, Kira had even forgotten her act as a dignified wizard.

    However, she quickly regained herposure.

    She didn''t fully understand why Ian''s hands weren''t burning.

    She vaguely guessed it was with the aid of some supernatural being.

    ''Mystery.''

    To the average person, an astrologer''s ability to predict the future appeared extraordinary.

    Simrly, Ian��s ability to grasp fireballs with his bare hands seemed utterly bizarre.

    Asking how it was possible was pointless.

    It was iprehensible and unreplicable, hence deemed mysterious, and the art of managing this mystique was known as magic.

    [Burn it! Burn it all down!]

    Kira heard a voice whispering in her ear, like an auditory hallucination.

    The mystery of the mes swirled around her.

    In that moment, Kira was certain��the mes would never harm her.

    "Damn!"

    Ian had ignited a clod of earth, which Kira then firmly grasped.

    As Kira followed Ian��s lead and held the fireball in her hand, Gunnar stared at the wizards with shocked eyes.

    "My god..."

    Ian and Kira, like children in a snowball fight, hurled the ming clod at the troll.

    The fireball Ian threw smashed into the troll''s face.

    Boom!

    Unable to endure the wizards'' torment, the troll eventually fled into the blizzard, crying.

    "Sh*t. Should have put a rock in it."

    Ian licked his lips in disappointment.

    Gunnar, still trembling, stuttered,

    "Are your... hands okay?"

    "Hands? Oh, they''re fine."

    As Ian waved his hands perfectly fine, Gunnar felt as if he had been tricked by a fairy''s prank.

    Curious, he touched a remaining ember.

    "Ouch!"

    It was f*cking hot.

    "Hey! What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

    "No... since you just picked up fire with your bare hands... I thought it wouldn''t be hot..."

    Ian, incredulous, retorted,

    "Do you think you and I are the same?"

    Ian was a traditional wizard who had undergone years of rigorous training under Eredith.

    Having recently advanced his fire magic skills, handling a fireball with bare hands was hardly a notable feat for him.

    "Wizards... are amazing..."

    In the North, unlike the Empire, there were no systematically trained wizards��only shamans and prophets.

    "That being said, quite a spectacle of a wee."

    Ian remarked, seeing the troll rampage in the snowfield, feeling the reality of being in the northernnds.

    "Let''s push ourselves a bit today."

    No one opposed Gunnar��s suggestion.

    They had thought the North was simr to the Empire, but they hadn''t expected to encounter monsters immediately.

    "There weren''t usually this many monsters."

    "Usually?"

    "Yeah. Trolls live in the forests and rarely leave their territory. But for one to leave on its own..."

    Ian crossed his arms and said,

    "Could it be ack of food?"

    "Probably."

    The forest''s food situation must be so dire that trolls need to venture out of their territory to hunt.

    ''The Northerners said they had a bad hunting season.''

    Both the southern and northern tribes had failed miserably in this year''s hunt.

    Ian looked up at the snowy mountains swirling with snow.

    What could be happening beyond those mountains?

    "Here we are! Ian!"

    Gunnar��s carriage was heading towards a vige surrounded by a wide fence.

    It was the vige of the Sky w Tribe.

    ---

    ---

    The Sky w Tribe is a member of the Okaha tribal coalition.

    Located at the very southern edge of the north, they were the most detached from conflicts and wars.

    Because of this, the Sky w Tribe was more amiable and sociablepared to other northerners.

    They readily weed outsiders, taking great pride in this as a tribal virtue.

    ...At least, that��s what Ian had heard.

    "Grandfather! I''m here!"

    "Gunnar. You''ve returned."

    Ian followed Gunnar as he walked through the vige.

    The vige was lined with huts made from animal skins.

    Every yard had skins drying, and children were busy ying and tearing into jerky with dogs.

    At first nce, it looked like any ordinary, peaceful vige.

    But Ian could feel it��the piercing stares of locals wary of outsiders!

    "Wee, wizard of the Empire. I am Madagal, the priest of the Sky w Tribe."

    "Ian Eredith."

    As Ian and Madagal greeted each other, the tribe members peeked and stared.

    Aware of their gazes, Madagal suggested,

    "Hmm. Let��s head to the temple for now."

    Madagal led Ian to what they called a ��temple��.

    ...It was a hut full of holes.

    The chilly wind blew through it as if there was no need for air conditioning.

    It was f*cking cold.

    "[Wind.]"

    "[What do you want, human?]"

    "[Could you blow a bit more gently?]"

    "[I really hate feeling stifled. But okay, just for a bit.]"

    As soon as Ian entered, he used magic to block the wind.

    Madagal was briefly taken aback as Ian murmured in a strangenguage, but when the cold wind stopped as if by magic, he couldn��t hide his admiration.

    "Wow. Is this the [magic] of the Empire? Truly fascinating!"

    "It��s nothing special. The wind is just in a good mood today and listened."

    Ian downyed it, but to Madagal, it seemed an incredibly impressive skill.

    Where else in the world can a human ask favors of the wind!

    Even the barbarian shamans handled the forces of nature, but not in the clean, sophisticated way Ian did.

    No wonder Maronius was known as a genius wizard.

    Gunnar had seen Ian''s magic several times but was still amazed.

    A truly unique guest hade from the Empire.

    "I heard from the monastery. They said the [Eternal Egg] has hatched?"

    "What did you say?"

    "Ah. That��s Old Northern for you. It means ''Eternal Egg''."

    Madagal rummaged through a shelf and pulled out a piece of leather.

    This was the paper for northerners.

    Northerners wrote their records on treated leather pieces in the Old Northernnguage.

    "Yes. When I was young, the Sky w Tribe gave the Eternal Egg to Monk Isi."

    "What exactly is this Eternal Egg?"

    Madagal exined inly.

    "It''s the egg of a creature called a phoenix."

    The phoenix is known to live forever.

    It is an entity made purely of natural energy, without a physical body, and when its vitality wanes, it returns to an egg to regain strength and then hatches again.

    "Wait a minute."

    Ian took the baby phoenix from Kira.

    "Peep! Peep!"

    The phoenix looked at Ian with innocent eyes, oblivious to anything...

    But ording to Madagal, this creature has lived for hundreds, thousands of years?!

    "[Do you understand Maronius��nguage?]"

    "Que?"

    "[Que my ass.]"

    Ian tried to recall.

    Come to think of it, hadn��t he heard some mumbling right before the egg hatched in the baron��s castle?

    "Don��t push too hard. It probably doesn��t understand you."

    "What, you''re saying it''s a reincarnated being? It��s on its N-th life and it doesn��t understand Maronius��nguage?"

    "ording to the legends, a phoenix only gains full consciousness once it discards its physical form."

    "What''s that supposed to mean..."

    "Having a physical form is like being in a deep sleep for them."

    It was an absurd notion.

    A monster that only fully awakens by dying?

    However, it was a tale only possible because the being had no physical body.

    "So when does it die?"

    The question seemed odd.

    But Madagal answered nonchntly.

    "It wakes up whenever it wants to."

    "Hmm..."

    Ian understood why the phoenix had not eaten anything so far.

    Since it was destined to die, there was no need for food.

    "But it seems like it might wake up soon. The fact that it came all this way with your help indicates that."

    Madagal believed in the miraculous nature of the phoenix.

    The phoenix had long been a creature revered by the northerners.

    He thought it wouldn��t have awakened in Ian��s hands without a reason.

    "...Perhaps it''s rted to the troubles that have befallen the north."

    That''s when it happened.

    A loud noise came from outside, and a group of people burst in.

    "Old man! The Sky Fighters are here?"

    "Oh no."

    Madagal spoke with a troubled voice.

    "Ian. Stay here for a moment. I��ll go wee the guests..."

    But it was already toote.

    Sturdy men were trampling the carpet with their muddy boots.

    "..."

    Belenka''s eyebrows twitched.

    Though humble, this ce was a sanctuary of Heaven''s Faith.

    If there was a priest and preparations to serve God, it indeed was a temple.

    Yet these barbarians showed no respect for the deity.

    "Gregory! What the hell are you doing!"

    "Shut it, old fart."

    The barbarian named Gregory kicked a desk over.

    Bibles and leather-bound scriptures ttered loudly to the ground.

    "Gregory!"

    Gunnar red at the barbarian Gregory with zing eyes.

    Gunnar was a simple man who believed in Heaven''s Faith, but he was also a barbarian with northern blood.

    Gunnar yelled as he lunged at Gregory.

    Gregory mercilessly struck Gunnar.

    Thump!

    Gunnar fell, spitting blood, with his teeth scattered on the floor.

    "A greenhorn still wet behind the ears."

    Gregory strode towards Gunnar.

    But he could not continue.

    A ck-haired young man blocked his path.

    "Stop. Back off."

    "What?"

    "I said, back off."

    Gregory thought the ck-haired young man must be insane.

    Looking delicate and pretty like a girl.

    How could such a puny guy talk big in front of him?

    "You know who you''re being cocky to..."

    The ck-haired young man.

    Ian took a step towards Gregory and said,

    "Then. Do you know who I am?"

    In that moment, Gregory''s eyes met Ian��s.

    Eyes frozen with cold fury.

    Yet beyond that, there lurked a kind of madness that seemed to wriggle like a monster under a frozen river, difficult to understand.

    ''...What the f*ck is this guy?''

    "Back off now."

    Chills ran down Gregory''s body, and he found himself stepping back involuntarily.

    Humans feel fear towards beings they cannot understand.

    Ian, who dealt with mysteries, could create an aura that ordinary people could not understand.

    Ian was a wizard shrouded in mystery.

    "This... bastard!"

    Btedly, Gregory realized that he had actually stepped back as Ian hadmanded.

    Retreating in the face of an enemy was a disgrace to a warrior!

    Almost reflexively, Gregory swung his fist towards Ian.

    He didn��t strike out of a desire to hit.

    He was threatened, and he wanted to deny the fact that he had been momentarily overpowered.

    But the fact remained that he had thrown a punch��

    And that prompted Belenka to act immediately.

    Thump!

    Belenka swung her scabbard, striking Gregory.

    "Argh!"

    Gregory screamed as he fell to the ground.

    "God is watching. Do not act rashly."

    Belenka spoke softly.

    Gregory''spanions hesitated.

    Belenka was ready to draw her sword at any moment.

    If they attacked, a bloodbath would ensue.

    "Damn... these outsiders...!"

    "Calm down, Gregory. They brought a phoenix from the Empire..."

    "Shut up! Old man! Stop spouting nonsense!"

    Gregory shouted angrily.

    "You Sky Fighters! Because of these Empire bastards, the Ice God is angry! And yet the old man casually entertains these Imperials!"

    "..."

    "Damn it! If you have any sense, stop making sacrifices to the Sky God! Unless you want the entire tribe to starve to death!"

    Gregory pointed his finger at Ian.

    "And you! Take the hint and go back to the Empire! We don''t have a single piece of meat to feed you!"

    Gregory stormed off.

    Ian sighed deeply as he looked around the chaotic room.

    "We''re clearly not wee here."

    Priest Madagal was at a loss and clearly apologetic.

    "I... I will apologize on their behalf."

 c105

    c105

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Gregory hastily gathered hispanions and left.

    Ian watched his back and said,

    "What the f*ck is that guy doing? That bastard?"

    Gunnar eximed quickly,"Hunter Gregory! The richest f*cker in the vige, with a damn narrow mind!"

    Hunter Gregory was renowned as the top hunter of the Sky w tribe.

    In the North, where most foodes from hunting, being a hunter was a coveted job.

    Isn''t life all about making good money?

    Just as there are doctors,wyers, and prosecutors today, barbarians have their hunters.

    Indeed, hunting was a serious job...!

    "After surviving a disaster in the snowy mountains as a child, he became a devout follower of Hrundal."

    "Hrundal?"

    "The name of the ice god. The followers of Heaven''s Faith hardly speak it."

    No wonder he despised the Church of Heaven''s Faith.

    Being a hunter, Gregory naturally worshipped Hrundal, the northern ice god.

    There was a belief in the North that the ice god sent prey to hunters.

    Angering the ice god supposedly made hunting more difficult.

    ''Maybe he really does send them.''

    Ian nodded as he listened to Madagal''s tale.

    If the ice god revered by the northerners was like the god of Heaven''s Faith, then the ice god too was somewhat of a mystery.

    It wouldn''t be surprising then if the ice god truly looked after the northerners.

    "You''ve heard it from Gunnar... but the Sky w tribe has screwed up the Great Hunting Festival."

    "The event that secures food?"

    "Yes. We need to gather enough food during the festival to safely get through the winter. But we couldn''t..."

    That was why Gunnar had spoken of war.

    Both the southern and northern tribes had botched the hunting.

    With winter approaching, they all faced starvation unless they could steal food from one another beforehand.

    "Gregory believes the Church of Heaven''s Faith ruined the hunt. But that doesn''t make sense."

    "Exactly! Heaven''s Faith has been around for 30 years! If Hrundal was going to punish us, it would''ve happened by now!"

    Originally, the people of the Sky w tribe liked Heaven''s Faith.

    Because the monk Isi hade to convert them like a madman before leaving.

    But as time passed and the situation worsened, the vigers began subtly shifting their allegiance towards the ice god.

    Gregory, who had always believed in the ice god, naturally thrived.

    "...I see."

    Ian seemed to understand why Gregory hade to intimidate them.

    With the situation in the North worsening, a wizard from the Empire had arrived.

    For Gregory, who despised the Church of Heaven''s Faith and favored the ice god, there was nothing good about this situation.

    He wanted to send Ian and his party back to the Empire as soon as possible.

    If Ian had been a weaker man, he might have sumbed to the barbarians'' violence and threats and fled to the Empire.

    However, Ian was a veteran traveler who had experienced all sorts of strange adventures.

    Gregory surely hadn''t expected to be sent back like that.

    "That knight handled it well. But I''m worried about possible retaliation."

    Belenka responded unflinchingly, "I have no regrets. I did what I had to do."

    Ian chuckled.

    Belenka''s physical and moral integrity was always reassuring.

    "Gregory has no friends anyway! He''ll never be able to retaliate, right?"

    "He may not have friends, but he''s got followers."

    Madagal sighed deeply.

    "Ian. I hate to say this as soon as you''ve arrived... but I wish you would return to the Empire."

    "Hmm. Is it because of Gregory?"

    "That''s part of it. But that''s not all. A war might break out soon. That would put your life at risk."

    War. Ian had already experienced war once.

    Ian had ved away in the Talian estate to make Lucy a baron.

    He wasn''t scared of war itself.

    The real issue was that if war broke out, the northern exploration n would fall apart.

    He surely hadn''te all the way from the distant Empire, by ship no less, just to deliver a phoenix... or was it just a chicken?

    Ian had plenty to do.

    He needed to check if Takarion was alive or dead and investigate the Arcana card Isi had given him.

    He wasn''t some delivery guy.

    Would he return to the Empire as soon as the delivery was over?

    That wasn''t possible.

    "I''ll keep that in mind, but I have a request from the monastery, so I can''t return yet."

    "Ah. You were looking for a monk, right?"

    "Yes. Have you heard of Takarion, by any chance?"

    Gunnar responded instead.

    "Golden Finger Takarion! The one who wrote the Gospel of Marcus!"

    "Oh, really?"

    "Know it! I even have a copy of the gospel!"

    Gunnar proudly showed off the gospel.

    Madagal grumbled from the side.

    "It''s full of all sorts of bizarre nonsense... I can''t believe people like this stuff."

    "What do you mean! Don''t you see how cool this gospel is!"

    Ian marveled softly.

    Even in this remote barbariannd, Takarion''s novel��no, gospel��was circting.

    Takarion must be pleased, being such a sessful author.

    "But why Takarion the monk?"

    "I heard he was taken by the northerners. Do you know anything about that?"

    Madagal crossed his arms and looked serious.

    "It''s hard to tell. There are so many raid-loving tribes around, it''s hard to pinpoint which one."

    "Hmm, I see."

    It was a question tossed out without much hope.

    He wasn''t surprised there were no leads.

    But Madagal''s next words took Ian by surprise.

    "However... if it''s about a monk being kidnapped, perhaps the chieftain of the Red Bear tribe might havemissioned it."

    "The chieftain? Why?"

    Ian couldn''t think of a reason why the chieftain would go all the way to the Empire''snd to kidnap a religious figure.

    "The chieftain of the Red Bear tribe is severely ill and can''t get up. Maybe that''s why they needed a monk."

    Ian nodded.

    Ah, he must need prayers!

    Different religion or not, Takarion was a famous monk, presumably good at praying!

    "It must be for prayer."

    However, Madagal quickly dismissed Ian''s guess.

    "Huh? No. They want to use him as medicine."

    "Medicine? What kind of medicine?"

    "You know, like tonic medicine. The heart of a holy person is supposed to revitalize the body."

    "..."

    The barbarians had cruelly dashed Ian''s expectations.

    Prayers? What prayers?

    We��re talking about boiling him alive, right?

    Ian was deeply shocked.

    If the chieftain had indeed kidnapped Takarion, it was to extract his heart and use it as a potion!

    These insane barbarians!

    "We must go to the Red Bear tribe!"

    "No, Ian. You need to return to the Empire now..."

    It was just a possibility.

    But Ian felt a kind of certainty about that possibility.

    It was a wizard��s intuition, something that could not be ignored.

    "The Red Bear tribe is a warlike tribe. They like to live in istion, and the journey there is treacherous, so we need to prepare!"

    "Ah, back to the food issue, huh?"

    "Yes. No one in the vige will be happy if you ask to borrow food for the journey."

    Ian cautiously took out a jewel.

    "You said Gregory was rich. Can we buy food with this... would that work?"

    "They probably won''t sell it to us."

    "Even though it''s a jewel?"

    "What... Is it something special? That thing?"

    "..."

    Jewels are pretty.

    But that''s about it.

    Innds wheremercial economies were not developed, jewels were merely pretty stones.

    It wasn��t that barbarians were unique; in fact, mostnds of this era were simply unfamiliar withmerce.

    Only the city-states near the Coral Sea in the southern part of the Empire engaged in proper trade.

    "...Understood."

    To continue operating in the north, Ian needed proper support.

    Madagal, a priest of Heaven''s Faith, weed Ian but could offer little else.

    More substantial support than what a poor priest could provide was necessary.

    ''Let��s find a way.''

    Otherwise, it would be a "boat people" ending, meaning they had no choice but to return to the Empire helplessly.

    Ian pondered how he could befriend the people of the Sky w tribe as he looked around the vige.

    "Hmm?"

    But that day, Ian witnessed a somewhat unusual scene.

    "Hey! Gregory! If you have any spare food..."

    "Another beggar has shown up. Don''t bother me, just scram!"

    "A beggar! This man is like a distant rtive of yours..."

    "Damn, then it''s someone else��s problem!"

    There was a quarrel in front of Gregory''s house.

    Ian quietly observed the dispute.

    Knowing Gregory was wealthy, residents with poor food supplies came to ask for his help.

    However, Gregory had refused them each time.

    ''Such a stingy neighbor.''

    Initially, Ian watched without much thought.

    He already knew Gregory had a terrible personality.

    A miser who turned away requests for help wasmon everywhere, wasn��t it?

    "Dirty and stingy! Enjoy your good life alone!"

    The vigers cursed Gregory.

    Gunnar��s words came to mind.

    Didn��t he say Gregory had no friends?

    That��s why even after being hit by Belenka, he couldn''t strongly protest.

    ''A friendless, wealthy miser...''

    Soon, an idea urred to Ian.

    Gregory was stingy and petty.

    But could that stinginess be exploited to secure some food?

    ''Worth a try?''

    Ian was from the Empire, a follower of Heaven''s Faith, and a wizard.

    In a society where information is heavily biased, no one would suspect Ian��s n.

    Ian immediately began discussing with hispanions.

    His n was straightforward.

    "See, Gregory. Despite his wealth, he''s utterly unpopr."

    "So?"

    "How about we first win over the vigers, and then extract food from Gregory?"

    In short, he intended to exploit a sucker.

    The meaning was clear.

    But the method was elusive.

    "How do you n to win them over?" Belenka asked.

    Belenka thought Ian wasn��t just spouting nonsense.

    After all, Ian was a wizard, and wizards are supposed to have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.

    But Belenka was dumbfounded by Ian''s next statement.

    "We��ll distribute food."

    "...What are you going to distribute?"

    Belenka thought she had misheard.

    Distribute food to the vigers?

    It didn��t make sense.

    If there was food, they would have eaten it already!

    Understanding the confusion among hispanions, Ian calmly exined.

    Of course, Ian had no food.

    So, naturally, the food Ian would distribute to the people would be��

    Fake food.

    It was a scam...!

    "So, we distribute fake food to the people, and then get real food in return."

    "This is bull-"

    Belenka almost let slip a curse.

    Distribute fake food? That was too much!

    But Ian quickly said,

    "But! The food we actually feed the people will be real!"

    "???"

    What kind of nonsense is that.

    Belenka experienced a brain freeze. She simply gave up on trying to think.

    Ugh. Just typical of Ian and his schemes...

    "I don��t understand your n. How will you turn fake food into real food?"

    Ian responded with a smile,

    "Maybe with magic?"

    Of course, he would use magic. After all, he is a wizard.

    Muttering to herself, Belenka reluctantly followed Ian''s n.

    Ian led hispanions up a nearby hill.

    There, arge boulder that had been visible from the vige entrance was in sight.

    Pointing to a boulder about the size of a small child, Ian dered,

    "This."

    "What is that?"

    Belenka asked.

    "I��m thinking of making soup from it."

    ...This is madness.

    Belenka stared out at the distant mountains.

    The food Ian nned to prepare to win over the vigers...

    Was literally rock soup.

 c106

    c106

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    The chieftain of the Sky w tribe, Helga, had been troubled about many thingstely.

    The fundamental cause of her worries was, as expected, the ruin of the Great Hunting Festival.

    The Northerners traditionally relied on hunting plenty of Yagons during the festival to survive the winter.

    However, this year, the number of Yagons had mysteriously dwindled.Neither the shaman nor the priests of Heaven''s Faith could identify the cause.

    All they could offer were vague exnations like, "The gods are angry," or "We must offer sacrifices."

    Frankly, Helga had been tempted to hold a sacrificial ritual for the Ice God.

    She hadn''t overturned the decision of the previous chief (her father) to hold a festival for the Ice God openly. But with the situation being this dire, she had no choice but to grasp at straws.

    A few guys who liked stirring up trouble said, "This is all because we worship a minor god like the Sky God!"

    Helga wanted to shout right in their faces, "Hey, you bastards! Did I buy into the Sky God? I inherited it from my dad! And not just inherited it, but inherited itpletely and utterly!"

    That''s right.

    Helga''s father, the former chief of the Sky w tribe, had beenpletely swayed by the smooth tongue of the monk Isi and had fully invested in the unheard-of god called the Sky God.

    "The era of the Ice God is over! Now is the era of the Sky God!"

    "Dad, are you sure about this?"

    "Of course! We''re going to heaven!"

    "..."

    It was a situation that could only be described as her father being caught up in a strange high in hister years.

    But since it was her father''s decision, Helga remained silent.

    However...

    As strange things began happening in the North, the poprity of Heaven''s Faith plummeted.

    Forget about going to heaven.

    With everyone on the brink of starving to death, who cared about heaven?

    "Should I just cut my losses now?"

    Helga seriously considered it.

    This damn Heaven''s Faith had brought her nothing but trouble.

    If only she''d kept her faith in the solid Ice God!

    "Helga! Is Helga here?"

    "What is it, Sigurd?"

    "Do something about Gregory, that guy."

    As if her headaches weren''t enough, small andrge incidents kept happening in the vige.

    This time, it was the troublemaker Gregory.

    "That guy has a mountain of food stored in his warehouse, but he won''t budge when asked to share a little!"

    Like most small societies, the Northern tribe was a small, closedmunity. With everyone knowing each other through one connection or another, any dispute meant losses for both parties.

    So, the atmosphere leaned toward preventing conflicts from arising in the first ce.

    A prime example of this was the blurred concept of private property.

    If someone in the vige owned a luxury artifact worthy of national power, instead of receiving apuse and congrattions, people would think, "Who are you to monopolize such a valuable item?"

    There''s much talk about rural hospitality, but the reality is closer to, "Since I''ve shared what I have, you should share what you have."

    That''s how the vigers viewed Gregory.

    "Hey! Aren''t we all in this together?"

    As a fellow viger, Gregory was "naturally" expected to share his hunted game with his neighbors.

    That was the rural rule andw.

    If he didn''tply?

    Gregory would bebeled as selfish and stingy.

    In reality, Gregory was indeed selfish and stingy.

    But he was also a clueless guy. If he''d just shared a little and lived more sociably, he could have be quite popr in the vige.

    Had he been born in modern times, protected by thew and order, he might have lived much better.

    In a modern society where the state protects private property, the vigers'' excessive demands would have been handled by the police with a stern, "Hey, you!"

    "... Let''s wait and see. The Yagons might appear sooner orter."

    The chief of the tribe held a democratic position.

    Rather than wielding absolute power, the chief was more like a public servant managing the vige based on the support of the residents.

    Comints about Gregory were pouring in, so Helga had to act as chief.

    But since Gregory was an excellent hunter, it was hard to handle him carelessly.

    Winter hadn''te yet.

    If the Yagon herds appearedter, all the bickering in the vige would seem like a ridiculous farce.

    "Ice God or Sky God, whoever it is, please help us..."

    Helga offered an empty prayer.

    The gods had never answered Helga''s prayers, whether the Ice God or the Sky God.

    Her father, the previous chief, had converted to Heaven''s Faith, iming he had "heard the call of heaven," but Helga couldn''t see any reason to trust and cling to gods who wouldn''t even answer.

    If any god could show a miracle, Helga was ready to be a devoted follower of that god.

    While Helga was busy handling the residents''ints, a stranger entered the tent.

    "Hmm? Who are you?"

    "Greetings, Chief. I apologize for thete greeting."

    The traveler''s appearance was both familiar and foreign.

    His face resembled a Northerner''s, but his eyes and hair were jet-ck.

    Helga briefly made eye contact with the traveler and involuntarily shrank back.

    Beyond his pitch-ck pupils, she sensed a swirling mystery.

    Helga was sure of it.

    He''s no ordinary traveler!

    "My name is Ian Eredith. I''vee on behalf of the Imperial Monastery to meet Priest Madagal."

    "Ah, I''ve heard about you. Thank you foring all this way."

    The conversation ended there.

    In truth, even if Helga had shouted, "Get lost now!" it wouldn''t have caused much trouble. Ian was a guest who hade at a bad time and not for any particrly important reason.

    Sigurd, who hade to file aint, had a simr thought. The difference between him and Helga was his impatience.

    "If you''re done with your business, then get back to the Empire! Imperial! This isn''t a ce for you to idle away!"

    "Show some restraint, Sigurd. He''s a guest of the priest."

    Even though a rather menacing threat was thrown at him, Ian''s expression didn''t change.

    Helga felt a bit curious about Ian.

    He looked fragile but didn''t seem to be so in reality.

    "Respected Chief, I''vee at the request of the monastery to investigate the whereabouts of a certain monk. But for an expedition in the North, I need ample food supplies."

    "Food?"

    "Yes. As a fellow believer who serves the Sky God, I ask for your help. Could you please support me with provisions to find the monk?"

    Helga''s expression, unsurprisingly, didn''t look too good.

    In a vige where people argued about who got to eat the scarce food, giving provisions to some stranger from the Empire?

    If Helga were a devout follower of Heaven''s Faith, she would have dly helped a "brother in faith." But she was a skeptic, contemting whether to cut ties with the church altogether.

    "Hey! Imperial! I''d rather feed a dog than you lot!"

    "Sigurd!"

    "Bah! Chief! It''s because of that damn Sky God temple that we''re attracting these vagabonds!"

    "..."

    "What has the Sky God ever done for us? Isn''t he just a god we started believing in after the previous chief died and wanted to go to heaven?"

    Helga nced at Ian, feeling a bit sorry.

    If the vige''s circumstances had been better, she would have shared food. Unfortunately, the situation wasn''t good.

    Even if this stranger got angry, there was nothing she could do.

    "Hmm. I see."

    "...?"

    Helga was a little surprised.

    "It can''t be helped. I have ears, so I''ve heard about the situation in the North. Since everyone is going through tough times, I can''t make unreasonable demands."

    "Uh... thanks for understanding."

    Ian turned around and muttered something meaningful.

    "Then we''ll try to find food ourselves."

    Helga was momentarily dumbfounded.

    In this cold North, those country bumpkins from the Empire were going to find food on their own?

    If food could be found, would we be struggling like this?

    Sigurd felt the same disbelief.

    "There''s nothing around here but grass and stones. What food can you find?"

    Ian replied calmly.

    "Well, there''s plenty. There''s grass, and there are stones."

    "???"

    "Chief, there''s a rock on the hill near the vige. You don''t use that, do you?"

    "... No, we don''t use it."

    "Can I take it?"

    "What, what for?"

    Ian''s response left Helga speechless.

    In her entire life, she had never heard such madness.

    "To cook it."

    ---

    ---

    The peaceful vige was turned upside down overnight��in a good way.

    Ian''s "entricity" quickly spread as a rumor.

    From mouth to mouth, stories circted about the wizard from the Empire and his bizarre meal.

    "Hey, have you heard?"

    "The wizard from the Empire! Can you believe it? He''s making soup out of stones!"

    The vige had been stressed over theck of food.

    Worried about how to survive the winter and fearing an attack from the neighboring vige, people became excited when they heard that a wizard was making soup from stones.

    The vige''s interest was so intense it was about to explode.

    For medieval people, Ian''s stone soup was like a groundbreaking invention like stem cell research or LK-99.

    Wait, can you really make soup by boiling stones lying on the ground?

    Wow! Then why bother hunting or farming?

    Just pick up stones and boil them!

    If possible, it would truly be a revolutionary technological breakthrough.

    Hearing that Ian was making soup from stones, the vige elders sighed in unison.

    "Oh! I must have been a fool (or not)!"

    Why hadn''t they thought of making soup from stones until now?

    The answer was simple.

    ...Because it''s not something you should think of!

    Undoubtedly, Ian was no different from a dark wizard who had reached for forbidden knowledge.

    "Is it true, Ian? Can you really make soup from stones?"

    Gunnar, having heard the news, came running in a hurry.

    He genuinely believed that Ian was bringing a food revolution to the Middle Ages.

    Looking into Gunnar''s bright eyes, Ian felt a little guilty.

    Because, in reality, there was no food revolution about to happen.

    "Of course, it''s possible."

    But the wizard''s trick had already begun.

    Ian told a tant lie, feeling a bit sorry.

    "I prayed to heaven because I couldn''t find the monk and had to return to the Empire... then, in my dream, the Sky God appeared and said she would grant us food."

    "R-Really?!"

    Gunnar''s jaw dropped.

    Gunnar, too, was a follower of Heaven''s Faith. He fully understood the sacredness of Ian''s experience.

    Holy food given by God for the believers!

    Wow! So that��s stone soup!

    That made everything clear.

    If it were a miracle from heaven!

    "Oh my...!"

    Gunnar drew a cross fervently, filled with emotion.

    And then, suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

    Believers starving in the cold North... food given by God for such believers...

    What would stone soup taste like?

    Gulp.

    "Uh, uh, hey, Ian."

    Excited, Gunnar stuttered as he pleaded.

    "Can I, can I have a little taste of that stone soup too?"

    If it was food given by the Sky God, shouldn''t Gunnar, a follower of Heaven''s Faith, be allowed to taste it too?

    However, Ian spoke coldly.

    "No."

    "... Why not?"

    "Stone soup is sacred food. To eat it out of mere curiosity is absurd."

    Although he was addressing Gunnar, it was as if he was speaking to all the onlookers.

    The crowd gathered around Ian like a cloud couldn''t hide their disappointment.

    It was already well-known throughout the vige that he was making soup from stones.

    If people came to watch the cooking, what would they expect?

    Naturally, they''d expect to taste it!

    But they were told they couldn''t taste the stone soup?!

    "... I believe in the Sky God too. Can''t I have just one taste?"

    A Northerner murmured softly.

    In truth, he rarely went to the temple and knew little more than the fact that the Sky God existed.

    But with the chance to taste food said to be granted by heaven right before his eyes, why not be a temporary believer in Heaven''s Faith?

    People line up at churches just for a handout of Choco Pies!

    "Actually, I believe too..."

    "I''ve always believed in the Sky God!"

    Once one person opened the floodgate, the wave of conversion followed one after another.

    In the blink of an eye, all the onlookers had transformed into Heaven''s Faith believers.

    It was nothing short of a holy miracle.

    Ian climbed the hill and shouted loudly in front of the rock he had previously marked.

    "[Rock! Move!]"

    Rumble!

    Then, something incredible happened.

    The rock, which had been buried in the ground, began to move, pushing itself out of the dirt!

    "Ohhh!"

    "My goodness! Could there truly be a god?!"

    Ian gracefully descended the hill.

    Behind him, the rock rolled down the slope, following Ian like a puppy.

    The onlooking Northerners couldn''t hide their surprise and astonishment as they cautiously followed Ian and the rolling rock.

    The scene looked like a folk painting.

    "Wow..."

    "He really brought the rock!"

    The vigers who had stayed behind, thinking Ian was bluffing, were left speechless as they watched the rock rolling on its own.

    At this point, they had no choice but to believe.

    For real!

    He really was making soup from stones!

    "Ian, use this."

    Priest Madagal had already prepared arge pot.

    At Ian''s gesture, the child-sized rock slipped neatly into the pot.

    "Kira."

    "Yes."

    With a graceful spin, Kira conjured a me from her fingertips.

    In truth, she could have just lit it directly, but Ian had given her prior instructions.

    Stone soup was... actually a lie.

    No matter how much of a wizard Ian was, unless he was from D&D, he didn''t know any magic that could turn stones into meat.

    So what Ian had to do from now on was a form of showmanship.

    The wood was lit, and the water in the pot began to bubble and boil.

    Kira tasted a spoonful of the stone soup with adle.

    "Mmm!"

    She then beamed with the happiest smile.

    She could be amercial model, Ian thought with a grin.

    "How is it?"

    "It''s truly mysterious! How does it taste like this when you only put in stones and water?"

    The ''stone soup'' tasted like fresh water.

    Well, it was just stones and water put together...

    But Kira, a born actress, spun a tant lie without batting an eye.

    She smacked her lips as if it was genuinely delicious!

    Her acting was wless.

    Enough to melt the hearts of the Northerners!

    The Northerners watched Ian making the stone soup, swallowing their saliva.

    "What could it possibly taste like...!"

    "We want to try it too!"

 c107

    c107

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    In the middle of the vige, arge pot was boiling, emitting clear steam.

    However, inside the pot, instead of human food, there was just arge rock.

    That''s right.

    What was being boiled in the middle of the vige wasn''t food but just a stone."Ha... it looks delicious."

    "Soup made from stone? What could it possibly taste like?"

    "I wish I could have just one taste!"

    Everyone knew there was a stone in the pot.

    The Northerners knew, Ian knew, and so did Kira and Belenka.

    But when Kira, who had be the exclusive advertising model for Ian Co., tasted the stone broth with relish, the onlookers couldn''t help but swallow their saliva.

    Wow! How delicious must it be for her to make that face!

    The innocent Northerners couldn''t have imagined that Kira''s expression was 100% acting.

    Even if a modern person reincarnated as a Northerner were among them, they wouldn''t have noticed.

    Who in the world would pour water over a perfectly fine stone, boil it, and then insist it''s "stone soup"?

    When faced with something so outrageous, people tend to think, "Is it true?" rather than "It''s a lie."

    It''s simr to how "stories of giving a bitter drink to an annoying sister-inw" on the inte are fictional, but "stories of losing a fight to a military tough guy" often have a real victim.

    So, instead of thinking it''s a ridiculous scam, they believed he was really making soup from stones!

    ''I feel a little sorry.''

    But the stone soup Ian prepared was... simply a scam.

    It was no different from the scams that old-time quacks used to pull.

    The only difference between Ian and a quack was that if caught, people wouldn''t hate him enough to want to kill him.

    Frankly speaking, [Project - Stone Soup] could fail.

    In that case, he''d just feel a little embarrassed and then find another way.

    After all, Ian was a wizard, so even if he did something crazy, people would just think, "Ah, wizards are just like that," and move on.

    Looking around, Ian sensed that the time was ripe.

    It was time to start making the soup in earnest.

    "Gunnar, do you really want to try the soup?"

    Ian called Gunnar''s name.

    Gunnar, who had been staring at the pot with his neck stretched out, was startled and replied.

    "You, you''ll give me some?!"

    Wasn''t it sacred food that couldn''t be given away?

    Ian looked at the pot and tilted his head with a vague expression.

    "Well... in principle, only those who have God''s permission should eat it, but...e to think of it, Gunnar, you also helped me on my journey, right?"

    "Uh... uh? Right! I helped!"

    As Ian slowly began to speak, Gunnar focused on his words as if he were a person possessed.

    The wizard''s tongue was as cunning as a snake.

    "It looks like more food wille out than expected. Look at this pot. Doesn''t it seem too much for the three of us?"

    Though he was speaking to Gunnar, it wasn''t just for Gunnar.

    It was meant for all the vigers to hear.

    When Ian threw out the bait, the vigers, already eager, snatched it up like hungry fish.

    "Yes! It does look a bit much!"

    "How can three people eat all that?"

    "You have to share it, of course! Absolutely!"

    Everyone said this because they wanted to put the stone soup in their own mouths.

    It was exactly the reaction Ian wanted.

    After all, human greed is the fundamental reason people fall for scams!

    Ian shouted loudly in front of the pot.

    "Oh, heaven! Is it okay to share your food with this young man?"

    "[Fire! Burn brightly!]"

    Simultaneously, Kira chanted from the side.

    The vigers didn''t know Kira was speaking Maronius.

    They just thought, "Oh, it''s simultaneous trantion!"

    Whoosh!

    The mysterious fire erupted like an explosion.

    The vigers, startled, stepped back.

    ��The sky��!��

    ��Answered!��

    Ian shouted loudly.

    ��The Sky has said that if we offer a worthy sacrifice, The soup will be shared!��

    ��Ohhh!��

    ��Those who follow the will of the Sky! Gunnar! Go and fetch an offering for the Sky!��

    ��Of-offering?��

    Ian whispered quietly.

    ��If you have any leftover food at home, bring some. Edible stuff. I''ll offer it to the Sky.��

    ��Got it! Ian!��

    Gunnar ran off as if flying.

    A littleter, he appeared with some dried vegetables.

    ��It''s dried radish... will this do?��

    Ian crossed his arms.

    Hmm. Dried radish.

    It will give a refreshing vor to the soup.

    ��Alright. Hand it over.��

    As Ian tossed a handful of dried radish into the pot,

    [You''re up to something fun again, Ian. Hehe, would you mind if I help a little?]

    A bright light shed and shot up from the pot!

    ��... Huh?��

    Ian looked at the pot in confusion.

    This is simr to when we brewed coffeest time��

    ��Did God ept the offering?!��

    ��Gunnar, you��ve been devoutly believing in the Sky God, and today you see the light!��

    Though it felt a bit strange, the Northerners clearly saw the Sky God''s response with their own eyes.

    That was enough.

    ��Here. Have a taste. It''s definitely delicious.��

    Iandled out a scoop of broth (in water) and handed it to Gunnar.

    Gunnar, with a pounding heart, took arge spoonful of the soup.

    ��...!��

    ��How is it?��

    ��I��m not sure�� it just tastes like water����

    ��The end taste is crucial for stone soup. Did you drink it all?��

    ��Yeah.��

    ��Then you''re tasting something delicious.��

    ��???��

    Huh? This is the feeling of ��delicious��???

    Gunnar made a face like a character from a light novel who first discovered the taste of ��delicious.��

    That''s how scary gaslighting can be.

    But Gunnar, a follower of the Sky God, couldn''t openly say it tasted weird.

    How could hein about food bestowed by the Sky God?

    ��Well, now that you mention it, it does taste fresh and delicious����

    ��Let me see.��

    Ian took a sip of the soup and spoke tly.

    ��It definitely hasn''t developed vor yet.��

    ��Ah, is that so?��

    ��The ingredient is a stone, after all. It takes a long time to bring out the vor. By dinner time, it should taste much better.��

    Aha! I see!

    Gunnar was fully convinced.

    It''s just in soup now (true), but by dinner time, it''ll taste good (false)!

    Gunnar showed a lukewarm reaction to the stone soup, but that didn��t matter.

    What mattered was that one of the vigers had shared in the soup.

    ��Hey�� I believe in the Sky God too. Can I share the soup?��

    ��Me too! I''ve prayed before!��

    As the expectation that they, too, might be able to share Ian''s stone soup spread, the vigers rushed to Ian, shouting.

    But Ian answered coldly.

    ��You can''t taste the soup.��

    ��Why not! I said I believe in the Sky God too!��

    ��Stone soup is a special food that the Sky has bestowed for my journey. Only those who have helped me on my journey can taste it.��

    ��Ha! I''ve got some leftover food at home too! If I donate it to you, can I have some stone soup?��

    ��Oh, donate to me? You''re offering it to the Sky, aren''t you?��

    As Ian subtly provoked them, the desperate Northerners each ran home and came back with food.

    People spend money when they''re pissed off.

    When the item I wanted was right in front of me but I couldn''t get it, I spent money even more aggressively.

    Driven by a singr desire to share Ian''s stone soup, the Northerners donated their food to Ian.

    Ian put all the food given by the Northerners into the soup, without leaving anything out.

    ��Meat, huh? I wonder if it''s alright to ept something this precious����

    ��Potatoes! Potatoes are delicious. I''ll enjoy them.��

    ��Barley? Where did thise from��?��

    ��Aha! This is a fresh leather armor�� no, hey. Are you kidding me? Are you offering this junk to the Sky?��

    The Northerners closely watched what ingredients went into the pot.

    They no longer expected the stone soup to taste like nonsense.

    Meat, vegetables, salt��

    What��s this? This is all familiar, isn��t it?

    The Northerners licked their lips.

    For real, the stone soup was starting to look delicious��!

    Ian smiled contentedly as he looked at the stone soup, which was now giving off a delicious aroma.

    Congrattions! Your [Stone Soup] has evolved into [Eternal Stew]!

    ---

    ---

    ��Well, well. This is something.��

    Helga, the chief of the Sky w tribe, let out an incredulous chuckle as she watched the bustling vige.

    Since the morning, when some wizard had shown up spouting nonsense about making soup with a stone, she had sensed something was off.

    By the afternoon, the wizard was indeed making soup.

    Soup with a stone right in the middle of it.

    ��He''s really making soup with a stone.��

    It''s bewildering.

    But it didn''t feel like a bad thing.

    The vigers who had invested their food in Ian''s stone soup waited for it to be ready, sitting around the pot and starting games.

    ��Someone who doesn''t know love~ is a heartless person~��

    ��Aah~ so heartless~ so cruel~��

    The red-haired wizard, Kira, sang in a soft voice.

    It was Ian''s trick to keep the vigers entertained so they wouldn''t get bored and leave halfway through.

    Before she became a wizard, Kira had been a medieval entertainer who made her living from performances.

    With such a professional performer setting up a yground, it was only natural that people couldn''t leave the pot.

    ��Chief!��

    The vigers who spotted Helga ran over and shouted.

    ��Chief, you should offer food to the Sky too!��

    ��To the Sky?��

    ��Yes! Then you can share the stone soup too!��

    The vigers who had already put their food into the pot were now determined to recruit new members.

    ��Come on~ the more members we have, the richer the stone soup will be, right~?��

    Doesn��t this structure look familiar?

    That''s right.

    Humanwork marketing.

    It''s the same principle as multi-level marketing��!

    Existing members bring in new members to put food into the pot, making the food supply richer!

    ��Hmm�� if only we had a little more vegetables, it would taste so much better����

    ��The Sky wants vegetables!��

    No one knew when Ian became the Sky, but whenever Ian hinted at what was missing in the stone soup, the ��members�� would go out and actively conduct human marketing to find a household with those ingredients.

    That''s exactly what they were suggesting to Helga now.

    Helga chuckled.

    She wasn''t particrly curious about the taste of the stone soup. But the vigers were so excited.

    They had forgotten all about the pressure of war and the failures of hunting.

    Together, they sat around,ughing and chatting, waiting for just one dish.

    ��Then should I offer something too?��

    ��Meat! Please offer some meat!��

    ��No, no! We already have plenty of meat! We need more vegetables!��

    ��Wouldn''t barley be better than vegetables?��

    By now, the vigers treated Ian''s stone soup as a feast.

    Everyone had added various ingredients under the pretext of offering them to the Sky.

    Helga was the vige chief.

    She couldn''t just toss in a measly handful of dried meat, so she generously donated a whole basket of ham.

    ��Wow! Chief, you''re the best!��

    Ian greeted Helga with a smile.

    ��Thank you for your donation, Chief.��

    ��At first, when you said you were making soup with a stone, I wondered what you were talking about�� but now, it looks like it''s going to taste amazing.��

    Helga abandoned her work and joined the festivities.

    With Kira performing and the vigers all out waiting for the soup, other residents who had been cooped up at home began joining one by one, curious about what was going on.

    And as they all gathered and yed together��

    It was just a st.

    It had all started with Ian''s entric behavior, but by now, it was no different from a vige festival.

    In the end, the entire vige came out, drinking and singing while waiting for the stone soup to be finished.

    Everyone had donated food to Ian, so everyone deserved a taste.

    ��Gregory! Come out and make a donation too!��

    ��Why me?��

    Gregory, who had holed himself up at home, was having a miserable time.

    Had everyone suddenly gone mad???

    Why on earth were they all throwing a festival for the Sky God?

    We''re on the brink of war!

    Everyone should be frowning at home!

    Why! Why is everyone so happy?

    Stop being so cheerful!

    ��Hey! Aren''t you one of us?��

    ��Trying to keep everything to yourself again, huh?��

    Gregory quickly fell out of favor with the public.

    He was already unpopr, but seeing him refuse to join themunal spirit made him even more unlikeable.

    Once someone is disliked, nothing they do is well received.

    In the end, Helga stepped in personally.

    ��Gregory! Hand over some food!��

    ��Chief, have you lost your mind? You want to offer food to the Sky God?��

    ��Yes. Our tribe has always believed in the Sky. There''s nothing wrong with that.��

    Gregory was dumbfounded.

    Since when were they such devout followers of the Sky God?

    ��Tsk. If only we had some more sausages����

    ��The Sky wants sausages!��

    This had be amunal religious event.

    It wasn''t true, but they decided to make it that way.

    So, Gregory had no way out��

    With tears in his eyes, he shouted.

    ��You cunning wizard! Fine! Take it! Take it all!��

    ��Oh, really? Thanks.��

    Ian led the neighborhooddies and emptied Gregory''s food storage thoroughly.

    The vor of the stone soup grew even richer.

    As the sun set and a chilly breeze blew in,

    ��Alright! It''s ready!��

    Ian finally dered the stone soup finished.

    The vigers each brought their bowls and received adleful of stone soup.

    And the taste of the stone soup��

    Was indescribably fantastic.

    How could warm stew after a night of revelry not taste good?

    ��To be honest, this isn''t the vor I expected����

    ��What kind of vor were you expecting?��

    Ian sat with hispanions and tasted the stone stew.

    ��It''s supposed to be divine food. I thought it would taste heavenly����

    Gunnar grumbled.

    Ian smiled and said,

    ��You don''t get it. This is the taste of heaven.��

    Kira and Belenka also smiled and nodded.

    The wizard was right.

    Soup made with stone tasted truly magical.

 c108

    c108

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    The campfire burnedte into the night.

    The vigersughed and chattedte into it, something they hadn''t done in a long time.

    They had no choice.

    The situation in the North wasn''t good.No one knew if the food problem could be solved. If it couldn''t, war might break out.

    So everyone spent each day in worry.

    It was only natural that this impromptu festival felt unusual.

    ��It''s truly unbelievable.��

    Helga was immersed in strange feelings as she watched the bustling vige.

    Just yesterday, the vige had been gloomy, but overnight it had transformed beyond recognition.

    There hadn''t been any major event.

    Just one wizard preparing a strange dish.

    ��Ahem. Those sky-worshippers from the Empire. They''re better than they look.��

    ��Haha, yes. He''s a good fellow.��

    Even the picky Sigurd acknowledged the wizard��s contribution.

    Helga quietly watched the wizard drinking with the people.

    He was a young man, but his wisdom was remarkable.

    Swaying people and moving them as he wanted was something even Helga, as the chief, couldn''t easily do.

    Yet that young man had naturally shifted the vige''s atmosphere to his liking.

    It was impressive and, at the same time, chilling.

    It was fortunate that the wizard had approached with good intentions...

    Had he harbored ill intentions, what would have happened to the vige?

    ��An extraordinary man.��

    Helga still didn��t know who Ian was.

    But he was a wise and capable wizard.

    So, the next morning, when Ian came to see Helga again, she greeted the wizard with a calm face.

    ��Chief, I''vee to tell you that we are leaving now.��

    Helga politely offered him a seat.

    Her attitude waspletely different from yesterday when she treated Ian like a peddler.

    ��So, you''re heading to the Red Bear tribe?��

    ��I heard that the monk I''m looking for might be there.��

    The journey wasn''t certain.

    But finding someone in this era was always like this.

    Phones and the inte are like cheat codes; before modern times, finding someone was a tedious task of repeated inquiries.

    ��You''ll need food for your journey.��

    Ian replied with a smile.

    ��It would be nice to have.��

    ��I''ll arrange for you to receive some food from Gregory. Use it for your journey.��

    Helga said softly.

    With that, Ian achieved his primary goal.

    ��But I have one request.��

    ��Please, go ahead.��

    There was a reason why Helga had readily promised support to Ian.

    It was partly because she wanted to help a fellow Sky believer find a monk, but the main reason was this.

    ��You''re aware of the situation in the North, aren''t you?��

    ��I''ve heard about it.��

    He knew all the important details.

    Helga nodded and continued speaking.

    ��Every year, when the weather warms up, we head up to Mount Gramunt to hunt the Yagon herd. That''s the Great Hunt.��

    It was a story Ian already knew well.

    ��But this year, for some reason, the Yagon herd is almost nowhere to be seen.��

    ��Hmm����

    ��To find out why, we''ve sent our best scouts from each tribe to Mount Gramunt. But so far, they haven''t found an answer.��

    Ian smiled bitterly.

    He understood where this conversation was heading.

    ��Wizard Ian. We need your help.��

    ������

    ��Help the scouts find out where the Yagon herd has disappeared to.��

    In short, Helga wanted to hire Ian as a troubleshooter.

    She would provide him with the supplies he needed as he traveled around the North.

    After hearing this, Ian��

    Honestly, he was a little annoyed.

    Even if the vige was warm, the mountains would definitely be freezing cold.

    Tracking down traces of the Yagon, which had vanished without a trace in the wild where not even a shadow of a person could be seen?

    It might be possible for the barbarian scouts, but for Ian, it was definitely a difficult task.

    ��Are you sure you want to entrust such an important task to someone like me?��

    Ian spoke indirectly.

    This isn''t an easy job, so are you sure you want to leave it to a wandering wizard like me?

    But Helga was moved by Ian''s answer.

    ��So humble! Who else could take on this task if not you?��

    She thought Ian might ask for something outrageous as payment.

    But hearing him speak like this, it was clear he truly wanted to help!

    ��In that case, I have a condition as well.��

    ��Go ahead.��

    Ian pulled out a torn card fragment from his pocket.

    ��Do you know what this is?��

    ��... I��m not sure.��

    Helga was ignorant of magic.

    Not all people from the Empire knew about magic, and most Northerners lived without any connection to it.

    ��They say it''s called an Arcana. I heard it''s a northern magic.��

    ��Arcana�� Hmm. The shamans would know about something like that.��

    Shamans were both wizards and priests in the North.

    They worshiped and praised the mysteries to harness the power of magic.

    ��I��ve heard there��s a skilled shaman in the Frost Axe tribe. I��ll introduce you to him.��

    Indeed, with the help of a local shaman, Ian would be able to learn about the Arcana magic.

    That sounded like a good deal.

    Ian extended his hand to Helga.

    ��Alright. I''ll investigate it.��

    ��Oh! Thank you, wizard!��

    ---

    ---

    Ian quickly finished his travel preparations and left the vige the next morning.

    Despite the short time, many people in the vige had grown fond of Ian.

    ��Ian! You muste back!��

    ��Make stone soup again next time!��

    To Ian''s ears, those words automatically filtered as ��Come y with us again!��

    Ian was popr, but Kira was no less so.

    Her dazzling magic, excellent singing, and charming dancing had set the hearts of the innocent northern youths on fire.

    ��Kira! Stay here and live with me!!!��

    ��I can''t lose you, Kira!��

    ��Marry me, Kira!��

    Kira immediately blew a kiss with a fan-service smile.

    ��Sorry! There''s someone I like back home!��

    ��What? Kira has someone she likes?��

    ��Who��s that bastard!��

    ��I''m jealous!��

    Ian chuckled at the youths�� reactions.

    Kira, who had managed to cultivate such devoted fans in a day, was impressive. She was indeed a born entertainer.

    ��I owe you a great deal, Ian.��

    Priest Madagal and Gunnar also saw Ian off.

    ��You''ve reaffirmed the faith of our tribe. Surely, the Sky is blessing your journey.��

    ��Thank you for saying so.��

    Priest Madagal smiled.

    Thanks to Ian''s stone soup, many vigers had found peace of mind.

    The Sky is watching over us. The Sky has not abandoned us.

    Things will improve.

    So, let''s hold on.

    Yesterday''s festival held that meaning.

    It started off a bit strangely, but it did be a festival for the Sky God, the God of Heaven''s Faith.

    Madagal was genuinely grateful to Ian for relieving the vige''s tense atmosphere.

    ��If I get the chance, I''ll make stone soup myself.��

    "...Really?"

    ��Didn''t you see it clearly too? How the Sky epted Gunnar''s offering. Stone soup is definitely a blessed food.��

    It didn��t seem like such a great food.

    Ian remained indifferent, but Priest Madagal thought differently.

    He nned to cook stone soup with the vigers every time the Great Hunt ended.

    He liked the fact that it was food sent from the heavens for the hungry faithful, and he also liked that it was a festival that everyone could enjoy together.

    Priest Madagal even intended to develop the stone soup into a tribal tradition.

    If that happened, hundreds of yearster, it might be held as a traditional vige festival.

    As an exotic festival that travel YouTubers woulde and film.

    "I heard you''re heading to Gramunt."

    "Ah, after I find Takarion."

    "Then you might as well release the phoenix yourself. It originally lived in the holy mountain anyway."

    He could have entrusted the phoenix to Priest Madagal, but since Kira kept making a sullen face, he decided to just carry it with him.

    After all, it wouldn''t evene out from Kira''s arms.

    It was such a tiny baby bird that it hardly had any presence.

    Ian once again boarded the carriage.

    This time, Gunnar did not apany him.

    "Take care, Ian! You muste back with Takarion!"

    "I''ll try."

    The person who sat as the coachman was an unfriendly old man.

    That very person, Sigurd, who had fired off unpleasant words as soon as he met Ian.

    Sigurd silently drove the carriage, carrying Ian and his party.

    "The chieftain is really generous, lending even a carriage."

    "It''s natural since she promised to help."

    Sigurd said, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

    "The Red Bear tribe is part of our Okaha Coalition. But they''ve only just joined, and we hardly ever do activities together. We specialize in hunting and trade. They specialize in piging."

    In the Empire, it wasmon for barbarians from the North to conduct raids.

    There are countless tribes in the North.

    While some tribes, like the Sky w Tribe, sustain themselves with hunting and trade, many others, like the Red Bear Tribe, live off piging and ve trading.

    To the Imperials, barbarian raiders were terrifying monsters.

    But to the northerners, they were stalwart family members who brought back money and food.

    Ian wasn''t particrly shocked by that fact.

    This is a world where everyone fends for themselves, without a strong absolute ruler.

    Murder was an effective means of livelihood here,mitted without hesitation in this medieval fantasy world.

    Civilization has overly civilized modern times, but originally, human life was filled with murder and pige.

    "You guys might get your heads chopped off if you go alone. And since there are women with you, you might face even worse fates."

    Sigurd nced at the expressions of the two women, but Kira and Belenka were unfazed.

    Kira was exceptionally good at managing her expressions, and being originally from the streets, she vaguely knew about the harsh world.

    And Belenka... was just Belenka.

    She was a master of physical fights.

    "You''reing with us to that dangerous ce?"

    "...I apologize for the rude words I said before. My mind was quite troubled then."

    Sigurd muttered.

    Ian epted Sigurd''s apology.

    He knew he was being watched and saw no need to fuss over someone who hade to help him.

    "Still, there''s no better warrior in our tribe than me. If anything happens, I''ll protect you, staking the honor of our tribe."

    "That''s reassuring."

    Sigurd was just a rough northerner.

    He swore a lot, drank a lot, and fought a lot...

    A sharply honed battle axey quietly in the carriage. The handle was smooth, indicating it was a well-used item.

    "Ah, Ian. Look over there."

    "What is it?"

    Sigurd stopped driving the carriage and pointed somewhere.

    "Crows! Lord Hrundal is watching over us!"

    Ah. It''s true.

    Far away in the sky, arge, plump crow was circling around.

    ...But that crow. It looks very familiar.

    The crow pped its wings and flew swiftly toward the carriage.

    And then it naturally perched on Ian''s shoulder.

    Sigurd''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Why is the crow...?"

    Ian calmly answered.

    "It''s a pet of mine."

    "???"

    Ian gently stroked Oberon.Toggle New Ads

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    The carriage carrying Ian hurried along the road.

    Along the way, Sigurd shared his knowledge of the North with Ian and hispanions.

    ��That monk you''re looking for�� even if you find him in the Red Bear tribe, it won''t be easy to get him out.��

    ��I heard a bit about it from Priest Madagal. Something about using him for medicine����Even as Ian spoke, he found the idea ridiculous.

    What kind of tonic is a human heart supposed to be?

    If you''re sick, you should take medicine, not eat a heart��

    These crazy barbarians.

    ��Yeah. I heard that chief has been weakeningtely.��

    ��What illness does he have?��

    ��How would I know? But he''s at an age where it''s normal to be frail. He''s over 60 now.��

    At 60, he was indeed an old man.

    The further back in time you go, the shorter the average human lifespan bes.

    Even in Korea, just 50 years ago, people celebrated their 60th birthdays with big parties.

    Considering that turning 60 means reaching "hwangap[1]" it could seem overblown from a modern perspective.

    However, the grand celebration of a 60th birthday was proof that few people lived past that age.

    Humans weren''t originally meant to live to 60.

    The further back in history, the more this was true.

    In that sense, the chief of the Red Bear tribe was indeed an old man who had lived long enough.

    ��At that age, he''d die no matter what he eats.��

    Belenka muttered.

    Her statement was harsh but an urate fact.

    The medieval era,cking hospitals and surgeries, was hostile to the elderly.

    ��True. But his sons don''t think that way.��

    ��Well�� I suppose not.��

    Wanting your parents to live longer isn''t wrong.

    Just as modern people give their parents ginseng gifts, the warriors of the Red Bear tribe were simply giving their chief the heart of a monk.

    It was a filial gesture.

    ��Do you think they''ll just hand over the medicine they worked so hard to get from the Empire?��

    Sigurd was genuinely concerned for Ian.

    If they found the monk in the Red Bear tribe but couldn''t rescue him, what could be more disheartening?

    In truth, even if Ian couldn''t rescue Takarion, the monastery wouldn''t hold it against him, knowing it was beyond his abilities.

    But since he''de this far, Ian also wanted to bring Takarion back if possible.

    ��Don''t worry about that.��

    ��Oh. Do you have a n?��

    ��I don''t. But Ian will.��

    ����?��

    Me?

    Ian looked confused as he paused eating, but the others all wore serious faces.

    Belenka, Kira, even Sigurd.

    They all had expressions that said, ��Wizard Ian will figure something out!��

    ��Well, he does have some strange tricks up his sleeve. I heard he moved a boulder just by talking?��

    ��Haha. That''s magic for you.��

    ��Truly unique.��

    Ian casts the magic, so why does Belenka look so proud?

    ��Yeah. If Takarion is there, getting him out will be no problem.��

    When Kira chimed in, Ian had no choice but to speak up.

    ��Don''t expect too much. We don''t know how things will turn out.��

    Ian tried to act nonchnt.

    He was about to stroke Oberon��

    ��What are you doing there?��

    Oberon was lurking in a corner.

    And in front of him was the phoenix chick.

    ��Caw! Caw!��

    [Wee to the training camp, recruit! I am Drill Instructor Oberon!]

    ��Chirp! Chirp!��

    [Yes, Instructor!]

    [Your voice is adequate! But will your fragile wings satisfy the master?]

    [I will do my best, sir!]

    ������

    Ian was immediately dumbfounded.

    What kind of raven trains a phoenix?

    More importantly, how does a raven even know terms like "drill instructor"?

    Did it live near a mercenary training camp?

    [This instructor can be either an angel or a demon, depending on you, Recruit Chamssae[2]...]

    ��Hey, Oberon.��

    [Yes, Master! Did you call me?]

    Oberon approached with an angelic demeanor.

    Indeed, Oberon had the ability to switch between an angel and a devil depending on who he was dealing with.

    It was the cunningness befitting a raven.

    ��What are you doing with the phoenix?��

    [Turning it into a proper bird!]

    ��And what do you n to do with it once you''ve turned it into a proper bird?��

    Ian was once again dumbfounded.

    Why was Oberon doing things he hadn��t even been asked to do?

    There was no need to train this phoenix.

    After all, it was closer to a spirit than a living creature.

    Although it still had a physical body now, once it died and returned as a phoenix, it would be a mystical being.

    Then, it would be able to converse with Ian seriously.

    There was no need to train it tomunicate.

    ��It''s still a baby, so leave it alone����

    Ian didn��t directly tell Oberon to ��stop messing around and go to sleep.��

    After all, Oberon was a familiar who followed Ian devotedly.

    He couldn''t berate him outright just because he was doing something odd.

    But the phoenix interrupted.

    ��Chirp! Chirp!��

    [No, I can do it!]

    ����?��

    [I want to grow up to be a bird that helps mom and dad! I want to get strong and be filial!]

    At this, Oberon shed a tear of emotion.

    [Chamssae�� you��! You''re a man!]

    [What? I don''t have a gender��]

    [No! You are a man! I can see your fiery soul!]

    Oberon spread his ck wings and hugged the baby phoenix.

    [Chamssae!]

    [Instructor!]

    ������

    What nonsense.

    Ian knew Oberon was strange, but he didn''t realize he enjoyed such ridiculous antics.

    It was fortunate that hispanions couldn''t hear the birds'' conversation.

    If they could, they would probably nod and say, ��Of course, that''s Ian''s raven for you!��

    Both Ian and Oberon were weird in their own ways.

    ��What is he doing over there?��

    ��Ian? Looks like he''s talking with Oberon.��

    ��What?! He''s talking to a bird? Is that even possible?��

    Sigurd was startled by Ian''s strange behavior.

    First, he said he would make soup with a stone. Now he''s talking to birds?

    Are all wizards this peculiar?

    Then Belenka spoke confidently.

    ��He''s probably finished scouting the area and is reporting any unusual findings to Ian.��

    ��Oh�� scouting!��

    ��Ian uses birds to gather intel on his surroundings.��

    A strategic move, Belenka said.

    Since Belenka had been with Ian the longest, both Kira and Sigurd just epted it as fact.

    They must be having a tactical discussion!

    [Alright! Let''s go, Chamssae! 100 wing ps!]

    [Yes, sir!]

    p, p, p~

    Ian alternated between looking at the birds and hispanions, chuckling.

    ��It��s really a good thing they''re not wizards.

    ---

    ---

    ��Ominous. Truly ominous��!��

    Pyra, the shaman of the Red Bear tribe, trembled as he looked at the cards on the table.

    He was the tribe''s only shaman and had the responsibility of representing the tribe in matters of gods and mysteries.

    Recently, a major event had urred in the North.

    The failure of the Great Hunt.

    The tribal chiefs were on high alert and the shamans were equally rmed.

    Historically, the shamans of the North served as advisors to the chiefs.

    Reading the flow of nature and understanding the will of the gods made them indispensable in the harsh life of the North.

    Before each Great Hunt, the shamans would always divine the future.

    The results varied each time.

    But the shamans would always parrot the same words like parrots:

    ��Of course! It will go well! Very, very well!��

    There were times when the omens were positive and times when they were negative.

    But those were just differences in detail; the Great Hunt itself almost never failed.

    So, pretending to know better, no one would say things like, ''This year''s hunt has a bad omen!''

    Even if there were bad omens, would they not go ahead with the Great Hunt?

    At most, they would just say, ��Let''s be careful this year.��

    So, when Pyra saw the negative omen before the Great Hunt, he didn''t pay much attention.

    But that "negative omen" wasn''t just any negative omen.

    The Great Hunt itself hadpletely failed!

    The tribal chiefs foamed at the mouth and grilled the shamans relentlessly.

    ��You said you could predict the future, right? So why didn''t you know?��

    The shamans couldn''t say anything, even if they had ten mouths.

    The reason they read the future is to know good and bad omens in advance, but it became clear that it was useless.

    Especially in the Red Bear tribe, the atmosphere was truly grim.

    The chief was already suffering due to illness.

    And the shaman couldn''t even foresee the disaster ahead?

    ��That guy seems like a quack����

    ��Should we just rece the shaman?��

    Pyra knew.

    His life was hanging by a thread!

    If he repeated a few more mistakes, he might genuinely be exiled from the tribe, not as a joke.

    Exile in the North meant certain death.

    ��Please�� please��!��

    Pyra felt like he would go mad as he looked at the cards before him.

    The cards Pyra handled were divination tools called [Arcana Cards] used by the Northerners.

    Cards said to have been painted by the northern god Hrundal himself with mystical pigments.

    There are 22 known cards, and the shamans used them to glimpse the future.

    On the table were [The Tower], [The Devil], and [Death].

    Pyra felt dizzy because these cards all foretold the chief''s health!

    The chief of the Red Bear tribe was bedridden due to his declining strength.

    His dutiful sons sent their finest warriors to fetch medicine for their father.

    Among them, a warrior named ��Berserker Bjorn�� brought back the miraculous heart of a human from the Empire.

    He hadn''t ripped the heart out but had kidnapped the person to ensure freshness.

    All that remained was to make medicine with the heart and feed it to the chief��

    But Pyra, already scared out of his wits due to the Great Hunt failure, decided to divine the future once more before making the medicine.

    If something went wrong and the chief died, Pyra would be done for that very day.

    But the result of the divination was aplete mess.

    ��What the hell! What''s going wrong?��

    [The Tower] is a card that signifies something going wrong.

    [The Devil] represents obsession with something.

    [Death] indicates that a change ising.

    The card that disturbed Pyra the most was [The Tower].

    Could it mean that Pyra would fail to make the chief''s medicine?

    All mysteries are ambiguous. They are mysterious because they cannot bemunicated clearly.

    One who can read mysteries urately and understand their meaning is a great ultist.

    Pyra pondered over and over again.

    Mystery always sends signals to humans. The ability to read and interpret those signals is the difference in talent.

    ��Pyra, I''d like you to get started soon.��

    Ragnar, the chief''s eldest son, approached Pyra and said.

    Pyra had to cut open the offering''s belly to make the medicine.

    Preparing the mystical elixir was the shaman''s domain.

    ��Wait�� just wait a little longer.��

    ��Wait longer?��

    Ragnar frowned.

    They had already waited over a week. And now they had to wait even longer?

    ��The omen�� I must find the cause of this bad omen!��

    If he made the medicine as things stood, something was bound to go wrong. It was the shaman''s intuition.

    ��Pyra.��

    ��I said we must wait!��

    Ragnar and Pyra red at each other.

    ��A quack who couldn''t foresee the failure of the Grand Hunt��!��

    ��An idiot who knows nothing about the mysteries��!��

    An awkward silence hung in the air.

    Then, a voice was heard.

    ��Ragnar! You have visitors!��

    ��Visitors?��

    ��Sigurd! A warrior from the Ice w[2] tribe!��

    The voice continued.

    ��He brought an Imperial too!��

    ��An Imperial!��

    Pyra''s eyes flew open.

    The cause of the bad omen!

    The Ice God''s warning was finally clear!

    ��Ragnar! Send them away immediately!��

    ��What? Our guests?��

    ��They will ruin everything for us! They will keep us from making the medicine!��

    Ragnar had called Pyra a quack shaman.

    But just this once, Pyra''s prediction was spot on.

    Wizard Ian had indeede to stop Pyra from making the elixir.

    ---

    [1. raei: wikipedia: hwangap - Hwangap is a traditional way of celebrating one''s 60th birthday in Korea. It is analogous to Kanreki in Japanese or Jiazi in Chinese. The number 60 means aplishing one big 60-year cycle and starting another one in one''s life following the traditional 60-year calendar cycle of the lunar calendar...]

    [2. raei: this is Ice w, not a mistrantion.]Toggle New Ads

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    The sun shone brightly on that midday afternoon.

    The carriage carrying Ian and hispanions passed through the entrance of the Red Bear Tribe��s vige.

    ��Hey, Paulric! Long time no see.��

    ��Sigurd! How have you been?��Sigurd exchanged greetings with the Red Bear Tribe��s warriors.

    Ian didn��t know this, but as Sigurd had said, he was a well-known warrior in the north.

    If you asked someone to name a warrior from the Sky w Tribe, someone would shout, ��Sigurd!��

    An outstanding warrior is bound to earn recognition.

    Especially among the Red Bear Tribe, who enjoyed raiding, Sigurd was an outsider they wanted to cherish as arade.

    ��Go meet the chief first.��

    ��Of course.��

    Sigurd led Ian and hispanions to the chief��s house.

    As they lifted the wide tent p, a space filled with various items appeared.

    Many of the exotic items, even to Ian��s eyes, were all spoils of war offered to the chief, looted from outsidends.

    Tribes like the Red Bear Tribe, specializing in raiding, would sail far across the sea and plunder distant foreignnds.

    ��Long time no see, Sigurd.��

    ��You look well, Ulfdin. Have you been eating and resting well in warm ces?��

    Ulfdin chuckled at Sigurd��s joke.

    He was the chief��s grandson, a young man about Ian��s age.

    ��Grandfather, wake up. We have guests from the Ice w Tribe.��

    ��Cough, cough.��

    The old man lying in bed slowly sat up.

    Seeing this, Ian felt as if a sick wolf, rather than a human, was rising.

    It was a feeling that only Ian, being a wizard, could sense.

    Layers of scars and anger beyond the old body.

    A man who had lived more as a beast than a human, thus revealing a glimpse of the beastly image.

    ��Cough... Sigurd... Is that you, Sigurd?��

    ��Yes, sir. It��s Sigurd.��

    The chief��s gaze was fixed only on Sigurd.

    There was no reason to pay attention to Ian and hispanions. He was an old man, and old men didn��t like new things.

    ��We should have met on the vast snowy ins instead of this miserable sickbed... Cough, cough.��

    ��Like when we smashed the skulls of those Scogun bastards.��

    The chief grinned at Sigurd��s words.

    The old man liked talking about stories he was familiar with.

    No matter how many times he heard news from afar, he was indifferent.

    But he got excited like a child when recounting stories of his glorious past.

    ��Yeah... Was it already 10 years ago?��

    ��15 years ago. It was just after I had mying-of-age ceremony.��

    Sigurd ended the conversation with the chief in a calm voice.

    It wasn��t a particrly interesting story, but Sigurd kept the chiefpany for a long time out of courtesy.

    The Red Bear Tribe people must have expected Sigurd to y this role.

    ��Grandfather, you��ve been up for too long. Now, lie down and rest.��

    ��Ah, yes... I didn��t realize how much time had passed.��

    Ulfdinid the chief back down and guided Ian and hispanions.

    Ian nced at the chief lying on his back.

    A wide but weary back.

    He might have been a great warrior once.

    But now, he was a warrior copsing under the weight of time.

    ��Ah, it��s about time for a meal.��

    It was the time of day when hunger set in.

    Ulfdin said to Ian and hispanions, ��I��ll go have my meal then.��

    ��???��

    ��Ah, I��m hungry.��

    And then... he vanished.

    Ian was dumbfounded and watched Ulfdin��s retreating figure.

    Ulfdin didn''t suddenly turn around and shout, ��Surprise!�� or anything like that.

    ��No, Sigurd! Did we do something wrong?��

    ��Huh? What are you talking about?��

    Ian shouted in genuine frustration.

    ��Aren��t we guests?��

    That��s right.

    Even though Ian had been reincarnated into this deste and harsh medieval fantasy world, he had never heard of guests being starved.

    Isn��t it the same in post-apocalyptic stories?

    Even when visiting a crumbling tent, food would be served to guests, whether it was a protein block or a synthetic chlore meal.

    But...

    This was the first time they were so neatly and perfectly neglected!

    ��... Maybe it��s because their food situation isn��t good,�� Belenka suggested, offering a reasonable exnation.

    Then Sigurd burst intoughter and said, ��Hahaha! The Red Bear Tribe people are always like that!��

    ��They usually ignore guests?��

    ��Not sure what you mean, but if it means they don��t care about guests, then yes! They don��t give guests any food!��

    Only then did Ian realize why there had been plenty of food stocked in the carriage.

    The Sky w Tribe was located in the south and, thanks to their frequent trading, had a certain understanding of hospitality.

    But the further north you went, and the more barbaric the tribe, the less concept of hospitality they had.

    Even if guests came, they wouldn��t be served food!

    ��Wow...��

    Ian was genuinely horrified.

    He had never felt out of ce meeting unfamiliar tribesmen before.

    But at that moment, he felt like he hadnded in some alien vige.

    ��Let��s eat then.��

    So Ian really did have a meal separately from the Red Bear Tribe.

    ording to his n, he should have leisurely dined with the tribesmen, exchanging information.

    But since they ate separately, they finished their meal quickly and had plenty of time left.

    Ian spent the remaining time exploring the vige.

    The purpose, of course, was to gather information about Takarion.

    ��Hmm.��

    ��This is certainly exotic.��

    Ian walked side by side with Belenka and Kira.

    The Red Bear Tribe��s people nced at Ian but didn��t pay much attention to him.

    A cold and blunt personality seemed to be a characteristic of this tribe.

    However, they showed a curious reaction to Oberon.

    ��Look over there! It��s a crow!��

    ��Did Lord Hrundal send it?��

    ��Then why is it following an imperial?��

    Oberon was a clever crow.

    Or rather, crows are inherently clever.

    As soon as he felt the gazes around him and realized that those gazes were very positive, Oberon puffed out his chest and looked ahead confidently.

    Watching Oberon with his head held high, Ian thought,

    Wow, he looks like a chicken restaurant ad model...

    He didn��t know why chickens would advertise chicken restaurants, but in Korea, there were many chicken restaurants that used chickens as their models.

    A chicken restaurant ad model holding a drumstick in one hand was pure madness.

    But only Ian thought little of Oberon.

    The vigers, and even Ian��spanions, found Oberon to be quite impressive.

    ��Caw! Caw!��

    [Hmph. Look! This is the majesty of my master!]

    [So cool!]

    Somehow, word had spread, and quite a few vigers came out to see Oberon.

    So when someone called out to Ian, he wasn��t particrly surprised.

    ��You there.��

    ��Oh. Do you want to see the crow?��

    Ian said as he petted Oberon.

    Oberon, bark.

    ��Caw! Caw!��

    Good boy. Well done.

    The stranger looked at Ian, who was treating the crow like a dog, with a strange expression.

    He definitely seemed as odd as Pyra had warned.

    ��See? He listens to me very well. He doesn��t bite people.��

    The man concealed his bewilderment as he approached Ian.

    ��My name is Ragnar. I��m Ragnar, son of Reyhaul.��

    ��Nice to meet you, Ragnar. I��m Ian, disciple of Eredith...��

    And just then.

    The man standing behind Ragnar suddenly swung a club at Ian.

    ��Huh?��

    But there was no time to be surprised.

    Belenka swung her scabbard and deflected the club.

    ��Ugh!��

    Belenka staggered.

    This was due to the difference in physical strength.

    No matter how skilled a swordsman Belenka was, it was difficult for her to overpower a burly barbarian.

    She was a woman, and thus had less muscle masspared to a man.

    In the realm of swordsmanship, she was fine.

    A sword is a nimble weapon, and once the de was thrust into the opponent, even a muscr brute could be sent to the afterlife.

    But in a situation where non-lethal weapons were being swung, Belenka couldn��t fully demonstrate her skills.

    ��An ambush? An assassination?��

    All sorts of possibilities shed through Ian��s mind.

    Having traveled through this medieval fantasy world and experienced all kinds of situations, Ian didn��t panic.

    Instead, he quickly assessed the situation and moved his body.

    ��Reyhaul����

    He vaguely remembered hearing the name.

    The chief of the tribe who was lying in bed, dying.

    That man��s name seemed to be Reyhaul.

    ��The chief��s son.��

    The man before him is the next chief.

    ''But if he attacked me...''

    If they had intended to kill Ian, they would have charged at him with an axe, not a club.

    However, the enemies are holding clubs.

    This means they do not intend to kill Ian.

    ''Are they trying to drive him out? If not...''

    Ian took a deep breath.

    He closed his eyes and listened to the voices of the world.

    In the north, where life thrives with vigor, the voice of mystery is clearer and more distinct than in the empire.

    "[Earth!]"

    [Oh. A human speaks to me. How unusual.]

    When Ian spoke to the mystery of the earth, it responded favorably.

    Just as Ian felt an affinity for the mystery of the north, the mystery also felt a liking for Ian.

    "[Move!]"

    [As you wish, young friend.]

    Krrrr...

    Ianmanded the mystery of the earth to create a small earthquake right beneath the attackers'' feet.

    "Uh... what?"

    The attackers, disoriented, staggered around and eventually copsed to the ground.

    It disrupted their stancepletely, crucial for fighting!

    As the attackers fell, Ian immediately drew his sword, Anor-lsil.

    He then imagined mes engulfing it.

    Whoosh!

    The de of Anor-lsil was enveloped in mes.

    Ian pointed the burning sword at the attackers and said in a low voice,

    "What are you. Who are you."

    Ragnar, the son of Reyhaul, stared mesmerized at Ian''s magical sword.

    ��What��s that weapon�� a ming sword? That��s impressive.��

    ��No, never mind my weapon. Who are you people?��

    Belenka and Kira were also ready to fight.

    Seeing Belenka poised to draw her sword at any moment, Ragnar raised his hand.

    The attackers gathered their clubs and stood behind Ragnar.

    ��I apologize for the rough greeting. We were curious about the guests from the Empire.��

    Ragnar grinned.

    ��Greeting?��

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    In the Empire, there may be a custom to insult wizards out of the blue.

    But here, do they greet people with clubs?

    ��Were you trying to test my skills or something?��

    ��Oh! I like how quick you are to catch on! A great warrior should be able to assess situations quickly!��

    ��I��m a wizard, you crazy barbarian����

    Ian was at a loss for words at the barbarian warrior��s foolish way of testing.

    Trying to test a wizard��s skills by swinging clubs at him��

    What would they do if they got struck by a fireball?

    ��Your ability to shake the ground, and your skill wielding a ming sword����

    Ragnar extended his hand to Ian andughed happily.

    ��A very capable shaman, huh? Hahaha!��

    You madman, I��m a wizard��

    ��Ah, yes, well.��

    Ian decided to humor Ragnar for now.

    After all, he was the chief��s son, and it could be useful to befriend him.

    ��Come on! Let��s talk while we walk!��

    Ragnar led Ian somewhere.

    ---

    ---

    Not feeding guests and suddenly swinging clubs��

    Ian was starting to dislike this barbarian vige more and more.

    But Ragnar and the northerners seemedpletely oblivious to their wrongdoings.

    What? We didn��t feed the guests? Isn��t it good manners to fill your stomach before visiting someone��s house?

    Upset because we swung some clubs at you? What a bunch of sissies.

    True men share their friendship by whacking each other with clubs!

    A typical northerner, Ragnar firmly believed he had shared ��friendship�� with Ian.

    He thought swinging clubs was the right move.

    ��Tell me straight up, Imperial! What brings you all the way to the far north?��

    Ian couldn��t understand Ragnar��s sudden familiarity.

    But still�� Ian hade to the north of his own ord.

    He had no choice but to go along with it.

    ��I��m looking for someone.��

    ��Someone?��

    ��A monk named Takarion�� I heard he might be here.��

    Ragnar looked surprised for a moment.

    ��What��s wrong?��

    ��The shaman��s prophecy was right. He predicted you��d disrupt our medicine making.��

    Ian frowned.

    Ugh, that prophecy again. Are space-time wizards active here too?

    Fortunately, that wasn��t the case.

    The tribe��s shamans were a primitive-ancient type of wizard.

    They dealt with mysteries in a traditional, old-fashioned way that hadn��t advanced much beyond the earliest methods humanity used to handle the arcane.

    There were no distinctions between schools, so a single shaman could handle all kinds of magic.

    [Future Sight] was one of them.

    ��So?��

    ��Yeah. We caught an Imperial sky man not long ago. Our warriors boasted about how skilled he was.��

    Ragnar led Ian somewhere.

    ������

    It was a beast cage.

    A face that looked haggard but not unfamiliar caught Ian��s eye.

    Golden Finger Takarion.

    The man was locked up in the beast cage, looking like a beggar.

    ��Imperial shaman! Take a look and tell me. Can we make a proper potion out of this?��

    ����What do you mean?��

    Ragnar shouted, as if venting his frustrations.

    His voice carried the weight of pent-up emotions.

    ��Our tribe��s shaman! I don��t trust that bastard to keep me from freezing to death!��

    Ragnar��s voice was hard to hear.

    Ian��s gaze was fixed solely on Takarion, who seemed to have lost his soul.

    A man with terrible luck.

    Despite the horrors he��d been through, he was still alive, which meant Takarion deserved to survive.

    Maybe that��s why.

    Unconsciously, Ian responded to Ragnar in his ��wizard speech.��

    ��Ah, indeed! Making a potion from a human heart like that! What a lousy shaman!��

    ��So, you think so too?��

    Ragnar grumbled.

    Ian didn��t miss Ragnar��s expression.

    Distrust between the shaman and Ragnar.

    If he could use that emotion, he might be able to save Takarion��!

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    Ian''s n was simple.

    Seeing a gap between Ragnar and the shaman, he intended to exploit it and expand his influence.

    After all, the tribe''s people didn''t know what mystery or magic was.

    When Ian spoke, they could only respond with, "Ah, I see~," and move on.In modern society, where smartphones are widespread and the inte is universal, it''s difficult for information to be biased.

    But the world has always been a ce where information is uneven and biased.

    Deceiving people''s eyes and ears to turn situations to his advantage��that was the power a wizard possessed.

    ��I-Ian?!��

    Takarian, who had been locked up in the cage, was shocked to see Ian.

    The barbarians hadn''t locked up Takarian in a beast''s cage because they were cruel and brutal.

    There simply wasn''t any other ce to confine him.

    The Northerners didn''t build prisons and would either exile or execute those whomitted crimes.

    But even putting aside such trivial facts, Takarian truly looked pitiful and miserable.

    Seeing a person locked up in a beast''s cage was enough to stir anyone''spassion.

    ��Hey, Takarian. You''re alive.��

    ��By the heavens! Why, why are you here...?!��

    ��For now, I''vee to rescue you.��

    When Ian smiled broadly, Takarian covered his face with his palm, as big as a pot lid, and sobbed.

    ��Huh, huuhuhuhuhuh!��

    Ian chuckled at the sight of Takarian.

    Though his face had be gaunt from the hardships, his body was so stout that even in this state, he was still the size of an average person.

    But losing weight had indeed made him look different.

    ��You look good after losing weight.��

    Takarian, who had been crying for a long time, spoke in a trembling voice.

    ��S-So, when can I return to the Empire?��

    It was a roundabout way of saying, ��Why didn''t youe with the key?��

    If Ian was going to rescue him, why couldn''t he just dramatically appear with the key in hand?

    Knowing how desperate and earnest Takarian was, Ian took it easy on him.

    ��Well, we''ll have to see how things go...��

    ��See how things go...? You mean you can''t just get me out of here?!��

    ��Don''t worry. I''ll do my best.��

    Ian smiled at Takarian.

    ��But, Takarian, you''ll need to put in some effort too.��

    ��E-Effort...?��

    ��You''re a renowned monk. Honestly, I loved reading the Gospel of Saint Marcus. It''s my number one pick in life. Congrattions, Takarian.��

    ��What are you talking about...?��

    Takarian was half-dazed, captivated by Ian''s eloquence.

    But even if he didn''t understand what was happening, it was clear Ian was going to try to help him.

    ��For now, let''s deal with that guy first.��

    A man with a menacing aura was approaching.

    Ian took a deep breath.

    Despite being a wizard by trade, Ian had be adept at incitement, fraud, pyramid schemes, and other minor crimes, and now he had to act like a wizard again.

    However, Ian didn''t entirely dislike these moments.

    If he acted fairly and honestly, would anyone call him a wizard?

    A wizard was a changeable and unpredictable being.

    At some point, Ian hade to enjoy showing new sides of himself.

    It was proof he was bing a formidable wizard.

    ��Ragnarrr! What on earth is going on here!!!��

    The man shouted at the top of his lungs.

    Just by his voice, you''d believe he was once a traditional theater actor.

    ��Oh, Pyra. You''vee?��

    Ragnar half-heartedly raised his hand and immediately spoke to Ian.

    "That''s him, the shaman Pyra."

    Ragnar''s demeanor suggested he wanted something from Ian.

    It wasn''t hard to figure out.

    The shaman Pyra.

    As a shaman, he held a unique position in the tribe, so much so that even the tribe''s leaders couldn''t punish him easily.

    Ragnar couldn''t attack Pyra.

    But... if it were Ian?

    If it were another "shaman" (or not), there would be no issue in pointing out Pyra''s ipetence.

    Ultimately, Ragnar wanted to use Ian to undermine Pyra''s authority.

    An opportunity had practically fallen into Ian''sp.

    If Pyra fell, Takarian''s fate would be entirely in Ian''s hands.

    ��I warned you! That Imperial will bring disaster! We must drive him out immediately!��

    ��Hmm, you''ve said that already.��

    Ragnar tantly ignored Pyra''s words.

    Pyra was dumbfounded.

    Was this man, who was supposed to be the next chieftain, really siding with a nobody from outside the tribe over their own shaman?!

    ��Damn stubborn fool!��

    Ever since he failed to predict the failure of the Great Hunt, Pyra had sensed that Ragnar disliked him.

    But to see him so openly trying to screw him over!

    Pyra whispered urgently to Ragnar so that Ian couldn''t hear.

    It was an embarrassing topic for others to listen to.

    ��Ragnar, it''s not toote. Drive out that Imperial! Immediately!��

    ��He��s warrior Sigurd''s guest. If we drive him out without reason, the warriors will rebel.��

    ��Are you saying you don''t want me to make medicine for the chieftain? Right now?��

    When Pyra touched on a sensitive topic, Ragnar immediately growled back.

    ��If you wanted to make it, you should''ve done so long ago!��

    ��You stubborn fool...! Back then! I told you! The omens were bad!��

    Ragnar could no longer hold back and raised his voice.

    ��Shut up! Ipetent shaman! If you thought I''d be at your mercy forever, you''re gravely mistaken!��

    ��It wasn''t maniption, it was the omens...!��

    Pyra understood what Ragnar was thinking.

    He believed Pyra was using the omens as an excuse to manipte Ragnar and the tribe!

    In that regard, Pyra honestly had nothing to say.

    There were a few times when he had interpreted the omens in his favor to pull off a scam.

    After all, Pyra was human too.

    If you had the skill to easily deceive others, could you really remain honest 365 days a year?

    ��He''s not listening.��

    Pyra turned his gaze to the ck-haired Imperial.

    In the end, he was the cause of all this.

    Though it was awkward to say it himself, Pyra considered himself apetent shaman. Even other shamans acknowledged his skills.

    ��I''ll just have to prove it with my abilities!��

    Pyra decided to directly eliminate the impurity from the Empire with his own skills.

    If he could showcase his abilities to everyone and prove that the Imperial was ipetent, the shaman''s authority would naturally be restored.

    Then Ragnar would follow Pyra''s orders withoutint.

    At the same time, Pyra sensed it.

    That young man, calmly approaching him...

    He was definitely thinking the same thing as Pyra... 100%!

    ��Are you the one spreading nonsense about making medicine from human hearts?��

    When Ian, the ck-haired Imperial wizard, spoke, all the surrounding barbarians were shocked.

    What? Medicine made from hearts... is nonsense?

    No way! That can''t be! It''s mon sense] that hearts are a great tonic, isn''t it?!

    The world of the barbarians was on the brink of copse.

    They desperately looked at the shaman Pyra.

    The only hero who could protect the [Barbarian Universe] was the shaman Pyra!

    ��Ha! Ignoring the [Elixir of Life]? How utterly ignorant!��

    ��Ooooh!��

    Bang!

    Pyra struck the ground with his staff.

    The northern mysteries responded to the shaman��s will, surging and then vanishing.

    Magic was the process of conveying one''s will to the mystery.

    People adept at handling magic had to be an experts in conveying their will.

    When Pyra held firm in his beliefs, the surrounding barbarians seemed inspired by his conviction, their eyes shining resolutely.

    ��Listen up, you ignorant Imperial! The heart is the vessel of life, the symbol of life! The [Elixir of Life] is made from the life force stored in that vessel! How can you say it��s ineffective?!��

    ��Indeed!��

    ��Bring an axe! Let��s split open that sky-traveler��s chest and pull out his heart!��

    The Northerners, influenced by Pyra''s will, made truly barbaric remarks.

    Ian was slightly surprised as he watched Pyra.

    Magic was a developed field of study, while shamanism was something in between faith and magic. This was evidenced by the monk Isi.

    Magic was easier to handle than shamanism. That was a fact.

    Honestly, he hadn��t thought much of shamans.

    But the will he sensed from Pyra was formidable.

    A formidable opponent.

    But Ian, too, was a skilled conman, hardened by petty crimes.

    Brazenly shameless, he was already at a professional level!

    ��Let me ask you one thing. Why do you think the heart is the vessel of life?��

    ��What? Is that even a question...��

    ��Ah, you don''t know. Would you mind if I exined it for you?��

    Provoked by Ian, Pyra quickly shouted.

    His determination not to let Ian steal the tempo was evident.

    ��The heart is a sacred organ that produces blood! Of course, it''s the vessel of life!��

    ��Hmm. Actually, blood is made in the bones, but...��

    ��???��

    Pyra frowned for a moment.

    Blood is made in the bones? What nonsense is this guy confidently spouting?

    Isn��t itmon sense that the heart pumps blood?

    Of course, blood is made in the heart!

    ��Well, let''s assume it��s roughly made in the heart. I guess that''s how Northerners are made, huh?��

    ��It''s not an assumption; that''s the truth!��

    ��Pfft. Don''t scratch the pride of a science student.��

    In his previous life, Ian had been a typical science student and had the nasty habit of wanting to refute illogical and unscientific facts whenever he saw them.

    Ian wasn��t a medical student but one of those math geeks aiming for a degree in mathematics.

    Like other science students, he had an obsessive tendency to fixate on the word "scientific."

    Ugh... electromaic wave-blocking stickers... are useless...

    But after bing a wizard in another world, he had let go of much of that obsession.

    The fact that he didn��t argue against the statement that [blood is made in the heart] was proof of that.

    ��You said eating the heart makes you healthier, right?��

    ��Correct!��

    ��Then eating eyes will improve your eyesight?��

    ��...?��

    Pyra''s mouth hung open.

    Ian''s logic was utterly childish!

    ��If you eat an arm, your arm gets stronger; if you eat a leg, your leg gets stronger...��

    ��What nonsense are you spouting now?��

    Pyra dismissed Ian''s logic as nonsense.

    Eating eyes will improve eyesight.

    This was pseudo-science in Korea too, known through the saying, ��Fish eyes are good for eye health~.��

    Surprisingly, this originated from traditional Korean medicine, a principle called ��like cures like.��

    Of course, the Northerners weren''t familiar with Eastern medicine, so they approached it from the perspective of souls and mystery.

    Scientifically, though, it''s baseless nonsense.

    No matter how many fish eyes you eat, it won''t significantly improve your eyesight.

    ��You know it well. It''s nonsense. Eating a heart makes your body healthier? If that''s true, then why do we have hospitals and doctors? If you''re sick, just open up the chest of the person next to you and have a piping hot bowl of heart.��

    ��...��

    ��In the Empire, we call what you''re doing a ''barbarian act.'' Recklessly practicing unproven medicine and producing innocent victims!��

    Oberon flew and perched on Ian''s shoulder.

    The Northerners were startled at the sight.

    ��A raven!��

    ��It��s Hrundal''s messenger!��

    Ian didn''t know this, but the Northerners considered ravens sacred birds.

    Of course, it was just a belief, and they didn''t actually have any divine powers. A fact easily proven by Oberon himself.

    But ravens are intelligent and useful.

    Even more so if they can speak humannguage.

    ��Caw! Nonsense! Nonsense!��

    When Oberon cried out ��nonsense�� in human speech, the Northerners were even more startled.

    Teaching a raven to speak human words...

    This shaman must be skilled indeed!

    Ian shouted.

    ��Look! Even a passing Imperial raven knows this is nonsense!��

    ��Caw! Nonsense!��

    ��... If a raven says so...��

    ��Is it possible that the heart has no effect?��

    The Northerners began to take Ian''s ims seriously.

    At the same time, Pyra was thrown into a panic.

    He was a shaman whomuned with the mysteries through intuition and suggestion.

    In this situation, the appearance of a raven, which symbolized Hrundal, seemed like a warning from the deity to stop fighting and retreat.

    ����No. That can''t be right.��

    Pyra unconsciously ground his teeth.

    There was no way that the northern gods would side with a young Imperial.

    Pyra ignored his instincts as a shaman.

    He had broken a taboo that those who handle the mysteries must never vite.

    The mysteries always send signals to humans.

    It''s just that humans often fail to recognize them.

    ��A clueless Imperial dares to lecture me, Pyra, on the rights and wrongs of shamanism?!��

    With a thunderous shout, Pyra drew an Arcana card.

    It was the [Tower] card.

    "Behold! You whelp! Hrundal desires your downfall!"

    An indescribable mystery swirled around Pyra.

    The Northerners instinctively knelt and looked up in awe as the shaman wielded a magical force.

    ��Ooooh!��

    ��Hrundal!��

    At that very moment, Ian heard a bizarre and terrifying voice through the swirling mystery.

    It was a cacophonous noise like a thousand hammers and anvils shing.

    [Who dares�� summon me��?]

    ��Damn.��

    A drop of blood trickled from Ian''s nose.

    He didn''t know the exact nature of the entity Pyra had summoned with the Arcana card.

    But one thing was certain��

    It was definitely not a mystery friendly to humans!

    ��Shaman, send back the mystery you''re summoning right now.��

    ��What?��

    Ian wiped the blood from his nose and spoke.

    ��We can''t handle this mystery�� Send it back immediately.��

 c112

    c112

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    It''s an easily overlooked fact, but mystery also flows within humans.

    Why?

    The answer is simple: humans have realms they cannot perceive or understand.

    For instance, the soul.Do spiritual beings exist? If so, how can they be proven?

    Or consider psychic abilities.

    Can humans wield mystical powers that transcend their natural limits, like telepathy, irvoyance, or precognition? If so, what is the principle behind them?

    Anyone who thinks, ��Souls don''t exist, and people just be worm food when they die!�� would not bepatible with the mysteries.

    Ironically, Ian, who was once a modern man, believed in the mysteries more fervently than anyone else in this medieval fantasy world.

    Why?

    Because he had spoken to it directly!

    He had seen it with his own eyes and exchanged greetings in Maronius, so he couldn''t possibly deny the mysteries.

    Thus, Ian quickly realized that the grotesque mystery in front of him had originated from humans.

    It was a monster born from negative human emotions that had gained power in the realm of the mysteries.

    ��Ha, haha...! You whelp! Are you starting to grasp it now? I, Pyra, am a shaman blessed by Hrundal!��

    [Let me�� go back��]

    ��So! They call shamans [wizards] in the Empire, don''t they? Young wizard from the Empire! What will you do now? Show me your petty skills!��

    Ian took a deep breath and steadied himself.

    If he lost concentration even slightly, he felt like he would vomit everything he had eaten.

    The swirling mystery. The vortex of emotions.

    The wandering will and the instinct for destruction...!

    Standing before the terrifying mystery that even Pyra couldn''t bear to look at, he remained oblivious to what was going wrong.

    It could only be one of two things.

    Either Pyra was a mad psychopath capable of handling such mystery.

    Or he was intoxicated by the mystery''s negative emotions and had lost his ability to judge the situation.

    Ian prayed it was thetter.

    The former had no hope for redemption, but thetter might still have a chance.

    ��You damn����

    ����What?��

    ��You damn shaman! You don''t even know what kind of mystery you''re dealing with, and you dare call yourself a shaman?��

    Ian gritted his teeth and shouted.

    [I want to go back�� Let me go back��]

    ��Your desperate yelling is adorable! This is the mystery that Hrundal has sent me����

    Ian immediately cut off Pyra.

    This wasn''t a situation for lengthy conversations.

    The longer it dragged on, the worse things would get.

    ��First. This isn''t a mystery you summoned. It''s a poor, lost mystery that was thrown out into the world, drawn by your negative emotions!��

    ��Haha! What nonsense����

    ��I don''t know what you did! But you definitely opened a [door], and this mystery was sucked in through the crack!��

    Ian was a traditional wizard thoroughly trained by Eredith for over seven years.

    When it came to the mysteries, he had a solid foundation of knowledge.

    Mysteries weren''t limited to natural phenomena.

    Just as there were mysteries tied to fire, water, earth, and wind, there were also mysteries tied to human emotions like joy, sorrow, lust, and anger.

    This was because humans themselves harbored the mysteries.

    If you wielded the mysteries imbued with love, it would be [charm magic].

    If you wielded the mysteries imbued with anger, it would be [provocation magic].

    The terrifying mystery wandering and wailing before Ian was a mystery infused with all sorts of negative human emotions.

    It was a type of mystery that was extremely difficult to define or approach.

    Since all kinds of negative emotions were mixed within it, Ian could identify it.

    [Let me�� go back��!]

    There were emotions like anger, sorrow, regret, and jealousy��

    But it also harbored extremely dangerous emotions like [murderous intent]!

    ��If you are truly a shaman! If you are Hrundal��s priest! Get a grip and face reality! Is that really the mystery you summoned?��

    ������

    A voice full of sincerity is powerful.

    Ian��s voice, imbued with strong will, pushed away the mass of negativity surrounding Pyra and reached his very soul.

    It was like a ssh of cold water on his face; Pyra snapped back to reality.

    ����What is this? What have I summoned?��

    That was not the mystery Pyra had intended to summon.

    It was an entity that even the summoner couldn��t understand.

    Only then did Pyra realize that he was trapped in an indescribable mass of terrible emotions.

    It felt like being stuck in a pit of filth.

    Within that mass of emotions, Pyra clearly identified a very dangerous feeling.

    Murderous intent.

    A mystery imbued with intense murderous intent could indeed kill people.

    This was called a [curse].

    A murder curse is so dangerous that it can kill even the shaman who wields it, but in return, it can also take the life of the cursed target.

    Therefore, murder curses were the greatest taboos among shamans.

    [Open the�� open the door!]

    The horrifying mystery wailed.

    Its savage cry made even the air freeze in fear.

    The wind stopped as if by magic.

    Even the Northerners, ignorant of the mysteries, felt a chill run down their spines.

    ��Just now�� something����

    ��I got a creepy feeling.��

    They had no idea what terrible event was about to unfold.

    In a way, that was a blessing.

    Because Ian, as a wizard, could feel every overwhelming emotion emanating from the terrifying mystery!

    ��Ugh�� my head��!��

    The negative emotions stormed through him like a hurricane.

    Ian deeply felt why wizards in fiction often went mad while handling magic.

    It felt like the pressure of opening one��s skull and pouring emotions directly into it, enough to drive anyone insane!

    Because Ian was a being connected to the mysteries, he felt its influence much more strongly than ordinary people.

    As Ian staggered, blood dripping from his nose, Belenka immediately drew her sword.

    ng!

    ��You. What��s going on?��

    ������

    But the pale-faced Pyra couldn��t answer that question.

    Even Pyra himself didn��t know what was happening!

    ��This thing is a mystery I can��t handle. I need to send it back! Quickly!��

    Thanks to Ian��s outcry, Pyra snapped back to his senses and urgently tried to figure out a way to send the mystery back.

    But the answer didn��te easily��

    It was the first time Pyra had ever encountered such a situation, so he couldn��t quickly determine what to do.

    Unlike the tongue of Maronius, Arcana cards are tools for talking indirectly with the mysteries.

    Therefore, while it��s difficult to perform delicate trickspared to magic, it allows for handling more dangerous mysteries with less risk.

    The problem is that, since it��s an indirect means ofmunication, it��s difficult to convey the shaman��s will urately!

    ��Go back�� go back��!��

    It was like trying to chase a bird out of a room.

    You first open the [door] and then pray that it flies back out!

    But even if humans open the door wide and make a path, if the bird is confused or feels threatened, it may wander around without finding the way.

    If the entity that entered was small and weak like a bird, it could be driven out by force.

    But if a tiger or a bear had entered?

    Giving up on life or praying desperately to God, Buddha, or Ah to leave again were the only options.

    ��Shaman!��

    ��I-I''m trying! I''m trying!��

    Belenka gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

    In the worst case, she seriously considered cutting off the shaman��s head before anything happened to Ian.

    Belenka, too, was a knight who had directly and indirectly experienced various phenomena while journeying with Ian.

    She could feel that the situation was unusual.

    And her spirit, now ustomed to the mysteries, responded more sensitively than others to the abnormal mystery swirling around them.

    [Send me! Send me to Ian!]

    ����?��

    Belenka turned her head.

    She didn''t know the tongue of Maronius. She didn��t know much about the mysteries either.

    But sometimes, humans demonstrate miraculous intuition.

    Moments arise when they briefly touch the mysteries.

    ��Yes! If it''s that bird��!��

    ��Kira! Let me borrow your bird for a moment!��

    ��Huh�� what? Winnie?��

    Of course, Belenka couldn��t hear the voice of the mysteries or know what it was saying.

    But her thoughts naturally turned to the baby phoenix Kira carried around.

    Belenka thought she hade up with the idea herself and handed the phoenix to Ian.

    ��It''s a holy being, so it should be able to do something!��

    ��Ian!��

    Belenka ced the baby phoenix in Ian��s arms.

    At that moment, the phoenix let out a chirp.

    [Dad! Wake up!!!]

    ����!��

    Since ancient times, bird cries have been believed to contain mystical powers.

    The story of a rooster��s crow scaring off evil spirits is one such tale.

    The cry of the sacred phoenix cleared away the emotions that had gued Ian''s mind.

    ��I think I just heard something awful����

    Ian shook his head.

    I''m not even married yet, but I think I had a nightmare of someone calling me dad��

    ��Ugh��!��

    ��Kira!��

    As soon as Ian came to his senses, he saw Kira bowing her head in pain.

    Kira, too, was a talented wizard and couldn��t bepletely free from the influence of the mysteries.

    ��Belenka! Break the lock and get Takarian out! Have him recite the scriptures!��

    ��Understood!��

    Belenka immediately stood before Takarian��s cage.

    She raised her sword high over her head.

    The sharp tip of the de glistened under the sun.

    ��Wait! If you strike iron with a sword, the sword will break����

    Ragnar shouted urgently.

    But what happened next left him speechless.

    ng!

    Belenka struck the iron lock with her sword without hesitation.

    With a snap, the lock broke in two and fell off.

    ��She�� cut iron with a sword?!��

    Ragnar was stunned by this unbelievable scene.

    But those touched by the mysteries can perform miraculous feats with ease.

    This is often described as being ��possessed.��

    Belenka cut through the iron lock with swordsmanship like she was possessed.

    ��Takarian! Recite the scriptures! Quickly!��

    ��Yes! I got it!��

    Meanwhile, Kira was setting the ground on fire.

    Fire is an element imbued with holiness and purification.

    If the enemy was an unholy mystery, it would fear the mes.

    [I sense a foul presence! Step back behind me, logs!]

    The mystery of fire instinctively guarded against the unholy mystery.

    ��[As the sun watches over us, evil ones shall not dare to raise their heads!]��

    Takarian began quickly reciting the scriptures of Heaven''s Faith in an ancient tongue.

    Behind the two sacred forces of fire and scripture, people hid themselves.

    Only Ian and Pyra remained.

    ��Ragnar! Don''t go beyond the mes!��

    ��But��!��

    Ragnar and the Northerners anxiously stomped their feet in frustration.

    Outside the ring of fire, the air had be so unpleasant and foul that even ordinary people could feel it.

    A terrifying monster that most people couldn''t even perceive was now being confronted by just two ultists.

    Shaman Pyra and wizard Ian.

    ��Pyra! How much longer?��

    ��A ritual! I''ll lure it with a ritual!��

    [The door�� you hid it, didn��t you? You�� hid the door!]

    The mystery exuded murderous intent.

    A sign that its patience was wearing thin.

    Pyra took out a ceremonial dagger and stabbed his own finger.

    ��Ooooooooh!��

    The hand symbolizes omnipotence.

    Fingers can act as keys to grasp and open a door handle.

    Blood droplets sttered onto Pyra��s face.

    Using the severed finger as a focal point, he began drawing a magic circle, mixing Arcana cards and rune characters.

    ��Just a little more��! Just a bit longer��!��

    ��Pyra!��

    The mystery exhaled a murderous breath towards Pyra.

    That breath is a killing curse itself!

    If Pyra dies now, it will all be for nothing.

    Ian could not stop the terrible mystery by himself.

    Somehow, he had to draw the attention of that mystery until the ritual wasplete.

    However.

    Fear gripped Ian''s ankles like mud.

    Death is frightening.

    Facing a mystery who could tear a human life apart as if it were mere paper, was, therefore, inevitably terrifying.

    ...

    That moment.

    The soft whispers of the night tickled Ian''s ears.

    [Do not be afraid, Ian.]

    [We are always with you.]

    The mystery of darkness.

    For Ian, who stood against the mystery, another mystery surged around him like a whirlwind.

    As a novelist once said, the night is soft.

    In the darkness, Ian felt his mind ease.

    If he could deceive the eyes of that mystery with pitch-ck darkness.

    He would have enough time.

    Ian felt the rising power of the spell.

    "Let''s give it a try."

    Ian charged towards the mystery.

 c113

    c113

    TL/Editor: raei

    Proofreader: Pickhead7

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None.

    Join the discord! Here

    Unholy beings are not wee anywhere.

    [That stench. That wailing... It must not belong to this world.]

    [It really looks like something I don''t want to touch!]

    The mysteries of earth and wind whispered as they looked at the unholy being.Ordinarily, they would have fled, leaving the unholy mystery behind.

    Mysteries also possess intelligence and emotions, and they can be influenced by unholy feelings.

    However, in this ce stood the wizard Ian.

    "[Wind! Earth!]"

    [Ah. There is a young human here.]

    [Hello! Nice to meet you!]

    "[Help me!]"

    [Hmm. So you want to get rid of that unsettling presence. I like your spirit.]

    [Eek! It''s dangerous! But okay! I''ll support you from behind!]

    When Ian conveyed his will to the mysteries, they dly responded.

    "[Capture the monster!]"

    As soon as Ian uttered the magical words,

    The Earth formed a hemispherical dome, trapping the unholy mystery.

    The Wind swirled around it, preventing outsiders from approaching.

    Now, within the dome, only Ian, Pyra, and the mysteries remained.

    Those mysteries were of two kinds:

    The unholy mystery and the mystery of darkness.

    [Ah, aaaaah...!]

    The unholy mystery screamed in pain.

    Originally, it was a being full of unholy emotions. It was natural for it to writhe in pain, sorrow, and agony.

    It was a being that should never have set foot in this world.

    That lump of impurity was a pitiable existence that should have found eternal rest, slumbering on the other side of the abyss of mysteries.

    [Be careful, Ian. I sense deep sadness from that being.]

    [We''ll try tofort it first!]

    The mystery of darkness gently embraced the unholy mystery.

    Night is a serene and warm time.

    The embrace of the darkness was not asfortable as the abyss of the mysteries, but it was enough to ease the unholy mystery''s pain.

    [Shh. Close your eyes, unfortunate child.]

    [We''ll be here with you.]

    However, the unholy mystery could not easily ept thefort of the Darkness.

    It''s natural to be wary of unfamiliar entities.

    To the mysteries, who have a faint concept of light and darkness, the darkness of the material world wasforting yet unfamiliar.

    [What is this? What are you trying to do to me?!]

    [Don''t be afraid. We just want to help you...]

    [Stay away! Just send me back!]

    The mystery of darkness sighed softly and whispered to Ian.

    [Ian. I need your help.]

    Mysteries can''t easilymunicate with other mysteries either.

    Communication is inherently difficult.

    When it transcendsnguage, species, and even the concept of existence, the difficulty skyrockets.

    "Alright. I''ll give it a try."

    But Ian is a wizard.

    One who connects beings to beings. One who converses with all things.

    Ian hid in the darkness and slowly approached the unholy mystery.

    "[I am Ian, a wizard.]"

    [...]

    The unholy mystery responded to the magicalnguage.

    [Did you call me?]

    "[No.]"

    [Then who called me? I want to go back. Send me back.]

    Ian calmly persuaded the unholy mystery.

    "[The way is open. You''ll be able to return soon.]"

    [Really? Can I really go back?]

    "[Yes. So, until you go back, why don''t you talk to me for a bit?]"

    Ian gestured to the mystery of darkness.

    Like a warm nket, theforting darkness approached.

    [Ian...? What is this?]

    "[Don''t worry. It''s my friend. Would you like to get to know it too?]"

    Ian proudly showed off the darkness wrapped around his body.

    Seeing him so at ease, the unholy mystery rxed and let itself be embraced by the darkness.

    Dragged out into the present world unexpectedly, it was exhausted.

    When theforting darkness touched its body, the unholy mystery couldn''t resist its warmth.

    Ian nodded in satisfaction.

    Neither humans nor mysteries could resist thefort of a nket.

    Long live nkets.

    [Indeed... it''s a bit better.]

    The unholy mystery, wrapped in the darkness like a nket, let out anguid breath.

    Pain, sorrow, and depression��all would be forgotten like a lie once sleep took over.

    It was one of the mysteries that darkness held.

    Once the unholy mystery had calmed down a little, Ian began to buy time.

    First, he started a conversation.

    If Ian could keep itpany, there would be no tantrums out of boredom.

    "[Alright. How about we introduce ourselves?]"

    Ian spoke to the unholy mystery.

    "[I''m Ian, a wizard, and a human.]"

    [I am... Emotion.]

    "[Emotion?]"

    [I am Depression. I am Sorrow. I am Agony... Everyone hates me, and everyone despises me. I shouldn''t exist in this world...]

    In an instant, a vision unfolded before Ian''s eyes.

    Ian instinctively realized that it was the memory of the unholy mystery.

    A snowy vige.

    A hunchbacked boy was being struck on the head with a fire poker.

    [Get out of here! You monster!]

    [M-Mom...!]

    [Who''s your mom? You piece of trash! You''re just a brat who was born because I failed to abort you!]

    Even in the Middle Ages, there were people with disabilities.

    In an era where countless diseases couldn''t be ovee even with modern technology, it wasmon for small ailments to cause disabilities.

    [Get lost! Don''t ever show your face in front of me again!]

    The hunchbacked boy was a northerner.

    In the harsh North, those who couldn''t pull their weight weren''t treated like humans.

    Everywhere the hunchbacked boy went, he faced abuse and ridicule.

    [Huh? You haven''t died yet? Why are you still alive? Haha!]

    [That cripple must still value his life. Ptooey.]

    [A piece of trash that only wastes food.]

    [A mistake from birth.]

    There was no one to defend the hunchbacked boy.

    Even his mother had abandoned him. Who would protect him?

    He became the vige''s scapegoat, enduring ridicule and beatings in exchange for scraps of food.

    The boy slept on the cold floor, and before he turned ten, frostbite had imed five of his fingers.

    On a cold, dark night, the boy thought to himself:

    [I''m cold...]

    [I''m hungry...]

    [It''s cold, and I''m hungry.]

    [But no one will take me in.]

    [...Why was I even born?]

    For people with disabilities, being born was a mistake.

    In pre-civilization times, this was the prevailing logic.

    [I was born a loser.]

    [If I had a healthy body... If I had been born a fine warrior...]

    Depression. Sorrow. Agony.

    The emotions the boy uttered through his tears eventually took on a tangible form, bing a mystery.

    It was the moment the unholy mystery was born.

    ''Wizard...''

    Ian quickly deduced that the hunchbacked boy had the talent of a wizard.

    If he could transform emotions into mystery, he would have been a remarkable wizard.

    Had he met a proper mentor and received the right education, he would certainly have be a great wizard.

    Just like how Ian, the son of a serf, grew into a decent wizard.

    [War! The enemies have invaded!]

    [Take up arms! Go out and fight!]

    The hunchbacked boy didn''t live long.

    A famine struck, and the northerners naturally turned on each other.

    The boy''s vige was defeated.

    And the raiders, who felt no obligation to care for him, killed the boy as if it were the most natural thing.

    The unholy mystery devoured the boy''s final emotions.

    Resentment toward the parents who had birthed and abandoned him.

    Longing and envy for the great warriors.

    Hatred and murderous intent toward his killers.

    The unholy mystery, now without an owner, wandered the North, gathering and drinking in people''s sorrows.

    The unholy mystery realized something.

    There were far too many beings in the world like the hunchbacked boy.

    [My master was someone who shouldn''t have been born into this world.]

    [And the same goes for me.]

    [Pain, sorrow, hatred, and resentment. These are emotions that shouldn''t exist in this world.]

    [So send me back. Beings like me shouldn''t be seen by people...]

    Ian remained silent.

    It could have been because the vision before him was so vivid.

    Or it could have been because he was losing his mental strength, infected by the unholy emotions the mystery emitted.

    But...

    Ian didn''t like the story of the unholy mystery.

    Ian knew well.

    Humans are inherently cruel animals.

    The further back in time you go, the more that cruelty and savagery skyrocket. That''s the nature of humans.

    Countless people had died, leaving behind unholy emotions as victims of barbarism and violence. It was almost a given.

    "Wizard! The [gate] isplete! Bring that monster here quickly!"

    "..."

    "Wizard! Damn it! Have you gone mad already?!"

    Pyra''s voice could be heard.

    But Ian ignored the voice.

    Instead, he approached the unholy mystery even closer.

    The startled phoenix chirped worriedly.

    [It''s dangerous! If you get too close, your mind might break!]

    Ian stroked the phoenix''s head gently.

    "I know. But if I do go insane, it means my mental strength only goes that far."

    [Ian...]

    "I''ll just say one thing ande back."

    Ian approached the unholy mystery.

    It maintained an unsettling silence, merely waiting for the moment to return to its quiet abode.

    A terrifying and horrifying presence.

    It was clear that no ordinary medieval person could bear to look at it, much less approach it.

    But Ian held memories of once living as a modern man.

    The revulsion towards horrific memories wasn''t all that different from a medieval person''s.

    However, Ian possessedpassion and understanding.

    Do not hate humans.

    This was a sentiment that any modern person could rte to.

    Therefore, Ian didn''t see the unholy mystery as just a loathsome and horrible being.

    It was a byproduct of violence and a victim of suffering.

    [Are you sending me back?]

    The unholy mystery looked at Ian with sorrowful eyes.

    With a smile, Ian answered.

    "[Yes. It''s time to go home now.]"

    [Finally...]

    "[But before that, can I say one thing?]"

    [What is it?]

    Ian calmly began to speak.

    "[Do you know the difference between a civilized person and a barbarian?]"

    [A civilized person and a barbarian...?]

    The unholy mystery shook its head.

    Ian exined.

    "[A civilized person knows how to care for others, but a barbarian does not.]"

    [...]

    "[One anthropologist said that a symbol of civilization is a leg bone with signs of a healed fracture. The fact that a someone was saved by another in a life-threatening situation is what created the future civilized world.]"

    [... Helping each other?]

    "[Yes. No matter how weak orcking someone is, civilized people help each other. That''s what makes them civilized.]"

    [But... but my master... was useless...]

    "[Dividing humans based on usefulness is a barbarian''s logic. A civilized person helps others simply because they are human.]"

    [...]

    "[You were sacrificed only because you were born in and of savagery.]"

    Ian moved the darkness to embrace the unholy mystery.

    "[Your master was not someone who shouldn''t have been born.]"

    Ian''s words were difficult for medieval people to understand.

    In an eracking resources and manpower, the idea of helping every human equally seemed overly idealistic.

    But Ian remembered what modern society looked like.

    So he was able to offer the unholy mystery genuinefort.

    The unholy mystery looked at Ian with astonished eyes.

    It was a vile and repulsive being.

    Weakness, pain, and agony��all negative feelings that naturally made humans turn away.

    But Ian recognized the suffering beyond those unholy emotions and reached out first.

    It was truly a strange feeling.

    [If...]

    The unholy mystery spoke slowly.

    [If my master had lived long enough to meet you... would I have turned out differently?]

    "[Perhaps.]"

    Ian smiled.

    The unholy mystery smiled too.

    Depression often lessens simply by finding someone to listen and empathize.

    Thanks to Ian, the unholy mystery''s sadness had certainly diminished.

    The mystery and the wizard strongly acknowledged each other''s existence.

    At that very moment, a status window shed before Ian''s eyes.

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Summoning - Summon the Horrible One]

    [Ask for help from a vile and horrifying being. It will share your emotions: if you''re sad, it will mourn with you; if you''re angry, it will share your fury. But if you''re in an unstable emotional state, do not summon it! Never!]

    Ian briefly read the skill description.

    Summoning the Horrible One...

    If he summoned it recklessly, a catastrophe was bound to unfold.

    It was definitely not a skill to be used lightly.

    "[Let''s go home now.]"

    [Yes...]

    Ian handed the unholy mystery over to Pyra.

    The unholy mystery disappeared beyond the summoning gate that Pyra had opened.

    Then, the earthen dome crumbled, and brilliant sunlight shone down on Ian.

    "Is it over...?"

    "Yes, it''s over."

    In the distance, Kira and Belenka were seen running toward him.

    After taking a deep breath of the fresh outside air, Ian swung his staff and gave Pyra a yful knock on the head.

    Thwack!

    "Ouch!"

    "What on earth were you thinking, summoning something like that, huh?"

    "..."

    Pyra was at a loss for words.

    "I''m s-sorry..."Toggle New Ads

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 c114

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    Ian was seriously annoyed.

    It was true that Ian had initiated the power struggle and tried to take control by overwhelming Pyra with his magic skills.

    However, the mystery that Pyra summoned had crossed the line.

    It was far too dangerous to summon just because he was angry!Ian wasn''t some mortal enemy of his father.

    Summoning a mystery that could easily lead to mutual destruction was infuriating.

    "I''m sorry. I''m really sorry..."

    Pyra repeatedly apologized to Ian.

    At first, he was annoyed.

    But when he saw Pyra bowing his head, blood dripping from his severed finger, Ian''s anger subsided a little.

    After all, it was an ident.

    And, epting such a sincere apology would make him seem like someone who can forgive a mishap gracefully.

    I am!

    That kind of person!

    You have a keen eye for people, Pyra!

    "Haaah. Alright. It was an ident, after all."

    "I should have noticed it earlier..."

    Ian frowned as he looked out over the snowy mountains, where a cold wind was blowing.

    What kind of ce is the North that such dreadful mysteries emerge?

    Ian realized once again that the North was a grim region.

    As a wizard who rarely shed with warriors, he hadn''t fully understood it.

    This was a gloomy ce where countless lives were lost in vain, and all sorts of vile mysteries lurked in the ice and darkness.

    No wonder the northerners lived with chronic depression.

    On the other hand, the Empire and its neighboring regions, which were called the "civilized world," were upied by Heaven''s Faith, providingfort to people''s hearts.

    It was an environment where monsters like the unholy mystery couldn''t easily appear.

    "Let''s go and get your hand treated first."

    "Oh... right. Yes, we should."

    Pyra, half-dazed, answered slowly.

    *<center>---</center>

    <center></center>

    <center>---</center>*

    Despite losing a finger, Pyra had no thoughts about it at all.

    "A missing finger or two is nothing. In the North, many people don''t have them. In winter, a couple of fingers can easily disappear due to frostbite."

    "..."

    Ian breathed a genuine sigh of relief.

    He was truly d he hadn''t been born in the North.

    He had criticized the Holy Empire for its barbarity, but after hearing Pyra''s words, he automatically felt guilty about his past mistakes.

    Looking again, the Empire was like a saint.

    This was the realnd of savagery.

    "Haaah. Anyway, Wizard Ian, your skills are... truly remarkable."

    A shaman and a wizard had met.

    Their social roles were different, but they shared a clearmonality in dealing with mysteries.

    Naturally, the conversation turned to mysteries.

    "That unholy mystery was incredibly powerful. One wrong move, and you could have been crushed under the weight of its emotions and gone mad. But your boldness and precision were truly impressive."

    Pyra shared his thoughts without any pretense, expressing his genuine admiration.

    "How on earth did you think of speaking to such a monster?"

    Listening to Pyra''s words, Ian suddenly realized just how crazy his actions had been.

    Approaching and talking to a monster that was dangerous to even be near?

    "...You''re right. Why did I do that?"

    It was clear that his courage had swelled too much from his experience as a wizard.

    "There are many cruel mysteries in the North. Mysteries are inherently unfriendly to humans. That''s why we receive Lord Hrundal''s blessing and interact with mysteries indirectly. That''s what the Arcana cards are for."

    Northern mysteries are more dangerous than those of the Empire.

    Therefore, the risks of directly speaking to mysteries like Maronius are much higher.

    "Certainly unique."

    That''s how Ian assessed the Arcana cards.

    If the Northern mysteries were gentle and mild, Northern shamans, like the people of the Empire, would have tried to converse directly with the mysteries.

    But Northern mysteries were violent and primitive, so the shamans developed indirect methods to interact with them.

    "Given your skills, continuing to use Imperial magic shouldn''t be a problem," Pyra said.

    It was pure, 100% sincere.

    Ian had survived speaking with the unholy mystery and hadn''t gone mad or be an idiot.

    This fact proved how exceptional Ian''s magical abilities were.

    "But... there''s always a ''just in case,'' so it would be better to learn the Northern way," Pyra cautiously suggested, worried that Ian might take it as an insult.

    Ian''s magical skills were exceptional, but if he identally contacted a truly insane, psychopathic mystery, his safety couldn''t be guaranteed.

    Who could say that the same thing wouldn''t happen again as with the unholy mystery?

    Pyra wanted Ian to handle mysteries in a safer way.

    "Thank you for the offer, but I don''t have much to offer in return."

    "In return? What are you talking about!"

    Pyra waved his hands enthusiastically as he shouted.

    "You''ve already saved my life! And if a brilliant schr like you were to die in an ident, I wouldn''t feelfortable. So don''t worry about it."

    "Hmm."

    If that''s how he puts it...

    "Then, shall I learn briefly?"

    Ian decided to learn about the Arcana cards from Pyra.

    *<center>---</center>

    <center></center>

    <center>---</center>*

    "To handle the Arcana, you first need a card."

    Pyra stated the obvious.

    Ian nodded instinctively.

    Right.

    "Then, can you make one for me?"

    "How could I make an Arcana card?"

    Pyra exined.

    "The Arcana can only be made by Lord Hrundal."

    "Then..."

    "You need to ask him to make one for you."

    Shamans often found themselves in situations where they had to humbly beg or pray, despite dealing with mysteries.

    Although they could handle mysterious powers, the scope of what they could aplish on their own was clear.

    This was why Ian viewed shamans as somewhere between wizards and priests.

    "If you''re up for it,e climb the holy mountain with me."

    "holy mountain?"

    Mount Gramunt.

    A white and formidable-looking snow mountain visible from the Red Bear Tribe.

    It wasn''t exactly the kind of mountain that inspired a desire to climb it.

    At a nce, it seemed infested with wild monsters and ferocious mysteries.

    But to make an Arcana card, they had to climb Mount Gramunt.

    "There are hidden temples of Lord Hrundal scattered across Gramunt that ordinary people don''t know about."

    "Temples... How many are there?"

    "I don''t know. But there must be more than the number of shamans in the North, right?"

    Ian caught on to what Pyra was talking about.

    "So, to receive a card, I need to head to a temple."

    "Exactly. Lord Hrundal is the only one in this world who can draw the Arcana illustrations."

    Somewhat whimsical, the Northern god Hrundal is widely known for painting in caves.

    You could say he''s a god with a painter attribute.

    Since the god himself directly works on the Arcana card illustrations, one must visit a temple.

    "That''s why there''s no illustration here."

    Ian took out a half-torn Arcana card from his pocket.

    It was the card he had received from the monk Isi.

    Unlike Pyra''s card, this one had only a faint, poorly drawn outline.

    Ian had thought the artwork was just worn out over time.

    But after hearing Pyra''s exnation, it seemed like the card had lost its mystery over time.

    "Oh, oh. This is...!"

    Pyra eximed softly as he looked at Ian''s card.

    "This is definitely...!"

    "Trash."

    "It''s definitely trash... No, wait. What are you saying? How can you call a sacred item trash?"

    Ian blinked and replied.

    "Isn''t it trash?"

    Ian was a wizard, not a shaman.

    It was hard for him to attribute any value to an item that had already lost its mystery.

    "What are you talking about!"

    But Pyra was a shaman.

    "Every phenomenon carries a sign of mystery! Do you think it''s just a coincidence that this card ended up in your hands?"

    Yes, I believe it''s a total coincidence.

    Ian thought so but didn''t say it out loud.

    He suddenly remembered the slyest group of wizards in the Empire: the space-time wizards.

    They viewed certain events and actions as [branches] in time, believing that the future would change depending on those events.

    For instance, they believed the future would differ between the world where Ian got the Arcana card and the world where he didn''t.

    "... Someone could have intentionally handed me this card."

    "It must be the will of a great being. Wait a moment. I''ll readjust this to suit you."

    If he had obtained it coincidentally, it was as good as receiving it directly from Hrundal.

    That is [fate].

    Pyra snatched the torn Arcana card and went into the small room, making a ttering noise.

    A momentter, Pyra handed the Arcana card to Ian.

    The appearance hadn''t changed much.

    But the moment Ian held the card in his hand, he felt an intense intuition piercing through his crown.

    ��This is...��

    Pyra smiled and spoke.

    ��Congrattions. This is the first card in your Arcana deck.��

    Every shaman receives an Arcana card from Hrunndal.

    The first card they receive is a single card, symbolizing the fate and identity of the one who holds it.

    ��The first card I received was the [Temperance] card. It means I was destined to connect worlds.��

    It was amon shaman��s card.

    A shaman exists to connect gods, nature, and humans.

    ��I think... you''ll receive the [wizard] card.��

    "Ah."

    Pyra thought Ian would receive the [wizard] card.

    The wizard is the card of a true hero.

    It''s the card of someone with exceptional abilities, destined to handle divinity and aplish anything.

    And Ian is indeed a wizard.

    Wouldn''t it be natural for a wizard to receive a wizard''s card?

    ��Well then...��

    Ian smiled brightly and flipped over the card.

    A picture of a person appeared.

    "Look at this, Pyra. Is this the wizard card?"

    Pyra looked at Ian with a slightly bewildered expression.

    ��No, this is not the wizard card.��

    ��Huh? Then what is it?��

    Huh? The picture looks exactly like a wizard!

    ��This is... card number 0.��

    ��Number 0?��

    ��The card''s name is [The Fool].��

    ��...��

    Ian almost shouted at Pyra.

    Me, Ian! Not a fool!

    But the card''s name and symbol are different.

    Even if it''s called The Fool, it could have a good meaning!

    ��What does it mean? What does it symbolize?��

    ��...Usually, it signifies a foolish human.��

    What?

    Ian tried to deny it but realized upon reflection that it wasn��t entirely wrong.

    Ian is a cheat yer from another world.

    And like most cheat yers from other worlds, he''s not truly a genius but a scammer who cheats with a status window.

    Is the northern god sending a message that he should be humble because without his status window, he��s just another foolish human?

    ��Hmm. I see.��

    When Ian nodded in understanding.

    Pyra couldn''t take his curious gaze off Ian.

    ''Card number 0 symbolizes foolishness... but it also signifies a new beginning.''

    That��s right.

    [The Fool] card represents foolishness but also symbolizes a new start.

    But because of this, it''s rarely the first card for a shaman.

    A person whose essence is close to a new beginning?

    Where in the world would you find such a person?

    Perhaps if someone were on their second life...

    ��Wizard Ian.��

    Pyra looked at Ian with a gleaming eye.

    ��Maybe he could open a new path for the lost Northerners.��

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    After driving away the unholy mystery, Pyra began to act much more familiar with Ian.

    It seemed that a kind of camaraderie had formed from facing the same enemy together...

    From Ian''s perspective, there was nothing to lose.

    Pyra was a shaman of the Red Bear tribe and wielded a different kind of influence.If Pyra helped, it would make the task of rescuing Takarion much easier.

    Thus, Ian tried to have as many conversations with Pyra as possible.

    ����So, do you really think the Elixir of Life is useless?��

    Ian and Pyra exchanged knowledge about the mysteries.

    ��As far as I know, I don''t know what power lies in the heart of a monk, but in the end, isn''t the monk themselves the owner of that power?��

    ��That''s right.��

    ��If the Elixir of Life works through some mysterious force, I believe it requires the voluntary cooperation of the one lending that power.��

    ��Hmm����

    ��Unless Takarion willingly sacrifices himself to truly save the chief, I doubt it will have any proper effect since it''s being forced upon him.��

    Pyra agreed with Ian''s calm logic.

    It made sense upon reflection.

    The first Elixir of Life was invented by a shaman who wanted to share their life force with others.

    Since then, it��s been passed down by word of mouth in the spirit of ��If they did it, we should try it too.��

    A lot of shamanistic knowledge was inurate.

    If someone saw an effect, it would be packaged and passed down as knowledge without question.

    If there''s a tale about a shaman in some vige eating pear blossoms to cure stomachaches,

    Then pear blossoms be known as a remedy for stomachaches.

    The problem is that there��s no way to verify if the shaman really ate pear blossoms to cure their stomachache.

    Most stomachaches heal over time anyway, so they just feed the person pear blossoms and wait until it passes.

    And then they conclude, ��See, pear blossoms are good for stomachaches!��

    In fact, most ancient knowledge was of that form.

    There weren''t enough resources or people to conduct proper experiments, so they often epted hearsay as truth.

    ��Ha�� if you say so����

    Pyra readily agreed with Ian''s opinion.

    He had witnessed Ian''s skills firsthand and learned about his extensive magical knowledge through deep conversation.

    ��Actually, I don''t really want to make the Elixir of Life either.��

    ����?��

    ��I keep getting bad omens.��

    Ian listened to Pyra��s story.

    The one who first demanded the Elixir of Life was Ragnar, the chief��s son.

    ��Since the chief keeps losing strength, he asked me to make him a tonic. But you��ve seen the chief, haven��t you? He''s just at an age where it��s natural to lose energy. This isn''t something I should meddle with.��

    ��Hmm, yes, that seemed to be the case.��

    Ian understood that part well enough.

    In an era where medical technology wasn��t advanced anyway, what could they do about an old mancking energy?

    But that was the thinking of the intellectuals.

    People in power like Ragnar didn��t understand the minds of professionals.

    You shamans are f*kingpetent, aren��t you? You do all sorts of weird stuff with mysteries, right? But you can��t heal people? Does that make sense?

    When experts say, ��It��s not possible!�� those in high ces often respond, ��Why not? Isn��t it just ack of effort?��

    Ian understood Pyra��s hardship.

    ��Well, even in the Empire, nobles harass wizards for strange reasons.��

    In the Empire, there��s a so-called Wizard Rights Protection Act established during the Golden Empire era, so wizards can protect themselves by raising a fuss first.

    But here in thend of savages, it seems there��s no such thing as a Shaman Protection Act.

    ����I couldn��t foresee the failure of the Great Hunt Festival either. I interpreted you as a symbol of bad luck and failed to detect the appearance of the unholy mystery.��

    ��Pyra.��

    Regrettably, it was all true.

    But this didn��t mean Pyra was an ipetent shaman.

    Mysteries are inherently fickle and hard to perceive.

    Especially the barbaric mysteries of the North, which are even harder for humans to handle. Mistakes are to be expected.

    The problem was that Pyra had made consecutive mistakes at the most critical moments.

    ��I�� I must take responsibility for my actions. Or rather, I should obediently follow Ragnar��s words. In his eyes, I��m probably just a quack shaman.��

    ������

    ��I think I��m past my prime. What use is a shaman who blindly interprets omens out of greed?��

    Ian tried to console Pyra.

    But that was a gesture that underestimated a Northern shaman.

    After saying so much, Pyra let out a bizarreugh.

    A great shaman draws inspiration even from their own mistakes.

    ��Kehihihik! But Ian! You��ve opened my eyes!��

    ��Me? I did?��

    ��Yes! Once I crumbled, everything became clear! I can see exactly what I misinterpreted and what warnings I ignored!��

    Ian was genuinely impressed.

    Wow, this person has incredible mental resilience.

    Most people would have copsed under such a streak of misfortune.

    But Pyra was a shaman.

    He could think of both his luck and misfortune as being intertwined with mysteries.

    ��I was wrong, and you were right! That��s certain!��

    ��No, Pyra�� why would you say that����

    ��Because the omen told me so!��

    Pyra frantically spread out Arcana cards in front of Ian.

    The Tower, the Devil, and the Death card.

    ��The Tower! This means I made a wrong choice and need to reflect! And that��s exactly what happened!��

    ��The Devil! I was overconfident in my shamanism and got so caught up in my judgment that I believed only one truth! The cause of that obsession was me!��

    ��Death! But just as morninges after night, my foolishness has met its end because of you, Ian! A new future awaits!��

    Ian felt like the world was spinning in front of him.

    ��Is this the omen?��

    ��Yes! Hrundal had already shown me everything! I just didn��t realize it! Ah, how great is this!��

    Pyra stuck his head out of the tent and shouted at the top of his lungs.

    ��Hrundal!!!��

    ������

    I thought he was a calm person.

    Turns out he was just as crazy as the wizards.

    But I understand.

    Those who deal with mysteries often have entricities. I��ve seen that many times before.

    ��Looks like I��m the sanest one here.��

    Ian nodded as he looked at Pyra.

    Mystics in this world are all strange.

    Except for me.

    ---

    ---

    Before meeting Ragnar, Pyra spoke to Ian.

    ��Let��s go find [Hrundal��s Tears].��

    ����What?��

    ��It��s a conclusion I��ve reached after long deliberation. You can do it.��

    Pyra calmly exined.

    ��[Hrundal��s Tears] is a miraculous elixir that Northern people crave.��

    ��Like that Elixir of Life����

    ��Don��tpare it to the Elixir of Life! That��s just a tonic; this is a truly precious medicine!��

    After hearing the story, [Hrundal��s Tears] was roughly positioned like Korean wild ginseng.

    ��Deep in a freezing cave untouched by humans, where the power of nature gathers and condenses into droplets, that��s [Hrundal��s Tears].��

    ��Uh��?��

    Thoughts whizzed through Ian��s head.

    A cave, a liquid elixir formed by the concentrated power of nature?

    That��s totally��

    ��Gongcheong Seokyu[1]?��

    ��Seokyu? What Seokyu? It��s Hrundal��s Tears!��

    ��If you drink it, does it dramatically boost your internal energy?��

    ��Internal energy? What��s that?��

    Ian stopped rambling there.

    In a world with no energy cirction, how could there be Gongcheong Seokyu?

    Though he didn��t know exactly what Hrundal��s Tears were, he understood that the Northerners truly considered it a precious elixir.

    Like Koreans diligently taking red ginseng and wild ginseng without knowing exactly how it benefits their health.

    ��What Ragnar wants is a tonic for the chief, not the heart of the monk you��re trying to protect.��

    ��That��s true.��

    If there��s a better tonic than Takarion��s heart, Ragnar wouldn��t insist on opening Takarion��s chest.

    ��Only those blessed by Hrundal can find Hrundal��s Tears. Ian, disciple of Eredith! You can do it! Climb the holy mountain Gramunt and receive his blessing at his temple! Then he will grant you the remaining Arcana cards! With those, you will find Hrundal��s Tears!��

    Although Ian hadn��t said anything, Pyra was already acting as if Ian had found Gongcheong Seokyu�� no, Hrundal��s Tears.

    It was certainly a good proposal.

    After all, Ian needed to find Hrundal��s temple to begin his Arcana magic training.

    And Hrundal��s Tears would undoubtedly help in rescuing Takarion.

    If there was a problem, it would be if they couldn''t find Hrundal��s Tears and ended up making a wasted trip.

    But with Pyra, the shaman, so confident, Ian also began to harbor the expectation of ��maybe����

    At the same time, he was certain that now was the perfect time to rescue Takarion.

    ��Alright, let''s try to find these Hrundal��s Tears.��

    ��As expected��!��

    ��But I have one condition.��

    Ian spoke clearly to Pyra.

    ��Release Takarion first, and I��ll climb the holy mountain with him.��

    ��The monk? You��re asking to have him released beforehand?��

    Pyra quickly understood what Ian was aiming for.

    Whether he found Hrundal��s Tears or not, Ian wanted to ensure Takarion''s rescue.

    It could have been a difficult proposal to ept, considering the efforts of the tribal warriors who had captured Takarion.

    But Pyra didn��t overthink it.

    ��Alright, I��ll talk to Ragnar.��

    Pyra was confident that Ian would find Hrundal��s Tears.

    Since they would find them anyway, he decided it didn''t matter if Takarion was released in advance.

    ��But Ragnar won��t understand why we��re releasing the monk.��

    ��Leave that to me.��

    After securing Pyra��s promise, Ian went to find Takarion.

    Whether the timing was good or bad, a tense atmosphere hung in the air.

    ��Hey, outsiders. Why don��t you hand over that pig nicely?��

    Ragnar was nowhere to be seen.

    But the warriors of the Red Bear tribe had surrounded Takarion.

    Belenka and Kira stood against the warriors.

    ��We��ve seen how you treat this friend. And you expect us to hand him back?��

    ��Haha! You have no idea, but that guy is our tribe��s property! You��re stealing from us, got it?��

    Kira��s eyebrows twitched slightly at the warriors�� rough threats.

    She was great at acting, but she wasn��t particrly bold.

    But Belenka was different.

    Without batting an eye, she dered confidently.

    ��Protecting a monk of Heaven''s Faith is a knight��s duty. Calling it theft won��t change that. I have no shame in my actions.��

    ��What?��

    ��You��re lucky we��re treating you as guests��!��

    The Northerners raised their axes.

    This was a ce where fists were closer than thew.

    Actually, with no courts to speak of, fists were all they had.

    No one would me them for smashing outsiders who got on their nerves!

    With an attitude that showed she had nothing to fear, Belenka drew her sword.

    ��Ah, uh�� maybe if I just go over there�� it��ll be fine, right?��

    ��There��s no need for that. Stand tall, Takarion.��

    Ian already felt a headacheing on.

    Whether knights or savages, both had muscles for brains.

    How long had he looked away before a fight broke out?

    The only intellectual, Kira, stepped in to mediate.

    ��You guys. Can��t you at least see who��sing before you start fighting?��

    ����?��

    Kira set up the toss.

    Now it was Ian''s turn to receive.

    Ian took a deep breath and steadied himself.

    Then, with clear and deliberate enunciation, he shouted with force,

    "What is happening to a guest of Hrundal right now!"

    Oberonnded on Ian''s shoulder with a p of his wings.

    At the appearance of the wizard who travels with a crow, the northern warriors flinched and hesitated.

    "That man..."

    "The outsider who rebuked the shaman Pyra..."

    Rumors had already spread far and wide that Ian had ''defeated'' Pyra.

    In fact, since they had never fought, it was difficult to discuss winning or losing.

    Isn''t it human nature to want to know who won when two people are shouting at each other, asking ''so who won?'' when people are arguing?

    Ian, having defeated the entric shaman Pyra, must certainly be a remarkable person.

    "What, what do you mean? This pig is a guest of Lord Hrundal?"

    "Pig, you say. Lord Hrundal would be delighted to hear suchnguage. Oh nameless warrior."

    Ian subtly showed an Arcana card from his pocket.

    Even if the warriors are ignorant of mysteries, they recognize the tools of a shaman.

    "Lord Hrundal!"

    The warrior quickly covered his mouth, turning pale.

    But blocking words won''t make things okay when they''re not.

    Ian smoothly created a diversion.

    "Listen well! This man is a guest of Lord Hrundal, recognized by him!"

    "That man is Lord Hrundal''s guest?"

    Why would such a man be a guest of Lord Hrundal?

    Well, because Ian said so, that''s why!

    Ian is well-versed in mysteries, but the warriors are not.

    No matter what Ian ims, they can''t refute it!

    It would be a different story if Pyra appeared splendidly and shouted, ''Enough with the nonsense! Sky Worshipper!''

    Sadly for the northerners, that shaman is now on Ian''s side...

    "Yes! Since he is a distinguished guest, treat him with honor!"

    When Ian shouted, the northerners sneaked nces and scurried away.

    Definitely going to tattle to Pyra.

    But it was useless.

    That shaman firmly believed that Ian had been chosen by Hrundal.

    ---

    [1. raei: sorry I have no idea what this trantes to in english, direct trantion is pure stone oil but maybe in novels it''d be an elixir? It is a clich�� in martial arts novels, often described as a milky liquid that umtes in caves and drinking a drop canpletely heal a body and also has the effect of raising one''s internal energy to the next level.]Toggle New Ads

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 c116

    c116

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Once a wizard gains momentum, nothing can stop them.

    The performance Ian disyed and Pyra''s attitude.

    When these two simple factsbined, Ian gained an undeniable voice within the Red Bear Tribe.

    "Searching for the Tears of Hrundal..."

    "Yes, Ragnar."Ian ryed Pyra''s n to Ragnar.

    Pyra was confident that Ragnar would take the bait, and things seemed to be progressing ording to their expectations.

    "I''ll discuss it with my father. In the meantime, you should work on your n."

    There was a brief break.

    Ian quickly aligned his story with hispanions.

    Having been through a lot as a wizard, Ian had umted quite a bit of experience.

    He could effortlessly devise what to say and how to align his words when dealing with high-ranking individuals.

    "Belenka, try to keep your words to a minimum. Kira, support me as usual."

    "Understood."

    "Of course, Ian."

    Andstly...

    The problematic Takarion.

    "Takarion."

    Ian called Takarion in a low voice.

    The surroundings were so quiet that even a low voice was clearly heard.

    "I''ve done everything I can. I''ve made you a distinguished guest of Hrundal and told them that with you, we will surely find the Tears of Hrundal."

    "..."

    Takarion took deep,bored breaths.

    He didn''t look good.

    Unlike the fanatical monks who were devoted to their faith, he was just a writer who loved to write.

    Enduring everything that had happened so far was already difficult, and matching Ian''s ''wizardly actions'' was certainly not an easy task.

    "What should I do?" Takarion asked in a trembling voice.

    Ian exined calmly.

    "Say that you received a revtion from the gods. Tell them that Hrundal has granted you ess to the holy mountain and that he will guide you to the elixir."

    "But... that''s a lie."

    Ian replied shamelessly.

    "Depending on your perspective, yes."

    It was a kind of deception that only mysteries and wizards could pull off.

    With the shaman and wizard both vouching for Takarion, not even the chieftain could act arbitrarily.

    "I... I..."

    Takarion said with a trembling voice.

    "I can''t do it!"

    "..."

    "..."

    Belenka rubbed her face wearily, and Kira looked at Takarion with a sympathetic expression.

    Surrounded by monks, he was a respected gospel writer.

    Now, thrown into the north with nothing but himself, Takarion was just a scared young man.

    "I''ll just stay here! You can bring back the Tears of Hrundal or whatever!"

    "How is that possible? If things go south, we need to escape. What do you n to do if you stay here?"

    Ian tried to soothe Takarion.

    "Come on. Aren''t you the [Golden Finger Takarion]? You''ve written about Saint Marcus''s courage so far. Like the Saint Marcus you admire the most, let''s sternly rebuke the heretics!"

    "..."

    Takarion mped his mouth shut.

    Ian was right.

    The great Saint Marcus never cowered in fear.

    Instead, he sternly rebuked numerous heretics in the name of heaven.

    Takarion knew about Saint Marcus''s courage.

    More intimately than anyone else here, he knew that truth painfully well.

    But...

    "I... I..."

    Tears streamed down Takarion''s face.

    "I''m not Saint Marcus... I don''t have that kind of courage...!"

    Ian remained silent.

    Belenka red at Takarion and spat out.

    "Is this pathetic human the one whose gospel is read by countless people in the Empire? It''s truly disgusting."

    "Belenka..."

    Kira tightly held Belenka''s hand.

    She might teach Takarion physically if left unchecked.

    "Let''s leave this to Ian. If it really doesn''t work out, we can leave on our own."

    "I don''t like it."

    Belenka thought Ian would abandon Takarion.

    To be honest, it wouldn''t be surprising if he did.

    Ian had chased after Takarion all the way from the distant Empire to this cold northernnd.

    But Takarion kept doing things that made him seem like he deserved to be abandoned.

    Ian took a deep breath as he looked at Takarion.

    As much as he wanted to abandon Takarion and leave, it felt like a waste of all the effort he had put in so far.

    It had be a matter of pride now.

    No matter what, he would drag Takarion back to the Empire.

    "You mayck courage, but can''t you muster some? You''re a monk who conveys the words of saints to the believers. Have you just been parroting those facts all this time? Do you really not understand Saint Marcus''s actions at all?"

    Ian''s words struck Takarion deeply.

    Takarion felt miserable.

    He was sorrowful because Ian''s criticism was undeniably true, and he couldn''t bear how pathetic he felt for not being able to ept that truth.

    "What do you know about that! I made up all of Saint Marcus''s achievements! The part about repelling demons with light from his fingers! The scene where he rebukes the heretics! All of it! It was all my imagination!"

    "..."

    "I''m just a madman spouting nonsense... The priests are all right. My gospel isn''t worth reading..."

    Takarion fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

    By chance, he was taken in by monks, and by chance, he showed a talent for writing.

    He had a vague desire to be someone important, but Takarioncked the wisdom and courage to truly be a respected figure.

    In the Gospel of Saint Marcus, Marcus never sumbed to any threat or trial, destroying evil with his golden presence.

    But Takarion was not Saint Marcus.

    He was just a cowardly writer with a potbelly.

    At that moment, Ian struck Takarion on the head with his staff.

    "Wake up!"

    "Ouch!"

    Takarion rolled on the floor, tears streaming down his face.

    This time it was out of pain.

    Ian had hit Takarion on the head really hard!

    "You keep spouting nonsense! Takarion!"

    "Ian?!"

    "Just because your book sold well, you''ve becent! Do you know what that''s called? It''s called the ''Masterpiece Syndrome''!"

    "...?"

    What syndrome?

    Takarion didn''t understand what Ian was saying.

    "Don''t you feel any shame for all the writers who are struggling because their hard work isn''t being read?"

    "Why should I feel ashamed?!"

    Ian struck Takarion''s head again.

    "Ouch!"

    Takarion grabbed his head and rolled on the ground.

    Ian shouted.

    "Your Gospel of Saint Marcus has power! Takarion! It gives strength to those in despair, the power to rise again! To those in fear, the power to move towards the light! That''s what your gospel conveys, Takarion!"

    "But... that''s a lie...!"

    "That doesn''t matter! Takarion! The Marcus in the Gospel of Saint Marcus exists in your heart! He exists because you can bring him to life!"

    "...!"

    Takarion shook like someone struck by lightning.

    Ian''s powerful words opened a closed door deep within Takarion''s soul.

    Ian was right.

    Takarion had endured a childhood filled with suffering.

    Every time he was bullied by his peers, Takarion would pray and pray again.

    Wishing for a superhero to appear and save him!

    The Marcus in the [Gospel of Saint Marcus] is a character imbued with Takarion''s wishes.

    Although the gospel is filled with stories Takarion made up...

    The hope contained within it was undeniably genuine.

    "Haah. Fine. Stay if you want. We''ll just say the author of the Gospel of Saint Marcus was martyred. That would be better for the believers anyway."

    "No, no...!"

    Takarion sprang to his feet.

    "Take me with you too! Ian!"

    Ian turned his head slightly and said.

    "Why? Just lie there covered in warm furs."

    Takarion shook his head.

    "The Gospel of Marcus may be a story I made up, but Marcus exists within me. If he were watching me now, he would definitely rebuke me!"

    Takarion shouted.

    "Don''t act foolishly! Move forward!"

    Ian smirked and tapped Takarion''s shoulder with his staff.

    ��Now you��re starting to look like a monk. Takarion.��

    "...Ian."

    "Don''t lose that faith."

    ---

    ---

    Ian and his party met the chieftain of the Red Bear Tribe.

    Ragnar, Pyra, and even Sigurd were present.

    "I already knew this would happen."

    Pyra captured the attention of the room with a solemn voice.

    He waved his hand with the missing finger in front of the chieftain and Ragnar.

    "The great Hrundal whispered to me in mysterious visions. Pyra, you will not be able toplete the elixir of life!"

    Before the voice of the fanatical Pyra, neither the chieftain nor Ragnar could speak.

    This was truly the shaman of the north.

    "The monk of Heaven''s Faith brought by the warriors is my guest! Wait until my emissary arrives, Pyra!"

    Pyra''s sharp, thin voice echoed.

    It sounded like the howling of a frost storm, and also like a woman crying out.

    "But I foolishly failed to read his will and caused trouble for our guest! But now, I have finally opened my eyes!"

    Pyra pointed to the raven perched on Ian''s shoulder.

    "Look here! At this gant raven! It is proof that the wizard Ian is Hrundal''s emissary!"

    "Caw! Caw!"

    Ian gently scratched Oberon''s neck.

    At this natural gesture, the warriors murmured in admiration.

    Seeing himmand a raven, they thought, he must be a shaman favored by Hrundal!

    Then Ian stood up and shouted.

    "I have beenmanded by the great Hrundal to find his gift. And I have been told that with Takarion here, we can definitely find it."

    Ian pulled out an arcana card from his robe and held it up.

    "Oh. That is...!"

    "It''s undoubtedly Hrundal''s image!"

    Ian put the card away and looked at Takarion.

    Now it was the monk''s turn.

    Finally, Takarion stood up and spoke.

    "I, I have heard the words of Saint Marcus."

    "Saint Marcus?"

    "Ah! You don''t know who Saint Marcus is! Saint Marcus was a saint who lived in the ancient Golden Empire, and his epithet was..."

    Ahem. The chieftain coughed.

    Ragnar interrupted Takarion''s words sharply.

    "Enough! We don''t care!"

    Takarion looked downcast.

    After all, an otaku is happiest when talking about what they know.

    "Anyway... yes. I received a revtion from him to meet the northern gods on behalf of heaven."

    "Revtion..."

    The chieftain called Pyra closer.

    "Is what he says true?"

    "Is there any doubt?"

    Pyra replied with eyes sparkling brightly.

    Eyes without a trace of deceit!

    When the shaman, wizard, and monk all spoke in unison about one truth.

    The chieftain believed Pyra''s story.

    "Very well. Go to the holy mountain."

    Ian smiled secretly.

 c117

    c117

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The next day, Ian and his party packed their belongings and headed to Mount Gramunt.

    Pyra, the warriors of the Red Bear tribe, and even Ragnar and Sigurd joined, making the group quiterge.

    ��Originally, one should not enter the holy mountain recklessly.��

    While climbing the mountain, Pyra mumbled out some information.

    Ian, finding it interesting and useful, paid close attention to Pyra��s words.��The Mountain King lives in the holy mountain.��

    ��The Mountain King?��

    It sounded like a name that might make flowers bloom from the ground, but in reality, it wasn��t that special of a name.

    It literally meant a kingly presence living in the mountain.

    ��It��s a mythical creature called Behemoth. Have you heard of it?��

    ��The name, yes.��

    Behemoth.

    A legendary beast with descriptions that varied in different tales, making it hard to pin down a specific stereotype.

    However, in this medieval fantasy world, the Behemoth was a monster resembling an elephant.

    Wise and gentle, yet possessing immense strength that couldn��t be ignored.

    ��The holy mountain is the Mountain King''s territory. If an intruder appears without the Mountain King��s permission, creatures called Grendel will appear and attack the intruder.��

    ��Oh.��

    ��Usually, you wouldn��t encounter Grendel, but since we are going deep into the Mountain King��s territory, we might meet them.��

    Humans and the Mountain King had coexisted by recognizing each other��s territories and avoiding conflict.

    Therefore, it was an unspoken rule not to invade each other''s domain deeply.

    But there was an exception when the shamans sought the temple of Hrundal.

    ��The Mountain King is also a follower of Hrundal.��

    ��You said it��s a wise creature.��

    ��Yes. If we exin our situation well, we should be able to pass safely.��

    As Pyra spoke confidently, Ian felt more at ease.

    This is why you need a local guide.

    Pyra was a veteran shaman who had climbed the holy mountain nearly ten times, including in his younger days.

    With Pyra apanying them, they shouldn��t face any major idents.

    ��Caw! Caw!��

    ��Chirp! Chirp!��

    As they climbed the mountain, two animals were delighted.

    Oberon and the phoenix Winnie pped their wings joyfully, enjoying the clear mountain air.

    [This feels amazing!]

    [Such lively wing pping! I like it!]

    ��...��

    The problem was they were doing this on Ian��s shoulder.

    ��Guys. Is my shoulder your yground?��

    [Oh! Your shoulder is the mostfortable and lovely ce in the world for me!]

    [I love Dad��s shoulder too!]

    Crack.

    Ian grabbed the phoenix and shook it gently.

    ��When we ran into that unfortunate mystery, you called me Daddy, didn��t you?��

    [Hehe...]

    ��Why am I your dad?��

    The phoenix pped its short wings and chirped.

    [If I call you Ian... it feels too distant...]

    Ian was momentarily surprised.

    This bird. Why is its vocabry like this?

    Even though Oberon had mastered the imperialnguage, he still spoke like a birdbrain.

    The phoenix, being inherently close to mystery, made it possible.

    Returning to the holy mountain seemed to be bringing back its old memories.

    Once it regains its true form, it would disy various wisdoms like other mystery.

    ��Ian. If you hold Winnie like that, it will hurt.��

    Kira quickly snatched the phoenix into her arms.

    Her hand movement was so fast, it was like watching a master gambler.

    ��Aww, so cute.��

    [I love Mom too!]

    Already transformed into a bird mom, Kira was busy adoring the phoenix.

    Kira didn��t know Maroniusnguage, so she didn��t understand what the phoenix said.

    How would she feel when she learned the phoenix called her Mom?

    Would she be happy or annoyed?

    ''Isn''t it too close?''

    "Hmm."

    "What is it, Pyra?"

    "Well, we have now stepped into the Mountain King''s territory, but the Grendels haven''t appeared."

    Pyra said this while looking around.

    Grendels were said to be like the Mountain King''s private soldiers.

    It was like stepping into another noble''snd and not seeing any soldiers, which felt strange.

    Ian didn''t think much of it.

    Considering how vast the holy mountain was, would a handful of humans showing up really prompt the monsters toe immediately?

    "Strange..."

    Muttering this, Pyra drew an Arcana card.

    It was the [World] card.

    ''Does this mean the n is proceeding...?''

    At least it wasn''t a sign to stop here.

    Even though Pyra felt something odd, she trusted the omen and kept moving forward.

    Ian''s group then arrived at a cave.

    "There is a sacred mural here," Pyra exined.

    There were always paintings in Hrundal''s temples. Conversely, if there were no paintings, it wasn��t a temple of Hrundal.

    ��I��ll go pay respects to Hrundal. Ragnar, please look after the others.��

    Ragnar nodded silently.

    He still didn''t like Pyra, but he didn''t reject the changed Pyra either.

    It was still an exploration phase, so to speak.

    "Ian, and Monk Takarion,e with me."

    Pyra led Ian and Takarion.

    Holding a torch, Pyra moved into the cave.

    Ian preferred not to have the torch, but he endured the light for the sake of the other two.

    As they entered the cave, a warm air greeted Ian.

    [Ian, we need to be quiet here.]

    [Can you feel the presence watching us?]

    The cave was silent.

    The usually lively spirit of darkness whispered quietly like a child before an adult.

    It was clearly aware of a superior presence.

    Ian was certain.

    This was a temple dedicated to the god of the north.

    "Ian, look at this."

    Pyra pointed to the drawings on the wall.

    The wall was filled with various paintings.

    There were drawings of hunting with bows, celebrating around a fire, and depicting conflicts between tribes.

    "These were all painted by Hrundal."

    "Hrundal?"

    "It��s proof that he is always watching over us."

    ��...��

    It was indeed a primitive-ancient mural.

    But if someone asked whether it was painted by Hrundal, a god... Ian couldn��t be sure.

    It was more reasonable to think that ancient northern inhabitants had left the cave paintings tomemorate their hunts.

    However, voicing such thoughts wouldn''t make Pyra listen.

    Ian wasn''t an anthropologist.

    Determining who painted the cave murals wouldn''t make him happy.

    Ultimately, it was something that wouldn''t benefit anyone.

    So Ian kept silent and just nodded.

    "Ian, ce an empty Arcana card on the altar."

    Ian ced a deck of empty Arcana cards on the altar.

    These were the cards Pyra had prepared for Ian��s introduction to Arcana.

    "From now on, Hrundal will grant you power. There are a total of twenty-two cards, but some might not appear. It means that power has not yet been granted to you, so don''t be too disappointed."

    Ian asked without much thought.

    "Can all twenty-two cards appear?"

    "Of course. But that is only possible for a great sage who understands all things in the world. Usually, you receive only a few cards at first, and the rest are filled with temporary cards."

    Arcana means mystery.

    Collecting all the cards signifies mastering all mysteries.

    In other words, Ian would not receive all the cards.

    "I''ll conduct the ritual. Just listen with a sincere heart."

    Ian faintly smiled.

    Listening wasn''t difficult for him at all.

    Ian meditated quietly in front of Hrundal''s altar.

    He recalled the first time he began learning magic.

    Ian had learned the Maroniusnguage from Eredith and seeded inmunicating with the mysteries.

    Language is a link that connects the world and humans.

    Humans cannot perceive the world withoutnguage.

    Some concepts that exist in the world hold meaning only because ofnguage.

    A wizard borrows the power of the world throughnguage.

    This is a very intuitive act.

    But Arcana is different.

    Arcana is more uncertain, yet spiritual and closer to the essence of mystery.

    Humans have long tried to interpret the world, resulting in numerous mysterious studies.

    Numerology, astrology, fortune-telling, shamanism...

    These are processes that thoroughly investigate the smallest traces left by the world to read its will.

    Arcana is part of these studies.

    Ian''s mind melted into the tranquil spiritual world.

    Countless truths and wills fluttered around him.

    He was enveloped in warmth that made his entire body melt.

    [Ian. You''re finally going to meet my friend.]

    [...? Who are you?]

    [Hehe. I''m one of your fans, supporting and waiting for your journey.]

    [The mystery of the heavens greets you warmly.]

    [The god of the Heaven''s Faith��?]

    Suddenly, Ian''s vision blurred.

    The voice started to fade away.

    [Just remember that I''m watching over you.]

    [No matter how elegant, noble, holy, and beautiful the sun is, it''s not good to look at it with the naked eye, right?]

    [Let��s talk after we��ve got some sunsses, okay?]

    [The mystery of the heavens pretends to sniffle.]

    [It''s sad, but see you next time, Ian.]

    The warmth disappeared.

    Then, a chill that seemed to freeze his bones swept from all directions.

    Ian felt a cold that seemed to freeze his soul.

    [So, it��s you. The human the Sunbearer spoke of.]

    Ian couldn��t bring himself to look directly at the cold.

    He felt that if he raised his head, his brain would freeze and shatter.

    [Come find me, human. Come and retrieve what the Sunbearer left with me.]

    Ian calmed his pounding heart.

    That must be Hrundal, the deity of the northern people.

    Unlike the warm and benevolent deity of Heaven''s Faith, Hrundal exuded a cold, stern, and eerie atmosphere.

    "... Ian! Get a hold of yourself!"

    Hearing the voice from beyond the ritual, Ian barely opened his eyes.

    Pyra was looking at Ian with worried eyes.

    "You... met Lord Hrundal."

    "... Probably."

    Ian remembered Hrundal''s words.

    Telling him toe find him out of the blue...

    How? Where should he go to meet Hrundal?

    ��Hrundal has asked me toe find him.��

    "..."

    Pyra''s expression was a mix of worry and reverence.

    He was concerned but also immensely proud that Ian had met Hrundal!

    Yes! Bringing Ian here was the right decision!

    ��We��ll figure that out together.��

    Pyra calmed Ian.

    "First, let''s check your cards."

    If Lord Hrundal told him toe find him.

    Ian would surely seek Hrundal.

    The way would be revealed by the world.

    That was the northern way.

    "Ah. Yes."

    Ian spread out the Arcana cards.

    A strangely familiar painting weed Ian.

    "��"

    Card 0. The Fool.

    The illustration somehow resembled Ian himself��

    It was the first card Hrundal had bestowed upon Ian.

    Ian quickly nced through the other cards.

    Card 2. The High Priestess.

    A woman resembling Eredith was depicted submerged in ake.

    Card 3. The Empress.

    A red-haired woman in splendid clothes, resembling Kira.

    Card 6. The Lovers.

    A ck-haired woman looking down at the ground, naked.

    Card 7. The Chariot.

    A massive drake leading Ian.

    Card 11. Justice.

    A blonde female knight holding a longsword.

    Card 12. The Hanged Man.

    A sorrowfully wailing unholy mystery.

    Card 17. The Star.

    A woman with dark blue hair smiling brightly.

    "This is��"

    Ian stopped speaking as he looked at the card illustrations.

    Pyra smiled and continued for Ian.

    "They are paintings of your life. Depictions of your journey."

    "��"

    He had thought the faces seemed oddly familiar...

    It wasn''t his imagination.

    The paintings on the cards were all of individuals rted to Ian''s journey.

 c118

    c118

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Arcana cards were tools provided by the northern god for his followers.

    The northern god Hrundal bestowed gifts equally upon all his followers, but the types of gifts varied from person to person.

    The kinds of cards one could handle depended on the life they had lived.

    ��Oh�� as expected. You received quite a few cards."

    When Ian talked about the cards he received, Pyra murmured with admiration.What cards Hrundal granted depended on his will.

    However, it was generally epted that the more experience and talent one had, the more cards they received.

    ''To have gathered eight cards before even turning twenty...''

    Pyra thought while looking at Ian.

    Talent is rtive.

    Generally, when someone achieved aplishments far beyond their age, they were called a [genius].

    But talent wasn��t fixed; it could deplete or change over time.

    Historically, many shamans had achieved Ian''s level of aplishment.

    And not all of them became great shamans. Some undoubtedly dropped out along the way.

    But...

    ''With this level of achievements... surely, he can gather all the cards.''

    Conversely, it meant that some of those individuals had indeed be great shamans.

    "You could be the [Master of the Key]."

    "What?"

    Ian didn''t understand the old northernnguage.

    So Pyra kindly tranted it into old imperialnguage.

    "The Master of the Key. In golden imperialnguage, it''s called ''Lemegeton.'' It''s the most feared shaman among your empire''s people."

    Northern shamans thought of magic as a key.

    A key that connects ces that cannot be connected and makes rules that cannot be followed, follow.

    A shaman who gathered all the Arcana cards was called the [Master of the Key].

    Ancient golden imperial people recorded such a shaman as [Lemegeton].

    "Lemegeton!"

    Takarion, who had been listening, eximed in surprise.

    Ian quickly noticed.

    That religious fanatic knows something!

    "What is Lemegeton?"

    "In the gospel... it��s the name that appears as an arch-enemy of saints... a monstrous figure whomands demons and toys with nature..."

    In short, Lemegeton was the arch-enemy of saints frequently mentioned in the Gospels of Heaven''s Faith.

    It wasn��t surprising that the greatest northern shaman, Lemegeton, appeared as the arch-enemy of saints of Heaven''s Faith.

    It didn��t break the world''s setting, provided a worthy opponent to fight, and served as a good viin role!

    Much like how American movies often portrayed China or Russia as viins.

    "Commanding demons? That''s nonsense."

    Pyra was dumbfounded after hearing Takarion''s story.

    Demons were evil beings, and only wicked humans couldmand them.

    One could see how hard it was to handle [evil creatures] just by looking at Manticore, a monster full of malice towards humans.

    Tomand a demon, which was even more evil than a Manticore, one had to be an absolute lunatic.

    The [Master of the Key] was a sage who mastered the principles of the world, not a crazy psychopath.

    They might have the skill tomand demons, but they certainly didn��t practice it.

    Everyone knew that stealing gave you free stuff, but those who actually did it were considered crazy. It was the same principle.

    "Why would a northern shaman fight a saint of Heaven''s Faith in the first ce?"

    "Well, Lemegeton coveted the holy relics of God and stole them..."

    "??? A shaman coveted Heaven''s Faith''s relics? Why?"

    "Because they are sacred..."

    "They might be sacred to Heaven''s Faith followers, but they would just be trinkets to northerners, right?"

    Pyra, puzzledly, pointed out the errors in Takarion''s story one by one.

    Takarion, sweating profusely, struggled to maintain the setting of the [Heaven''s Faith Universe].

    ��Well, it''s the usual setting, that Lemegeton is generally a viin...��

    ��I don��t understand what nonsense you��re talking about.��

    Ian tapped Pyra��s shoulder.

    ��Pyra. Subculture is originally like that.��

    ��Sub�� what?��

    ��Just type ��rlly? lol��.��

    ����?��

    Pyra looked at Ian with a strange expression.

    This guy''s weird��

    ��Anyway, since Hrundal has called for you, Ian, you��ll have the chance to meet him soon. Prepare yourself, physically and mentally, and be polite.��

    ��When, where, and how do I meet him?��

    Pyraughed maniacally.

    ��Kihik! You��re not quite a shaman yet! Finding that out is part of being a shaman!��

    I��m a wizard, you crazy human...

    Ian held the Arcana card deck, looking sour.

    Even though he couldn��t deny being somewhat of a shaman after receiving the cards...

    For now, he would slowly learn how to handle the Arcana cards and find a way to meet Hrundal.

    ��People are waiting. Let��s head back.��

    ��Yes. I��m hungry too.��

    ---

    ---

    Pyra, in a good mood, walked lightly ahead.

    Watching him wave his hand with one finger missing, Ian felt odd.

    ��Have you returned, shaman?��

    ��Very good! Everything went well!��

    As soon as Ian arrived, preparations for a meal began at the temporary campsite.

    While the meal was being prepared, Pyra called Ian over for a brief lesson.

    ��Ah, Ian. Now that you��ve received the Arcana cards, I��ll teach you the basics of reading them.��

    Pyra spread the cards on a leather nket without hesitation.

    He already regarded Ian as a sort of unofficial disciple.

    Even if not the sessor to the shaman of the Red Bear tribe, he was still a disciple he could im to have taught.

    As a young man favored by Hrundal, Pyra had no reason to be stingy with his teachings.

    ��Alright.��

    Ian sat quietly in front of Pyra.

    Sitting like this reminded him of learning magic under Eredith.

    Now he was learning shamanism on top of magic��

    The fantasy experience was incredible.

    ��I��ll teach you the numbers first. This is card number 1. The wizard card. It symbolizes omnipotence. Number 2, the High Priestess. It symbolizes knowledge and wisdom. And number 3����

    Pyra briefly exined the twenty-two cards and their meanings.

    Even briefly, there were twenty-two cards.

    Pyra spoke habitually, without expecting much.

    ��That��s it. Did you memorize them all?��

    Oops.

    He regretted it.

    This was a habit from his own master.

    It wasn��t a genuine question but rather a way to see how much Ian remembered.

    So Pyra was stunned by Ian��s response.

    ��Yes.��

    ��???��

    He memorized all twenty-two cards�� after hearing it just once?

    Both the card types and their meanings?!

    ��Number 1, the wizard. The card of omnipotence. Number 2, the High Priestess. The card of wisdom. Number 3����

    Ian recited all twenty-two Arcana cards from memory.

    ����Number 21, The World. The card ofpletion. Lastly, number 0, The Fool. The card of beginnings.��

    Pyra��s jaw dropped.

    He actually�� memorized all twenty-two cards after hearing them just once?

    Is this guy a genius?!

    Pyra had another disciple, a genuine shaman apprentice meant to seed him.

    He had brought the smartest kid from the tribe and had been teaching him, and the kid was learning well, but...

    It wasn��t to that extent!

    Unlike the astonished Pyra, Ian didn''t think much of it.

    ''It''s just twenty-two cards.''

    Ian was a genius who had mastered the Maroniusnguage, which consisted of over 10,000 characters.

    On the first day of learning from Eredith, Ian had learned 100 characters and passed the test.

    So what?

    Memorizing the names of twenty-two cards?

    It was a task he could easily do while having a snack.

    Ian was a genius.

    He had a mind as sharp as Eredith''s, or perhaps even sharper...

    ''Hey, [Status Window].''

    [Ian Eredith Raven]

    [Shaman Initiate]

    [Skill: Arcana Cards]

    [The ability to learn and use Arcana Cards]

    [Arcana Cards �C In Progress]

    ...A genius with a remarkable status window!

    Indeed, Ian was a genius con artist.

    A genius con artist who could study using the skills tab in his status window!

    Click, click.

    Ian recited the card list brought up by the status window.

    Ah~ Arcana cards are too easy~

    I can learn all twenty-two cards in no time~

    "Impressive..."

    Unaware of this, Pyra...

    Peering into Ian''s sharp genius, was taken aback.

    It didn''t feel human-like.

    If it were a world with precision machinery, Pyra would have thought of a meticulously working machine.

    A machine that always operated perfectly, thuscking any human feel.

    Wasn''t he a wizard who had learned the Maroniusnguage?

    Pyra assumed that Ian mastered the Maroniusnguage perfectly.

    ��Let��s try a real reading then.��

    Since Ian had perfectly memorized the Arcana cards, they moved on to the next step without hesitation.

    ��ce your hand on the cards.��

    Following Pyra��s instructions, Ian ced his hand on the Arcana cards.

    ��Magic responds to human will. The most easily manifested magic is the one that your desires call forth.��

    ��...��

    Ian already knew this.

    Both magic and shamanism ultimately dealt with mysteries, so there were many ovepping aspects.

    But saying, ��I already know this~ Let��s move on~�� would earn him a scolding from Pyra.

    A disciple must follow a disciple''s duty.

    Ian respectfully waited for Pyra to finish exining.

    ��What do you desire the most right now?��

    ��...To go down the mountain.��

    Ian answered honestly.

    Mount Gramunt was a snow-covered mountain.

    It meant it was unbearably cold.

    He had climbed the mountain with great effort and received the Arcana cards.

    Now he wanted to go down, fiddle with the cards, and rx...

    But Ian still had things to do.

    ��I want that too. But first, we must find the [Tears of Hrundal].��

    He had a hunch.

    When humans had a wish, the mysteries responded to that will.

    Pyra sensed that Ian had gained some insight.

    ��Now, think strongly about your wish and draw a card.��

    ��...Just like that?��

    ��Yes, just like that.��

    Ian was momentarily dumbfounded.

    Wait, these cards haven��t been shuffled yet???

    If he drew a card randomly, wouldn��t he obviously pick thest card, the Fool card, number 0?

    Was Pyra implying that Ian was a fool?

    However, Ian did as Pyra instructed.

    Thinking that there must be a reason behind the shaman''s words!

    ��What did you draw?��

    ��Not the Fool...��

    Ian looked at the card he had drawn with a nk expression.

    It was card number 20, the Judgment card.

    Pyraughed happily at Ian��s dumbfounded face.

    ��Do you understand now? The one who gives you the cards is not you, but Hrundal!��

    Ian had to ept it.

    In its iprehensibility, the Arcana card was a kind of mystery.

    ��Now, try to guess the meaning of the card you drew.��

    Ian drew the card hoping to find the [Tears of Hrundal].

    The answer was the [Judgment] card.

    ��It symbolizes resurrection...��

    ��That''s right. The Judgment card symbolizes resurrection.��

    Ian focused, trying to understand the card''s meaning.

    It was certainly different from the Maroniusnguage.

    A bit more vague, and therefore more ambiguous.

    But at that moment, an image shed through Ian''s mind.

    ��...The phoenix.��

    There was a familiar entity of resurrection not far away.

    It was the phoenix.

    ��I''ll ask the phoenix!��

    Ian ran to Kira.

    Coincidentally, Kira was also looking for Ian.

    ��Ian!��

    ��Where is the phoenix?��

    Kira looked surprised.

    She was already looking for Ian because of the phoenix!

    ��Winnie... Winnie is acting strange!��

    Ian carefully took the phoenix.

    The phoenixy motionless as if dead.

    Ian recalled what he knew about the phoenix.

    ��A being that resurrects from death.��

    The phoenix symbolized resurrection.

    But to resurrect, it had to die first.

    ��Kira, listen without panicking.��

    ��Huh?��

    ��The phoenix... might die like this.��

    Kira was shocked for a moment but quickly understood Ian''s words.

    ��It��s trying to be reborn...��

    ��Probably.��

    Understanding the situation, Kira neither rushed Ian nor panicked.

    She simply gazed at the phoenix with a wistful look.

    ��Ian, will the reborn phoenix... be the same one I knew?��

    ��I don��t know.��

    It was a question Ian couldn��t answer.

    This was the first time Ian had seen a phoenix in person.

    ��Is it too greedy to hope that it will recognize me?��

    ��Why not be greedy just this once?��

    Kira smiled softly.

    Ian stood beside Kira and looked at the phoenix.

    The phoenix slept peacefully, as if in a long dream.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Arcana cards were tools provided by the northern god for his followers.

    The northern god Hrundal bestowed gifts equally upon all his followers, but the types of gifts varied from person to person.

    The kinds of cards one could handle depended on the life they had lived.

    ��Oh�� as expected. You received quite a few cards."

    When Ian talked about the cards he received, Pyra murmured with admiration.What cards Hrundal granted depended on his will.

    However, it was generally epted that the more experience and talent one had, the more cards they received.

    ''To have gathered eight cards before even turning twenty...''

    Pyra thought while looking at Ian.

    Talent is rtive.

    Generally, when someone achieved aplishments far beyond their age, they were called a [genius].

    But talent wasn��t fixed; it could deplete or change over time.

    Historically, many shamans had achieved Ian''s level of aplishment.

    And not all of them became great shamans. Some undoubtedly dropped out along the way.

    But...

    ''With this level of achievements... surely, he can gather all the cards.''

    Conversely, it meant that some of those individuals had indeed be great shamans.

    "You could be the [Master of the Key]."

    "What?"

    Ian didn''t understand the old northernnguage.

    So Pyra kindly tranted it into old imperialnguage.

    "The Master of the Key. In golden imperialnguage, it''s called ''Lemegeton.'' It''s the most feared shaman among your empire''s people."

    Northern shamans thought of magic as a key.

    A key that connects ces that cannot be connected and makes rules that cannot be followed, follow.

    A shaman who gathered all the Arcana cards was called the [Master of the Key].

    Ancient golden imperial people recorded such a shaman as [Lemegeton].

    "Lemegeton!"

    Takarion, who had been listening, eximed in surprise.

    Ian quickly noticed.

    That religious fanatic knows something!

    "What is Lemegeton?"

    "In the gospel... it��s the name that appears as an arch-enemy of saints... a monstrous figure whomands demons and toys with nature..."

    In short, Lemegeton was the arch-enemy of saints frequently mentioned in the Gospels of Heaven''s Faith.

    It wasn��t surprising that the greatest northern shaman, Lemegeton, appeared as the arch-enemy of saints of Heaven''s Faith.

    It didn��t break the world''s setting, provided a worthy opponent to fight, and served as a good viin role!

    Much like how American movies often portrayed China or Russia as viins.

    "Commanding demons? That''s nonsense."

    Pyra was dumbfounded after hearing Takarion''s story.

    Demons were evil beings, and only wicked humans couldmand them.

    One could see how hard it was to handle [evil creatures] just by looking at Manticore, a monster full of malice towards humans.

    Tomand a demon, which was even more evil than a Manticore, one had to be an absolute lunatic.

    The [Master of the Key] was a sage who mastered the principles of the world, not a crazy psychopath.

    They might have the skill tomand demons, but they certainly didn��t practice it.

    Everyone knew that stealing gave you free stuff, but those who actually did it were considered crazy. It was the same principle.

    "Why would a northern shaman fight a saint of Heaven''s Faith in the first ce?"

    "Well, Lemegeton coveted the holy relics of God and stole them..."

    "??? A shaman coveted Heaven''s Faith''s relics? Why?"

    "Because they are sacred..."

    "They might be sacred to Heaven''s Faith followers, but they would just be trinkets to northerners, right?"

    Pyra, puzzledly, pointed out the errors in Takarion''s story one by one.

    Takarion, sweating profusely, struggled to maintain the setting of the [Heaven''s Faith Universe].

    ��Well, it''s the usual setting, that Lemegeton is generally a viin...��

    ��I don��t understand what nonsense you��re talking about.��

    Ian tapped Pyra��s shoulder.

    ��Pyra. Subculture is originally like that.��

    ��Sub�� what?��

    ��Just type ��rlly? lol��.��

    ����?��

    Pyra looked at Ian with a strange expression.

    This guy''s weird��

    ��Anyway, since Hrundal has called for you, Ian, you��ll have the chance to meet him soon. Prepare yourself, physically and mentally, and be polite.��

    ��When, where, and how do I meet him?��

    Pyraughed maniacally.

    ��Kihik! You��re not quite a shaman yet! Finding that out is part of being a shaman!��

    I��m a wizard, you crazy human...

    Ian held the Arcana card deck, looking sour.

    Even though he couldn��t deny being somewhat of a shaman after receiving the cards...

    For now, he would slowly learn how to handle the Arcana cards and find a way to meet Hrundal.

    ��People are waiting. Let��s head back.��

    ��Yes. I��m hungry too.��

    ---

    ---

    Pyra, in a good mood, walked lightly ahead.

    Watching him wave his hand with one finger missing, Ian felt odd.

    ��Have you returned, shaman?��

    ��Very good! Everything went well!��

    As soon as Ian arrived, preparations for a meal began at the temporary campsite.

    While the meal was being prepared, Pyra called Ian over for a brief lesson.

    ��Ah, Ian. Now that you��ve received the Arcana cards, I��ll teach you the basics of reading them.��

    Pyra spread the cards on a leather nket without hesitation.

    He already regarded Ian as a sort of unofficial disciple.

    Even if not the sessor to the shaman of the Red Bear tribe, he was still a disciple he could im to have taught.

    As a young man favored by Hrundal, Pyra had no reason to be stingy with his teachings.

    ��Alright.��

    Ian sat quietly in front of Pyra.

    Sitting like this reminded him of learning magic under Eredith.

    Now he was learning shamanism on top of magic��

    The fantasy experience was incredible.

    ��I��ll teach you the numbers first. This is card number 1. The wizard card. It symbolizes omnipotence. Number 2, the High Priestess. It symbolizes knowledge and wisdom. And number 3����

    Pyra briefly exined the twenty-two cards and their meanings.

    Even briefly, there were twenty-two cards.

    Pyra spoke habitually, without expecting much.

    ��That��s it. Did you memorize them all?��

    Oops.

    He regretted it.

    This was a habit from his own master.

    It wasn��t a genuine question but rather a way to see how much Ian remembered.

    So Pyra was stunned by Ian��s response.

    ��Yes.��

    ��???��

    He memorized all twenty-two cards�� after hearing it just once?

    Both the card types and their meanings?!

    ��Number 1, the wizard. The card of omnipotence. Number 2, the High Priestess. The card of wisdom. Number 3����

    Ian recited all twenty-two Arcana cards from memory.

    ����Number 21, The World. The card ofpletion. Lastly, number 0, The Fool. The card of beginnings.��

    Pyra��s jaw dropped.

    He actually�� memorized all twenty-two cards after hearing them just once?

    Is this guy a genius?!

    Pyra had another disciple, a genuine shaman apprentice meant to seed him.

    He had brought the smartest kid from the tribe and had been teaching him, and the kid was learning well, but...

    It wasn��t to that extent!

    Unlike the astonished Pyra, Ian didn''t think much of it.

    ''It''s just twenty-two cards.''

    Ian was a genius who had mastered the Maroniusnguage, which consisted of over 10,000 characters.

    On the first day of learning from Eredith, Ian had learned 100 characters and passed the test.

    So what?

    Memorizing the names of twenty-two cards?

    It was a task he could easily do while having a snack.

    Ian was a genius.

    He had a mind as sharp as Eredith''s, or perhaps even sharper...

    ''Hey, [Status Window].''

    [Ian Eredith Raven]

    [Shaman Initiate]

    [Skill: Arcana Cards]

    [The ability to learn and use Arcana Cards]

    [Arcana Cards �C In Progress]

    ...A genius with a remarkable status window!

    Indeed, Ian was a genius con artist.

    A genius con artist who could study using the skills tab in his status window!

    Click, click.

    Ian recited the card list brought up by the status window.

    Ah~ Arcana cards are too easy~

    I can learn all twenty-two cards in no time~

    "Impressive..."

    Unaware of this, Pyra...

    Peering into Ian''s sharp genius, was taken aback.

    It didn''t feel human-like.

    If it were a world with precision machinery, Pyra would have thought of a meticulously working machine.

    A machine that always operated perfectly, thuscking any human feel.

    Wasn''t he a wizard who had learned the Maroniusnguage?

    Pyra assumed that Ian mastered the Maroniusnguage perfectly.

    ��Let��s try a real reading then.��

    Since Ian had perfectly memorized the Arcana cards, they moved on to the next step without hesitation.

    ��ce your hand on the cards.��

    Following Pyra��s instructions, Ian ced his hand on the Arcana cards.

    ��Magic responds to human will. The most easily manifested magic is the one that your desires call forth.��

    ��...��

    Ian already knew this.

    Both magic and shamanism ultimately dealt with mysteries, so there were many ovepping aspects.

    But saying, ��I already know this~ Let��s move on~�� would earn him a scolding from Pyra.

    A disciple must follow a disciple''s duty.

    Ian respectfully waited for Pyra to finish exining.

    ��What do you desire the most right now?��

    ��...To go down the mountain.��

    Ian answered honestly.

    Mount Gramunt was a snow-covered mountain.

    It meant it was unbearably cold.

    He had climbed the mountain with great effort and received the Arcana cards.

    Now he wanted to go down, fiddle with the cards, and rx...

    But Ian still had things to do.

    ��I want that too. But first, we must find the [Tears of Hrundal].��

    He had a hunch.

    When humans had a wish, the mysteries responded to that will.

    Pyra sensed that Ian had gained some insight.

    ��Now, think strongly about your wish and draw a card.��

    ��...Just like that?��

    ��Yes, just like that.��

    Ian was momentarily dumbfounded.

    Wait, these cards haven��t been shuffled yet???

    If he drew a card randomly, wouldn��t he obviously pick thest card, the Fool card, number 0?

    Was Pyra implying that Ian was a fool?

    However, Ian did as Pyra instructed.

    Thinking that there must be a reason behind the shaman''s words!

    ��What did you draw?��

    ��Not the Fool...��

    Ian looked at the card he had drawn with a nk expression.

    It was card number 20, the Judgment card.

    Pyraughed happily at Ian��s dumbfounded face.

    ��Do you understand now? The one who gives you the cards is not you, but Hrundal!��

    Ian had to ept it.

    In its iprehensibility, the Arcana card was a kind of mystery.

    ��Now, try to guess the meaning of the card you drew.��

    Ian drew the card hoping to find the [Tears of Hrundal].

    The answer was the [Judgment] card.

    ��It symbolizes resurrection...��

    ��That''s right. The Judgment card symbolizes resurrection.��

    Ian focused, trying to understand the card''s meaning.

    It was certainly different from the Maroniusnguage.

    A bit more vague, and therefore more ambiguous.

    But at that moment, an image shed through Ian''s mind.

    ��...The phoenix.��

    There was a familiar entity of resurrection not far away.

    It was the phoenix.

    ��I''ll ask the phoenix!��

    Ian ran to Kira.

    Coincidentally, Kira was also looking for Ian.

    ��Ian!��

    ��Where is the phoenix?��

    Kira looked surprised.

    She was already looking for Ian because of the phoenix!

    ��Winnie... Winnie is acting strange!��

    Ian carefully took the phoenix.

    The phoenixy motionless as if dead.

    Ian recalled what he knew about the phoenix.

    ��A being that resurrects from death.��

    The phoenix symbolized resurrection.

    But to resurrect, it had to die first.

    ��Kira, listen without panicking.��

    ��Huh?��

    ��The phoenix... might die like this.��

    Kira was shocked for a moment but quickly understood Ian''s words.

    ��It��s trying to be reborn...��

    ��Probably.��

    Understanding the situation, Kira neither rushed Ian nor panicked.

    She simply gazed at the phoenix with a wistful look.

    ��Ian, will the reborn phoenix... be the same one I knew?��

    ��I don��t know.��

    It was a question Ian couldn��t answer.

    This was the first time Ian had seen a phoenix in person.

    ��Is it too greedy to hope that it will recognize me?��

    ��Why not be greedy just this once?��

    Kira smiled softly.

    Ian stood beside Kira and looked at the phoenix.

    The phoenix slept peacefully, as if in a long dream.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��What��s going on all of a sudden?��

    As Ian and Kira fussed around, Pyra quietly appeared.

    Ian exined the phoenix��s condition.

    ��It��s deeply asleep. Probably... well, I think it��s going to be reborn.��

    Ian didn��t have the heart to say that the phoenix was ��dying.��He felt Kira might burst into tears.

    ��Is that so? That makes sense.��

    But Pyra coldly said what he felt without a second thought.

    It wasn��t because he was a cold-hearted person.

    To Pyra, the phoenix was just an interesting bird.

    He acknowledged it as a spiritual creature, but so what?

    Just as an Indian considers cows sacred, they don��t make a fuss every time they see one.

    ��Oh, it��s just being reborn,�� was all he thought.

    ��Since we��ve returned to Mount Gramunt, it��s likely trying to revert to its original form.��

    ��Probably.��

    Thinking back, the phoenix��s journey ended here.

    Its original destination was Mount Gramunt. Having arrived, it was only natural for it to return to its true form.

    However, this ��natural�� fact made someone anxious.

    Kira, who had be a bird mom, felt this way.

    ��It��ll be okay, right? It��ll be fine...��

    Humans fear what they do not understand.

    Resurrection was natural for a phoenix. You couldn��t equate human death with a phoenix��s death.

    But Kira, not fully understanding the phoenix��s death, felt uneasy.

    ��Chirp...��

    The phoenix slowly opened its eyes.

    People, including Ian, gathered around.

    Among them was the raven Oberon.

    [Oh no, stay strong! Pull yourself together!]

    [Instructor Oberon... my body hurts...]

    Winnie, the phoenix, sensed that its body was breaking down.

    No longer needing to maintain a living body, it was instinctively choosing to self-destruct.

    Not much time was left.

    [Ian... will you take me... somewhere?]

    ��...��

    Ian nodded.

    This was probably the phoenix��s final request.

    ��Kira, Pyra, let��s get ready.��

    ��Understood.��

    Ian carried the dying phoenix up the mountain.

    The phoenix, cradled in Ian��s arms, chirped softly.

    [I can feel it... another ��me�� ising.]

    ��Another you?��

    [Yes. The true me. The current me is just a shell.]

    The phoenix��s vocabry had significantly improved.

    As it said, it seemed the time for it to awaken as a mystery was near.

    Ian slowly climbed the mountain, speaking quietly.

    ��You��re not just a shell, Winnie.��

    Breathing in the cold air, he saw white puffs forming and then dispersing in front of him.

    ��Kira really liked you. So did Oberon.��

    [Hehe. How about you, Ian?]

    ��I... liked you too.��

    Ian said honestly.

    It wasn��t a lie. He quite liked the phoenix.

    Even though it had unexpectedly be a burden, it had safely reached its destination.

    It would be a lie to say he hadn��t grown attached.

    [... Ian.]

    The phoenix Winnie spoke softly.

    [When we first met... thank you for listening to my voice.]

    Ian recalled the first time he met the phoenix. He remembered hearing a voice back then.

    But he hadn��t heard exactly what it said.

    ��To be honest, I didn��t hear it clearly.��

    When Ian spoke, the phoenixughed.

    [It��s okay. You didn��t abandon me and brought me here, right?]

    Ian nodded.

    [Without drinking the mountain��s energy, ��I�� would wither and disappear. When humans took me far to the south, I thought everything was over.]

    The northerners considered phoenix eggs sacred and collected them, bringing them to their viges.

    The monk Isi taking it to the empire was the problem.

    [I trusted you, Ian. I believed you would return me to my homnd.]

    ��Do you usually have that much faith?��

    [Hehe. Maybe so.]

    Ian stopped in front of a cave.

    At first nce, it looked like any other cave on the mountain, just an ordinary cave.

    [Please go inside.]

    Holding the phoenix, Ian entered the cave.

    Icicles hung like stctites in the underground cave.

    On the icy ground, where hardened ice had formed into tes, there was a pool of milky liquid.

    ��Ooooh!��

    Pyra let out an echoing cry.

    ��We��ve found it! We��ve really found it!��

    Icicles hanging from the ceiling broke off and fell.

    His voice was unbelievably loud.

    ��It��s the Tears of Hrundal! Indeed! You are truly a wizard favored by Hrundal!��

    Pyra rambled on, but Ian didn��t hear him.

    Ian was listening to the phoenix.

    [Ian.]

    The phoenix looked straight at Ian and spoke.

    Life was fading from the phoenix��s body. Only its eyes glowed with a mysterious blue light.

    It looked like a sage approaching nirvana.

    [This is my parting gift. If you drink that, your spiritual pathway will be stronger.]

    ��...��

    ��Tears of Hrundal�� was a sacred elixir.

    Elixir = internal power enhancement. It��s a standard setting in web novels.

    Though Ian had the privilege of being a status-windowed cheat yer in another world, his body often couldn��t withstand the mysteries.

    He had fainted not long after meeting the drake for the first time. When encountering the unholy spirit, he almost lost his mind.

    If he drank this sacred elixir called the Tears of Hrundal, his spiritual pathway would be much stronger.

    This meant he would have the strength to withstand powerful mysteries.

    [Ian, you were looking for that. It��s a good thing I remembered.]

    Winnie, the phoenix, spoke calmly.

    Seeing this, Ian realized the source of the anxiety he had been feeling.

    ��Winnie. When the true ��you�� returns, what happens to you?��

    [Well, I don''t know. I have no memory of that.]

    ��...��

    That was as good as an answer.

    When the true personality of the phoenix returns, Winnie��s memories would disappear.

    All the memories of Ian, Kira, and Oberon, everything.

    ��One more question.��

    [Go ahead.]

    ��Why did you call me Dad? Was it just out of affection?��

    At Ian��s question, Winnie smiled softly.

    [I don��t know what a dad is. I��m just ��me.��]

    Before being an egg, Winnie was a phoenix. Winnie��s parents were herself.

    [But as soon as I saw you, I felt like I knew what a dad was.]

    It was a concept often referred to as ��imprinting.��

    It��s a characteristic in birds where they recognize the first being they see upon hatching as their parent.

    To put it bluntly, the reason Winnie called Ian ��Dad�� was merely a manifestation of the biological trait of birds.

    A coincidence driven by instinct.

    A fleeting emotion that would disappear cleanly once dead.

    But the emotions Winnie felt were real.

    [Ian... I...]

    Winnie��s head drooped.

    Until now, it had held on to show Ian the location of the elixir.

    Now that its purpose was fulfilled, Winnie had no reason to live.

    [I wished... I could have talked to you more...]

    Ian could also sense it.

    A mystical presence approaching Winnie.

    [The time hase.]

    [Yes. You have arrived...]

    [ept me quickly. My fragment. I must restore order to this mountain.]

    [Wait... Can��t you give me a little more time?]

    [Sorry, but there��s no time for idle talk. Thend calls for me.]

    Ian saw it clearly.

    Winnie was resisting its own memories.

    [My fragment. The time hase.]

    [But... I just started talking to Dad...]

    [You are soon to be me. That wizard is merely aware of my existence.]

    [Still... I talked... and even said thank you...]

    Winnie''s wings drooped.

    Life was fading away.

    Just one more step, and Winnie would disappear.

    But...

    Ian found it strangely difficult to just watch Winnie disappear.

    Maybe it was just a whim.

    Ian had only had a proper conversation with Winnie after it had be close to bing a mystery.

    But after having that conversation, he wanted to talk to Winnie more.

    It was just a shell that would disappear anyway.

    But Ian felt he needed a proper goodbye.

    He didn��t want to treat the shell like it was just a shell.

    ��[Excuse me for interrupting.]��

    So Ian spoke to the phoenix��s spirit in fluent Maronius.

    Surprised that Ian had intervened, the phoenix responded in a reluctant voice.

    [What is it, young wizard?]

    ��[May I also make a request, simr to the other you?]��

    The phoenix��s spirit fluttered its wings irritably.

    [How foolish. Would you hinder my task for the sake of a body that will soon disappear?]

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    That phoenix treated death like a trivial matter.

    How could an immortal being understand the fear of death?

    ��[If you are so wise, why do you disregard the weight of death?]��

    [...What?]

    The phoenix��s spirit was taken aback by Ian��s retort.

    Ian��s concept was too foreign.

    For the phoenix, death and resurrection were asmon as daily routines.

    The phoenix had never worried about the death of its body!

    ��[As you said, your body is about to die. It will disappear soon.]��

    [That is...]

    ��[But all life lives desperately until the moment their breath stops, despite knowing they will eventually disappear. Each seeks the meaning of life.]��

    The phoenix forgot it needed to resurrect and listened to Ian.

    The immortal phoenix had never considered the perspective of a mortal.

    No one had ever exined mortal life to the phoenix.

    Wizard Ian was the first to break that barrier.

    ��[If you thought a short life meant a short will to live, you were mistaken.]��

    [...]

    ��[That''s why I ask you for this favor. Not for long, just a day or two. Let Winnie leave this world peacefully.]��

    The phoenix was silent for a moment.

    The phoenix was not so foolish that it couldn��t understand Ian''s words.

    So instead of berating Ian, it sighed in pity.

    [Yes... you are not a resident of this ce, so you cannot feel the cmity that has befallen the mountain.]

    ��[Cmity?]��

    [An evil presence has invaded the mountain. It must have harmed the Mountain King.]

    The phoenix spoke in a gentle voice.

    [Do you think granting my body��s wish is more important than investigating the cmity on the mountain?]

    Ian looked between Winnie and the phoenix.

    Then he answered.

    ��[Until Winnie dies, I will help you with your investigation.]��

    [...]

    "[Even then... is it not possible?]"

    The phoenix stared at Ian.

    [Hahaha!]

    It burst into a loudugh.

    [How astonishing. Truly, a remarkable experience.]

    ��[What is so funny?]��

    [Meeting someone who cherishes my body.]

    The phoenix��s body usually died a few days after hatching. There was no reason to maintain it.

    The phoenix had repeated the cycle of death and rebirth in the snowy mountains.

    However, this time, it experienced a journey far away in the Empire.

    And it met a human who cherished its body.

    The sensation of being cherished was indeed a strange feeling.

    [Very well, human. I grant you two days.]

    ��[Thank you!]��

    [But be cautious. Something has undoubtedly happened to the Mountain King.]

    The phoenix��s spirit circled around Winnie.

    Then something remarkable happened.

    Life returned to Winnie��s body!

    [Ian...!]

    Winnie, now revitalized, blinked in surprise...

    And hugged Ian tightly with its little wings.

    [Why...? Why did you do this?]

    Glistening~

    Ian turned his head away, feeling burdened by Winnie��s gaze.

    ��Well, just...��

    [What? Because you like me so much? Because you wanted to talk to me too? That I can call you Dad???]

    Watching the excited Winnie chatter away.

    Ian couldn��t help but chuckle.

    Indeed.

    He was d he had asked for the time to say goodbye properly.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��Is the conversation over?��

    At the sudden voice, Ian turned his head.

    Pyra and the others were waiting.

    ��You seemed to be having such a serious conversation that I couldn��t interrupt... but it looks like everything went well.��

    Pyra had noticed that Ian was in contact with a mystery.But to ensure Ian''s smooth conversation, he had deliberately held back.

    Normally, conversations should be one-on-one; if someone suddenly intervenes, even a well-going conversation can get messed up.

    ��You must have been surprised.��

    ��A little?��

    ��Sorry I couldn��t exin in advance.��

    Pyra looked at Ian with a curious smile.

    Northern shamans avoid direct contact with mysteries.

    In their ruggednd, there were many rough spirits.

    But this young wizard from the Empire didn��t fear talking to mysteries at all.

    Whether it was his personality or a trait of imperial wizards, Pyra didn��t know.

    But he didn��t dislike seeing Ian converse with a mystery.

    It was bold and free-spirited, something one wouldn��t see in a shaman.

    ��No. You��re not a child. I can��t oversee every single action you take.��

    As the phoenix��s spirit disappeared, the surroundings became much quieter.

    Pyra smiled broadly and gathered the Tears of Hrundal.

    ��With this amount, both of us can have a share.��

    Ian examined the elixir Pyra handed over.

    It looked like milky liquid.

    It didn��t have any noticeable smell.

    He tasted it slightly, and it felt like in water.

    ��Isn��t this just hard water?��

    Ian looked at the elixir skeptically.

    In the Empire, it wasmon to find water mixed with lime because of the limestoneyers underground.

    Ian had often seen spring water in mountain valleys that was milky.

    [Drink it! Ian!]

    Winnie chirped.

    [I��m sure it will be effective!]

    Hmm. If the phoenix vouched for its quality...

    Ian drank the elixir without hesitation.

    [You have consumed the Tears of Hrundal.]

    [Your spiritual defense has greatly increased.]

    The status window kindly disyed a message.

    It seemed to be a beneficial elixir for his health.

    Ian opened his eyes wide and looked around.

    The world��s colors seemed a bit more vivid.

    His enhanced ability to ept mystery made it so.

    Now, Ian could safely ept stronger mysteries than before.

    ��Don��t I need to do something like qi cirction?��

    [Huh? Qi... what?]

    Ah.

    Being a western fantasy creature, she doesn��t know about Chinese characters!

    ��It��s like qi brunch.��

    [I don��t know what that is, but... you won��t need to do it.]

    In martial arts novels, after consuming an elixir, one needs to circte qi to absorb its energy properly.

    But in this world without the concept of qi cirction, just drinking it seemed effective.

    ��...?��

    At that moment, Ian felt a gentle, mysterious energy emanating in his stomach.

    Slowly, it spread through his veins and throughout his body.

    Especially as it traveled up his spine and through the nape of his neck, Ian felt a tingling sensation.

    Although Ian didn��t know, the pineal nd located inside the brain ys a crucial role in humans bing aware of mystery.

    This was already proven by the master of horror fiction, Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

    It was a sensation of the pineal nd��s function being enhanced by the elixir.

    ��This is good.��

    Ian had lower resistance to mysterypared to his magical prowess.

    The reason was simple: Ian was a munchkin yer who had raised his stats through cheats.

    A typical case of [raising one��s level without enlightenment]!

    Because of this, even though Ian could handle magic with his skills, his body often experienced strain.

    But the elixir he just consumed would prevent such situations.

    Of course, it wouldn''t allow him to face off openly against dark mysteries or anything like that.

    ��Shall we head back now?��

    At Ian��s suggestion, Pyra nodded.

    They had secured the Tears of Hrundal, so it was time to return.

    ---

    ---

    ��Ian... are you sure it��s okay?��

    On the way back to the camp, Takarion whined beside him.

    ��But... but I didn��t do anything?��

    Takarion seemed to firmly believe he had a role to y.

    Ian had indeed created some smoke and mirrors.

    He had insisted that Takarion was very important and must be brought along.

    But that was a lie.

    ��Takarion, seriously. Do you really think you were invited by Hrundal?��

    ��...Wasn��t I?��

    Maybe Ian had overdone it with the MSG.

    The fake information he spread to deceive the Red Bear tribe must have also convinced Takarion.

    Ian had talked so much about Takarion��s importance that Takarion started to think, ��Maybe... am I really that important?��

    Typical nerd: imagines awakening hidden powers.

    "Actually, I am the hero chosen by the Northern God��"

    "Really?"

    Takarion was like a totem.

    A ��bring him along and you��ll get lucky~�� kind of totem.

    In reality, Ian had found the Tears of Hrundal safely, and when he returned and said, ��I found it thanks to Takarion~,�� he could then take Takarion back to the Empire.

    "What if I meet the Northern God and awaken my powers��"

    "Takarion."

    Despite being a monk, he casually talked about pagan gods.

    Well, nerds usually don��t care about such distinctions.

    Ian tapped Takarion on the shoulder.

    ��Why don��t you use that rich imagination to write the next gospel?��

    ��...��

    ��I��m really looking forward to it.��

    It wasn��t just a figure of speech.

    In a world with few entertainment options, Takarion��s gospel was a subtly entertaining read.

    Ian seriously intended to read Takarion��s next work.

    ��Ugh...!��

    Takarion was genuinely upset.

    Ian couldn��t believe it.

    Just a few days ago, Takarion was worried about losing his heart. Had he already forgotten those memories?

    Anyway, he was a friend with a very rich imagination.

    When Ian returned with the elixir, the northerners gathered around to inspect it.

    It was busy and noisy, but Ian let it slide.

    Think about it like someone finding ginseng on a mountain.

    How could anyone resist checking out the ginseng?

    ��Ooh! This is it!��

    ��Miraculous! Truly miraculous!��

    Pyra shooed away the warriors like birds and immediately spoke to Ragnar.

    ��Look. Ian found the elixir.��

    ��Hmm...��

    ��For the record, I knew Ian would seed.��

    Pyra said proudly.

    Ragnar found Pyra annoying but couldn��t say anything.

    After all, they had results!

    Until now, he could criticize Pyra for failures, but after such a dignified sess, he couldn��t say much.

    ��Imperial priest Takarion also did his part, so I hope you will let him go.��

    ��I will speak to the chieftain.��

    One way or another.

    From Ragnar��s perspective, he gained an upgraded elixir by just sitting around, so there was nothing toin about.

    The chieftain wasn��t greedy enough to refuse the good elixir and still harm Hrundal��s guest.

    ��Let��s head back to the vige.��

    The warriors prepared to leave.

    Pyra asked Ian.

    ��Ian, do you have any more business in the holy mountain?��

    ��Well... I��d like to stay for about two more days.��

    It was to keep his promise to the phoenix.

    While lightly enjoying the scenery, Ian nned to check if there was anything that might concern the phoenix��s spirit.

    ��I want to investigate the mysteries of the holy mountain.��

    Ian roughly exined.

    It wasn��t entirely untrue. If he got lucky, he might encounter something that could help him in his magical pursuits.

    ��Then I��ll help you.��

    Ragnar and the warriors decided to descend the mountain first. They couldn��t dawdle with such a precious elixir.

    Since the warriors left most of the supplies behind, there was no inconvenience in staying.

    ��Wow. Camping in the snowy mountains...��

    Ian muttered as he looked at the snow piling up.

    The view was amazing.

    But the sharp, icy wind howling through the valleys gave Ian a slight chill.

    ---

    ---

    The next day.

    At dawn, Ian set out to explore the snowy mountains.

    Of course, he called it an investigation, but it was more like a light hike.

    ��Hmm! The weather is great!��

    Belenka and Kira apanied Ian with light steps.

    Belenka, who was used to seeing snow, was calm, but Kira was especially fascinated by it.

    ��Winnie, is there anything you want me to do?��

    [No. I��m just happy to be with you, Ian.]

    The investigation of the snowy mountains was what the phoenix��s spirit wanted, not Winnie.

    So Ian made the goal of their investigation enjoying the breathtaking snowy scenery with Winnie.

    ��It��s certainly quiet.��

    Pyra muttered as they climbed the mountain.

    ��Does the Mountain King have something urgent? It��s strange not to see any Grendels.��

    They had explored quite a bit of the Mountain King��s territory.

    When they were searching for the elixir, Pyra thought they had just missed the Mountain King��s followers.

    But now, after camping and hiking, it was odd that none of the Mountain King��s followers had appeared.

    Were they just ignoring them because it was bothersome?

    But knowing the Mountain King��s personality, Pyra thought he would have sent at least one follower to check on them.

    ��Hmm...��

    ��What��s wrong, Pyra?��

    ��Nothing. Let��s keep going.��

    Ian continued up the mountain.

    As they passed the mid-mountain, their feet sank into the thick snow.

    The snow on the mountain, which repeatedly froze and thawed, stung their skin with cold.

    ��Huff. Huff...��

    ��Are you okay, Takarion?��

    ��I... can still manage...��

    That��s good.

    Human determination is often shallow and rarelysts beyond a few days. Countless discarded New Year��s resolution lists prove that.

    But Takarion��s determination seemed tost longer than expected.

    If Takarion kept up, it would make things easier for Ian.

    ��Caw! Master!��

    Oberon flew over and perched on Ian��s shoulder.

    ��What is it, Oberon?��

    [I spotted humans in the distance! They were almost frozen!]

    ��...Humans?��

    Ian tilted his head.

    Humans in the middle of the holy mountain?

    This was the Mountain King��s territory. Humans couldn��t just intrude here.

    ��Are they shamans?��

    If they weren��t suicidal, they were probably shamans.

    Like Pyra, they could ascend and descend the holy mountain with the Mountain King��s permission.

    Ian whispered with Oberon and then spoke to Pyra.

    ��Pyra, we need to change direction for a bit.��

    Pyra looked at Ian with a curious expression.

    To someone who dealt with mysteries like Pyra, Ian��s ability to converse with a raven was indeed fascinating.

    Of course, it was due to the differences between the Maroniusnguage and Arcana cards.

    Pyra had a skill simr to talking with animals.

    He wouldy out cards in front of the raven and indirectlymunicate by asking it to pick a card.

    A much more primitive and abstract methodpared to the Maroniusnguage.

    It was a much safer method since there was no risk of making a verbal mistake that could anger the other party.

    ��Did you find something?��

    ��Yes. Let��s go that way.��

    Ian led the group to the ce Oberon had pointed out.

    ��That��s...��

    ��Aren��t those the people from a northern vige?��

    There, they found humans frozen to death.

    To be precise, they were frozen to death after being bitten.

    They looked less like corpses and more like chunks of meat left in a freezer.

    Ian felt nauseous for the first time in a long while.

    ��...Looks like the work of Grendels.��

    Pyra��s voice changed.

    ��It��s certain. These are the shamans of the Sgonu tribal coalition.��

    Pyra poked the snowdrifts with his staff.

    At that moment, an arm suddenly shot up from the snow.

    ��Oh my god!��

    Kira eximed in surprise.

    Belenka quickly drew her sword and stepped forward.

    But Pyra stopped her.

    ��Hold on! They��re not enemies!��

    The frozen corpse twisted its joints and rose from the snow.

    Crack... crack...

    Forcing its frozen body to move, chunks of icy flesh flew off like shards.

    Even with only a few movements, the corpse became tattered.

    Ian calmly observed the frozen corpse.

    ��They deferred their death.��

    ��Right. It seems they asked the mystery of ice for help.��

    Ian noticed the presence of mystery within the corpse.

    Just before dying, the shaman must have asked the mystery of ice to hold onto their soul.

    It was the work of a skilled shaman.

    ��[Y-You... You��re from Okaha...]��

    ��Yes. Shaman from Sgonu."

    Pyra understood the secret of the frozen corpse.

    Just before meeting death, the shaman had asked the mountain��s mystery for help, making themselves an undead.

    ��[P-Please... deliver my message to my homnd...]��

    ��I swear by Hrundal, I will deliver your message to your people.��

    The shaman had deferred their death to leave a final message.

    ��[We climbed the holy mountain to seek wisdom from the Mountain King...]��

    ��Wisdom?��

    ��[We wanted to know the reason for the Great Hunt��s failure...]��

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Pyra had a peculiar expression.

    Of course, it was something worth trying. But it was obvious that a negative answer woulde back.

    The Mountain King had no interest in things happening outside his territory.

    Whether humans hunted a few Yagons at the entrance of Gramunt or not, it was of no concern to the Mountain King.

    To begin with, the Mountain King was a herbivore. Not only did he resemble an elephant in appearance, but his diet was also simr to that of an elephant."I understand. You must have been frustrated as well."

    However, the Mountain King was a wise being.

    He might know something about why the Yagon pack had disappeared.

    The shamans from the northern vige climbed the holy mountain to borrow the Mountain King''s wisdom.

    "So, did you get an answer?"

    "[Yes, we did.]"

    The shaman''s spirit trembled, its frozen body shivering with a wail.

    "[An answer of ice and fangs!]"

    "... Damn it."

    There was no need for further words.

    Pyra instinctively knew that the ones who killed the shaman were the Mountain King''s followers.

    But it didn''t make sense.

    Why would the Mountain King do that?

    Why would he create a situation that would ruin the good rtionship he had maintained with humans?

    The Mountain King was a formidable monster.

    But humans were not to be underestimated either.

    The Mountain King knew well the power of humans. That was why he had made a sort of non-aggression pact.

    Yet, the Mountain King''s followers had attacked the shaman first...

    ''What on earth is he thinking?''

    "Ian."

    "I heard everything too."

    Ian nodded.

    Pyra had always grumbled about not seeing the Mountain King''s followers.

    But he didn''t realize that it was actually a good thing.

    Not meeting the Mountain King''s followers until now had been a stroke of luck.

    "Let''s get off the mountain for now. We don''t know what''s going on, but staying here could put us in danger!"

    "Good idea."

    Ian also preferred to avoid being attacked by the Mountain King''s followers.

    There was no reason to fight monsters that didn''t even give experience points.

    This wasn''t a game fantasy, just a medieval fantasy.

    Grrr...

    But then it happened.

    "Damn it."

    Belenka drew her sword once again.

    This time, Pyra did not stop her.

    Beyond the snow-covered valley, white-furred beasts appeared.

    "Grendel...!"

    Monsters resembling white-furred monkeys.

    They were Grendel, followers of the Mountain King.

    "Screech!"

    [Death to the intruders!]

    Each Grendel was more robust than an adult male.

    And there were dozens of such monsters visible.

    "This is bad..."

    Finally meeting the Mountain King''s followers they had been so curious about.

    Pyra watched the charging monsters with a pale face.

    The Mountain King was the ruler of the holy mountain.

    As with any region, if the ruler of the area decided to attack, the target usually couldn''t avoid death.

    Pyra was no exception.

    ''Oh Hrundal...!''

    Seeing the charging Grendel, Pyra felt darkness closing in.

    Now... I''m going to die for sure!

    "Pyra! What are you doing?"

    "We''re done for... The Mountain King has decided to dispose of us..."

    Pyra was a shaman who could read the flow of fate.

    Having always epted fate, he thought he could ept his own impending death.

    No, perhaps it had be a habit.

    A habit of surrendering to the great flow.

    But.

    Wizard Ian was different.

    "So what if that''s the case!"

    "...Ian."

    Ian calmed his pounding heart and stared ahead.

    Monsters more robust than northern warriors, dozens of them.

    What they wanted was Ian''s death.

    In such a dire situation, a faint-hearted human would be overwhelmed by their presence and lose the will to resist.

    However, Ian was different.

    "Try to divine your fate, Pyra!"

    "..."

    "If Hrundal really wants you dead, then just die! But I assure you, your god doesn''t want your death!"

    Ian''s shout snapped Pyra out of it.

    Ian was right.

    They were just a pack of monsters, not Hrundal''s will!

    "Yes...! What is the Mountain King anyway! I have the will of the god and nature with me!"

    Pyra''s whites gleamed with madness.

    He drew his Arcana cards, eyes rolling back like a man possessed.

    "Oh, Hrundal! Answer me!"

    As soon as Pyra drew the card, a mysterious energy surged.

    This was not a repeat of the failures in the vige.

    This time, true Arcana magic was unfolding.

    As proof, the spirit of the shaman, a mystery, responded.

    The shaman''s spirit shuddered.

    "[Yes. It is my turn...]"

    The shaman''s spirit willingly sacrificed its body for Pyra''s spell.

    Anyway, it was a dead, frozen body.

    If it were to strike back at the Grendel, it would dly cooperate!

    [Who dares disturb my slumber!]

    A thundering voice echoed across the mountain.

    To ordinary people, it sounded like the mountain itself was roaring.

    Pyra''s Arcana magic had stirred the mountain''s mysteries.

    In response, the shaman''s spirit shouted.

    [It is I! You foolish old man!]

    [What? Foolish old man?!]

    [Yes! An old man who only knows how to sleep buried in the snow! That''s you!]

    Ian was horrified as he watched.

    Is he trying to get himself killed?! (Even though he''s already dead!)

    If he kept running his mouth like that to the mountain...!

    [You worthless wretch!]

    The mountain was enraged.

    At the same time, the shaman''s spirit smirked.

    Ian felt a shiver run down his spine...

    He understood how this spirit intended to take revenge on the Grendel!

    [Perish!]

    The mountain wielded its immense power like a hammer.

    Simultaneously, the frozen corpse exploded like a bomb!

    An intense ice storm, unbelievable to havee from a corpse, swept through.

    "Kyaak!"

    The sudden snowstorm caught the Grendel off guard, slowing them down.

    Ian swallowed hard.

    He had just understood the shaman''s method.

    The principle of the magic wasn''tplicated.

    Pyra had drawn a card, spreading a loud intent around him, and the shaman''s spirit had cooperated to create amotion. The enraged mystery reacted violently, causing a fierce phenomenon.

    Provoking the vtile mystery of the north to create anomalies.

    The principle was very different from thenguage of magic.

    While thenguage of magic begins by seeking the cooperation of the mystery, arcane magic does not hesitate to provoke the mystery.

    It was a bold and daring approach.

    If Ian tried that, he would surely be killed by the enraged mystery.

    But sending intent indirectly through the cards made it hard for the spirits'' wrath to reach the caster directly.

    ''So that''s Arcana magic...''

    Ian unconsciously smiled.

    Witnessing and understanding new magic was always delightful.

    Even if a monster was charging at him!

    [Your understanding of Arcana has increased!]

    [New skill acquired!]

    [Arcana Manifestation �C Draw One Card]

    [Draw one Arcana card to induce an anomaly. Only the Ice God knows what will happen!]

    "Ian!"

    Belenka shouted.

    Pyra had bought them some time; now it was Ian''s turn.

    Ian drew a card from his Arcana deck.

    The card Ian drew was [The Hanged Man].

    [You drew the ''Hanged Man'' card...!]

    [A being writhing in agony bes aware of you!]

    A tingling magic sent shivers through Ian''s entire body.

    He felt the gaze of an overwhelming presence.

    Though it was a gaze that feared and despised everything, directed at Ian, it held a hint of goodwill.

    Ian already knew this overwhelming presence of sorrow.

    "O unholy mystery!"

    [Aah... Ian...]

    Ian red at the charging Grendel horde and shouted roughly.

    "Scream with all your might!"

    Through the Arcana card, the unholy mystery was summoned.

    To summon the unholy mystery in the wizard''s way would have required numerous rituals and sacrifices.

    But with the Arcana card, the will of Hrundal could be used to borrow the mystery''s power in a short and certain way.

    The unholy mystery let out a ferocious howl.

    At the same time, a terrible dissonance engulfed the Grendel horde!

    [Screeee!]

    "Argh!"

    "Ahhh!"

    When the unholy mystery howled, the Grendel horde couldn''t keep their wits.

    The dreadful mystery that drove Ian, Pyra, and even Kira to insanity was the unholy mystery.

    Pain, agony, sorrow, fear...

    As all sorts of negative emotions burrowed into their brains, the Grendels could not endure it.

    "Belenka! Cut them down!"

    "Understood!"

    Belenka decapitated the foremost Grendel.

    The head of the monkey-like creature with fangs rolled on the ground.

    "Screech!"

    "Roar!"

    With that, a contagious fear swept through the Grendels.

    Seeing the death of arade while already drained of willpower by negative emotions, theypletely lost their fighting spirit!

    This is technically called ''Morale 0''. It means their mental state has shattered.

    The Grendels fled in panic.

    Belenka chased and cut down a few of the fleeing enemies.

    "Ian. Are you okay?"

    Kira grabbed Ian''s hand worriedly.

    Kira was one of those who had experienced the horror of the unholy mystery firsthand.

    To wield a mystery, one mustmunicate with it. That''s the wizard''smon sense.

    To wield a nauseating presence just by looking at it... How strong must one''s mental fortitude be!

    Kira naturally thought Ian had pushed himself immensely.

    If Ian had used the magicalnguage to summon the unholy mystery, Kira would have been right.

    But...

    Ian was perfectly fine.

    It was because the one who summoned the unholy mystery was not Ian, but Hrundal.

    The penalty was handed over to the god, and only the benefits were reaped!

    This is why shamans worship and tter Hrundal.

    Even ack of faith would grow rapidly.

    ''This is certainly effective.''

    Arcana magic definitely suited the north.

    "Ugh... My head suddenly...!"

    "Ian!"

    "I''m perfectly... fine!"

    Kira blushed and hit Ian''s back.

    "You, you scared me..."

    When Ian chuckled, Kira couldn''t help butugh along.

    Anyway, with Ian fine, she felt good.

    "Pyra! Let''s escape quickly before theye back."

    "Yes. We should."

    Pyra muttered, looking up at the snowy mountain.

    Defying the Mountain King...

    In the distance, it seemed like an ominous wind was swirling.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian and his party quickly attempted to descend the mountain.

    Now that they had confirmed that the Mountain King was hostile towards humans, staying on the holy mountain was dangerous.

    The Phoenix would surely understand the situation.

    ''... It seems better to summon it quickly.''

    Ian thought while stroking Winnie.The Phoenix''s spirit had babbled something only it understood in front of Ian.

    What? There is an evil presence?

    There was an ominous atmosphere around the mountain?

    If the Phoenix had resurrected after destroying Winnie''s body, its curiosity would have been satisfied.

    But Ian was the one who postponed the Phoenix''s resurrection...

    For now, he had to set aside that curiosity.

    [Ian, I think I understand the meaning of the warning. The Mountain King... is anxious.]

    "Anxious? About what?"

    [That...]

    Winnie fell silent.

    Ian sheepishly patted Winnie.

    He didn''t intend to keep it in suspense just to make it suffer.

    "Sorry. I wanted to show you a great view."

    [No, it''s fine. As I said before, I''m very happy to spend time with you and Kira like this.]

    Ian''s party steadily descended the mountain.

    Meanwhile, Pyra was tearing at his hair in agony.

    "Ugh... The Grendels wille back. We should have wiped them all out earlier!"

    "That was physically impossible."

    Ian consoled Pyra.

    Even if everyone here took up swords and charged, it would take ages to kill the Grendel horde.

    Theoretically, yes, but in practice, it was even more impossible.

    From the beginning, it was impossible to annihte the Grendels.

    "Soon we''ll reach a narrow path. If we get attacked there, it will be really dangerous!"

    "But there''s no other way, right?"

    "... The problem wasing in too deep from the start!"

    Pyra hastily drew cards, eyes wide with desperation.

    He wailed to himself.

    "Ah...! This is ominous, very ominous!"

    "..."

    Ian began to understand why Ragnar didn''t like Pyra much.

    This guy had severe mood swings.

    He also had a tendency to overly rely on divination.

    "Shaman! Can you be quiet for a moment?!"

    Even Takarion scolded him.

    Ian was genuinely impressed.

    Wow... it must be bad if Takarion spoke up!

    "God watches over us, but humans create their destiny! Acting without shame ording to the will of God! That is the role of a clergyman!"

    "Oh."

    Ian pped his hands.

    As expected from a writer, Takarion had a way with words.

    More importantly, Takarion''s words were true.

    And it''s hard to argue against the truth.

    So, Pyra couldn''t say anything and just hung his head.

    "Yes... I must pull myself together."

    Ian sighed as they approached the steep narrow path.

    It was a path they had crossed slowly without much issue before.

    But now, with enemies on their tails, it made his skin crawl.

    However, there was no other option.

    Whether they liked it or not, they had to cross the narrow path.

    "Let''s go."

    But as Ian was halfway across the path, the silhouette of a monster appeared from the cliff above.

    "... Damn it."

    Ian immediately cursed the monster.

    Such cunning bastards!

    "Ambush!"

    It was the Grendels, followers of the Mountain King.

    The Grendels, having been wounded by Ian before, did not approach recklessly.

    Instead, they used the terrain to their advantage.

    "Screee!"

    [Die, monster!]

    "No, who''s calling who a monster...!"

    Ian was baffled by the Grendel''s determination, but there was no time for idle thoughts.

    Snowballs hurled by the Grendels were falling from above!

    "Those frostbitten bastards!"

    Pyra shouted angrily.

    They weren''t yetis, so they couldn''t kill people just by throwing snowballs.

    However, this was a snow-covered mountain.

    The snowballs thrown diligently by the Grendels hit the piles of snow on the mountain, which soon turned into a massive wave that swept over Ian''s party.

    Rumble...!

    "Avnche!"

    This was the Grendels'' n from the beginning.

    They intended to bury Ian''s party with an avnche once their movements were slowed!

    "Damn it...!"

    If Ian were an ordinary traveler, spending his remaining time writing a will would be the best use of his time.

    Generally, there is no way to survive an avnche in the mountains.

    But Ian was not an ordinary traveler.

    "Ian!!!"

    Hearing Belenka''s tearing voice, Ian took a deep breath.

    He calmly looked around.

    An overwhelming amount of snow was pouring towards him.

    If he could just deal with the snow...

    He could survive!

    ��Hrundal, if you want me toe back on my two feet, please help me!��

    Like the northern shamans, Ian prayed to the Ice God and drew a card.

    [You drew an Arcana card...]

    [You drew the Chariot card!]

    Arcana magic had much inmon with divine magic.

    Both borrowed the power of gods...

    And the results of the magic were random.

    Rumble...!

    Ian, looking at the pouring snow, had an intuition.

    ��Ride it...?��

    It was an absurd intuition, but it was a kind of divine revtion.

    Hrundal had given Ian an answer. Whether to follow it was up to Ian.

    There wasn''t much time to think.

    Ian made a quick decision.

    "Everyone! Around me!"

    Pyra, Kira, and even Belenka quickly gathered around Ian.

    The problem was Takarion.

    As Takarion hurried towards Ian, he tripped and fell!

    "That idiot...!"

    Ian suppressed his urge to curse with superhuman patience.

    There was no time to revel in his aplishment.

    A tremendous wave of snow was pouring from the sky.

    Takarion, lying on the ground, looked at Ian with teary eyes...

    "S-Sorry, Ian!"

    He buried his head in the ground.

    ��Why are you apologizing?��

    Ian gritted his teeth.

    Takarion was the one who would die, not Ian.

    Yet he apologized...

    It must be because he felt guilty for being a burden.

    Such a pitiful human.

    Saying sorry instead of asking for help.

    Ian stared directly at Takarion.

    They had found the elixir, and there was no longer a risk of being devoured.

    But dying like this would be too futile.

    Ian drew an Arcana card and threw it at Takarion.

    "Survive! Takarion!"

    "..."

    "When we meet again, I''ll make sure to send you back to the empire!"

    May Hrundal''s blessing be with him.

    Ian couldn''t hear Takarion''s response.

    Because the avnche had hit.

    Ian shouted to hispanions.

    "Everyone! Ride the avnche!"

    "???"

    Ian drew the card first so Pyra left the magic to him.

    As with all spells, repeating them multiple times diminishes their effectiveness.

    So Pyra trusted Ian''s magic...

    "R-Ride it?"

    It was a situation that could cause brain freeze.

    But Pyra was the only one flustered.

    Belenka and Kira were calmly preparing to jump onto the avnche.

    "Don''t try to understand Ian, shaman. Just ept it."

    While Pyra was bewildered, Ian leaped onto the avnche.

    Belenka and Kira followed Ian, jumping onto the avnche.

    "Damn it!"

    Despite his words, Pyra moved his body.

    Ian''s party lightly climbed onto the oing avnche as if stepping onto a cushion.

    The snow''s mystery epted the humans.

    It was the result of Arcana magic.

    "Screeee! Screeee!"

    [Boss! Look at those guys!]

    "Screeee!"

    [Aren''t they crazy?!]

    Pyra was also flustered, suddenly snowboarding out of nowhere.

    But the Grendels watching from above were even more bewildered.

    No, they sent the avnche to crush them!

    And they just rode on top of it!

    "Screeee!"

    [We failed again... What now?]

    "Screeee..."

    [I don''t know. I want to die.]

    The Grendels slumped their shoulders and moved toe up with the next n.

    ---

    ---

    Ian thought he had lost consciousness for a moment.

    But it was a misconception.

    ��... It''s dazzling.��

    The brilliantly shining sun hurt Ian''s eyes.

    He rubbed his eyes and looked ahead.

    What he saw was a clear blue sky.

    The cold wind whipped against Ian''s cheeks.

    Ian was now standing on top of the avnche.

    Rumble...!

    Together with hispanions, Ian was riding the avnche down the mountain as if on the back of a giant beast!

    ��This feels amazing.��

    Allplicated thoughts vanished from his mind.

    It felt like being on the world''s greatest ride, filled with thrilling excitement.

    Ian couldn''t help but shout out loud.

    Wow!

    His voice was drowned out by the noise of the avnche.

    Swish...

    As the snow piled up and came to a stop, Ian carefully stepped onto the ground.

    "Pyra! Where are we?"

    "... I don''t know. It seems we''vee deeper in..."

    Ian frowned.

    So, they had slid further into the mountain rather than out.

    To return to the vige, they would have to make a wide detour to escape...

    ��What a pain.��

    Ian and hispanions were all safe.

    Everyone started to assess the situation.

    "Ian. Over here for a moment."

    The purpose of their search was, of course, to find a way out.

    But as Belenka was surveying the surroundings, she spotted something strange and called Ian over.

    "Do you know what this is?"

    "..."

    Ian couldn''t say anything.

    He had no idea what it was.

    "A grave...?"

    A massive valley.

    At its bottom, countless beast corpses were piled up.

    These were the creatures known to the northerners as ''Yagon.''

    "A grave..."

    Belenka didn''t agree with Ian''s thought.

    In fact, Ian didn''t think it was a grave either.

    It looked more like a dumping ground than a grave.

    "Oh, Hrundal..."

    Even Pyra sighed upon seeing the eerie site.

    This was clearly the cause of the Great Hunt''s failure.

    The prey that the Northerners were supposed to hunt had frozen solid, piled up in the deep ravines of the holy mountain.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    In the darkness.

    Takarion opened his eyes.

    ��Am I... alive?��

    He groped around. The area was filled with cold snow.

    Takarion cleared away the snow and poked his head out.��Ah...��

    An expansive snowfield came into view.

    The avnche had transformed the surroundings into a pristine whitendscape.

    Takarion staggered and took a step onto the white snow.

    One step, then another.

    He took unsteady steps.

    ��I...��

    Takarion closed his eyes.

    The afternoon sunlight reflected off the snow, making it difficult to keep his eyes open.

    But the brightness was just an excuse.

    In truth... he simply wanted to forget everything once more.

    ��What... have I done?��

    Memories resurfaced in the darkness.

    Takarion had tried to run to Ian but tripped and fell.

    It was a truly pathetic action.

    ��I...��

    Takarion took a deep breath.

    He tried to calm himself, but his trembling limbs refused to stop.

    Because of his stupid mistake, Takarion had almost lost his life.

    If Ian had rushed to save him, Ian''s life would have been in danger too.

    He had endangered the life of arade.

    ��I... I...��

    A lump rose in Takarion��s throat.

    It was a wretched sob.

    ��Heugh, heuuugh...!��

    Hot tears streamed down Takarion''s cheeks.

    Once he started crying, there was no stopping it.

    Takarion copsed on the spot, sobbing uncontrobly.

    ��Waaah!��

    Those were not tears of joy.

    Despite surviving a miracle, Takarion felt no happiness.

    ��Why am I... so pathetic!��

    The emotion that brought Takarion to tears was self-loathing.

    Like others, he wanted to excel with remarkable talent like Belenka, Kira, or Pyra, and carry his weight perfectly.

    Takarion had dreamed of a hero��s life since he was young.

    He wanted to be a wonderful person, respected by others.

    But.

    Though his dreams were grand, reality was a mess.

    Instead of bing a hero, Takarion was bullied, subjected to violence and ridicule by other orphans in the monastery.

    It was his inherent limitations, ack of talent.

    Yet Takarion constantly admired heroes and found sess in writing gospels depicting the deeds of saints.

    Takarion just wanted to be a greater person.

    He thought he would be respected if he reached a high position.

    Though he couldn''t be a hero of the battlefield, he believed he could receive religious praise.

    So, he left the monastery.

    He thought he could be something if he left the monastery.

    But everything that happened to Takarion was horrific.

    He barely escaped after being kidnapped.

    He got caught in an avnche and stranded...

    A series of mistakes.

    Unskilled, with nothing but pathetic results.

    ��Am I... a useless fool who can''t even walk properly? Is that who I am?��

    Takarion clutched the Arcana card and wept.

    Wizard Ian.

    Unlike Takarion, Ian was incredibly skilled and always produced amazing results.

    At one point, Takarion had been jealous of Ian��s abilities.

    Now, it seemedughable.

    Takarion was so pathetic that he couldn��t even bepared to Ian.

    ��Should I just die?��

    Takarion looked out at the empty snowfield with dry eyes.

    He had always talked about the stories of heroes, but he was nothingpared to Saint Marcus.

    How shameless, Takarion.

    To scribble over the great deeds of a saint with your ugly, fat fingers!

    Shame and self-loathing wrapped around Takarion''s body like a snake.

    If he surrendered to these feelings and gave up everything, it felt like he would find peace.

    But then, Takarion fiddled with the Arcana card.

    It was a card with an illustration of a girl with dark blue hair smiling brightly.

    ��Beautiful...��

    Captivated by the beautiful illustration drawn by a god, Takarion temporarily forgot about his thoughts of dying.

    Otaku were naturally weak to pretty illustrations...

    ��What is this?��

    Takarion examined the card.

    It wasbeled with rune letters that read [Number 17, Star], but Takarion couldn��t understand it. Even a monk wouldn��t necessarily know northern runes.

    Takarion didn��t know the meaning of the [Star] card.

    Number 17, Star, is a card that symbolizes hope.

    The star is a guide for the lost, a symbol that whispers wisdom and inspiration.

    At the moment when Takarion was engrossed in the pretty illustration.

    He remembered Ian��sst shout.

    [Survive! Takarion!]

    [When we meet again, I will definitely send you back to the empire!]

    ��Ah...��

    Takarion rubbed his tear-stained eyes.

    He was a pathetic human, full of mistakes.

    But if he threw his life away here, he would be an irredeemable piece of trash.

    ��I can��t die in a ce like this.��

    Takarion walked across the snowfield with all his might.

    His steps were unsteady, but he never fell.

    For the sake of Ian, who even helped someone as pathetic as himself.

    Takarion would survive no matter what.

    ��... Huh?��

    Takarion, upon climbing a snow-covered hill, saw a scene that left him with his mouth agape.

    ��Ian!��

    It was Ian��s party fighting against monsters.

    ��What should I do...? What should I do...!��

    The number of monsters was overwhelming.

    Even with a party that included a wizard, a shaman, and a knight, it would be hard to fend off dozens of monsters attacking all at once.

    ��If Saint Marcus were here...��

    Takarion calmed his trembling limbs.

    For a moment, he imagined Saint Marcus descending and sweeping away those evil monsters.

    But Takarion knew well that such thoughts were futile.

    From childhood until now.

    The hero from his imagination had never oncee running to save Takarion.

    ��If there��s anyone who can help Ian...��

    Takarion straightened his back.

    ��... It��s me!��

    Only action can change reality.

    Takarion looked down the hill.

    ��Like Saint Marcus.��

    Takarion took a deep breath.

    In a thunderous voice, he scolded the monsters!

    ��You foolish creatures of the underworld! Who do you think you��re baring your teeth at!!!��

    ��Kieek...?��

    ��The sun shines so brightly! Are you not afraid of the sky��s wrath?!��

    It��s always hard to speak up at first.

    Once he started raising his voice, Takarion used his abundant vocabry, honed through his writing skills, to attract the attention of the monster horde!

    ��Craaah!��

    About half of the monsters were drawn to Takarion.

    As the monsters rushed up the hill, Takarion felt a thrilling chill.

    ��I did it! I did it!��

    He was delighted because he seeded in provoking the monsters.

    ��... But what do I do now?��

    He was terrified because he was now being chased by monsters!

    ��Just run!��

    Takarion began to run across the snowfield with all his might.

    ---

    ---

    Ian cursed the North in excitement.

    ��Damn this northern hell!��

    Shortly before being attacked by monsters.

    Their thrilling snowboarding was short-lived.

    Ian had discovered the frozen grave and sensed that something was seriously wrong.

    "Pyra, if we say the Mountain King attacked the northerners to hide this... is that too far-fetched?"

    "No. It''s entirely possible."

    Pyra muttered with a shocked expression.

    The Mountain King had no interest in the Yagons. The Grendels hunted them for meat, but most of it was for humans.

    Yet, a Yagon grave was discovered deep in the Mountain King''s territory.

    And there were an enormous number of corpses.

    "We need a tribal council."

    Pyra said with a grim face.

    If the Mountain King started interfering with human food supplies, he could no longer coexist with humans.

    He had to be hunted.

    "Let''s gather Takarion and get out of here quickly."

    "Do you have a way to find him?"

    Pyra asked from the perspective of Northernmon sense. When dealing with ignorant barbarians, such questions were essential.

    But the other party was a wizard from the empire.

    "We''ll find him with magic."

    "..."

    Oh. I didn''t think of that simple solution.

    Pyra looked at Ian with a dumbfounded expression.

    Ian had given Takarion an Arcana card, knowing that he was alive somewhere.

    To search for Takarion, there were many ways: asking the mysteries of the ice, or sending Oberon to find him.

    But before that, the monsters arrived.

    "Kaaargh!"

    "Kyah!"

    It was the Grendel horde, the Mountain King''s sentinels.

    "Ian! Enemies!"

    "Yeah. Those damn things!"

    Blue mysteries red in Ian''s eyes.

    Pyra worriedly patted Ian''s shoulder.

    "Are you... okay?"

    "What if I''m not!"

    Ian''s typical wizardly grumpiness resurfaced.

    Ian had used too much magic today.

    Even when he touched the Arcana cards, he couldn''t feel any mysteries.

    Instead, he had to overexert his body.

    In return for drinking the elixir, it seemed he had to work himself to death.

    "[Ice!]"

    Ian invoked the mysteries of ice and faced the enemies.

    "[Rise up!]"

    Ice chunks surged, creating a narrow passage.

    Staying there, at least they wouldn''t be surrounded.

    "Magic circle! We need to draw a magic circle!"

    Ian decided to request the help of the unholy mystery once more.

    But unlikest time, when he used the Arcana card, he had to draw a summoning circle this time.

    The unholy mystery was very powerful.

    It needed to be properly summoned and sent back peacefully to avoid future problems.

    "Got it! We''ll buy you time!"

    While the others fought the monsters, Ian hurriedly drew the magic circle.

    ��Quickly... quickly...!��

    "Ian!"

    "Just a bit more!"

    Time was running out.

    The problem was the sheer number of enemies.

    But then, a booming shout struck the monster horde from afar!

    "You foolish creatures of the underworld! Who do you think you''re baring your teeth at!!!"

    ��... Takarion?��

    Ian looked up to find the source of the voice.

    He saw Takarion standing on the hill.

    The afternoon sun shone brightly on Takarion.

    It looked almost as if he was surrounded by a halo...

    Ian wondered if Takarion had be a saint but quickly shook his head.

    ��What a crazy thought.��

    Ian pushed away the distracting thoughts and focused on the magic circle.

    [Who calls upon me?]

    ��[It''s me! Sorry! Can you help me one more time?]��

    The unholy mystery showed reluctance, but it did not refuse Ian''s summoning request.

    [Kiaaaaak!]

    Ian used the unholy mystery to drive away the Grendels.

    Then he immediately ran to Takarion.

    "Ahhh! Save me!!!"

    "..."

    He had shouted so gantly from atop the hill.

    As soon as he got down, Takarion was being chased by a monster.

    Ian drove away the remaining Grendels and approached Takarion.

    Takarion was sitting on the ground, panting heavily.

    "Hey, Takarion. You looked a bit like a saint earlier."

    "R-Really...?"

    Physically, with a halo of light.

    Ian swallowed hisst words and extended his hand.

    "Yes, really."

    Takarion smiled and took Ian''s hand.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��You''re back.��

    ��Yes... it was really tough.��

    Ian looked at the Red Bear tribe vige with eyes filled with exhaustion.

    Not long ago.

    While fleeing from the Grendel''s pursuit on the holy mountain, Ian encountered a northern patrol.��Hey! Who are you?��

    ��Can''t you see? We''re humans!��

    Ian''s level of crankiness had reached its peak.

    He looked like a cranky wizard to anyone who saw him.

    As Ian shouted, exuding crankiness, the northerners were greatly surprised.

    Wow! He must be a madman!

    Unlike the Empire, the northern barbarians had no rumors about cranky wizards.

    A cranky person just seemed like a mad person.

    ��I don''t know who you are, but watch your mouth. If you don''t show some respect immediately...��

    ��Guys! The situation is urgent! Please lend us a hand!��

    ��... A shaman?��

    Before long, the northerners understood the situation.

    A furious Grendel horde was chasing after Ian!

    ��Aren''t those the Mountain King''s followers?��

    ��You people! What on earth did you do on the holy mountain...��

    The Grendel horde bared their teeth and ws.

    Spit.

    The northerners said nothing more.

    Talking time was over.

    Now it was time for physical and steel conversation.

    ��Oh Hrundal!!!��

    ��To the Ice Pce!!!��

    The northerners spat thick saliva into their palms and grabbed their weapons one by one.

    Axes and clubs, simple weapons that were easy to make.

    But simplicity did not mean they were weak.

    There��s a golden saying in engineering.

    Simple is best.

    As long as it works, no unnecessary parts are needed!

    A crude club with a metal hook at the end was perfectly fine as long as it could smash the enemy''s head.

    ��Raaaargh!��

    The northerners charged at the Grendel with savage cries.

    The northern patrol smashed the Grendel��s heads with their clubs.

    Ian was so moved by the sight that he nearly wiped away a tear.

    These guys... they really do fight well!

    Fortunately, the number of Grendels wasn��trge.

    Ian had driven most of them away with the profane mystery, and only a handful of scattered soldiers had pursued him.

    The white snowfield turned bright red.

    Fresh, warm blood steamed as it hit the cold air.

    The heat of battle hadn��t dissipated, but Pyra grabbed the patrol captain and spoke.

    ��We found the Yagons!��

    ��What? Where! Where are they?��

    Ian chimed in.

    ��Probably in Hrundal''s Ice Pce?��

    ��...��

    This was the elegant northern version of saying they were ��dead.��

    In sophisticated Korean, it might be like saying they ��went to America.��

    Hearing that the Yagons had all gone to Hrundal''s Ice Pce, the patrol captain mumbled with a lost expression.

    ��How could this be... but why?��

    ��I don��t know. But I saw it with my own eyes. The Mountain King killed a shaman and tried to hide the Yagon corpses.��

    ��...��

    ��This is an emergency. We need to inform everyone!��

    The patrols immediately returned to their respective tribes. Since the holy mountain was a holy ce, skilled warriors from each tribe had formed the patrol.

    Ian also returned to the tribe with the Red Bear tribe''s patrol.

    The chieftain was in a good mood, having just received a filial gift from his son (or Ian).

    So when Pyra exined what had happened on the holy mountain, he didn��t order them to ��bash that lunatic��s head in.��

    ��This is hard to believe.��

    The chieftain said, looking at Ian with lifeless eyes typical of the elderly.

    ��What could the Mountain King gain from massacring the Yagons... I would understand if he captured the Yagons to strengthen the Grendel army...��

    If this were the Empire, Ian would have responded like this.

    I don''t know, really?

    Ian simply reported what he had seen and felt.

    To understand the full story, more detailed investigation was needed.

    ��A tribal council is necessary, Chieftain.��

    Pyra boldly asserted his right to speak.

    As the tribe��s shaman, he had a definite right to speak, though his credibility had diminished due to frequent mistakes.

    ��If you found the Yagons, this is indeed a serious matter.��

    The chieftain muttered.

    Since the Red Bear tribe''s chieftain thought this way, it meant other tribal chieftains likely thought simrly.

    ��Ragnar.��

    ��Yes, Father.��

    ��Propose a chieftain''s meeting.��

    Ragnar immediately nodded.

    ��Yes, I will do that.��

    ---

    ---

    The thoughts of the chieftains were simr.

    Having received the patrol reports, all the chieftains wanted to start a meeting as soon as possible.

    As a result, the chieftains gathered in the blink of an eye.

    A snowfield lightly covered in snow.

    All the chieftains of the Okaha Tribal Coalition gathered in the snowfield.

    The governance method in the north was quite democratic.

    At the top sat the High Chieftain.

    This position rotated among the chieftains of each tribe.

    It wasn��t like a king with absolute power, but more like a representative position, simr to a ss president.

    A tribal council was held only when there was amon concern among the tribes, like now.

    What? Centralization?

    Bow to a king? Why should I?

    The so-called barbarians didn��t know such civilized methods.

    We are equal! Everyone gets a fair vote!

    This was the barbarian way (nod).

    Incidentally, the roots of the Holy Empire lie in the northern barbarians.

    It was not a mere coincidence that the Empire''s political system was exactly the same as this tribal governance system.

    ��Ian.��

    ��Have you been well? Helga.��

    Helga from the Sky w tribe had alsoe to the meeting ce.

    The meeting ce was set up in the center of the alliance, so no chieftain would find it too far to attend.

    Obviously, like true barbarians, they didn��t realize that setting it up in the most populous tribe would have been the most efficient!

    If this were Korea, the meeting would have been held in Seoul 99% of the time.

    ��I heard the news. The Mountain King meddling with the Yagons... this is no ordinary matter.��

    Helga expressed her concerns immediately upon arrival.

    It was understandable, as Ian knew well how much the northerners worried about their food supply issues.

    ��High Chieftain! Let��s start the meeting quickly!��

    Ragnar, the acting chieftain of the Red Bear tribe, shouted.

    Other chieftains stomped their feet in agreement with Ragnar.

    But the High Chieftain shook his head.

    ��Not yet. All the guests have not arrived.��

    The current High Chieftain was from the Frost Axe tribe.

    He was an impressive man with a wolf pelt draped over his head.

    ��Ha! Have you frozen your brain? I counted and everyone is here! Has our High Chieftain forgotten how to count?��

    ��Hahaha!��

    Ragnar jeered.

    Is it okay to speak like that to the High Chieftain?

    Yes, it is.

    The High Chieftain in the north was like a project leader in a group assignment.

    ��... They��re here.��

    The High Chieftain said, looking out over the distant snowfield.

    Beyond the white snow, leather banners appeared.

    Even Ragnar and Helga were surprised, their mouths agape.

    ��High Chieftain! They are...!��

    ��Aren��t they the Sgonu people?!��

    Those who appeared at the Okaha Tribal Coalition meeting ce were none other than people from the Sgonu Tribal Coalition.

    ��Weapons! Bring my weapons!��

    ��High Chieftain! What is the meaning of this!��

    The more timid chieftains raised their voices in panic.

    But Ian easily understood what was happening.

    ��This is no ordinary tribal meeting.��

    Helga nodded heavily.

    ��Yes... it��s a joint meeting of the northern and southern tribes.��

    The Sgonu Tribal Coalition also struggled with food shortages.

    Moreover, the Sgonu Tribal Coalition had lost a shaman to the Mountain King.

    The probability that they were enraged was 100%.

    ��It��s been a while, Wolfhedin.��

    ��How have you been?��

    The Sgonu Alliance had only sent their high chieftain and a few representative chieftains.

    Nevertheless, the air in the meeting ce was tense.

    The Sgonu Alliance had often shed violently with the Okaha tribe, making them a clear ''enemy.''

    ��Hmm. It seems my visit is not wee.��

    The Sgonu high chieftain looked around the meeting ce and sneered.

    ��Don��t tremble in fear! I��m not here to cut off your heads! Haha!��

    ��What the hell is he saying!��

    ��Hey! Let��s take our axes and go outside!��

    Despite the rough words flying from all directions, the Sgonu high chieftain remained unperturbed. He was a man with incredible nerve.

    ��Silence!��

    The Okaha high chieftain shouted.

    Even though the high chieftain was often viewed dismissively, no one was stupid enough to badmouth their team leader in front of an enemy.

    ��The failure of the Great Hunt is not a matter of the north or south.��

    ��...��

    ��Shaman Pyra. Report what happened on the holy mountain.��

    Pyra once again exined what had happened on the holy mountain.

    Shamans were attacked and killed by Grendels.

    The same Grendels that attacked Ian��s party.

    And the discovery of the enormous frozen Yagon grave.

    ��Is that true?��

    The Sgonu high chieftain asked in disbelief.

    ��There��s a limit to absurdity. The Mountain King attacked shamans? Fine. But that he killed arge number of Yagons?��

    The Mountain King was a herbivore. He had no reason to massacre animals he wouldn��t eat.

    And he had maintained a peaceful and wise rtionship with humans until now. Why would he suddenly engage in such warlike behavior?

    Had he suddenly be a tyrant?

    ��Whether you believe it or not, high chieftain, I am simply telling you what I saw.��

    ��Hmph. A shaman who chews on strange mushrooms ��saw it himself��...��

    Unable to bear the Sgonu high chieftain��s mockery, Ian spoke up.

    ��If you don��t believe the report, why are you here?��

    ��What? Who are you?��

    ��I am someone who apanied them to the holy mountain.��

    The Sgonu high chieftain soon received a report that Ian was a wizard from the Empire.

    ��A rookie who knows nothing about the north, bragging about one trip to the holy mountain?��

    Ian shrugged and took out his Arcana deck.

    ��Oops. My hand slipped.��

    ��...��

    ��I almost dropped this precious gift from Hrundal~��

    Some chieftainsughed.

    Because the Sgonu high chieftain''s expression had twisted.

    ��You scoundrel! Just because you have a shaman��s item in your hand, you think you��re a shaman?��

    Ian looked the Sgonu high chieftain straight in the eye and said.

    ��Of course. Hrundal bestowed the mysteries upon me, and I know how to wield them. If that��s not a shaman, what is?��

    ��...��

    ��Compared to the other shamans here, my skills may be insignificant. But does that mean a rookie shaman is not a shaman?��

    As Ian shouted, the guest shamans nodded.

    Hrundal had bestowed Arcana cards. Denying Ian''s shaman status would mean denying the very identity of shamans.

    If the god acknowledged him, what could humans say?

    Riding the momentum, Ian continued.

    ��I dare to say, the answer is already clear.��

    ��What?��

    ��Suspicious things happened in the Mountain King��s territory, and the Mountain King refused tomunicate. What should we do next? We need to get answers directly from the Mountain King!��

    Exactly.

    Ian boldly suggested a physical conversation.

    If they confronted the Mountain King directly and questioned him about this incident, they would surely get answers.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��I apologize for interrupting the meeting.��

    It was a member of the Sgonu tribe.

    He bowed to the Okaha high chieftain and then whispered something to the Sgonu high chieftain.

    The Sgonu high chieftain nodded with a stern expression.

    ��It seems that arrogant wizard was telling the truth.����What is it, high chieftain?��

    ��Our warriors found the frozen corpses of Yagons deep in the holy mountain.��

    The Sgonu coalition had also dispatched an investigation team as soon as they heard the news from the holy mountain.

    They discovered Yagon corpses in a different location from the one Ian had identified.

    ��The Mountain King intends to wipe out the Yagons.��

    Darkness fell over everyone��s faces.

    The northerners hunted Yagons extensively, but they did so moderately to ensure they could hunt again the following year.

    ��This cannot be overlooked!��

    The northerners growled fiercely.

    There was no need to specify whose opinion it was.

    All the northerners were furious.

    ��We don��t know why the Mountain King targeted the Yagons. But if we let this go, we will all suffer!��

    The Okaha high chieftain shouted.

    Ragnar, Helga, and even Shaman Pyra clenched their fists and shouted in agreement.

    ��Gather the warriors! We will directly question the Mountain King about the truth of this incident!��

    ��Waaaah!��

    Amid the heated atmosphere of the meeting.

    Ian quietly focused his gaze.

    The northern god Hrundal had told Ian toe to his dwelling.

    Although Ian was not a space-time wizard, he could glimpse the future indirectly through the Arcana cards.

    The Mountain King''s pce.

    Ian felt a fateful pull from that ce.

    ��I wille soon, Hrundal.��

    Ian left the meeting hall with the warriors.

    ---

    ---

    Okaha and Sgonu.

    The two tribal high chieftains naturally suggested an alliance.

    From now on, the northerners had to confront the Mountain King.

    But as indicated by his title "King," the Mountain King was not an easy opponent.

    They had to fight in treacherous mountains, and the oue was uncertain.

    In this situation, having as manyrades willing to fight and die in their ce was beneficial.

    ��We are heading out!��

    ��To the Ice Pce!��

    Ian quietly marveled at the gathered northern warriors.

    Wow... how many are there?

    ording to what Pyra told him, 1,000 warriors had been conscripted from each coalition.

    With 1,000 warriors, they could devastate a barony or a county.

    And with 2,000 warriors from both Okaha and Sgonubined.

    It was almost as if the barbarian army was stronger than a civilized army.

    ... One might think so, but in reality, these 1,000 warriors were just a collection of people hastily rounded up.

    They gathered all the idlers who had failed in hunting and were just lying around at home.

    It might not seem like a reliable force, but the northerners insisted, "Every northern man is a warrior!"

    So, 1,000 warriors it was.

    Despite everything, 2,000 people was an overwhelminglyrge number.

    ��Mountain King! Come out, Mountain King!��

    Ian ascended the holy mountain once again with the northerners.

    This ascent was much easierpared to thest time.

    They had an overwhelming number of warriors with them!

    ��Screech!��

    As the human army appeared, the Mountain King��s army responded.

    A horde of red-eyed Grendels attacked the human army.

    Each Grendel was physically superior to an average human.

    They were armed with primitive wooden clubs with roots still attached as they charged into battle.

    ��Oh Hrundal!��

    ��To the Ice Pce!��

    The northerners shouted barbaric battle cries and shed with the Grendels.

    The Grendels had the advantage in simple one-on-one fights, but the northerners had overwhelming numbers.

    The Grendels were outnumbered!

    ��Haha! The Mountain King isn''t such a big deal...��

    ��Watch out!��

    Hissssss!

    A massive maw appeared above the head of a northerner who had beenughing maniacally, covered in blood.

    Crunch!

    A giant beast bit down and swallowed the northerner in one gulp.

    ��Damn it!��

    ��It��s a Lindwurm!��

    The Mountain King''s army had deployed giant beasts.

    The Lindwurm was a massive, four-meter-long creature that resembled a snake with legs. It spewed toxic saliva filled with dangerous bacteria.

    Its appearance might have seemedical, with legs attached to a snake-like body.

    ��Ahhh!��

    ��Stop it! Now!��

    The giant beast used its sheer mass as a weapon.

    When the four-meter-tall creature charged, the northerners fell like bowling pins.

    ��Wow! What an incredible beast!��

    ��I''ll be the one to take its head!��

    Instead of being intimidated by the giant beast, the northerners swung their axes, eager to im glory.

    They were certainly fierce people.

    As Ian drew a magic circle on the ground, he watched the northerners'' fight.

    ��Ian! They��re trying to cause another avnche!��

    ��Yeah, it looks that way.��

    Ian murmured as he watched the mysteries swirling on the mountain ridge.

    Beyond the physical battlefield, a mystical battle was taking ce.

    The Grendels, knowing the terrain well, were attempting to trigger another avnche to sweep away the humans.

    But the possibility of an avnche had already been anticipated.

    On this side, there were many shamans standing by.

    ��Hmmmmmm.��

    The shamans gathered together and consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms.

    This helped bridge the gap between mysteries and humans, reducing the passive nature of the Arcana cards.

    ��I see it, I see it...!��

    ��I see the future where the avnche happens...!��

    The shamans, like temporary space-time wizards, performed short-term foresight.

    In truth, the structure was the same as that of a space-time wizard.

    They were contacting the mysteries of time and space to glimpse the future.

    ��But it won��t happen!��

    ��Oh Hrundal, protect us!��

    The shamans collectively contacted the mountain��s mysteries to prevent the avnche.

    A struggle ensued between those trying to cause the avnche and those trying to stop it.

    Pyra pointed at the Lindwurm and shouted.

    ��Ian! Can you stop that monster?��

    ��Yes. I��ll cast a spell.��

    Coincidentally, Ian was the only shaman and wizard with free hands.

    To stop the Lindwurm, Ian drew a magic circle on the ground.

    He ced a topaz at the center of the circle and chanted in Maronius.

    ��[Lightning of the sky!]��

    This was a high mountain.

    The movement of the wind was swift, and the activity above the clouds was clearly visible.

    Ian decided to call upon the mysteries of lightning.

    [Hmm? Someone called me?]

    ��[I called youuuu!!!]��

    Ian shouted at the top of his lungs.

    The mysteries of lightning resided high in the sky and did not easily listen to voices from the ground.

    That was why wizards had to shout.

    But the northerners didn��t know this...!

    To the northerners, Ian''s magicalnguage sounded like bizarre incantations.

    As Ian loudly chanted the magicalnguage, the northerners naturally focused their attention on him.

    ��La �C Igna �C Sigeus!��

    ��...!��

    Ian shouted with all his might, hoping his voice would reach the mysteries of lightning.

    His voice echoed powerfully.

    ��What is that Imperial saying?��

    ��I don��t know...��

    The northerners, puzzled by Ian��s strange words, watched him closely.

    Momentster, they witnessed something that left their mouths agape.

    Rumble!

    As soon as Ian shouted in the unknownnguage, dark lightning clouds gathered in the sky...

    Lightning began to crackle in the clear sky!

    ��W-What?��

    ��Could it be?��

    The northerners watched the wizard chanting in the middle of the magic circle with wide eyes.

    Something... something was happening!

    ��Ira �C Ictus!��

    Boom!

    With Ian��s thunderous incantation, a massive lightning bolt struck down from the sky, hitting the ground with immense force!

    The lightning struck the Lindwurm directly.

    The Lindwurm died on the spot without even a proper scream.

    Thud!

    The smell of seared meat filled the air.

    The warriors, who witnessed the overwhelming sight of the lightning strike, stood frozen like statues.

    Then Ian, catching his breath, shouted.

    ��Hrundal is watching over the battlefield!��

    ��!��

    ��We will be victorious!��

    Inspired by Ian''s fervent cry, the northerners raised their bloodstained weapons.

    The barbarian warriors shouted at the top of their lungs.

    ��Ooooooh!��

    ��Hrundal is watching us!��

    ��The Ice Pce awaits us!��

    The northerners, their morale soaring, charged at the Grendels like berserkers.

    The Grendels were bewildered.

    Their avnche attempt had failed.

    The Lindwurm they brought was struck down by lightning.

    What could their foot soldiers do now?

    ... Useless. Just bring us popcorn, Grendel!

    ��Screeeee!��

    The Grendels started to flee in panic.

    The fierce warriors chased them, but pursuing them was not easy.

    However, that hardly mattered.

    The objective was clear.

    The Mountain King��s pce, deep in the holy mountain.

    ��Warriors! Advance!��

    ��Oooooh!��

    ---

    ---

    Ian checked the status window that popped up before him.

    [Great Skill: Lightning Strike]

    [A skill that captures free-roaming lightning and hurls it to the ground. It��s not easy to seed, but a well-aimed lightning bolt can destroy any object!]

    [You have conversed with the mystery of lightning for the first time.]

    [Your understanding of the atmosphere has increased significantly!]

    [Your Great Skill ability has improved!]

    [Level Up!]

    [Skill: Great Skill �C Lv 4]

    [You are an excellent practitioner of great skills.]

    ��Was I... lucky?��

    Ian tilted his head but concluded that he was indeed lucky.

    This was a high mountain, a ce ideal for handling the mysteries of the wind.

    The fact that the mystery of lightning responded to Ian��s call wasn��t mere coincidence.

    He used a magic circle and offered topaz as a sacrifice.

    If the spell had failed, it would have been considered unlucky.

    The variable was Ian possibly being overwhelmed by the lightning��s mystery, but...

    His body, strengthened by the elixir, endured the encounter with the powerful mystery without issue.

    Having summoned lightning and roasted a monster, Ian immediately began his wizardly actions.

    Which meant he started talking.

    Wow! Long live Hrundal!

    Whether northerners or imperial citizens, they all had a strong affinity for their gods.

    Hearing that a god was with them on the battlefield naturally boosted the soldiers'' morale.

    The already fierce northerners, further encouraged by Ian, easily overpowered the Grendels.

    Adjusting his scarf, Ian looked toward the giant cave.

    The ruler of the holy mountain, the Mountain King.

    The Mountain King hadn��t shown himself even as the Grendels were being defeated.

    Perhaps, from that point on, the Mountain King''s defeat was already sealed.

    [Ian.]

    The phoenix, Winnie, chirped.

    [��He�� wants to meet the Mountain King.]

    Ian nodded.

    That cave was the Mountain King��s pce.

    Ian prepared to enter the cave.

    There were many things he needed to ask the Mountain King.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The northern warriors surrounded the Mountain King��s pce.

    It was certain that the Mountain King was inside.

    But even with armed intruders right at his doorstep, the Mountain King did not show his face.

    At this point, one could feel his stubbornness.

    One might wonder if the Mountain King was a reincarnated modern human who would rather choose to die than apologize.He had too much pride to apologize to humans.

    He would rather die than say he was sorry!

    ...Surely, that couldn��t be the case.

    ��Ian.��

    ��What��s happening?��

    A while ago.

    After surrounding the Mountain King��s pce, the shamans insisted on being the first to meet him.

    The high chieftains readily agreed.

    Diplomacy with the Mountain King had always been the shamans'' responsibility.

    Moreover, the Mountain King was a beast.

    Even if the high chieftain spoke, they wouldn��t understand each other.

    So, the advance party of shamans entered the Mountain King��s pce first.

    As a foreigner, Ian was part of the rear party.

    So he waited for his turn to enter.

    ��I... can��t believe it. The Mountain King attacked the shamans.��

    ��??? Why can��t you believe it?��

    Ian couldn��t understand Pyra��s confusion.

    Given that they had been fighting, wasn��t it understandable that the Mountain King would kill the shamans?

    ��Because everything is already over! What would he gain from resisting now?��

    But Pyra��s confusion was reasonable.

    The Mountain King and the northerners weren��t mortal enemies.

    They weren��t at odds to the point of dragging each other to hell.

    Although they came armed, the northerners still respected the Mountain King.

    They expected peaceful negotiations...

    Surprisingly, the Mountain King killed the shamans who came to negotiate.

    This had clear implications.

    Either the Mountain King had decided to fight to the death.

    Or, he had simply gone mad.

    Pyra openly suspected thetter.

    ��The Mountain King must have gone mad.��

    A subtle rage flickered in Pyra��s eyes.

    There is a certain ��etiquette�� even in war.

    Even when trying to kill each other, there are rules to follow.

    It sounds ridiculous at first��fighting to the death, yet talking about manners?

    But only the soldiers die in war.

    The nobles, the people, the merchants...

    And many others entangled in interests.

    They don��t die on the battlefield.

    They need to think about life after the war.

    That��s why there are rules in war.

    Since the Mountain King broke the rules, the angry northerners would ughter the beasts of the holy mountain.

    The Mountain King brought this upon himself.

    [Ian. I want to hear what the Mountain King has to say.]

    The phoenix, Winnie, chirped.

    ��Is that your wish? Or is it your soul��s wish?��

    [Both. I wish for it too, Ian.]

    ��... Okay. Let��s go talk to him.��

    [Thank you, Dad.]

    Ian headed towards the cave entrance to enter the Mountain King��s pce.

    The closer he got, the more he heard iprehensible northern curses.

    They were roughly cursing out the Mountain King.

    ��High Chieftain. I��d like to meet the Mountain King next.��

    ��Hm?��

    Looking around, Ian saw injured warriors lying around, groaning in pain.

    Their injuries were so gruesome that missing limbs seemed minor inparison.

    Many warriors were practically disying their entrails.

    Ian frowned and turned his head away.

    ��You said you were a wizard. Meeting the Mountain King now is not wise.��

    ��Well. It looks that way.��

    When Ian agreed, the high chieftain frowned.

    ��If you go in now, you might end up meeting Hrundal in the Ice Pce. Or since you believe in the Sky God, you might end up in ��Heaven.����

    The high chieftain spoke in a polite yet ominous manner.

    To be blunt, it was a warning: "If you mess up, you''ll die."

    ��So, what will you do with the Mountain King?��

    ��I��ll select the best warriors to cut off his head.��

    Ian nodded.

    Since the Mountain King had refused tomunicate until the very end, execution was the only option left.

    But before that, Ian wanted to attempt a conversation with the Mountain King.

    Not only because Winnie wanted it, but also because it was a rare opportunity to converse with a ��wise beast�� like the Mountain King.

    Ian was a wizard.

    Experiences with mysteries would undoubtedly aid his growth.

    ��What if I insist on meeting the Mountain King myself?��

    ��Hmph. I won��t stop you.��

    The high chieftain said, mocking Ian.

    ��You think you��re different from the shamans, don��t you? Are you so confident in your skills, wizard?��

    Trantion: Don��t mess around and stay quiet, foreign friend.

    Ian understood this, but it didn��t change his mind.

    Ian had many talents.

    He knew how to use the right magic for the situation and could even receive Hrundal��s blessing through the Arcana cards.

    And if worse came to worst, he could always tear a teleportation scroll to escape.

    ��I can take care of myself.��

    ��Fine. We need to prepare for battle anyway. Do as you wish.��

    With the high chieftain��s permission, Ian headed toward the Mountain King��s pce... only to be stopped by hispanions.

    ��You were nning to go in there alone?��

    Belenka used harsh words for the first time in a while.

    ��Are you crazy, Ian?��

    ��No need to be so harsh...��

    ��Belenka is right. We��ll go with you.��

    Ian didn��t coldly say, ��I��m just going for a conversation, and if things go south, I��ll use magic to escape, so you��re not needed!��

    Even though he could have, saying so would likely dissolve the party as soon as they returned to the Empire.

    This was a moment that required social skills.

    If his party members wanted toe along...

    Ian allowed the two to join him.

    At that moment, Takarion intervened.

    ��Ian! I��ll join you too!��

    ��You too?��

    When Ian looked skeptical, Takarion shouted indignantly.

    ��Of course! Why can they go, but not me?��

    ��Typical Takarion. You know your stuff.��

    ��Haha. I��m smart... I mean, no, that��s not the point!��

    Belenka was a knight, and Kira, though half-baked, was a fire wizard.

    But Takarion? What was he?

    In RPG games, it was standard to have a cleric in the party.

    But this was reality.

    Takarion couldn��t heal or use holy magic.

    All he could do was write impressive gospel texts. What good would that do?

    ��Takarion. Can you use holy magic?��

    ��Holy magic? No? I��m not a cleric.��

    ��Then if the Mountain King tries to kill you, what can you do?��

    Takarion answered confidently to Ian��s question.

    ��I��ll pray!��

    ��...��

    When a clergyman said it, it sounded strangely convincing, which was annoying...

    Maybe if Takarion prayed with all his heart, the Sky God might be moved to help?

    ��Ian. During the avnche, you used magic to help me.��

    ��...��

    ��Your courage and character are far superior to mine. I sincerely want to return to the Empire with you. So I won��t let you die.

    If necessary, I��ll sacrifice myself to help you.��

    Ian looked at Takarion with a confused expression.

    Offering to sacrifice his chubby body wasn��t particrly encouraging...

    But while Ian felt this way, his otherpanions were deeply moved.

    Belenka and Kira both viewed the conversation from a typical medieval perspective.

    ��Huh. I thought he was worthless, but he has his uses.��

    ��He has loyalty. Takarion is a man of honor.��

    In the end, Ian epted Takarion��s inclusion.

    Although he didn''t seem particrly useful... Takarion��s thick flesh might make him more likely to be eaten before Ian. (The Mountain King was a herbivore.)

    ��Ian! I''ming too!��

    Lastly, Shaman Pyra joined the group.

    ��Alright, let''s go.��

    Ian entered the Mountain King''s pce with his party.

    ---

    ---

    The frozen cave was breathtakingly beautiful.

    Icicles hanging from the ceiling resembled chandeliers, and the cracks in the walls formed fractal patterns like snowkes.

    ��Quite a nice ce to live,�� Belenkamented, summing up the cave��s atmosphere in a single sentence.

    Ian thought of a giant lizard living in a cave, specifically Longtail, the lucky drake who owned a well-decorated home thanks to Ian.

    He didn��t even take out a loan, so he didn��t have to worry about a real estate downturn...

    Anyway.

    Judging by the cave, the Mountain King had been living well up until now.

    So why did he massacre the Yagons and antagonize humans?

    [Humans have entered again...!]

    At that moment, Ian heard a low, rumbling animal sound.

    Ian immediately knew it was the Mountain King��s voice.

    Thump! Thump!

    A massive body emerged from the darkness.

    It was likely the same strike that had annihted the shamans.

    The Mountain King, a Behemoth, attacked with sheer force, using its massive body to push forward!

    The creature��s weight alone made it a formidable threat that no human could imitate.

    If caught beneath it, one would be crushed into human jerky!

    ��Belenka! To the left!��

    Ian shouted as he grabbed Kira and threw himself to the right, pushing Pyra out of the way as a bonus.

    ��Kira! Are you okay?��

    ��... Yes, I��m fine.��

    Kira replied shyly.

    He saw that Belenka and Takarion had also managed to avoid the attack.

    Belenka immediately prepared for battle.

    ��Wait!��

    Ian shouted loudly, calming hispanions.

    ��Something is wrong.��

    The Behemoth had missed its target and collided with the wall.

    Ian carefully observed the Behemoth''s body.

    Even in the dark cave, Ian��s excellent dark magic allowed him to see as clearly as if it were daylight.

    ��Is that... a wound?��

    And Ian saw it clearly.

    The Behemoth''s massive body had several long, gruesome scars on its back.

    These were not ordinary wounds.

    They were ckened, festering, and crawling with insects.

    [This is my home! Get out! Humans!]

    Roar!

    The Behemoth roared loudly.

    Icicles shattered and fell from the ceiling, and cracks spread across the ice walls.

    ��Ian! The Mountain King is not in a state to talk, we must...��

    Pyra started to shout but then stopped.

    The shaman��s Arcana magked the ability tomunicate with such a crazed being. It was too indirect.

    But the Empire��s [magic] was different.

    It was a unique magic created by the great wizard Maronius.

    ��[Mountain King!]��

    Ian shouted in Maronius��s tongue.

    [... You. Did you call me?]

    The Behemoth responded hesitantly to Ian''s will.

    Pyra was genuinely shocked to witness magic so different from Arcana magic before his eyes.

    He already knew Ian��s magic was peculiar, but to think it could work on the Mountain King!

    ��[Yes, I called you.]��

    The Behemoth was equally surprised.

    It was astonishing that he could understand the other��s will, and even more so that the other understood him and responded!

    Such a clear conversation was impossible even among his own kind.

    [Amazing. Truly amazing.]

    The Behemoth, forgetting its previous rage, began to speak with Ian as if entranced.

    Ian sighed in relief.

    If the Behemoth had been as malevolent as a Manticore, he would have had to flee immediately.

    But after speaking with him, Ian could tell.

    As the shamans had said, the Behemoth was indeed a gentle and wise spirit.

    Ignoring the slight throbbing headache he felt, Ian continued speaking.

    ��[I am a wizard from across the sea.]��

    First and foremost, Ian wanted to emphasize that, unlike the northerners, he had no personal feelings toward the Mountain King.

    The reason was simple: the Mountain King seemed extremely unstable.

    ��[I noticed the wounds on your back. Are you alright?]��

    [...]

    The Mountain King fell silent at Ian''s question.

    Ian''s uneasy feeling was confirmed.

    The Mountain King was highly reluctant to talk about his wounds.

    [I... I...]

    The Mountain King mumbled.

    [I will be fine... I��m sure I��ll be fine...]

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The Mountain King muttered "I''ll be fine" like someone under a spell.

    Ian sensed the hidden anxiety behind his voice.

    The Mountain King knew he wasn��t well. He kept repeating that he��d be fine, as if trying to convince himself.

    ��... What��s that?��

    Ian noticed a sinister energy swirling around the Mountain King.At first, he thought it was the life force leaking from the Mountain King��s body.

    But upon closer inspection, it resembled ghosts.

    ��Damn it����

    Ian was horrified.

    The ghosts were bound with rusty chains, forced to circle around the Mountain King.

    The sight was eerie and disturbing.

    Ian quickly understood the nature of these ghosts.

    They were��

    ��[Did you... eat the Yagons?]��

    The Mountain King remained silent.

    Ian had guessed correctly.

    Despite being a herbivore, the Mountain King had forcibly consumed the Yagons!

    He did it to trap their life force within his body!

    Ian finally understood everything.

    The Mountain King had sustained severe injuries for some reason and ate meat to heal himself.

    This was the same principle northerners used to create health potions.

    The idea was that consuming the life force of a beast like the Yagon would grant him that energy.

    Behemoth, as a creature of mystery, could absorb life force far more efficiently than humans.

    [You did something foolish.]

    Winnie chirped.

    [Mountain King, your wounds cannot be healed by drawing the life force of lower creatures.]

    Ian knew Winnie was right. If it were a regr wound, eating a few Yagons would have healed it by now.

    But look at Behemoth��s condition.

    Despite consuming enough Yagons to fill a valley with corpses, he still bore those foul, festering wounds.

    He must have realized long ago that the principle of ''like cures like'' was worthless.

    Facts have a way of infuriating people.

    Winnie stated a fact, and Behemoth was irked by it.

    [Shut up! Immortal one!]

    Rumble!

    The cave echoed with Behemoth��s angry roar.

    Belenka hurriedly drew her sword again.

    But Ian calmed her down.

    [What do you know! What do you know about living with a physical body! How dare you speak about it when you��ve abandoned your flesh!]

    ��[Mountain King! Please calm down!]��

    Ian quickly pushed Winnie forward.

    ��[She��s young and made a mistake! Look, see?]��

    [... An undying phoenix that hasn��t abandoned its body. What is this?]

    Behemoth had assumed Winnie was a disembodied spirit.

    But the phoenix had not yet discarded its flesh.

    Ian whispered urgently.

    ��Apologize, Winnie.��

    [I spoke out of turn. I apologize, Mountain King. But...]

    Ian smacked Winnie on the head.

    There is no such thing as an apology that includes a ��but.��

    If someone insists otherwise, they��re trying to gaslight you.

    [... I��m sorry.]

    When Winnie apologized, the Mountain King calmed down.

    Before he could get angry again, Ian quickly asked another question.

    ��[How did you get those wounds?]��

    [...]

    The Mountain King trembled as if restraining his anger.

    But then, with a deep, sigh-like voice, he spoke.

    [A beast with ck wings... invaded my territory.]

    ��[A beast with ck wings?]��

    The Mountain King spoke with trembling eyes.

    [Draca.]

    And his forepaw shook.

    As if even pronouncing the name terrified him.

    [The creature you humans call a ��dragon��...]

    Ian barely suppressed the curses rising in his throat.

    ��Damn it...��

    A dragon? Did the Behemoth just say a dragon?

    Ian recalled the lessons he had learned from Eredith.

    Dragons.

    The epitome of evil.

    In Japanese fantasy worlds, there were demon kings, and in martial arts stories, there were heavenly demons.

    In Western fantasy worlds, there were dragons.

    Like the demon kings and heavenly demons, dragons were ultimate, terrifying beings.

    Dragons were cruel and ruthless.

    Their hobbies included killing creatures and hoarding treasure.

    In terms of bad temper, they were on par with or worse than manticores, and theirbat power was iparable to manticores.

    Eredith had drilled into him, never! Absolutely never!!! to engage a dragon, to the point of annoyance.

    He never expected to hear that name in the holy mountain of northern barbarians.

    [It called itself ��Predius.�� Do you know it?]

    ��[No. This is the first I��ve heard of it.]��

    [... I see.]

    The Mountain King began to exin calmly.

    One day, a ck dragon named Predius invaded his territory.

    Naturally, the Mountain King fought against the intruder.

    And... he was utterly defeated.

    The ck dragon stole the treasure the Mountain King had been guarding, [Cloud of Lightning], and disappeared somewhere.

    [Ian. That treasure contains the spirit of the mountain. It''s the source of the Mountain King��s power.]

    ��Then...��

    Winnie whispered softly.

    [Yes. Having lost that treasure, the Mountain King will soon die.]

    ��...��

    Ian understood immediately.

    Winnie��s words were facts.

    The reason the Mountain King��s wounds weren''t healing was because he had lost the treasure that contained the mountain''s spirit.

    To be precise, the Mountain King had suffered wounds that would have killed any ordinary creature long ago.

    If he still had the treasure, the wounds would have healed, but without it, he was dying.

    However.

    This didn��t change the fact that there was no way to heal the Mountain King��s wounds.

    [What nonsense!]

    The Mountain King roared loudly upon hearing Winnie��s words.

    [I...! I will not die! I am the lord of thisnd and have endured for a thousand years! Do you think I will die from such wounds!!!]

    Thump! Thump!

    The Mountain King limped off somewhere.

    Ian followed him in silence.

    Deep within the ice cave.

    In a makeshift pen, numerous Yagons were imprisoned.

    ��Oh no.��

    The stench was overpowering, but Pyra couldn��t hide her surprise.

    A considerable number of Yagons were still alive!

    However, Pyra��s expression soon soured at the Mountain King''s next actions.

    The Mountain King dragged a Yagon out of the pen and began to eat it.

    Crunch! Crunch!

    The Yagon died instantly without even a scream.

    The Mountain King chewed the Yagon''s flesh.

    Then he vomited the half-chewed meat into a disgusting pit.

    ��What is this...��

    The Yagons, terrified, urinated on the floor.

    The Mountain King silently pulled out another Yagon and shoved it into his mouth.

    Crunch!

    Pyra sighed deeply as she watched the Mountain King.

    Belenka couldn��t hide her disgust, and Kira looked on with pity.

    [I will not die... I will heal my wounds... reim my treasure... and take revenge on that beast...]

    Crunch! Crunch!

    The Mountain King vomited the half-chewed meat into the pit.

    Ian couldn��t bear to watch any longer.

    ��[Mountain King. Please stop.]��

    [...]

    ��[You must stop eating that.]��

    The Mountain King red at Ian with a murderous look.

    [What do you know to say such things?]

    As the Mountain King exuded a murderous aura, Belenka reacted swiftly.

    ��Ian. Let��s stop here and go outside. We can deal with him with the warriors.��

    ��Right. He��s clearly not in his right mind. We��ll handle it, so you stay safe.��

    They were right.

    Outside, the furious northern warriors were waiting.

    There would be sacrifices, but it wasn��t impossible to kill the Mountain King.

    However, Ian declined their proposal.

    He understood the Mountain King��s erratic behavior.

    The Mountain King was facing death.

    Few beings can remain calm when confronted with their own mortality.

    Even a mayfly struggles to live just a little longer.

    The Mountain King, having lived for a thousand years, must have an immense attachment to life far beyond Ian''s imagination.

    ��[Mountain King. Do you truly believe your wounds will heal?]��

    [What...?]

    The Mountain King raised his voice.

    But Ian looked him straight in the eye and spoke firmly.

    ��[Humans on the ground praise you as a wise and intelligent being. I believe in your wisdom. So answer me.]��

    [...]

    ��[Do you truly believe your wounds will heal?]��

    At that moment, the Mountain King ran to the pit and vomited its contents.

    Undigested chunks of meat spilled out, emitting a sour smell.

    [H-heuu...!]

    The Mountain King sobbed, his shoulders shaking.

    As the northerners said, the Mountain King was wise.

    He already knew.

    His wounds would never heal.

    In fact, he should have died when he encountered the dragon...

    [I...!]

    The Mountain King cried out.

    [I am afraid... of dying...!]

    It was a difficult emotion to admit.

    But once he did, the Mountain King could be honest with himself.

    [I don��t want to die like this! I want to keep living! If only that ck dragon hadn��t stolen my treasure! Ah...!]

    The Mountain King��s sorrowful cries echoed through the cave.

    ��[Mountain King.]��

    To an outsider, it might seem pitiful.

    Unable to ept death, thrashing about in desperation.

    But that is the nature of living beings.

    The fear of death is hard to ovee. That��s why those who face it calmly are praised.

    Ian fully understood the Mountain King��s fear.

    He pondered what kind of encouragement he could offer to someone facing death.

    Just go when it��s time?

    Leave the future to the next generation?

    All wrong.

    Living beings fear death because they see it as the end.

    So, for someone tormented by the fear of death...

    You must talk about life after death.

    The afterlife.

    ��Takaryon.��

    And present was an expert on the afterlife.

    Takarion, the monk.

    ��Huh... me?��

    ��Come over here.��

    Takarion approached the Mountain King as Ian instructed.

    ��[Mountain King.]��

    Ian spoke calmly, trying to soothe the Mountain King.

    ��[Do you have a god you believe in?]��

    If he believed in Hrundal, Ian would have had Pyra handle it.

    But the Mountain King shook his head.

    [A god? They have no interest in us.]

    ��[Isn��t it the opposite? Perhaps you have no interest in them?]��

    The Mountain King looked surprised at Ian��s remark.

    [... You��re right. I had no interest in gods. I didn��t need to believe in one to live.]

    Ian smiled and said.

    ��[Humans are the same. Nobles pretend to believe in gods just before they die by donating money. But it��s not something to be criticized. Death is frightening for everyone.]��

    [...]

    ��[Would you consider believing in a god?]��

    [A human god... you mean?]

    ��[Not a human god. A god of this world.]��

    Ian turned to Takarion.

    "Takarion, please perform a sacrament for the Mountain King."

    "???"

    Takarion was immediately taken aback by the request.

    "Perform a sacrament on a wild animal that can''t even talk? That''s impossible!"

    ��Because the Mountain King is an animal? He can speak well and acts like a person...��

    "It''s not that! I''m a monk!"

    "Yes, you are a monk."

    Takarion shouted in frustration.

    "How can a monk perform a sacrament?"

    "Can''t you?"

    "For heaven''s sake, have you ever seen a nun hearing a confession?!"

    Actually, yes. Quite often, in fact, in fiction.

    Ian thought that but quickly understood Takarion''s point. A monk is not a priest.

    A monk is a devoted follower of the faith, not an official of the faith.

    They''re treated as semi-official because of their deep devotion, but strictly speaking, a monk cannot perform sacraments.

    However...

    All human rules are insignificant before God.

    "Then I''ll ask."

    "??? Ask what?"

    "I''ll ask God if you can perform the sacrament."

    "???"

    What kind of nonsense is this?

    Takarion looked at Ian with a bewildered expression, but Ian was already praying earnestly.

    "God of Heaven, can you hear my voice?"

    [Yes, I can hear you.]

    "Takarion wants to guide a lost soul to Heaven. Is that eptable?"

    [Of course, Ian.]

    As Ian prayed, something miraculous happened.

    A golden halo began to shine around Takarion.

    "Wow!"

    Pyra looked at Takarion in amazement. Was this the magic of the heavens?

    At the same time, Takarion felt extreme tension and excitement, almost fainting from the sensation.

    Was this...

    A miracle?!

    "He, Heaven has answered!"

    For once, Takarion sounded like a proper clergyman.

    "Ian! I''ll do it!"

    "Thank you."

    With his eyes closed, Takarion ced his hands on the Mountain King''s head and began to recite the scriptures.

    [What is he doing?]

    The Mountain King asked Ian.

    Ian smiled gently and answered.

    "[He is praying for your soul to reach Heaven.]"

    [...]

    The Mountain King blinked hisrge eyes. Warm tears rolled down his cheeks.

    [So... I am dying...]

    "[You are ascending to Heaven.]"

    Some say that religion is a tool created by humans to ovee the fear of death.

    Whether the afterlife truly exists is unknown. It is a matter of faith.

    But if it can save the soul of someone gripped by fear, then religion has fulfilled its role.

    Ian prayed for the Mountain King for a long time.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��How was it, Takarion?��

    Ian asked.

    Takarion shook his head in response.

    That night, the Mountain King passed away.

    Although he chose his own death, it couldn''t be called a suicide.His life had already ended when the ck dragon attacked. He had been barely holding onto life by absorbing the life force of inferior beasts. He had endured as long as he could and passed away when his time came.

    If Ian hadn''t met him, his end would have been much more painful and miserable.

    [You have guided the soul of a mystical creature to the realm of the Sky God.]

    [The Sky God smiles upon your mercy.]

    [You have gained additional points.]

    Under Takarion��s sacrament, the Mountain King converted to the faith and died as a follower of the Sky God. As a result, he safely reached the Sky God''s realm after death.

    Ian smiled contentedly as he looked at the status window that appeared before him. Skill points were always wee, given his tendency to dabble in all sorts of magic. He never knew when or where he might need them.

    Ian''s mentor, Eredith, had recognized Ian''s talents and encouraged him to learn a wide range of spells. If Eredith could see Ian now, she would be both proud and bemused.

    Eredith knew Ian was versatile, but who would have thought he''d end up learning northern barbarian shamanic magic?

    In addition to Arcana magic, Ian now handled a variety of other spells. He had be a wizard who wouldn''t be outmatched wherever he went.

    ��Ian, I��ve witnessed something truly incredible,�� Takarion murmured, still high on his religious experience.

    Ian found it hard to rte.

    The appearance of the Sky God in front of Ian was nothing new. In fact, the status window itself was a highly suspicious artifact.

    As a result, Ian wasn��t particrly moved by divine interventions. But Takarion was different.

    He was just an ordinary monk, far removed from miracles. He had never led a life wholly dedicated to God, so he had never expected to hear the divine voice.

    But Takarion had just witnessed the Sky God responding to a mortal''s call. He had seen the divine answer to guide the soul of a mystical creature to heaven!

    The experience of leading the Mountain King to heaven profoundly transformed Takarion��s inner world.

    Witnessing divine mercy extend even to a beast was an awe-inspiring revtion.

    ��Ian,�� Takarion said, his eyes sparkling.

    Ian felt a shiver run down his spine. Those eyes... where had he seen them before?

    Wasn��t it Sir Dehitri of the Santiago Knights who had such a look?

    Ian was unnerved by the sight of the bright-eyed fanatic expression on Takarion��s face.

    ��You know, I��ve lived my life spewing empty lies,�� Takarion began.

    ��What do you mean...?��

    ��I crafted stories, pretending that the ideals I aspired to were real, as if saints had actually experienced them.��

    Takarion blinked slowly.

    ��But reality was far from what I imagined.��

    ��...��

    ��I saw the barbarism of the North, the harshness of the snowy ins, a mystical creature that feared death, and a wizard who couldmand the arcane.��

    Ianughed awkwardly.

    Was thatst one supposed to be me?

    ��Ian, I want to spread the true word of God to people,�� Takarion dered with determination.

    ��Though the world is full of harshness, divine mercy exists. I want to tell people how this unchanging world can be transformed by that truth, not by lies.��

    ��Haha... you seem really inspired. You can go back to the Empire and start writing immediately.��

    At that moment, Takarion grabbed Ian��s hand tightly.

    "Thanks to you, Ian."

    ��...��

    ��From the moment I arrived in the North until now, every single moment was possible because of you.��

    Takarion spoke with fervor.

    Ian understood that Takarion was deeply moved, but he found it overwhelming. Still, he managed to offer a word of encouragement.

    ��I don��t know much about theology, but I believe you can do it, Takarion.��

    ��Sniff! Ian!��

    Ian started to flee from Takarion, who was now quoting scriptures in his excitement. Despite everything, Ian realized Takarion was still a religious person at heart.

    Anyway, Ian was a bit curious about what kind of book Takarion would end up writing.

    ---

    ---

    ��We have won!��

    ��Hail to the High Chieftain! Blessed be Hrundal!��

    Outside, the Northerners were celebrating their victory with unrestrained joy.

    After searching the Mountain King��s dwelling, they found a significant number of captured Yagons. The number was almost equivalent to what they would capture during the Great Hunt.

    They wanted to take all of them, but taking too many would ruin the next year��s hunt, so they decided to take only a reasonable amount.

    They would have a harsh winter, but they wouldn��t starve.

    Surprisingly, the Northerners didn��t fight over the food. The Southern and Northern alliance split the Yagons evenly.

    ��They��ll probably invade us again in the winter,�� the High Chieftain said cynically.

    Ian didn��t understand the High Chieftain.

    ��Then why not settle it once and for all now?��

    The High Chieftainughed happily.

    ��Why shed blood when there��s food right in front of us?��

    ��...��

    In other words, they wouldn��t fight if they had food but would fight if they didn��t. They seemed more like wolves than humans.

    Ian thought the Northerners lived like beasts, but he realized they had their own way of life. It wasn��t entirely beyond hisprehension.

    ... Though he still believed unifying the North under one ruler would be better.

    With food secured, the Northerners were ready to descend the mountain.

    But Ian had one more task: finding the abode of the Northern God.

    Shamans, including Pira, were eager to assist Ian. Ian had already made a significant impact in the North. With rmendations from acquaintances, getting help from shamans wasn��t difficult.

    ��You must be Ian! I heard about you from Helga!��

    ��Nice to meet you.��

    Among the shamans, there were those who came rmended by Helga.

    ��There are no specific requirements to meet Hrundal.��

    ��Excuse me?��

    ��If he has decided to invite you, you will surely meet him!��

    ... Most of the shamans were useless.

    Shamans were essentially priests serving Hrundal. Emphasizing ''faith'' and ''will'' was expected.

    ��...��

    Ian received advice from the shamans, but none of it was helpful.

    They told him to wander with faith...

    Even Takarion could have said that.

    Grumbling, Ian prepared to explore the mountain.

    [Ian.]

    The phoenix, Winnie, spoke.

    [What are you nning to do now?]

    ��I was thinking of wandering around the mountain.��

    [... There��s a ce I��d like to show you. Can we go there?]

    Of course, Ian was about to nod.

    That is, until Winnie added something else.

    [Just the three of us��me, you, and Kira.]

    Why just the three of them?

    The reason wasn��t hard to guess.

    Winnie''s time was running out.

    Ian nodded heavily.

    ��Alright, let��s go.��

    He told hispanions that he would be going somewhere for a while, taking only Kira and Winnie with him.

    ��Hm...��

    The perceptive Belenka understood why it had to be just the three of them.

    ��What?! You��re only taking Kira with you? Then our dear Belenka will be lonely and...!��

    ��Quiet.��

    Belenka kicked Takarion and waved her hand.

    ��Go ahead. Just don��t take too long.��

    ��I��ll be back within a day.��

    Ian began climbing the mountain with Kira. The atmosphere was slightly awkward since they had never spent time alone together since Kira joined the party.

    Fortunately, Winnie spoke first.

    [Ian, go straight up this path.]

    ��What��s up there?��

    Winnie chirped.

    [The mountain summit.]

    Ian was inwardly impressed.

    Wow... we''re even going to the mountaintop now. How are we getting back down?

    [We��ll wait here.]

    ��Alright.��

    Ian continued alone towards the summit. The cold wind whipped his cheeks, but he didn��t have time to think about the cold. Instead, he listened to the mystical voices surrounding him.

    The open summit, the sea of clouds drifting by, the bright but not warm sun...

    The view from the mountain peak was breathtakingly beautiful.

    Thud.

    Something fell from his pocket. It was an Arcana card that had slipped out of his deck.

    Card 21. The World.

    Ian bent down to pick up the card. At that moment...

    ��... Huh?��

    Everything went pitch ck.

    Holding the card, Ian looked around in a daze.

    Sheer cliffs, an endlessly towering ice castle.

    It was a surreal and overwhelmingndscape, like something a mad artist on the edge of sanity might paint.

    Ian mumbled to himself.

    ��Ice Pce...��

    The afterlife believed in by the Northerners.

    Ian was certain he was standing before the Ice Pce.

    A voice came from somewhere.

    [You have arrived, servant of the Sunbearer.]

    A barely dressed woman with wings sprouting from her shoulders descended before Ian.

    Ian spoke in thenguage of Maronius.

    ��[Who are you?]��

    [Oh, as expected, the servant of the Sunbearer does not know me. I am a Valkyrie. I guide the dead to the Ice Pce.]

    The woman, who introduced herself as a Valkyrie, spread her wings wide.

    Ian felt a chill.

    ��Am I... dead?��

    The Ice Pce was an afterlife.

    In principle, only the dead could enter.

    However, just as in old myths and tales, living humans sometimes ventured into the realm of the dead.

    Ian was one such case.

    [You are alive, so you cannot stay long.]

    The Valkyrie extended her hand.

    Ian was led by the Valkyrie, who took him across the sky.

    She ced him in the middle of a cold ice castle and then disappeared.

    Most of the castle''s decorations were paintings.

    There were pictures he recognized from Arcana cards and primitive drawings he had seen in Hrundal''s temple.

    ��You have arrived.��

    Ian shuddered at the voice behind him.

    A woman with long silver hair flowing down to her feet was painting with an expressionless face.

    ��Hmm. This isn''t bad.��

    She murmured as she put down her brush and showed Ian the painting.

    It was a picture of a man.

    ck hair, ck eyes. A raven perched on his shoulder, holding a long staff.

    ��... Is that me?��

    Ian was bewildered as he looked at the man in the painting.

    Judging by the expression and the shape of the face, it was indeed Ian...

    But this Ian looked much older than the current one.

    In his 30s? Or maybe 40s?

    ��What is this?��

    Ian asked out of pure curiosity.

    The woman with long silver hair��Hrundal, the Northern god��answered cheerfully.

    ��Of course, it��s you. Ian Eredith Raven.��

    Hrundal stood up from her seat.

    ��Wee to my pce, wizard.��

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��It��s an honor to meet you.��

    Ian bowed sincerely.

    He felt a slight sense of incongruity.

    The woman before him, except for being as beautiful as a piece of art, seemed entirely ordinary.

    If he said she looked like an ordinary human beauty, would it be sphemy?��I don''t feel your sincerity, but I ept your greeting.��

    ��Sorry. It��s just that... you seem quitefortable.��

    ��Comfortable?��

    At Ian��s words, Hrundal''s lips curved into a slight smile. It was a surreal feeling, as if a piece of art hade to life.

    Was this how the protagonist of a museuming to life felt?

    ��Yes. The other mysteries I��ve encountered were... much more overwhelming to converse with.��

    The mysteries, including Drake Longtail, had drained Ian just by talking to them.

    He was sturdier now that he had taken that elixir.

    Perhaps it was thanks to that elixir that he was able to converse with the goddess?

    ��That��s to be expected,�� Hrundal said with satisfaction.

    ��I created this space to summon you. It��s a space prepared for you, so it��s naturally less burdensome.��

    Hrundal, too, was a divine being.

    Higher beings hesitated to initiate contact, and Hrundal was no different.

    "You have carried the item I bestowed, and reached the holy ce."

    Hrundal continued.

    ��I created the space, but you are the one who came here.��

    Ian nodded, understanding her words.

    ��Then, if I possessed an item imbued with the power of the Sky God and reached a holy ce of the Sky God...��

    ��You could meet the Sunbearer,�� Hrundal replied nonchntly, as if it were obvious.

    ��But there wouldn��t be much to gain from that visit, since the Sunbearer hasn��t summoned you.��

    ��That��s true.��

    The reason Ian could visit the Ice Pce was Hrundal''s invitation.

    ��You said you had something for me...��

    Hrundal interrupted Ian.

    ��You are in a hurry, like a mortal. But it has been a long time since a living person visited this ce.��

    Snap!

    With a snap of her fingers, the scene changed. They were in a banquet hall. The long table was filled with various foods.

    ��Let��s talk slowly over a meal.��

    Most of the dishes were cooked meats, with wine and other beverages. Ian sat at the table, slightly disappointed. He had hoped for Earth food at a divine banquet, but no such luck.

    ��Can I eat this?��

    ��Of course. Do you think I would serve inedible food?��

    Fortunately, the food was delicious. Hrundal watched Ian eat with pleasure.

    ��How is it? Not to your taste?��

    ��No, it��s just...��

    Ian swallowed and spoke.

    ��There��s a story I know, where if a living person eats the food of the underworld, they can��t return to the living world...��

    ��Oh?��

    Hrundal seemed intrigued by Ian��s story. It was quite fascinating.

    ��It seems like a story told by someone well-versed in the underworld.��

    ��Pardon?��

    ��Haha. Since you��ve eaten the food of the underworld, you can no longer return to the human world, Ian.��

    Pfft!

    Ian spit out his wine, coughing. Hrundalughed happily.

    ��It��s a joke! You timid thing!"

    ��...��

    No, when it''s a god saying it, it''s hard not to believe it...

    Ian continued eating.

    The goddess seems to have a mischievous side.

    ��You��re quite different from thest time we met.��

    ��What do you mean?��

    Hrundal looked intrigued.

    The more Ian saw of her, the less he understood this goddess. Last time, she exuded such an overwhelming presence that he couldn��t even lift his head...

    Now, it felt like he was visiting the house of an older sister who attended an art college!

    "I thought you were a much... colder person."

    ��Cold, you say? Of course, I am. As the overseer of the afterlife,�� Hrundal said.

    ��Underneath my Ice Pce lies a prison for the damned. Borrowing the Sunbearer''s term, it is hell.��

    ��...��

    ��Periodically, prisoners escape from hell and surface. My warriors and I are tasked with subduing these escaped demons and sending them back to hell,�� Hrundal said, almost singing.

    ��That''s why I favor strong warriors. Only warriors strong enough to face the demons from hell can maintain order in the world.��

    Ian understood Hrundal''s words. The goddess��s role was like that of a warden.

    She was a jailer preventing the damned prisoners from stepping into thend of the living.

    ��But that is merely my duty. My essence is closer to that of an artist.��

    Ian nodded, looking at the paintings decorating the walls of the banquet hall.

    Hrundal was the mistress of a citadel watching over hell. But at the same time, she was a goddess of art and painting.

    ��As the guardian of the dead, I must always be cold and ruthless. But as an artist, I must capture the world��s beauty with vibrant colors.��

    Ian smiled at Hrundal.

    ��The one standing before me now... is the goddess of painting.��

    ��Haha, precisely. Mortal.��

    Hrundal added yfully, ��You better hope you never meet me as the warden.��

    ��... I hope so too.��

    It was a chilling joke. Meeting Hrundal as the warden meant Ian was imprisoned in hell.

    ��So, Ian. Do you like my paintings?��

    ��Of course.��

    With a snap of Hrundal''s fingers, Arcana cards began to spin around Ian.

    ��In fact, I��ve seen something simr in my past life.��

    ��Oh? And what is that?��

    ��A thing called tarot cards...��

    Ian briefly exined what he knew about tarot cards. He wasn��t an expert, just aware that they were used for fortune-telling, like predicting the new year''s luck or couples'' love fortunes.

    Hrundal smiled faintly at Ian��s exnation.

    ��That��s possible. Mysteries aren��t bound by time and space.��

    ��Is that so?��

    ��Ian, did your people in your past life believe in the existence of the soul?��

    "... Well, some."

    Some believed in souls, while others didn��t.

    ��It��s the same here. There are those who don��t believe in the soul��s existence. But souls do exist.��

    Hrundal exined that mysteries reveal themselves to believers. And it wasn��t strange for human beliefs to take simr forms.

    ��That��s why you can handle so many mysteries.��

    ��...? What do you mean?��

    Hrundalughed.

    ��You believe in the existence of mysteries more strongly than anyone else, don��t you?��

    ��???��

    Ian didn��t quite understand Hrundal''s point.

    ��Whether we believe it or not... Mysteries exist, right?��

    ��Wrong. It''s not because they exist that you believe in them, but because you believe in them that they exist."

    Ian��s mouth fell open. This must be why he fit so well with the Arcana 0 card, [The Fool].

    It was natural for Ian to not understand Hrundal''s words. Most residents of this medieval fantasy world didn��t understand mysteries. They might have heard of them but couldn��t understand or interact with them.

    Imagine someone iming, ��I believe in ghosts! I even bought a whiteboard tomunicate with them!�� Would you think, ��Ah, they believe so strongly that ghosts might exist,�� or would you think, ��Too bad that TV show about Martians got canceled.��

    Most people would think thetter.

    People in this world are no different. Mysteries exist, but they are hard to encounter or understand, making them virtually nonexistent to ordinary people. Since they can''t imagine or interact with them, the average person bes even more distant from mysteries.

    But Ian was different.

    Seeing the status window, Ian was convinced he had been reincarnated in another world. Naturally, he believed he should have some kind of cheat ability. That''s the rule, right?

    Ian firmly believed that he could handle mysterious powers as if it were natural.

    As a result, he could handle all sorts of random mysteries, enough to surprise even Eredith.

    ��But I use magic through my status window?��

    ��Status window?��

    Ian exined to Hrundal what a status window was. He felt a bit embarrassed while doing so. It��s a concept from game fantasy... Like, have you read The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor?

    Hrundal replied firmly,

    ��I don��t know what that ��status window�� is.��

    ��...��

    ��The Sunbearer wouldn��t know either. The only one who knows about that bizarre phenomenon is you."

    ...Even the god of Heaven''s Faith doesn��t know about it?

    A scene yed out in Ian��s mind.

    [Oh, a status window! Lord of the sky! What is this power?]

    [... I don''t know, what is that? It''s scary...]

    It was aedy skit.

    "I think that ��status window�� was created by you, Ian."

    ��... I created the status window???��

    Hrundal concluded,

    ��[A very sophisticated system of self-suggestion.]��

    That was Ian��s status window.

    Neither Hrundal nor the Sky God knew what the status window was.

    Logically, the only one who could create the status window was...

    Ian, himself.

    ��Why are you so surprised?��

    Hrundal asked, seeing Ian standing in shock.

    ��Human wizards called [Archwizards] or [Lemegeton] used their unique methods to perform magic.��

    Hrundal continued, ��You��re no different.��

    Archwizard Maronius created a magical system with hisnguage. If Maronius could do it, why couldn��t other humans?

    Ian using magic through a ��status window�� was no different.

    ��Of course, the Sunbearer��s blessing is undeniable, but the concept of the ��status window�� was created by you, Ian.��

    ��...��

    Ian��s head spun. He had thought the status window was a perk from being reincarnated in another world. But it turned out he was an incredible mental case experiencing hallucinations...?

    No.

    That was too harsh.

    It was better to say he had such innate magical talent that he could turn his imagination into reality. Ian himself didn��t know it, but he was born with immense magical talent...!

    Seeing Ian standing there, Hrundal smiled, an amusing idea crossing her mind.

    ��I��ll lend you my power. Would you like to use that ��status window�� more precisely?��

    ��Huh... Yes?��

    Ian answered absentmindedly.

    Hrundal took it as a positive response.

    ��Let��s imbue your magic into the Arcana cards I drew.��

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Suddenly, the surroundings had changed.

    Ian found himself standing in the middle of arge workshop.

    As expected, the walls were filled with Hrundal''s paintings.

    ... That goddess seems to have spent all her extra time painting.

    "Alright, Ian. Summon that ��status window�� of yours."Ian took a slow, deep breath, focusing his mind.

    ��Status window.��

    A familiar sensation apanied by the appearance of the status window.

    [Ian Eredith Raven]

    [Magic User]

    [Your skills are quite remarkable. But don''t get arrogant!]

    ��...��

    Ian looked at the status window, lost in thought.

    When he first saw the status window, he thought it was the goddess''s power.

    But...

    It was just his magical talent expressed in the form of a status window...

    ''Hmm...''

    Ian pondered, tilting his head.

    When did he start using the status window properly?

    It was when he first learned the magicalnguage from Eredith.

    Before that, the only message that popped up was [You are nothing]~ a damn harsh message.

    Thinking about it like this made sense.

    If the status window were a gift from the goddess as a reincarnation perk, there was no reason it shouldn''t have worked from the start.

    But Ian''s status window began to function in earnest with the acquisition of magic.

    As Ian��s magical abilities grew, so did the capabilities of the status window.

    "I''ve summoned it... But, Goddess."

    ��Hmm. Just call me Hrundal instead of Goddess.��

    Hrundal awkwardly scratched her cheek.

    ��Goddess sounds a bit... off, doesn��t it?��

    ��...��

    The goddess was quite shy.

    ��Alright. Hrundal. I have a question.��

    ��What is it?��

    ��It��s about my status window. It has an information ess and skill point system. Did I create all of that as well?��

    Hrundal answered seriously.

    ��I don��t know.��

    ��... Pardon?��

    ��How would I know the workings of your magic?��

    ��... You don��t know?��

    Wait, isn��t she a goddess?

    Turns out, Hrundal didn��t know everything about human magic systems.

    Magic is like a form of mental activity. If Hrundal understood Ian��s magic, it would mean she had delved into Ian��s mind.

    The gods of this world don��t have the ability to read human thoughts (which is why they sometimes get tricked by humans).

    ��But I can guess the principle.��

    Hrundal said nonchntly.

    ��You��re borrowing the power of the thoughts that float around the world.��

    ��Thoughts?��

    ��Yes. In the world of mystery, there are fragmented pieces of information. You��re likely connecting with that information unconsciously.��

    Hearing this, Ian felt a slight headache.

    Trying to unravel the workings of the status window itself was the problem.

    He immediately adopted an engineering mindset.

    Hmm. As long as it works, who cares about the principle!

    It works for some unknown reason? Well, maybe the ancestors are helping out!

    Ian didn��t realize, but engineers and coders are like the shamans of the science world.

    They solve most problems by praying fervently to the gods...!

    If it works, it��s best not to mess with it.

    Messing with it might break something...!

    "I''ve summoned the status window. What''s next?"

    "You said you use the status window to perform magic. Exin exactly how you do it."

    Ian nodded.

    "When Ie into contact with a new mystery, the status window informs me that I''ve acquired a new skill."

    ��Skill?��

    Ian promptly opened the magic window.

    [Skill List]

    [You have entered seven schools of magic]

    [Air Magic �C Lv 4]

    [The ability to use air magic]

    [Earth Magic �C Lv 2]

    [The ability to use earth magic]

    [Dark magic �C Lv 4]

    [The ability to use dark magic]

    [Ice Magic �C Lv 2]

    [The ability to use ice magic]

    [Water Magic �C Lv 2]

    [The ability to use water magic]

    [Fire Magic �C Lv 4]

    [The ability to use fire magic]

    [Summoning �C Lv 3]

    [The ability to request aid from mystical beings]

    Ian nced at the status window that had appeared and felt a rush of satisfaction from his achievements in magic.

    Man, look at me.

    I''ve been working like a dog all this time!

    Even in my past life, I didn��t have more than seven certifications (including my driver''s license)!

    In this medieval fantasy world, I''ve entered seven schools of magic and can wield their powers.

    ��What��s the maximum level for these skills?�� Hrundal asked.

    ��Level 9,�� Ian answered reflexively.

    If Ian was the creator of this system, then the max level would undoubtedly be 9.

    9 is a perfect number.

    There��s a reason terms like 9th-circle archwizard exist.

    Even some roguelike games have 9th-level magic as the ultimate spell.

    Ian''s magical achievement would also reach its peak at level 9.

    Whether level 9 could be achieved within his lifetime was another matter entirely.

    ��Oh, so your magical achievement is around level 4...��

    Hrundal smiled at Ian.

    ��You''re quite a decent wizard.��

    Level 4.

    Not aplete novice, but not a master either.

    In martial arts terms, somewhere between an expert and a master.

    Of course, in most martial arts stories, even high-level experts are a dime a dozen.

    Perhaps it''s because their poption exceeds billions.

    But Ian was a resident of a medieval fantasy world.

    Here, a town with a poption of 2,000 is considered significant (not 20 million!).

    Someone like Ian, who has reached this level, is highly sought after.

    ��I still have much to learn.��

    Hrundal smiled at Ian��s humility.

    She didn��t dislike humble humans.

    ��That won''t be the case for long. I will bless you.��

    Hrundalmanded, ��Choose an Arcana card.��

    Ian selected a card as the goddess instructed.

    Of course, the card was chosen at random.

    The card Ian drew was the 17th card, [The Star].

    ��I have captured the flow of the world in these twenty-two cards. The cards show your fate and sometimes even change it.��

    Ian nodded.

    The Arcana cards contained enough power to alter fate.

    ��My power usually works by changing the fate around me,�� Hrundal said, reaching for the card.

    The card in Ian��s hand began to glow strangely.

    ��Now, Ian, if youbine your ability to control the [Status Window], you can achieve consistent magical oues.��

    ��...��

    Ian was quietly astonished.

    Even though he used the status window to enhance his abilities, he was still a wizard.

    He understood how difficult magic was.

    Magic is highly unpredictable.

    It��s the process ofmunicating with the mysteries, and errors often happen during thismunication.

    Depending on the mood of the mysteries, the oue of magic could vary greatly.

    But...

    ording to Hrundal, if Ian��s magic was embedded in the Arcana cards, it would stabilize the magic results.

    Without regard for the whims of the mysteries, he could always cast the same spell!

    ''Is that even possible?''

    Ian stood there in disbelief at Hrundal''s words.

    He couldn''t help it.

    Ian was also a wizard.

    The promise of resolving magic''s inherent instability was something that obviously captivated him!

    "Alright, Ian. Think of one spell you want to embed into the card."

    [You can store one spell in the Arcana card.]

    [17 �C The Star]

    [Currently storable spells: Water Magic, Ice Magic]

    Messages shed before Ian��s eyes.

    His status window reacted to Hrundal''s Arcana magic.

    "..."

    But neither was from Ian''s primary schools of magic.

    Water Magic and Ice Magic.

    Neither had particrly strong spells.

    "Alright... I''ll go with this."

    [Water Magic: Wave (Lv2)]

    It was a spell Ian used in the vige of Riverville.

    Its effect was simple, creating waves.

    "Hmph. Aren''t you underestimating my power? You could embed a stronger spell," Hrundal said, slightly disappointed.

    After all, if a god was offering a gift, shouldn��t he aim higher?

    Ian quickly exined.

    "It''s just that... the status window..."

    "... I see. Your magic system is trying to amodate my power."

    Hrundal shrugged.

    "Then I''ll embed my power into another card."

    Ian was almost moved to tears by her generosity.

    This is what a goddess should be like!

    "Goddess! Oh, Hrundal!"

    "I told you not to call me a goddess..."

    "Hrundal, you''re amazing! Beautiful Hrundal!"

    "Hah, hahaha!"

    Ian''s antics, honed through his wizardly experiences, made Hrundal burst outughing.

    Even though she knew he was a human brought from ��the other side�� by the Sunbearer.

    He was distinctly different from the humans of this world.

    A cheerful person, one might say.

    "Quickly, draw another card."

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    Ian drew another card.

    It was card number 3, The Empress.

    [Fire Magic: Spear of mes (Lv4)]

    [Launch a spear made of immense mes. The spear will devastate the target area, creating a sea of fire!]

    ��How is it?��

    ��It seems to be working well.��

    ��You don''t sound sure. Let''s test it.��

    With a wave of her hand, Hrundal summoned a monster.

    With a goat''s head, bat wings, and a trident, it looked like a perfect demon.

    Ian calmly held the Arcana card and shouted.

    ��[Spear of mes!]��

    [Hrundal''s will empowers you...]

    [A zing spear of fire appears!]

    [You have summoned the Spear of mes.]

    Without hesitation, Ian threw the ming spear at the demon.

    ��Keeeek!��

    The demon thrashed in the mes before sumbing to death.

    ''This is...''

    Ian��s [ability to cast magic].

    Combined with Hrundal''s [power to alter fate].

    The result was [manifesting magic].

    This was truly astonishing magic.

    So powerful that it left a striking sense of unease...

    ''This is... a skill...''

    Ian swallowed dryly.

    This was entirely different from the magic created by Maronius.

    It resembled the kind of magic you��d see in games or web novels, used as a [skill].

    Ian might have...

    At this moment, Ian might have developed the first [Skill Card] in this medieval fantasy world...

    ��Oh dear.��

    Hrundal looked at Ian''s card and muttered.

    ��After using its power, it seems it needs time to recharge.��

    When he touched the [High Priestess] card, he felt no trace of magic.

    This [Spear of mes] skill seemed to have a cooldown.

    Ian honestly shared his recent unease with Hrundal.

    "Hrundal, I was wondering..."

    "What is it now?"

    "The [status window] I use. Could someone else use it too?"

    Hrundal narrowed her eyes and answered.

    "In theory, it''s possible. But how many humans can fully understand the concept of that ''status window''?"

    "..."

    When humanity first invented movies, people in theaters were often startled, thinking the images on screen were real.

    Understanding a novel concept is like that.

    If Ian were to exin the concept of the ''status window'' to people in the medieval world, would they imagine it as a divine entity named ''status window''? Or would they think of it as a mechanical system with holograms?

    Of course, it would be the former.

    Medieval people couldn''t fully understand the ''status window'' as Ian does.

    Therefore, even if Ian tried to teach his unique magic to them, none would be able to master it properly.

    ''... Perhaps.''

    Ian pondered while fiddling with the Arcana card.

    Could the Sky God have foreseen that Ian would create [skill magic] using the [status window]?

    There were more questions Ian needed to ask the Sky God.

    Ian received additional skill cards from Hrundal.

    After the endowment, Hrundal spoke.

    "Now, let''s talk about your magic sword."

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Skill cards were incredibly useful items.

    If scrolls were like feature phones[1], skill cards were like smartphones.

    Just as the widespread use of smartphones revolutionized human life, Ian''s introduction of skill card magic would transform the magic of this medieval fantasy world into something more ''familiar'' to Ian.

    A world where wizards shout "Fireball!" and actually cast a fireball.

    However, even these immensely useful skill cards had limitations.First, they couldn''t contain magic beyond Ian''s abilities.

    The oues of Maronius or Arcana magic could vary in oue depending on the state of the mystery or Hrundal''s will.

    But skill cards always produced consistent results, meaning there was no chance of an unexpectedly better oue.

    Also, to create a skill card, one of Hrundal''s hand-painted Arcana cards was necessary.

    The condition for Hrundal to grant these cards was...

    ��Your experiences and realizations,�� Hrundal said with a smile.

    ��Of course,�� Ian nodded.

    Pyra had hinted at this before. The Arcana cards contained the narrative of one''s life.

    Thus, unless one was a sage who understood all things in the world, it was impossible to fill all twenty-two cards with Hrundal''s hand-painted illustrations.

    Ian currently possessed eight special cards.

    This meant he could only create eight skill cards.

    To increase the number of skill cards... he needed to continue his journey.

    Learning and realizations were the only ways to make a wizard grow.

    ��Now, show me your magic sword.��

    Ian drew the magic sword Anor-lsil as Hrundalmanded.

    The magic sword imbued with the power of the sun and moon did not lose its luster even in theherworld.

    Hrundal narrowed her eyes and ran her hand over the de.

    "As expected... what a sinister sword."

    "Sinister?"

    Hrundal handed the sword back to Ian.

    ��It cunningly siphons the power of the Sun. Truly the craft of a sly fae.��

    Ian imagined the Fairy Queen waving from afar...

    Fairies were indeed a race with craftsmanship that could astonish even gods.

    ��I understand the power of the sun. But the sword also contains the power of the moon. Is there a separate deity for that?��

    At Ian''s question, Hrundal closed her eyes for a moment.

    The poor mortal might not be ready to grasp the truth of the world.

    But...

    Fulfilling a seeker��s curiosity is also the role of a god!

    ��Very well, I shall tell you the truth.��

    ��...?��

    ��Mortal, brace yourself for a shock.��

    Ian tensed up.

    How monumental a secret was she about to reveal?

    ��The true master of the moon is... the Sunbearer.��

    ��What?��

    Hrundal sighed at Ian��s bewildered expression.

    Indeed...!

    He was not ready to ept that the sun and moon were powered by the same god!

    ��The ��moon�� you refer to merely reflects the light of the sun...!��

    Hrundal looked at Ian with concern.

    Before the establishment of the Golden Empire��so long ago that even medieval people would call it ''ancient''��people believed that both the sun and moon were imbued with divine spirits.

    A schr had identally discovered that ��the moon is just a rock!��

    At the time, people used the schr of sphemy and attempted to hang him in the town square.

    After all, how could the moon be just a rock?

    It was so sacred! So beautiful!

    Even now, as ancient beliefs evolved into the worship of the Sky God, medieval people still revered the moon.

    But for a god to tell an imperial citizen, who had always believed in the moon''s sanctity, that ��the moon is just a rock��...

    Hrundal couldn''t help but worry.

    Even though Ian was a wizard and might be fine, she was concerned that she might have revealed a secret too great for the young boy to handle.

    However, Ian, who had just learned an immense secret from a god, felt nothing extraordinary.

    He already knew that the moon reflected the sun''s light.

    ��Oh, yes. It''s the same here too.��

    ��???��

    ��I figured as much. It was like that in my previous life too.��

    Hrundal was shocked by Ian''s words.

    He already knew?

    Did that mean the world he came from had already uncovered all the mysteries of the moon?

    ��You lived in a frightening world...��

    ��This world is much scarier,�� Ian said, examining Anor-lsil.

    Ultimately, the fact that he was borrowing the power of the Sunbearer hadn''t changed.

    ��So, Ian. You must have received an oracle from the Sunbearer?��

    ��Yes, through a message in my status window.��

    Ian recalled the peculiar quest he had received earlier.

    [Objective: Create the true Anor-lsil.]

    [Gather the following items to unlock the power of Anor-lsil.]

    [1. Something containing the power of the sky]

    [2. Something containing the power of the clouds]

    [3. Something containing the power of the wind]

    [4. Something containing the power of the stars]

    [5. Something containing the power of the sun]

    [6. Something containing the power of the moon]

    [Once the true Anor-lsil ispleted, the Worship the Sky! challenge will proceed.]

    ��Was that the oracle?��

    ��It is an oracle if it��s a mission given directly by a god.��

    In retrospect, it made sense. The status window interpreted it as a quest, but it was a sort of divine mission given to Ian.

    ��The Sunbearer has entrusted me with a part of the mysteries of the sky.��

    ��...��

    ��The item I intend to give you is this.��

    Hrundal revealed a mysterious jewel.

    It contained the [Power of the Sky].

    ��Why does the Sky God want me to strengthen Anor-lsil?��

    Hrundal smiled faintly and said,

    ��Some tasks are understood only when they arepleted. The Sunbearer is shy and hesitant tomunicate directly with humans. Hence, this cumbersome method is necessary.��

    ��... That''s a roundabout way of saying I need to ask in person.��

    Ian shrugged.

    Ultimately, it was up to him toplete the quest at his own pace and ording to his desire.

    He had always wanted to meet the Sky God, but there was no urgent need to do so right away.

    ��But it seems you haven''t made any enhancements yet.��

    ��Oh, that...��

    Ian showed Hrundal the [Eye of the Wind].

    It was a gift from the time wizard Gerard.

    Ian had struggled to merge it with the magic sword but had not found a proper solution yet.

    He had considered visiting a temple, but surprisingly, Hrundal offered help.

    ��Well, it��s not easy to understand items made by fairies. Especially when they contain the power of the Sunbearer.��

    With that, Hrundal easily extracted the power of the Eye of the Wind and merged it with Anor-lsil.

    When Ian came to his senses, the power of the wind had be one with Anor-lsil.

    [Congrattions!]

    [The enhancement level of Anor-lsil has increased!]

    ��???��

    How did she do that?

    Ian stared at Hrundal in astonishment.

    She had aplished in an instant what Ian had been struggling with.

    As expected, the power of a god was far superior to that of humans.

    ��It is done. Now this magic sword will guide you to ces where treasures lie.��

    It was like a navigation feature.

    If Ian ever lost his way, Anor-lsil would help him find the direction.

    ��Let��s see... the [Cloud of Lightning] should be the closest.��

    Cloud of Lightning.

    It was a familiar name.

    ��Are you talking about the treasure guarded by the Behemoth known as the Mountain King?��

    ��You know of it too. Yes. But I can''t quite sense its presence.��

    Hrundal, secluded in the Ice Pce, was slow to receive news from the outside world.

    ��The Mountain King mentioned that a ck dragon attacked him and took the [Cloud of Lightning].��

    ��What? Then what happened to the Mountain King?��

    ��He died... oh.��

    Ian realized why Hrundal was surprised and felt embarrassed.

    Hrundal was a goddess guarding the path to the afterlife.

    If the Mountain King had died, she would have known.

    But Hrundal did not know about the Mountain King''s death.

    The reason was simple...

    Ian had sent the Mountain King''s soul to the Sky God!

    ��Hah. So, he left through that route...��

    ��I''m sorry, Hrundal.��

    ��No, it''s fine. Why apologize? If the Sunbearer took him, I��m relieved.��

    Hrundal had a confused expression.

    It wasn��t because of the Mountain King''s soul.

    ��The ck dragon took the Cloud of Lightning...��

    The Cloud of Lightning was the closest and easiest material for strengthening Anor-lsil.

    But now, some ck dragon had stolen it.

    For Ian, it meant he might have to just watch and do nothing!

    ��What will you do?��

    ��I��ll have to seize the opportunity if it arises.��

    If the opportunity arises.

    A dragon is not an easy opponent.

    If Ian dered he would take on a dragon, Eredith might fly over and scold him.

    Does he not value his life, thinking he can challenge a dragon?

    So, Ian decided to wait and see.

    If an opportunity arose, he��d aim for the Cloud of Lightning. If not, he��d look for another item containing the power of clouds.

    ��Very well. It��s your decision.��

    Hrundal nodded.

    Ian cautiously spoke up.

    ��So, the power of the sky...��

    ��Ah. That��s actually the main point.��

    ��...��

    So, everything up until now had just been the preamble.

    ��The Sunbearer entrusted me with the power of the sky. But Ian, to receive it, you need to meet a requirement.��

    ��A requirement?��

    Hrundal said,

    ��Yes. Show me a Level 7 magic.��

    ��...?��

    Ian tilted his head in confusion.

    Show a Level 7 magic? What kind of demand was that?

    ��You need to be capable of demonstrating at least Level 7 magic to make a deal with me.��

    ��... This might take some time.��

    Ian decided to y it down.

    Not because he doubted his ability to master Level 7 magic, but because it might give him an advantage in negotiations.

    If he was lucky, she might rx the conditions.

    But Hrundal smiled and replied,

    ��Why do you think I have shared my power with you? Ian, the foundation for your growth has beenid.��

    ��That��s...��

    ��It won��t take long. Go out and be stronger.��

    Ian felt that Hrundal��s smile was somehow cold.

    An ice-cold smile spread across the goddess''s lips.

    ��You can be an incredibly powerful wizard.��

    ---

    ---

    Ian hadpleted his tasks at the Ice Pce.

    He had learned how to use Arcana Cards as skill cards and seeded in strengthening Anor-lsil.

    It was about time to return to the Empire.

    He could search for more enhancement materials, increase his magic level, or investigate the whereabouts of the ck dragon.

    Whatever the choice, it was up to Ian.

    ��Ah, Ian.��

    Before he left the Ice Pce, Hrundal had one more thing to say.

    ��If your magic sword behaves strangely, don��t be too surprised.��

    ��... Behaves strangely?��

    Ian was now a resident of the fantasy world.

    He no longer got surprised by most fantastic things.

    But how could the sword change to shock him?

    ��Thank you for everything, Goddess.��

    Hrundal almostughed at being called a goddess but stopped because Ian knelt down.

    ��Yes, young wanderer.��

    Hrundal ced her hand on Ian��s head.

    ��Your soul has run tirelessly to get here. But do not resent your fate too much. Wanderers have their own way of life."

    Ian bowed to Hrundal and turned away.

    A Valkyrie was waiting to take Ian back to thend of the living.

    Guided by the Valkyrie''s hand, Ian left the Ice Pce.

    ��...��

    Ian opened his eyes.

    He was at the peak of the holy mountain.

    ---

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 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Meeting with Hrundal turned out to be quite a time-consuming activity.

    While Ian ate with the goddess, learned magic, and talked with her, he thought at least 8-9 hours must have passed.

    But when he looked around from the mountaintop, nothing had changed from before he left for the Ice Pce.

    Could time have stopped?

    Ian''s guess was only half correct.Time in the afterlife is different from time in the present world.

    The time Ian spent in the Ice Pce had no effect on his present self.

    So when Ian went to find Kira, she looked at him with a surprised expression.

    ��What? You''re back already?��

    She asked if he was back, but she was thinking, ��Did he get tired of it ande back?��

    It was a natural assumption.

    If someone says they��ll be back soon and really doese back quickly, you''d think things didn��t go well.

    ��Already?��

    Ian confirmed that the d��j�� vu he felt was real.

    Indeed, no time had passed in the present world.

    [Ian. Did you meet her?]

    Winnie chirped.

    The phoenix seemed to assume Ian had met Hrundal.

    ��You knew where the Ice Pce was.��

    [Of course. I''ve lived here a long time.]

    Even with jumbled memories, Winnie used first person without hesitation.

    Ian stood with Kira and Winnie, looking over the snowy mountains.

    The sunlight was dazzling, and the wind was cold.

    [It��s beautiful.]

    Winnie said.

    [If I had died right after I was born, could I have rejoiced at this beauty?]

    ��I don''t think so.��

    [But if that were the case, I wouldn��t have felt regret either.]

    Ian patted Winnie.

    ��Saying that life shouldn��t begin because death is scary is just stupid.��

    No one is born because they wish for life.

    Everyone is irresponsibly thrown into the world.

    Finding meaning within the given time, whether long or short.

    That is life.

    [Thank you for your kindness, Ian. For indulging my foolish whims. And for sharing this final moment...]

    Winnie smiled.

    [Thank you, Ian.]

    A cold chill emanated from Winnie��s body.

    It looked as if she was absorbing the surrounding cold.

    ��Ah...��

    Kira instinctively felt the overflowing mystery and let out a sigh.

    ��Winnie.��

    Kira was the one who had named the phoenix.

    Initially, she was just attracted to the cute creature, but at some point, she began to cherish Winnie.

    ��Ian... What is Winnie saying...?��

    ��She says thank you.��

    Frost began to form at Winnie''s feet and soon covered her entire body.

    In an instant, Winnie was encased in ice.

    She looked as if she had frozen to death.

    But that wasn''t the case.

    This was merely the process of shedding her mortal body and transforming into her true phoenix form.

    [I...]

    Winnie whispered.

    Ian unconsciously touched his cheek. The moisture he thought was snow was actually his tears.

    [I will miss Mom and Dad.]

    A cold wind swept through.

    There was no baby bird, Winnie, there anymore.

    Only an elegant, ice-covered bird, the phoenix, remained, radiating beauty.

    [... It feels strange.]

    As the phoenix spoke its first words, Ian was certain that Winnie��s presence had been erased from this world.

    ��[It��s good to see you again.]��

    The phoenix circled around Ian, scattering countless ice shards.

    [This is such a peculiar resurrection.]

    The phoenix murmured.

    [To think there woulde a moment where I would find the short lifespan of the mortal body regrettable...]

    Ian asked just in case.

    ��[Do you remember when you had a mortal body?]��

    The phoenix answered.

    [I barely remember. It''s very unusual.]

    The reason the phoenix said it was unusual was that there was a slight trace of memories from its mortal body.

    Normally, these memories should have beenpletely erased. This was because every time until now, it had died immediately after being born.

    But Ian had done something extraordinary, resulting in an extraordinary oue.

    [I feel a very dear emotion towards you.]

    The phoenix spoke in a puzzled tone, as if feeling affection for a human was a strange experience. The emotions from its time as Winnie were affecting the phoenix.

    ��[That''s good to hear.]��

    Ian smiled, and the phoenix also smiled, though it soon looked surprised.

    Ian''s brief smile had felt excessively pleasant to it.

    That unfamiliar emotion made the phoenix feel a strong sense of strangeness. The feeling of loving someone did not originally exist for the phoenix.

    The phoenix doesn''t reproduce. It doesn''t seduce a mate or bear children. It merely dies and is reborn, a mysterious creature.

    Therefore, there was no reason for it to understand the emotion of love. But Winnie had felt a parent-like affection for Ian, and fragments of that emotion influenced the phoenix.

    [...]

    The phoenix circled around Ian and Kira, then hesitated.

    It found itself wanting to follow the two of them. However, it could not leave this coldnd. A creature made of ice would surely melt if it left the cold ground.

    If it died and regained a physical body, it could join their journey, but once it regained a body, the phoenix''s consciousness would disappear again, making the journey meaningless.

    [This is troublesome.]

    The phoenix spoke sorrowfully.

    [I don''t want to part from you, but I cannot join you.]

    ��[I feel the same.]��

    [I didn''t want to know this kind of feeling...]

    The phoenix pped its wings, cing green rings on the fingers of both Ian and Kira.

    ��[What is this?]��

    [It''s a part of me. My beloved humans. I don''t want to lose you.]

    Ian immediately understood. Since the phoenix could not leave the snowy mountains, it intended to stay connected to them through these rings.

    [Before my memories fade, I must record the moments ''I'' shared with you.]

    The phoenix said.

    [When I recall those memories and feelings, I wille to find you.]

    Ian felt happy. This meant the phoenix intended to preserve the memories from its time as Winnie. Though Winnie was gone, the promise to inherit those memories brought Ian joy.

    ��[I will be waiting.]��

    The phoenix pped its wings and sang in a beautiful voice. It was clear that the phoenix was also happy.

    [We still have things to do, but it��s hard to say goodbye just like this. Is there something you want to discuss?]

    To the phoenix��s question, Ian answered promptly.

    ��[Knowledge.]��

    [Knowledge?]

    ��[Yes. I would like you to share your knowledge of the snowy mountains and ice.]��

    The phoenix readily agreed.

    [Very well. I will teach you what I know.]

    ---

    ---

    Ian learned the mysteries of ice from the phoenix.

    [Level Up!]

    [Skill: Ice Magic �C Lv3]

    [You are quite a good ice wizard.]

    [Achievement Unlocked!]

    [You have learned the secrets of the frozen mountain!]

    [Bonus Skill Points: +50]

    Ice magic was not Ian��s favorite. To use ice magic effectively, the weather needed to be cold.

    Unlike fire, which can be produced even in winter, there was no technology yet to create cold artificially. The weather had to be freezing for ice magic to work optimally.

    Learning ice magic because it��s needed, but only being able to use it when it��s already cold? Isn��t thatpletely useless?

    Almost.

    In the Empire, ice wizards were not well-regarded. They be powerful only in winter and are otherwise considered weak wizards for the rest of the year. But even so, a wizard is still a wizard. Being strong in winter is better than nothing, and even the most remote nobles would take what they could get.

    So Ian learned ice magic because it would be useful in winter. The ice phoenix, being made entirely of ice, knew much about the mysteries of the cold.

    [It is unfortunate that I cannot join your journey. But...]

    The phoenix said as it bid Ian farewell.

    [If anything happens to you, I will abandon my current life ande to you.]

    Ian nodded lightly. It seemed like a solemn statement, but it wasn��t really.

    For the phoenix, abandoning its current life simply meant preparing to return to an egg. Though it treated death lightly, its feelings for Ian were genuine.

    ��[I��d appreciate that.]��

    Beside him, Kira wiped away tears. She hadn��t been able to say a word since the farewell began.

    ��I won��t forget you! Winnie!��

    [What did that human say?]

    ��[She said she won��t forget you.]��

    [... That��s a nice sentiment.]

    After saying goodbye to the phoenix, Ian slowly descended the mountain. Kira eventually burst into tears. At first, Ian thought she was crying because Winnie was gone.

    ��It��s okay. We stayed with her until the end, and the phoenix said it would try to remember Winnie...��

    ��No, that��s not it...!��

    Kira said in a tearful voice.

    ��I��m crying because I feel so pathetic...!��

    ��What do you mean?��

    ��I stayed with Winnie until the end, but I couldn��t understand a single word!��

    ��...��

    Ian had nothing to say to that. It was a fact.

    Kira was a half-baked wizard.

    As a con artist, she had used magic without knowing the Maroniusnguage.

    Not every wizard uses the Maroniusnguage.

    Some use Arcana magic like the northern shamans, or some other unique magic they��ve developed. But nothing is as effective as the Maroniusnguage formunicating with the mysterious.

    However, Kira barely knew any Maronius words beyond ��[me! Burn!]��.

    This made her feel inadequate and caused her to look up to Ian with admiration and envy.

    If only she had learned magic properly under a real wizard...!

    ��Ian.��

    Kira said, still sniffling.

    ��I��d even take a pay cut if you��d teach me the Maroniusnguage.��

    ��Hmmm...��

    Ian pondered.

    On the road, he had taught Kira a few words of the Maroniusnguage, but only those rted to fire magic.

    He thought that was enough. Kira was a talented fire wizard and rarely failed with fire magic. But teaching her more words could provoke mysteries that dislike fire.

    The Maroniusnguage has many words and takes a long time to learn.

    This is why wizards are intelligence-based characters.

    If you haven''t mastered all the letters, it''s better to know only the necessary ones!

    Ian had mastered all the letters under Eredith, whereas Kira knew only the minimum necessary ones.

    The reason Ian didn''t properly teach Kira the Maroniusnguage was because of the risks involved.

    He hadn''t formally taken her as a disciple, so teaching her improperly could lead to serious trouble.

    "Of course... it won''t work, right?"

    Kira lowered her head.

    She thought Ian''s hesitation was due to some authoritative reason, like the traditions of a wizard.

    But that was Kira''s misunderstanding.

    Ian thought that if he were to teach magic, he should do it like Eredith, secluded in the mountains for years, so he could handle any problems that arose.

    "Hmm..."

    Eventually, Ian changed his mind.

    Kira had journeyed with him for a long time and had been a great help.

    He had built trust with her.

    Teaching her the magicalnguage wouldn''t immediately cause problems.

    Ian decided to trust Kira.

    So, he decided to teach her a bit of the magicalnguage.

    "I''m sorry, Ian. I promised not to waste your time. Forget what I just said. It was my selfishness..."

    "No. I''ll teach you."

    "...? Really?!"

    Kira was startled.

    "But there are conditions."

    "Whatever it is, just tell me!"

    "You must study in front of me."

    Kira looked puzzled for a moment.

    Ian exined.

    "First, I''ll teach you the basic characters. Even the basics are still magicalnguage, okay? If you mispronounce them, mysteries could get angry ande after you."

    "..."

    That''s why Eredith had lived and studied with Ian.

    But Ian couldn''t do that for Kira.

    "When we return to the Empire, we''ll start by getting some books."

    "... Okay!"

    But Kira responded energetically.

    Just the fact that Ian would teach her to read made her incredibly happy.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Many things happened, many, and yet few, things.

    Ian had finished all his business in the north.

    It was time to return to the Empire.

    He met the people who had helped him in the north and said his goodbyes.

    "May Hrundal''s blessing be with you."Shaman Pyra.

    He followed Ian all the way to the distant harbor to see him off.

    "It''s great that everything worked out, Ian."

    "Come visit us again!"

    From the Sky w tribe, Priest Madagal and Gunnar came out as representatives to see him off.

    Currently, the entire north was busy with the Great Hunt Festival, which was half a seasonte.

    With the death of the Mountain King, they were gathering the beasts he had hoarded.

    The war clouds that had hung over the north were gone, reced by the fervor of the hunt.

    Because of this, only those who were free coulde to see him off.

    Ian didn''t feel any regret.

    He had learned plenty of magic, secured a magic elixir, and even safely brought back Takarion.

    On the ship heading to the Empire, Ian waved to the northerners.

    "I''ll visit again!"

    "Make stone soup again!"

    "Ask the priest to make it for you. Stay healthy, Priest."

    "See you again, Ian!"

    The ship sailed smoothly on the waves, heading towards the distant, sparkling continent.

    ---

    ---

    "Ian."

    As he headed to Kira''s cabin, someone called out to Ian.

    Belenka, dressed in casual clothes, called him from the bow of the ship.

    At first, Ian was a bit concerned about Belenka wearing women''s clothing.

    Why?

    There''s a clich�� that sailors don''t like women on board.

    They say the ship, being female, would get jealous if another woman came aboard... or so he''d heard.

    Belenka was from the continent and not familiar with the sea.

    He thought she wore women''s clothes because she didn''t know sailor culture...

    ''Belenka, sir? Why Belenka, sir?"

    ''Well, her outfit...''

    ''? What''s wrong with her outfit?''

    Listening to the sailors, they didn''t care at all about a woman being on board.

    Ian was the only one grumbling.

    Movies, dramas, novels. These fraudsters.

    Having a woman on board doesn''t matter at all!

    Actually, the superstition Ian was thinking of was only half true.

    Old sailors indeed disliked having women on board.

    The reason was simple: women always became a source of conflict.

    After the Age of Exploration, when long voyages became possible, the time sailors spent on ships increased rapidly.

    Sometimes, they would be on a ship for months or even years.

    Having a woman in such a confined space for a long time?

    No wonder incidents would happen.

    That''s why the presence of female sailors wasn''t weed by sailors.

    But, in this era, ships rarely made long ocean voyages. In fishing viges, female sailors were quitemon.

    Besides, Belenka was a passenger, not a sailor.

    There was no reason for the sailors to think it strange.

    Thus, Belenka was enjoying the sea breeze in a dress.

    Her long blonde hair fluttered elegantly.

    She looked like a ssic beauty, like an illustration drawn whimsically by an AI.

    "Ian. We''re heading back to the Empire now, right?"

    "Yes."

    "We''ll visit the Blue Key Monastery first."

    Ian nodded.

    As Belenka mentioned, the first ce they needed to go was the Blue Key Monastery.

    Only after safely returning Takarion would their mission beplete.

    "Where will you go after the monastery?"

    Belenka was interested in what came next.

    Originally, Ian''s destination was the northern part of the Empire.

    But this time, he had gone too far north.

    It wouldn''t be strange for Ian to head back to the northern part of the Empire again.

    But Ian had long lost the desire to roam the northern Empire.

    The only thing there was the gathering of space-time wizards.

    But those wizards woulde looking for Ian when the time was right, so there was no reason to seek them out first.

    He had already discovered the mysteries of the snowy fields in thend of barbarians...

    "I''m thinking of investigating dragons."

    "Dragons?"

    The materials to enhance Anor-lsil were with a dragon.

    If rumors about the dragon came up, Ian thought he would investigate.

    Of course, only investigate.

    Dragons were dangerous beings, and recklessly confronting one could be a direct ticket to the afterlife.

    "Then you''ll need to gather information."

    "Exactly."

    "Then it would be best to visitrge cities?"

    "Probably."

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, Belenka smiled contentedly.

    "That''s great."

    "What is?"

    "It''s a good ce to spend money."

    Belenka held out her hand confidently.

    "Me, money, please."

    "..."

    "If you cheat me, it''ll be troublesome."

    Belenka was indebted to Ian for her ransom.

    But just because she had a debt didn''t mean she should work without a penny.

    No matter the debt, she still needed money to live.

    Belenka was a knight.

    Of course, she needed maintenance costs.

    Having apanied Ian to the north and fought many battles, Belenka had umted a lot of performance pay.

    A knight''s pay consisted of daily wages and performance pay based on the battle results.

    Belenka had the right to im the amount after deducting the debt repayment from Ian.

    "You want it now? I don''t have any money right now."

    Ian was slightly taken aback.

    He had enough travel expenses but not enough to pay the knight''s wages.

    "Really? Then give it to meter."

    Belenka smiled and withdrew her hand.

    Then she went back to gazing at the sea as if nothing had happened.

    Ian looked at her in surprise.

    Belenka was meticulous when it came to money.

    But now, hearing there was no money, she backed down so easily.

    For frencers, hearing that their pay is dyed is as serious as it gets.

    Especially for frencers bound by loose contracts, hearing they won''t get paid is enough to make them flip out.

    Seeing Ian''s strange expression, Belenka asked.

    "What is it? That look?"

    "Well... I feel a bit sorry."

    Belenka chuckled and patted Ian''s shoulder.

    "I''m not foolish enough to get angry hearing a traveler has no money. Besides, Ian, you''re a wizard. You can always make money."

    It''s true.

    Ian could make enough money for Belenka''s sry in any city doing any job.

    Or, if he went to any noble and demanded money, they would pile up gold coins.

    That''s the treatment wizards received in the Empire.

    Wizards are highly capable, so they receive such treatment.

    But on the flip side.

    Wizards aren''t easily trusted because of their capabilities.

    They can betray you with unimaginable tricks.

    Logically, Belenka shouldn''t trust Ian.

    Knights only trust wizards when there''s a sword at their necks.

    "And also..."

    But Belenka trusted Ian.

    "...You''re not someone who breaks promises."

    Belenka mumbled, scratching her cheek as if embarrassed.

    Ian realized that Belenka trusted him.

    Trust doesn''t build overnight.

    Belenka had enough trust in Ian to wait for him to repay her.

    "Thanks. I''ll make sure to give you the money as soon as we get to the city."

    "I''m looking forward to it. I hope we arrive soon."

    Ian and Belenka smiled at each other.

    ---

    ---

    While heading back to the Empire, Ian taught Kira the Maronius.

    Teaching, he called it, but Ian felt it was a bitughable.

    Who was he, a novice himself, to teach anyone?

    Of course, there wasn''t another novice like Ian in the world.

    What kind of novice wizard survives a firestorm andmunicates with transcendent mysteries?

    If the ''real novice'' wizards at the Imperial Magic Academy, cramming Maronius''nguage like civil service exam candidates, saw Ian, they would have been outraged, thinking, ''Is that a novice?''

    Ian had few opportunities to meet other wizards, so hecked self-awareness.

    Honestly, he wasn''t confident about teaching Kira properly.

    But since he had promised to teach her, he decided to stick to the basics.

    "Kira, are you ready?"

    "Yes!"

    Kira was brimming with enthusiasm.

    It wasn''t just a metaphor; she was literally scorching the floor...!

    "Kira! Focus!"

    "... Oh!"

    When she came to her senses, the smoke stopped.

    She had almost burned the floor.

    This was the issue with someone naturally gifted in magic like Kira.

    Being so close to mystery, just getting excited could attract its attention.

    ''If she keeps living like this, she''ll end up burning herself to death.''

    Ian shook his head, thinking of Kira''s talent.

    In most cases, magical talent was more of a curse than a blessing.

    Before learning to control the mysteries, one''s life was always at risk.

    Especially with dangerous magic like fire magic, if unlucky, spontaneous humanbustion could happen, causing death simply by breathing.

    Ian felt certain.

    Regardless of anything else, Kira needed to learn magic for her survival.

    "Since it''s the first day, how about we start lightly with 50 characters?"

    "50 characters...? Isn''t that too many?"

    "???"

    Ian tilted his head, as if hearing nonsense.

    Oh my, what is she saying?

    Fifty characters are too many? I learned 100 characters a day when I was ten.

    "Fifty characters are too many?"

    "Memorizing all of them... isn''t that a lot?"

    Ian was quietly shocked.

    He didn''t realize it himself, but Ian''s mind had been slightly twisted due to his magical education.

    Studying 100 characters a day?

    That''s just normal, right?

    He had halved the study load for Kira''s sake, yet she thought it was still too much.

    "Memorize 50 characters in the morning, review in the afternoon, practice writing sentences, and review again in the evening before sleeping. That should be perfect."

    Ian muttered mechanically.

    Kira looked at the hint of madness in Ian''s eyes and was horrified.

    What the... Ian! You''re a bit weird!

    Even when Ian usually said strange things, at least he seemed human.

    But when talking about study loads, Ian just seemed crazy!

    Seeing Kira''s shocked face, Ian felt puzzled.

    In his past life, Ian had experienced the insanity of the ''university entrance exams'' and didn''t find Eredith'' education excessive.

    Hey, Korean students study from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep. That''smon sense!

    Ian had ingrained study habits.

    He wasn''t stupid, having gotten into a decent university.

    And with the help of the status window, he managed to breeze through memorization.

    For theseplex reasons, Ian became a wizard without much hardship.

    But Kira, knowing none of this, just saw Ian as a monster...

    Ian really was a genius. With a mind that sharp, no wonder he became a wizard!

    "Hmm..."

    Seeing Kira''s dilemma, Ian boldly reduced the amount of material.

    Like exercise, studying should start with an amount one can handle. If one overextends out of sheer enthusiasm, they might lose interestter on due to exhaustion.

    "How about we study just 30 characters?"

    Kira couldn''t help but smile genuinely. No student in the world wouldn''t be happy to have their study load reduced...!

    "Thanks, Ian!"

    Ian nodded.

    "Alright, it would be great to open a book... but since we don''t have one, we''ll skip that."

    Ian wrote the characters directly on a wooden nk with chalk.

    "This is the character for sky, ''Kal.''"

    "This is the character for earth, ''Ham.''"

    "This is the character for world, ''Uno.''"

    Kira watched in a daze as Ian wrote down the characters with ease.

    Ian really had memorized the entire Maroniusnguage...

    Suddenly, Ian, who had mastered such anguage, seemed even more impressive.

    But then, Kira snapped back to reality. She had to memorize the entire Maroniusnguage as well. Not just memorizing, but also using it to form sentences and develop enough conversational skill tomunicate.

    The process of bing a wizard was tough. That''s why students at the Imperial Magic Academy were holed up studying for five or even ten years.

    ''...But I''ll do it!''

    Kira was determined. Bing a wizard had been her long-held dream.

    Learning the Maroniusnguage and being able to converse directly with the phoenix...

    Herte ''father'' would surely be proud.

    "Hey! Kira! The floor is burning again!"

    "Oh! Oh! Sorry!"

    "Haah. Hold on. I''ll just draw a magic circle."

    Ian drew a magic circle around Kira to ward off the fire.

    A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

    Kira steadily took that first step.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "That''s enough for today."

    Ian pped his hands, and Kira copsed onto the bed as if she had fainted.

    The Maroniusnguage is anguage of magic.

    Even without directlymunicating with mysteries, it had the power to tense one''s nerves and consume concentration.

    Kira, who had just begun learning Maronius, was already feeling mentally exhausted and dizzy from the power in even the basic words."Are you okay?"

    "Uh-huh..."

    Though she said she was fine, her face told a different story.

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Seriously?

    When I was learning, I used to learn 100 characters a day and still had time for extra lessons from my master.

    If Kira heard this, she would feel wronged.

    Ian, you are a genius!

    Ian would never admit it, but he indeed had an extraordinary magical talent.

    He always insisted he survived because of his status window, but the truth was, it was more because of his innate talent.

    "It''s difficult... but it''s fun."

    Kira muttered with a weary face.

    Ian smiled.

    Finding study fun was a very positive sign. Interest was a powerful source of motivation.

    "I''m d you find it fun."

    Ian said, looking at the messy piece of wood.

    Kira had been studying writing on a piece of wood, erasing and rewriting multiple times because they had no paper.

    Ian felt anew the greatness of stationery.

    Not the kind of stationery where you buy colored paper and glue, but the kind that included writing tools and paper.

    Without writing tools, you can''t even study properly!

    It was truly a primitive world that could bring tears to one''s eyes...

    "Let''s stop the lessons for now."

    The ship had already arrived in the empire.

    Ian nned to get a magic book when they reached the big city.

    Magic books weren''t something you could buy just with money. But Ian was a wizard. If he used his master''s name well, he might be able to get at least a basic magic book.

    "Sure!"

    Kira replied so brightly.

    Ian looked at Kira with suspicion.

    Hmm. Why does she seem too happy that we''re pausing the studies?

    Maybe she''s not really interested in studying?

    Ian had already forgotten his own student days, even though it hadn''t been that long since he graduated.

    How happy had he been when Eredith had canceled a ss?

    "Should I assign some homework then?"

    When Ian said that, Kira immediately looked sullen.

    "Hiii..."

    The professor said there would be no ss today, but instead gave us homework...

    If Kira were a university student, she would have started angrily typing on her school''smunity forum by now.

    Ian felt a slight pleasure seeing Kira''s disappointed expression.

    What is this? Is this how professors feel when they give students assignments?!

    Indeed, Ian had be corrupted.

    "Well, it''s all for your benefit!"

    "That''s true..."

    Ian chuckled as he thought about an assignment for Kira.

    A cool breeze blew.

    The weather in the empire was as clear as ever.

    ---

    ---

    When Ian arrived at the Blue Key Monastery,

    he heard a noisy sound from afar.

    "Hmm?"

    As he got closer, he could easily tell they were warriors.

    Thebination of a monastery and warriors might seem strange, but it was amon sight in this era.

    Monasteries were ces where people refined the teachings of Heaven''s Faith, and it was a perfect ce for warriors, whose main job was fighting, to study Heaven''s Faith as a hobby.

    Regardless of the noise,

    the servants following Ian ran quickly and shouted,

    "The distinguished guest has returned!"

    "Distinguished guest?"

    "Who is that?"

    Ian thought the news would have already spread, but surprisingly, the monastery was astonished at Ian''s return.

    Given the undoubtedly medieval, crappy road conditions, it''s no wonder the information got dyed.

    "Ian! Takarion!"

    The abbot of the monastery, Renis, came running out in a hurry.

    With a desperate expression, as if he was about to burst into tears, Renis grabbed Ian''s pant leg.

    "Oh dear! Why have you only just returned now!"

    "...? Why? Did something happen?"

    "Not really! But I was so anxious I felt like I was going to die!"

    Renis shouted.

    "Why didn''t you send a single letter!"

    "... Ah, right."

    Ian muttered, half a beatte.

    That short, blunt remark flipped Renis''s expressionpletely.

    "Ugh...! You, you forgot...!"

    "No, it''s just that..."

    Ian awkwardly avoided his gaze.

    To be honest... Ian hadn''t even thought of writing a letter.

    A letter, really?

    Ian was a modern person who had lived in the age of smartphones and emails.

    He had been busy with matters in the north.

    Ian had thought that if Renis had something to say, he would naturally get in touch. (By the way, Ian was an INFP.)

    If it was urgent, wouldn''t the monastery call him?

    Ian had actually thought such a crazy thing.

    So, the idea of sending a letter to the monastery hadn''t crossed his mind.

    "Luckily, Priest Madagal sent a letter midway! If not, the expedition team would have almost set off!"

    "An expedition team?"

    At that moment, a man spoke to Ian.

    "Oh. Are you by any chance returning from the north?"

    "Ah, yes. But why?"

    Thud!

    The man stomped his foot roughly and shouted in excitement.

    "In that case, you can be our guide!"

    "???"

    "We are volunteers gathered from all over to rescue [Golden Finger Takarion]! If you''ve been to the north, you must have heard news about Takarion!"

    "..."

    Ian stared nkly at Renis.

    What is this idiot talking about?

    ...Sorry about that, Ian.

    Renis, his face turning red, spoke to the man.

    "Excuse me. Do you have problems with your eyesight or hearing?"

    "What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

    "Can''t you see the man behind him?"

    The man, who called himself part of the [Takarion Rescue Volunteer Corps], looked at the man walking behind Ian.

    The very man he imed to be here to rescue.

    It was Takarion.

    "Whoever it is, they look like aplete beggar."

    "..."

    And he didn''t recognize Takarion''s face...

    It couldn''t be helped. Takarion was a monk who had been holed up in the monastery writing.

    There had been no opportunity for his face to be known, nor had there ever been any portraits of him distributed. It was natural for Takarion''s fans to see him for the first time.

    "That man is Takarion."

    "!!!"

    A murmur spread like ripples.

    "Takarion?"

    "That guy is Takarion?"

    "That shabby-looking guy?"

    The self-proimed Takarion rescue team was busy whispering as they looked at Takarion''s actual form.

    Among them, there were even people who criticized Takarion''s gaunt appearance as ugly.

    "Takarion!"

    However, the monks were different.

    Renis and the monks of the Blue Key Monastery had to open their eyes again at the unusual aura felt from afar.

    ...You''ve changed, Takarion.

    Renis, who had watched Takarion closely, recognized the change.

    He knew Takarion well.

    Arrogant, vain, and greedy�� that was Takarion.

    He was also a writer whose specialty was projecting his dark self, formed from childhood trauma, into his writings.

    Takarion''s face had always been attached with feelings of servility, jealousy, and desire.

    But...

    "You''ve finally returned."

    There was no sign of servility or greed in the shabby-looking man walking toward them now.

    Was it simply because he had suffered so much that he had be so gaunt?

    Was it because his sunken cheeks made him look more like a monk?

    Renis was certain it wasn''t just a simple misconception.

    Something had changed in Takarion from the depths of his soul.

    Though he couldn''t pinpoint exactly what it was, it was undoubtedly a positive change.

    Takarion knelt as soon as he entered the monastery yard.

    With his limbs on the ground, he quietly prayed.

    ��...��

    The monks and guests all held their breath.

    Everyone watched Takarion as if spellbound.

    When Takarion lifted his head, an old monk was waving his hand in front of him.

    "My boy. So, did you have a good trip?"

    The monk, Isi, shouted.

    "Yes, I did."

    Takarion replied in a quiet and resolute voice.

    ---

    ---

    Ian asked Renis about the warriors.

    So what are those warriors doing here?

    They... were simply vagrants.

    "... Vagrants?"

    "To be precise, vagrants with swords."

    Renis said indifferently.

    Ian, who knew the medieval average all too well, was no longer surprised that vagrants with swords were hanging around the monastery.

    Ah... the average warrior is like that.

    They were righteous men who had heard the news of Takarion''s kidnapping and had gathered from all over the country to rescue him.

    At least, that was their im.

    But as Renis revealed, they were just vagrants gathered to get free meals.

    They rushed to the monastery iming to rescue Takarion.

    But it wasmon sense that the monastery wouldn''t send them all north.

    There were diplomatic issues and safety concerns.

    So naturally, the vagrants stayed at the monastery...

    They ate the free meals the monks provided and asionally shouted [Rescue Takarion!] for entertainment.

    "Ah. So they''re like civic groups?"

    "Civic... what?"

    "There are people who advertise their usefulness whenever they need funding."

    Renis did not drive away these righteous vagrants.

    If bad news came from the north, he nned to send them as support.

    "I''m so d you returned safely!"

    Renis''s smile was 100% genuine.

    Ian couldn''t tell if he was happy for the safe return of a fellow monk, or if he was happy that the golden goose, Takarion, would resume writing the gospel.

    It seemed more like thetter...

    Since it was a happy day, he decided not to pry.

    "This is no time to be standing around!"

    Renis shouted excitedly.

    "Open the food storeroom! Today, we''re eating beer and sausages to our heart''s content!"

    "Woohoo!"

    Ian, overjoyed, raised both hands.

    Beer! Sausages!

    Usually, he mocked it as the meal of medieval barbarians, but after eating in thend of real barbarians, this menu looked divine.

    At least it wasn''t rock-hard jerky!

    That evening,

    as Renis had said, the monastery held a group feast.

    The monks, as well as the sword-wielding vagrants, received their share and ate wherever they pleased.

    Ian shook his head as he watched the vagrants scattered everywhere.

    The monastery sure has a lot of money.

    But it''s still a monastery. They even feed those guys.

    It was a useless thought.

    Takarion, having so much to talk about with Monk Isi, didn''t show his face until dinner was almost over.

    Belenka and Kira were engrossed in girl talk in the dining hall.

    Left alone, Ian wandered the monastery for a while, holding a te of sausages and a beer.

    Ian thought about grabbing someone to chat with, but quickly realized it would be pointless.

    As an introvert, Ian wasfortable being alone.

    He found a secluded spot.

    He nned to enjoy his meal leisurely...

    "You were here."

    Someone spoke to Ian.

    When Ian saw who it was, he was immediately taken aback.

    "Gerard?"

    The person who had called him was none other than Gerard, the space-time wizard.

    Gerard stood there with a gloomy expression, holding a beer and sausages...

    "It took longer than expected."

    Took longer?

    Ian reflexively asked,

    "Have you been waiting for me?"

    "Yes."

    What kind of foresight is it this time...

    Ian wondered, then paused.

    Gerard''s expressioncked the usual enigmatic look he had when dealing with future predictions.

    So he asked,

    "Is it because of a future prediction?"

    "... No."

    Gerard sighed as he replied,

    "I''ve been waiting because of an errand from the council."

    Ian''s guess was correct.

    Gerard hade to Ian, not because of future foresight, but to run an errand for the Space-Time Wizards Council.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Space-time wizards are the most peculiar wizards in the Empire.

    In the past, during the Golden Empire era.

    They were called "prophets," and they pursued their own businesses without sharing their magical visions.

    Like other wizards, they would attach themselves to nobles, lending their magical powers in exchange for rewards.

    However, unlike ordinary wizards, prophets were not very popr.The reason was quite simple...

    The prophecies of prophets rarely came true.

    If a prophet predicted, "It will definitely rain heavily tomorrow!" then,

    The next day, the chance of heavy rain was roughly 50%.

    With such a low uracy rate, the nobles thought the prophets were either frauds or fools.

    ��It''s sunny, what''s going on?��

    ��Strange? This shouldn''t be happening...��

    Bad-tempered nobles would beat and chase away the prophets, while the kinder ones would smile on the outside but curse the worthlessness of the prophecy behind their backs.

    At the time, the prophets did not understand what was wrong.

    They just thought it was incredibly difficult to read the rapidly changing flow of fate.

    But one day, by chance, a prophet developed a theory...

    ��Wait a minute... Is someone else interfering with my prophecy?��

    Like-minded prophets reviewed this theory and conducted experiments to prove it.

    They agreed to make the same prophecy together.

    The result was astonishing...

    The sess rate of their prophecies skyrocketed!

    ��Damn, it''s true!��

    ��... We were interfering with each other''s prophecies.��

    The prophets had an epiphany.

    If space-time wizards simultaneously predicted, "It will rain tomorrow!" and, "It will not rain tomorrow!"

    Then inevitably, the uracy rate was 50%. One of them had to be wrong.

    But what if the number of prophets increased?

    The sess rate of the prophecies would significantly rise.

    ��Instead of this, let''s gather all the other prophets!��

    ��If 100 prophets foresee one event, we will surely be able to know the exact future!��

    The prophets were drawn to form a single group by some inevitable flow.

    That was the Space-Time Wizards Council.

    The information discovered at the Space-Time Wizards Council was truly astonishing.

    They could urately predict the future of the continent!

    It was the result of numerous prophets foretelling one future without any interference.

    ��... The fall of the Golden Empire! The Empire will soon fall!��

    ��This can''t be... We must inform everyone!��

    The space-time wizards informed the emperor and the nobles of the council''s prophecy.

    The emperor and nobles were startled and put more effort into governing...

    As a result.

    The Golden Empire avoided its downfall.

    ��??? It''s not falling. You frauds!��

    The funny thing was that because the prophecy was revealed, it turned out to be wrong.

    The space-time wizards warned of the Golden Empire''s fall, and the frightened emperor and nobles worked harder than usual.

    As a result, the future changed.

    The empire''s downfall was postponed.

    ��No, it definitely said it would fall...?��

    ��Ugh! You frauds!��

    The problem was with those who believed the prophecy seriously and prepared for the empire''s downfall!

    Some people disposed of all their property, and others voluntarily became vampires.

    But those people got seriously screwed!

    ��This is driving me crazy...��

    ��If we reveal the prophecy, the future changes, making it a false prophecy. If we don''t reveal it, there''s no point in having foreseen it...��

    It was the chronic problem with foreseeing.

    The space-time wizards seriously pondered.

    Was there no way to ovee this paradox?

    As a result of deep contemtion, the space-time wizards agreed to keep their prophecies to themselves.

    If the historical flow was truly significant, they would spread the word to change the future.

    Otherwise, they decided to let events unfold naturally.

    ��... But shouldn''t we change this future?��

    ��Why would you change it?��

    ��It seems better to change it!��

    ��What a fool! Leave that future alone!��

    However, despite their words, the space-time wizards wanted to intervene in both big and small futures.

    They debated over what constituted a ''better future.''

    As a result, the Space-Time Wizards Council became their own exclusive league.

    They whispered among themselves about the future, deciding what to change and what not to.

    The Space-Time Wizards Council became a separate world, detached from reality.

    ��Huh? Space-time wizards? Those sneaky guys who mutter among themselves?��

    Since the content of the council was shared only internally, people outside had no idea what the space-time wizards were up to.

    Strict secrecy had the advantage of preserving the future intact.

    But it also had one fatal w...

    ��Chairman! We''re out of barley!��

    ��It''s unfortunate, but we can eat oats!��

    ��We ran out of oats long ago! And I knew three months ago that we''d run out of barley!��

    ��... So what!��

    The space-time wizards had no money...

    They could foresee the future, but once they spoke of it, the prophecy became unstable and more likely to be wrong.

    Therefore, they only revealed their prophecies at crucial moments and could only asionally receive rewards.

    The dire economic system of this medieval fantasy world was not robust enough to support a shadowy organization...

    No one on the continent knew the true nature of the Space-Time Wizards Council.

    Because no one knew, it was difficult to make money!

    ��Hey, can you lend us some wheat?��

    ��Haah. Those sneaky space-time wizards are back.��

    So the Space-Time Wizards Council borrowed money from other wizards.

    ��Ahem. We provide critical information at decisive moments...!��

    ��Yeah, yeah. Sure, you do.��

    Being fellow wizards, the imperial wizards fed the pitiful space-time wizards...

    Fortunately, the space-time wizards had another peculiar talent besides [future foresight].

    It was [spatial teleportation].

    ��Hey, space-time wizard! Deliver this letter to Duke Araz!��

    ��Yep! I''ll teleport it right over!��

    That''s right.

    The letters that modern people click to send via smartphones...

    The space-time wizards delivered them in person, traversing space!

    ��...��

    Ian was momentarily dumbfounded after hearing the whole story.

    What? Aren''t they supposed to be a group that foresees the future?

    Shouldn''t they be manipting the world and concocting evil schemes?

    But in reality, their job was like that of a courier or a postal service worker.

    ��You say space-time wizards foresee the future? Don''t they try to conquer the world with that knowledge?��

    Gerard chuckled at Ian''s question.

    He must have thought Ian''s question was a joke.

    ��As you said, space-time wizards see the future.��

    ��And?��

    ��Ian, don''t you think space-time wizards have foreseen a future where they attempt to conquer the world?��

    ��...��

    ��I''ll leave it at that.��

    Oh.

    They must have already foreseen it...

    There was a reason space-time wizards resorted to side jobs like couriers to make a living.

    ��So, you came here to run an errand.��

    Gerard nodded gloomily.

    Space-time wizards were still wizards.

    They enjoyed researching magic and honing their skills, not running errands for others.

    ��So, what is this errand?��

    Gerard replied in a businesslike tone.

    "There is a domain far to the southwest from here, owned by someone named Baron Vincents."

    The voice was dry, but the content was shocking.

    ��There, a wizard named Inn Kate is being held captive.��

    ��...?��

    Ian tilted his head at the oddly familiar name.

    Inn... Inn...

    ��The university professor?��

    ��You know him. Yes, he is a professor of photon magic at Dranheim Magic University.��

    Ian��s mouth dropped open.

    He remembered everything.

    Inn!

    That bastard who was caught grave robbing!

    In the past, when he visited Baron Talian��s tomb, Inn was there, robbing the baron��s treasure with other grave robbers.

    Ian remembered catching him and negotiating a ransom before releasing him...

    And now he��s been captured by some Baron Vincents?

    What is he, Princess Peach? Is his hobby getting kidnapped?

    ��Did he get caught grave robbing again?��

    ��Grave robbing?��

    ��Inn was caught robbing Lucy��s ancestor��s grave before... Didn��t you know?��

    When Ian spoke sarcastically, Gerard felt wronged.

    ��How could I know such a thing?��

    ��You��re a space-time wizard.��

    ��... A space-time wizard is not God.��

    Ian mumbled, ��How can a space-time wizard not know that?�� which infuriated Gerard.

    Space-time wizards are human too! Human!

    ��This incident happened due to Baron Vincents acting on his own.��

    ��Acting on his own?��

    It meant Inn wasn��t to me.

    ��Baron Vincents refused [Calling a Wizard].��

    ��...!��

    Gerard briefly exined.

    University professor Inn Kate, like Ian, traveled the empire seeking magic and mysteries.

    When Inn ran out of travel funds, he sought out Baron Vincents.

    Inn��s reason for visiting Baron Vincents was simple: the baron was a young noble.

    Young nobles, who had just be aristocrats, didn��t know how to treat wizards properly.

    Inn aimed to exploit that.

    By asserting the wizard��s authority, he hoped to shock the baron into handing over wealth!

    Experienced old nobles knew how to [properly] treat wizards, but young nobles didn��t.

    In short...

    Inn visited Baron Vincents to take advantage of him!

    ��Now I really don��t want to go.��

    ��You''re honest, Ian.��

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    So, he got into trouble over money? What a consistent person.

    But Ian soon shook his head.

    Gerard had already said Inn was innocent.

    He wasn��t captured for scheming.

    ��Professor Inn tried to follow the proper procedure of [Calling a Wizard]. But Baron Vincents captured him and imprisoned him in the tower.��

    ��...��

    Ian thought for a moment.

    There��s no way Baron Vincents could be a mind reader and saw through Inn��s dark thoughts.

    Even if he did, he should have followed [Calling a Wizard] first.

    [Calling a Wizard] is a courtesy between nobles and wizards.

    The side that doesn''t follow this etiquette inevitably suffers a hit to their reputation.

    But for a noble to refuse [Calling a Wizard] first...

    ��Something''s up.��

    Ian suspected that Baron Vincents had some kind of scheme.

    A scheme sinister enough to endure the wrath of a wizard.

    ... But then he tilted his head.

    ��Is there... something?��

    Given this medieval fantasy world wheremon sense was practically dead, he was used to outrageous things happening.

    Maybe Baron Vincents was just a dumbass who made a ridiculous mistake?

    He��s a young noble. He might not know much about wizards.

    ��So, Ian. I want you to investigate Baron Vincents�� territory.��

    ��Me?��

    ��I didn��t think you��d be busy. Am I wrong?��

    Gerard said with a nk expression.

    That man. He definitely spied on Ian��s future and came looking for him. What a sneaky space-time wizard.

    ��I��m not sure if I can handle the investigation with my skills. How about finding another wizard?��

    ��Other space-time wizards are already reaching out. I came to you.��

    Ian whistled softly.

    A noble ignored [Calling a Wizard], and already space-time wizards were bustling about, summoning the empire��s wizards.

    With such unity and decisiveness, it''s no wonder nobles couldn��t ignore wizards whocked their own territories.

    ��I��m not sure how helpful I can be.��

    Ian spoke politely.

    ''I don''t want to do it, can''t you go without me~''

    Gerard��s lips curled into a slight smile.

    When this normally expressionless man forced a smile, he looked less human and more like a vampire.

    ��Then there��s no choice. But Eredith will be disappointed.��

    ��...��

    Damn. Using my teacher. That��s low.

    Ian had somewhat expected this.

    Visiting a noble who refused [Calling a Wizard]...

    This was about protecting the rights of wizards, not about seeking personal gain.

    Ian was a traditional wizard with a famous mentor.

    This wasn��t a situation he could just brush off out ofziness.

    ��No. Damn it, I��ll go.��

    Gerard nodded as if he expected this.

    ��Then, I look forward to good results.��

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��You��ve changed, Takarion.��

    The monk Isi was alone with Takarion in his room.

    Takarion had changed dramaticallypared to before his trip to the North.

    Both his appearance and his inner self were different.

    Perhaps due to his long suffering, his belly had shrunk, and his cheeks had hollowed.However, his eyes shone with a vivid inner strength.

    ��A lot has happened.��

    Takarion briefly recalled the past.

    He had been kidnapped by Northerners and dragged around the distant barbariannds.

    He met Ian when he had given up and was in despair.

    Encouraged by Ian, he had found courage but then fell into despair again over his own pathetic skills.

    Nevertheless, he had not given up and had tried to aplish something...

    ��In this vast world, I realized how insignificant I am.��

    ��You��ve realized a very important truth.��

    Isi nodded.

    In this vast world, a single person is insignificant.

    No matter how great you are, someone greater will appear somewhere.

    Even if you are the best in the world, you cannot ovee the flow of nature.

    Always be humble.

    Takarion had been an arrogant young man who knew no humility, but now he was definitely different from before.

    ��... It��s embarrassing to admit, but I wanted to be a noble.��

    It wasn��t entirely unrealistic.

    A noble was someone granted territory by the emperor.

    Even a mere monk like Takarion could, by making a name for himself, be granted a title by the emperor and be a noble.

    Takarion had wanted topensate for his childhoodplexes through sess.

    If he could live grandly as a noble, no one could look down on him.

    But the experiences in the North had taught Takarion a lesson.

    ��I am not capable of such things.��

    ��Hmm... Are you saying that sincerely?��

    Takarion nodded.

    He knew one truly ipetent person and one trulypetent person.

    Those people were Takarion and Ian.

    ��I don��t have the ability to lead people. Wanting to be a noble or a respected person was just a worthless delusion.��

    A delusion.

    Something Takarion excelled at.

    If the world could be as easily and smoothly navigated as his delusions, he would have noints, but unfortunately, reality is not so amodating.

    Takarion had clearly realized this.

    The people who change the world are those like Ian.

    People who ovee adversity with exceptional talent and achieve what they desire.

    ��You��ve had a hard time.��

    Isi quietly observed Takarion.

    Just from his words, he seemed like someone who had lost interest in all worldly affairs.

    He seemed like a pitiful person whose spirit had been broken by despair.

    But Isi knew.

    Takarion��s eyes were not those of a person whose spirit had been broken.

    ��Then how do you n to live from now on?��

    Takarion spoke slowly.

    ��I don��t have the talent to stand before people. Ick great abilities and can��t offer much help.��

    ��But...��

    ��I have the talent to remember someone��s achievements and write about them.��

    Takarion had clearly realized this.

    He couldn��t be a hero.

    The path of a hero was not one Takarion could walk.

    Instead, he chose the path of a writer.

    ��... I will write a chronicle.��

    ��A chronicle?��

    A chronicler.

    Someone who writes about the life of a particr person.

    Usually, this job is entrusted to a schr by a noble...

    Takarion was now dering that he would voluntarily write a chronicle without anymission!

    Isi understood the significance of this.

    ��Could it be... the chronicle of Ian, the wizard?"

    Takarion answered with a small smile.

    After witnessing Ian��s feats in the North, Takarion made a firm vow.

    That vow was...

    To turn Ian��s story into a book so more people could read it!

    ��But he��s too young, isn��t he? Even though he��s a great wizard, it��s not the right time to write his chronicle.��

    Isi spoke with concern.

    A chronicle is aplete record of a person��s life.

    Someone who shines brightly in their youth can still fall as they age.

    If you write a chronicle, you must also record such downfalls.

    ��I believe in Ian.��

    Takarion spoke firmly.

    ��He��s not someone who will stumble halfway. He will certainly be a great person, known across the continent. I just want to support him in that journey.��

    Takarion had already made up his mind.

    He wouldpile Ian��s adventures into a book and publish it.

    And it would end with a historic conclusion.

    Isi blessed Takarion.

    ��Yes... You have a talent for writing. It��s a gift from the heavens. It��s right to showcase your abilities to their fullest.��

    ��Thank you.��

    Thus, Takarion decided to write Ian��s chronicle...

    ��Wait!!!��

    There was a person who opposed Takarion��s n.

    It was the abbot, Renis.

    ��Takarion! If you write the chronicle now, what will happen to the countless believers awaiting your next work?��

    Takarion sneered at Renis��s words.

    ��Those false gospels are no longer worth writing.��

    ��F-False? Are you calling the Gospel of St. Marcus a lie?��

    ��Yes. It��s a lie. A bundle of my delusions and spections.��

    Takarion bluntly spoke the truth.

    Is the Gospel of St. Marcus full of lies? - Yes.

    Is it not worth reading? - Yes.

    Takarion��s version of the gospel was not the only one containing the teachings of St. Marcus.

    Takarion also referred to previous versions of the Gospel of Marcus to write his own. Otherwise, how would Takarion know the life of a man from the Golden Empire era?

    Gospels were written in a manner simr to martial arts novels.

    The settings and backgrounds were all predetermined, and one could just change the desired parts.

    It was the same principle as epting the appearance of groups like the Hebei Peng n and the Zhuge n without question.

    Renis knew this too.

    He knew that Takarion��s gospel had somewhat exaggerated parts.

    But...

    If Takarion stopped writing the gospel, how would they maintain the Blue Key Monastery��s star product?

    The Blue Key Monastery��s recognition had been raised solely by Takarion.

    Although he had a tough time in the North, in other cities, Takarion was worshiped as the great Takarion.

    ��Without you, the monastery will copse!��

    Renis was sincere.

    But Takarion was not.

    ��Then I��ll have to transfer to another monastery.��

    ��No!!!��

    There were many monasteries.

    Couldn��t he find one that would take him in?

    ��Isi! Say something!��

    ��It��s wonderful to see you finding your own path!��

    ��Isi!!!��

    Takarion bowed his head, Isiughed happily, and Renis tore at his thinning hair.

    ��I need Ian��s help!��

    Renis hurriedly went to find Ian.

    ---

    ---

    Ian looked for Gerard, but he had disappeared.

    Ian had wanted to ask something about the gods.

    But since Gerard had already vanished, there was nothing he could do.

    Ian set his next destination to be the territory of Baron Vincents.

    Honestly, Ian had no obligation to help Professor Inn.

    But Ian and Inn were both wizards.

    There was a camaraderie among wizards.

    In other words, if Ian faced trouble, other wizards woulde to his aid.

    Taking on such quests helped to grease the wheels of these rtionships, making it easier to seek help when needed.

    Ian finished his travel preparations at the monastery.

    Although supplies seemed a bitcking, he figured he could resupply by visiting any noble along the way.

    Ian had already started to think of nobles as sponsors.

    This was a sign of a well-developed wizard��s mindset.

    ��Did everyone get a good rest?��

    Belenka and Kira were also ready to depart.

    With their preparationsplete, Ian set off towards the southwest of the empire...

    ��Wait!!!��

    ��What is it, Abbot?��

    Just as they were about to leave, Renis stopped Ian.

    ��Takarion... Please see Takarion before you go!��

    ��That was my n.��

    Ian nodded briskly.

    He had intended to say goodbye before departing, and of course, that included seeing Takarion.

    ��Convince Takarion to release his next work!��

    ��Next work?��

    Renis tearfully exined the situation.

    It was pitiful to see an old man almost in tears, but Ian understood and went to find Takarion.

    After all, old men are as delicate as high school girls.

    ��Takarion!��

    ��Aah! Sh! Ian! My brother of the soul!"

    As soon as he saw Ian, Takarion spread his arms wide.

    Having rested well at the monastery, Takarion��splexion had returned to its usual state.

    ��I heard from Renis. You��re not writing gospel anymore?��

    ��Yes. The gospel... I can��t write it anymore.��

    Ian was taken aback.

    Why? Why wouldn��t he write that amazing light novel?

    ��Because... Ian, I want to write your chronicle!��

    ��What the...��

    ��Let me write your chronicle!��

    Ian coldly brushed off Takarion, who was about to cling to him.

    Though Takarion wasn��t exactly obese, he was still arge man, and it was unsettling to see him lunge like that.

    ��... I really wanted to read it. The gospel��s sequel.��

    Ian was genuinely disappointed.

    What was Takarion��s gospel?

    In this dreary medieval era,cking in dopamine like sugar, it was the only truly engaging book he had ever read!

    Renis wanted Takarion��s gospel for selfish reasons, but Ian had a slightly different motive for wanting him to continue writing.

    ��If I want to read it... won��t you write it?��

    When Ian spoke, Takarion��s expression changed.

    ��You want to read it? Ian, you? My gospel?��

    ��Yes.��

    When Ian confidently replied, Takarion was momentarily awed.

    He had felt this before, but Ian...

    He had an incredibly deep faith!

    No wonder the heavenly god often answered Ian��s prayers.

    Thinking this, Takarion felt even more ashamed.

    What had he been making such a devout believer read...

    ��If you write the gospel��s sequel, I��ll let you write my chronicle.��

    ��... Really?��

    With Ian asking so earnestly, Takarion couldn��t refuse.

    Alright. Writing the chronicle was important, but Ian wanted the gospel!

    ��Alright. I��ll write the gospel first.��

    Takarion decided to use this gospel as a practice piece to improve his writing skills.

    He would start with the gospel and then move on to writing Ian��s chronicle!

    ��Waaaaa!��

    Renis let out a scream-like cheer from the side.

    And then he blushed.

    It seemed he was aware of how embarrassing he looked...

    ��When the gospel is finished, Ian, I��d like to collect some stories about you.��

    ��Are you nning to follow me around?��

    Takarion shook his head.

    ��No. I still vividly remember being swept away by an avnche in the Holy Mountain. Someone like me would just be a burden.��

    Ian crossed his arms and pondered.

    Meeting with Takarion again to share stories would be ideal. However, Ian was constantly on the move, and who knew when he��d return to the monastery?

    ��Oh.��

    At that moment, Ian came up with an idea.

    ��Would you consider staying in the Talian territory?��

    ��Talian territory?��

    Takarion tilted his head.

    ��My friend is the lord there. If you stay there, we can talkter.��

    It wasn��t a bad idea.

    Anyway, it wasmon for clergy to wander as guests across various territories.

    If it was Lucy of Talian, she would treat Takarion well as a guest.

    ��Hmm!��

    Takarion nodded.

    ��Alright! As soon as I finish writing, I��ll head to Talian territory!��

    ��Great. Takarion, let��s meet there again.��

    With the promise of the next publication secured, Ian set off on his journey.

    The next destination was the territory of Baron Vincents, where Inn was imprisoned.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ��Fargar... we��ll need to be cautious.��

    Ian packed his belongings and headed southwest.

    Up until now, Ian had been staying and working in the northwestern region of the Empire. After a stop at the Blue Key Monastery near the center, he was now moving southwest.

    The ruler of the northwestern region was Duke Araz.

    And the ruler of the southwestern region, where Ian was now headed, was Duke Fargar.Kira muttered as she recalled the name Fargar.

    ��Fargar... where have I heard that name before?��

    Ian briefly recalled an old memory.

    Fargar... Fargar...

    ��Oh.��

    It came back to him.

    Once, when he visited Riverville, Baron Kaltz had told him about the state of the Empire.

    He had mentioned that Duke Fargar and Duke Ron did not get along.

    Duke Ron was a neighboring ruler to the east of Fargar.

    ording to the story, Duke Fargar had his eyes on Duke Ron��snd...

    ��I heard before that Duke Fargar is preparing for war.��

    Kira spoke up.

    In the past, she had been a con artist pretending to be a wizard.

    Kira was from the southern part of the Empire (probably).

    An orphan and a wanderer, she had no ce to call home, but she had picked up a lot of knowledge from traveling around the Empire.

    Of course, she had once set foot in Duke Fargar��s territory.

    ... She had immediately fled upon hearing rumors that Duke Fargar was preparing for war.

    A fake wizard dragged to a battlefield would only face execution.

    ��Hmm. We need to be careful.��

    Ian thought he especially needed to be cautious.

    There was always a high demand for wizards, but that demand exploded during times of war.

    On the battlefield, wizards disyed god-like prowess.

    They could change the weather, alter the terrain, and even unleash massive fires to burn soldiers.

    A side that didn��t hire wizards would seem ipetent; thus, wizards were crucial in war.

    The value of a wizard was extremely high, but this also meant that nobles might want to conscript them through forceful means.

    When war broke out, nobles often tried to forcibly ��requisition�� wizards.

    A wizard was an individual, and a noble was a person of power, so the story usually ended with the wizard being conscripted.

    Wizards would be extremely displeased, but... what could they do? It was a hundred times better than being executed.

    Even though wizards created things like [Calling a Wizard] to protect each other and exercised the virtue of mutual aid, there would always be blind spots.

    Inevitable sacrifices urred.

    If Ian was unlucky, he could be one of those sacrifices.

    Of course, if a duke tried to conscript Ian because of a war, other wizards would desperately try to prevent it. That was the virtue of wizards.

    Then the duke would back down, knowing his limits...

    But you could never be certain about human affairs, could you?

    Since anything could happen, it was better to be cautious.

    ��... Araz was a peaceful ce.��

    Ian mumbled to himself.

    The northwestern part of the Empire, where Ian had stayed, was rtively peaceful under Duke Araz��s rule.

    Though Ian had even participated in Lucy Talian��s territorial war... still, it was peaceful.

    In this medieval fantasy world, war was a part of everyday life.

    A baronial dispute was like a greeting.

    But a war involving a duke meant, ��Oh, a big battle is brewing somewhere!��

    ��If a war breaks out, the emperor would intervene.��

    Ian muttered to himself and then tilted his head.

    ��But where is the emperor?��

    This ce was a Holy ��Empire.��

    The ruler of the country was the emperor.

    However...

    Ian had never heard the damn emperor��s name in his life!

    I mean, he��s the emperor.

    But how can someone from the Empire not know the emperor''s name?

    ��I don��t know either.��

    Kira, being from the streets, knew nothing about the emperor.

    But Belenka knew something.

    ��The knights say that he has moved his pce to Duke Ron��s territory.��

    ��... Moved the pce?��

    A king lives in the capital of his country, and moving the capital is often referred to as [relocating the capital].

    Someone unfamiliar with the Holy Empire might assume, "Oh, the emperor moved the capital to Duke Ron''s territory."

    That��s only half right.

    ��Well, yes. The imperial pce keeps moving.��

    ��???��

    Ian was momentarily dumbfounded by Belenka��s exnation.

    What, the emperor��s pce is mobile? Like a Ghibli animation?

    Wow! Because it��s a fantasy world, the pce must have legs!

    ��The pce moves? How???��

    Kira reacted the same way as Ian.

    In fact, both of them were from humble origins.

    Ian was the son of a serf, and Kira was an orphan taken in by a street performer.

    On the other hand, Belenka was the daughter of a knight.

    In this party, the person with the most noble blood was Belenka!

    Sheughed lightly at the reaction of the twomoners and exined.

    Although she was a foreigner, she had knowledge of the Empire��s upper ss through frequent interactions with knights.

    ��Kira, what do you think the imperial pce is?��

    ��...? The ce where the emperor lives...?��

    ��That��s right. The ce where the emperor lives is the imperial pce. So if the emperor moves his residence, doesn��t that mean the pce moves as well?��

    Kira murmured nkly.

    ��So the emperor of the Empire... keeps moving?��

    Exactly.

    Kira got it right.

    The emperor of the Holy Empire traveled around the empire, changing the duchy he stayed in periodically.

    Just like the ��Heaven''s Domain�� in a fantasy novel written by a bored orchard owner[1]!

    In the Empire, the emperores to you!

    ��Wow... I didn��t know? I thought the emperor, like other nobles, stayed put on his ownnd.��

    Belenka shrugged.

    ��Still, he��s the emperor of the Empire, so he can��t just take care of his ownnd.��

    There are several reasons why the emperor traveled around the duchies.

    To maintain the bnce of the empire, to monitor the dukes, and for traditional reasons.

    But the biggest reason was...

    To listen to the whining of the dukes.

    ��Waaah~ Emperor~ The crops failed this year~ Support us~��

    ��Emperor~ The heretics have been invading too oftentely~ Help us~��

    ��The neighboring estate keeps picking fights! Do something about it~��

    ��This orchard! I imed it, but they keep trying to take it!��

    ��No way~ It��s originally mine!��

    ��No, it��s not!��

    ��...��

    When the dukes whined endlessly, the emperor would clutch his aching head and listen to their petitions.

    After all... the emperor is the ruler of the empire!

    Other nobles might manage theirnds haphazardly, but the emperor had to take care of the entire empire.

    Of course, the empire belonged to the emperor, so he had to manage it personally.

    That��s right.

    The emperor of the empire was like a kindergarten teacher... or the leader of a group project.

    ��So the reason the emperor went to Duke Ron...��

    ��Well, it��s probably because of the war.��

    Duke Fargar was eyeing Ron��snd.

    But the emperor moved his pce to Ron��snd.

    The message was clear.

    ��The emperor is staying here. Want to start something? Try if you can!��

    It was a subtle warning to Duke Fargar.

    Duke Fargar would pause if he were sensible.

    The problem was, Ian didn��t know much about him.

    If he ignored the emperor and just threw a punch...

    That would definitely spark a civil war within the Empire.

    ��ording to rumors, the King of Rnd is backing Duke Fargar.��

    Duke Fargar��snd was in the southwestern part of the Empire.

    And further westy the Kingdom of Rnd. It was a typical kingdom as Ian knew it.

    There was a king, his vassals, and beneath them, themon people.

    It was also a feudal state, but the king��s power was much stronger than that of the emperor of the Empire.

    They didn��t call him ��king�� for nothing!

    ��Isn��t the Kingdom of Rnd your destination, Belenka?��

    When Kira asked, Belenka nodded.

    Her father had served as a knight in the Kingdom of Rnd in his youth.

    She, too, had nned to be a knight there...

    ��It��s not that important. As long as I can make money, I��m fine.��

    Belenka yfully poked Ian��s back.

    ��If this guy doesn��t pay me, I��ll just move over there.��

    ��I won��t cheat you. If I run out of money, I��ll pay you with fairy silk from Talian territory. How��s that?��

    ��Oh. If you��re going to pay me, I��d prefer a dress made from it.��

    ��Why?��

    ��Why do you think? Because pretty clothes are nice.��

    Belenka proudly waved her fairy silk hair tie.

    Kira stared at it enviously. She had always been jealous of Belenka��s hair tie.

    ��I heard that even duchesses find it hard to get dresses made of fairy silk...��

    When Kira murmured, Belenka chuckled.

    ��Who cares? Ian here has plenty of fairy silk.��

    Ian had forgotten, but he was indeed wealthy.

    His wealth mainly consisted of fairy silk...

    If he managed to sell it in a city, he could make a lot of money.

    ��I hope Lucy is doing well.��

    Ian thought as he stretchedzily.

    After this journey, it might be nice to stop by Talian territory and rest for a while.

    ��... I should buy some gifts if I visit the city.��

    Ian added more items to his shopping list.

    A magic book for Kira. And a gift for Lucy.

    ��Should I get something for Sister Mionia too?��

    Duke Fargar might be stirring up war, but that wasn��t Ian��s problem.

    Surely he wouldn��t start a war with the emperor right next door?

    Sitting on his donkey, Ian looked up at the sky.

    It was reverently blue and clear.

    It seemed to be watching over Ian��s journey.

    ---

    ---

    The journey was smooth.

    But a problem arose around noon.

    ��Damn.��

    It had been clear in the morning.

    But in the afternoon, the weather suddenly turned gloomy, and a downpour began.

    Getting wet wasn��t the issue.

    People aren��t made of sugar. A few drops of rain wouldn��t melt them.

    But the roads in the Empire... were like sugar cookies.

    ��The road��s gone.��

    ��...��

    The path Ian was traveling on wasn��t oneid down by the ancient Golden Empire.

    It was oneid by the proud Holy Empire.

    The ground was just dirt, and sometimes the path would be interrupted by overgrown grass.

    It wasn��t a deliberately made road but a path that had naturally formed from people walking on it, like a local hiking trail.

    It was bad enough that the dirt became muddy.

    But when the stepping stones across the river disappeared, Ian was bbergasted.

    ��No bridge nearby so we can��t cross the river? How does that make sense?��

    It does.

    That��s the Empire (nod).

    Ian considered stopping the river with magic, but realizing it required a magic circle, he gave up.

    Ian couldn��t stop the river with his level of water magic.

    When it rains, the river naturally flows more vigorously.

    Trying to stop it would undoubtedly annoy the mysteries of the river.

    Since there wasn��t a murderer with a knife chasing him, there was no need for unnecessary requests.

    ��Shall we find a detour?��

    ��Let��s do that.��

    Ian decided to look for another path.

    Fortunately, there was a farmhouse nearby where they could ask for directions.

    ��Ah! There��s a path made of stone! It��s very sturdy!��

    It was undoubtedly a road built by the people of the Golden Empire.

    Ian smiled brightly at the farmer��s words.

    As expected of the Golden Empire!

    They had prepared the roads for their descendants in advance (or not)!

    ��But it might be difficult to use that path.��

    ��Why?��

    The farmer grumbled.

    ��Some strange folks have taken over the area recently and are doing something weird... uh!��

    The farmer quickly covered his mouth.

    He was worried that badmouthing armed thugs might get him in trouble.

    ��Strange folks?��

    ��Well, they seem to be hired by someone important...��

    There was only one type of person that important people would hire.

    Mercenaries.

    ��What do you mean by weird?��

    ��I couldn��t tell even if I saw it! They seem to be searching for something in the river, but they chase everyone away who gets close!��

    Hmm.

    Ian nodded at the farmer��s excellent exnation.

    Strange folks doing strange things...

    There couldn��t be a more perfect description.

    ��Ian, what are we going to do?��

    Belenka and Kira awaited Ian��s decision.

    Ian spoke lightly.

    ��First, let��s go to the bridge.��

    Ian was a wizard.

    He had all sorts of tricks and the authority that came with being a wizard.

    Wouldn��t it be enough to just go and say, ��I��m a wizard,�� and pass through?

    Ian and his party headed toward the bridge.

    ---

    [1. raei: this is a reference to The Bird That Drinks Tears. I have no idea what it has been tranted to, but it trantes literally to something like ''Heaven''s Domain'' or ''World in the Sky'']Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Walter Balzac was a veteran wizard.

    ��It��s pouring.��

    Walter thought as he watched the heavy downpour.

    He had anticipated the rain because he had learned some water magic by watching over someone''s shoulder.

    Walter was born into a wealthy noble family, but his desire for magic led him to abandon his position and venture out into the world.Up to this point, he seemed like a model wizard.

    But...

    What drove Walter into the world was not pure curiosity but a sordid desire.

    Walter felt a powerful force in magic and mystery.

    His master, Balzac, was a [demon wizard].

    In his youth, Walter identally encountered Balzac offering a viger as a living sacrifice.

    Balzac intended to kill Walter to keep him quiet.

    But Walter��s reaction was unexpected.

    ��Did you just... sacrifice a person?��

    ��What if I did?��

    ��Wow... That��s awesome!��

    ��???��

    Balzac wondered if Walter was too deeply engrossed in his adolescent fantasies.

    After all, it wasn��t normal to think that sacrificing a person to a demon was cool.

    However, Walter was sincere.

    He genuinely thought Balzac��s demon magic was impressive.

    ��Kid, demon magic is an evil magic that only the worst bastards handle.�� Balzac could have kindly exined.

    But he didn��t.

    Instead, he began to lure the naive Walter.

    ��Yeah, it��s amazing, isn��t it? With this demon, you can get rid of anyone who annoys you!��

    ��Even my stepmother?��

    Balzac smiled wickedly.

    This kid shows promise!

    ��Of course!��

    From that day, Walter became Balzac��s disciple.

    Balzac was happy to have a noble as a student, and Walter was happy to learn wicked demonic magic.

    Walter used the demon magic he learned from Balzac to kill his stepmother.

    Demons and magic.

    Wielding these two powerful forces, Walter could kill people effortlessly, even as a teenager.

    Walter was enamored with this power.

    Knights and anyone else couldn��t resist the power of magic!

    ��Yes! This is it! This is the power I wanted!��

    Walter was captivated by the power of magic.

    Thanks to magic, he could get rid of his annoying stepmother and her child.

    Though he had to sacrifice the farmers of hisnd...

    Walter didn��t care at all.

    What? The cost of magic is a few farmers?

    Wow! That��s practically free!

    Walter was a typical wicked noble who didn��t considermoners as humans.

    Without hesitation, he sacrificed people to improve his demon magic skills.

    Guilt?

    He didn��t have any.

    I��m super strong! Who would dare criticize me?

    When his father discovered him practicing demon magic, Walter remained calm.

    And indeed, nothing happened.

    The demon he had grown by sacrificing people erased all his father��s knights.

    ��Tch. Forget about inheriting the title.��

    To inherit the title, he needed to record it with a priest.

    But Walter had be such a skilled demon wizard that he couldn��t interact with a priest.

    Walter left his hometown and wandered around the Empire, looking for a ce to stay.

    But finding a suitable ce wasn��t easy.

    Even in an empire that respected wizards, it was hard to find respect for a demon wizard...

    If people knew someone was friendly with a demon wizard, the priests of Heaven''s Faith would go crazy.

    Is it just the priests?

    The Pope himself would emunicate you!

    Emunication wasn��t a special breathing technique that harnessed the power of the sun... it was a form of religious condemnation.

    ��It means, ��I will no longer recognize you as a believer of our faith!����

    Being emunicated meant losing all religious benefits and being treated as a heretic by everyone around you.

    In the Holy Empire, the home of Heaven''s Faith, emunication was like social death.

    No matter how powerful a demon wizard was, being emunicated meant they were no longer worth using.

    ��Are all Imperial citizens idiots?��

    Walter was enraged by the hostility toward demon wizards.

    Demons are so powerful and useful! They would do anything for just a few ignorant sacrifices!

    Anyone who didn��t harness demons was a fool!

    Walter had grown up in luxury and couldn��t tolerate living as a vagrant.

    He nned to find a suitable ce to settle and secretly continue his demon magic research.

    But whether by chance or fate, some shady wizards reached out to Walter.

    ��Greetings! We are the [Golden Rule Society]!��

    ��The Golden Rule Society?��

    ��Yes! We are a strictly merit-based organization that promises substantial support for any research achievements!��

    What was that?

    Walter had never heard of the Golden Rule Society. The timing of their offer, when he was struggling and exhausted, was highly suspicious.

    But...

    Walter, already worn out, had no choice but to take their hand.

    At least they didn��t persecute him for being a demon wizard.

    ��I hate this kind of menial work.��

    Walter frowned as he watched the pouring rain.

    He was collecting amber by the river on the Golden Rule Society��s orders.

    Amber was a useful gem consumed as a catalyst in magic circles.

    It was versatile and valuable, the more, the better.

    With tensions between Duke Fargar and Duke Ron rising, war might break out soon.

    Stockpiling amber now would ensure it could be used as a valuable resource in the war.

    ��Master...��

    As Walter sat there lost in thought, arge man approached him.

    ��What is it, Jubal?��

    Jubal was the leader of the mercenary band Walter had subdued.

    Over two meters tall, he was a man of immense strength who could lift rocks with his bare hands.

    However, due to the aftereffects of a high fever in his childhood, his intelligence had significantly diminished.

    Although Jubal was the leader of the mercenary band, he was practically a puppet.

    Cunning individuals were manipting Jubal from behind.

    Walter had used a demon to eliminate those behind Jubal, taking control of the mercenary band.

    Now, Jubal was Walter��s subordinate.

    ��Someone... ising.��

    ��Haah. You idiot. Didn��t I tell you to chase away anyone whoes?��

    Walter assumed Jubal hadn��t understood the simplemand.

    But as he listened further, he realized it wasn��t the case.

    ��I tried... to chase them away... but...��

    ��But?��

    ��The guys told me not to...��

    ��???��

    Walter tilted his head in confusion.

    The mercenaries told him not to chase them away?

    This was a matter that required attention.

    Jubal might be stupid, but the rest of the mercenaries had average medieval intelligence.

    This meant Jubal hadn��t forgotten the order but was unable to carry it out!

    ��Could it be a noble?��

    The mercenaries had enough sense to judge whether someone was a noble or not.

    In this medieval fantasy world, noble issues were significant, so they had left the decision to their leader, Jubal.

    ��I��ll check it myself.��

    Walter stood up, leaning on his staff.

    If it was a noble, he could talk his way through.

    If they started asking too many questions and being annoying, well...

    Killing them to silence them was always an option.

    Walter was a powerful demon wizard.

    No matter what skills the other person possessed, they wouldn��t escape the clutches of a demon.

    ---

    ---

    Ian headed toward the bridge without hesitation.

    ��There it is.��

    The bridge was visible from a distance.

    It was a sturdy stone bridge, showcasing the meticulous craftsmanship of the Golden Empire��s people.

    Though the river surged from the rain, the bridge stood firm without a tremble.

    Seeing the ancient bridge, especially after only seeing the shabby medieval ones, was awe-inspiring.

    Indeed, the things made by the ancients were the best!

    ��They said some strange folks were guarding it?��

    ��Yes, there are definitely some odd-looking people there.��

    Ian spotted the mercenaries standing guard in a forlorn manner.

    It was truly strange.

    There wasn��t a fortress nearby.

    Hiring mercenaries to guard just a bridge?

    That��s a waste of money.

    ��Is there a war going on?��

    If there was a war, it would make sense.

    An ancient bridge like that was definitely a strategic point.

    But there were too few soldiers, and nomander was in sight.

    Ian approached the mercenaries, slightly puzzled.

    ��Uh... huh?��

    The mercenaries noticed Ian a beat toote.

    They were too engrossed in their chatter.

    ��Doesn��t seem like they��re at war.��

    Ian judged.

    They didn��t seem tense enough for a war situation.

    ��Who��s there?!��

    However, those guys were proper mercenaries.

    You could tell just by their voices.

    The difference between someone who has threatened others and someone who hasn��t.

    That guy was clearly the former.

    That made things easier.

    ��I��m Ian, a wizard.��

    ��A wizard?!��

    Oh, a clear reaction.

    As soon as Ian revealed his identity, amotion erupted among the mercenaries.

    Ignoring them, Ian shouted boldly.

    ��I want to cross the river. I heard you��re blocking the only bridge and causing trouble.��

    ��...��

    ��Is there no one to exin?��

    His smooth speech and piercing gaze were intimidating.

    The mercenaries swallowed dryly as they looked at Ian.

    At a nce, it might seem like a young upstart causing a fuss.

    But Ian exuded something entirely different from just any young person.

    Ian had been through enough experiences as a wizard.

    His tone and gaze alone distinguished him from ordinary people.

    So the mercenaries didn��t respond with immediate hostility.

    ��That��s not for us to decide...��

    ��We��ll fetch the captain!��

    The mercenaries hurried to a makeshift tent.

    To an outsider, it might seem like an overreaction, but it was a wise move.

    Mercenaries were very perceptive!

    Being in a subordinate position to nobles, they often acted based on instinct rather than intellect.

    They read situations with animal-like intuition.

    While waiting for the mercenaries to return, Ian nced around the campsite.

    ��What is that...?��

    There were certainly a lot of strange items.

    Boxes filled with stones, mining tools, picks...

    It felt like an archaeological dig site.

    ��Well, it��s none of my business.��

    They were doing something peculiar, but it wasn��t Ian��s concern.

    He just needed to cross the bridge safely.

    As he was thinking that...

    [Disgusting...]

    [Revolting...]

    ��...?��

    Ian heard whispers from the mysteries of the nts.

    The grass and trees were disturbed.

    Not just the nts, but the earth and wind, even the raindrops murmured with unease.

    At that moment, Ian smelled the scent of blood wafting from somewhere.

    When Ian turned his head, he saw a man with a paleplexion.

    ��A distinguished guest has arrived. Who might you be?��

    ��...��

    Ian locked eyes with the man for a few seconds.

    The man also stared into Ian''s eyes for a while.

    ... And then, both wizards realized almost simultaneously.

    They had looked into each other��s souls!

    ��Who... are you?��

    As soon as Ian spoke, the wizard Walter shouted.

    ��Chimera! Kill these fools!��

    As if it had been waiting, a monstrous creature sprang out from behind Walter.

    It was a fierce beast that looked like a mix of a wolf and a goat.

    Ian immediately used magic.

    He visualized the form of a skill card in his mind.

    Skill cards could be activated just by picturing them.

    Ian��s unique magic facilitated their activation.

    ��[Freeze!]��

    [Ice Magic: Touch of Frost (Lv 2)]

    [Envelop your hand in cold, rapidly freezing anything you touch. Prolonged use may cause frostbite, so be careful!]

    Ian struck the charging chimera with the Touch of Frost.

    The chimera froze solid and copsed to the ground, paralyzed.

    Walter red coldly at Ian.

    A pretty skilled ice wizard...!

    But could mere ice magic stop a demon?

    ��Do you... summon demons?��

    In response to Ian��s question, Walter answered with a mockingugh.

    ��Heh, heh. Correct, ice wizard.��

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    idents are called idents because they happen unexpectedly.

    Neither Walter nor Ian imagined they would encounter a hostile wizard in such a manner.

    After all, Walter was just collecting amber, and Ian was merely passing by.

    If Ian had been an ordinary noble or amon priest, nothing would have happened.

    They wouldn��t have obtained any information from seeing Walter.Walter was the kind of guy who, ifbeled a ��wicked wizard�� by the Empire��s people, wouldn��t feel any injustice; he was genuinely evil.

    But do bad guys walk around with ��I��m a viin�� written on their foreheads?

    Walter, being of noble birth, had a neat appearance.

    If you didn��t know he practiced demon magic, most would just exchange pleasantries and part peacefully.

    But Ian was different.

    With his keen wizard senses, he detected the malevolent aura surrounding Walter.

    Walter immediately noticed Ian��s suspicious gaze.

    And he attacked without hesitation.

    Naturally, it was to kill Ian and keep him silent.

    For Walter, killing was a routine matter, so he felt no guilt.

    ��Heh... Ice magic, huh? Interesting choice.��

    Walter openly mocked Ian.

    In the Empire, ice wizards were treated like circus performers.

    Wow! Look over there! It��s a ice wizard!

    In summer, they��re useless; in winter, they��re the ones freezing ice on the streets!

    But what do they do with ice in winter? (Seriously, no one knows.)

    Even when treated like this, ice wizards couldn��t say a word in their defense.

    They were just considered unfortunate souls who made a brief mistake in life...

    While Walter belittled Ian, Ian looked at Walter with contempt.

    ��That monster... Did you create it with transmutation?��

    ��Oh ho. You know your stuff?��

    For a rookie wizard, Ian had a good eye.

    Walter slightly raised his evaluation of Ian.

    Conversely, Ian thought of Walter as an even more dreadful wizard.

    Transmutation.

    Literally, magic that alters and distorts forms.

    It��s extremely dangerous and requires exceptional knowledge to handle.

    But Walter had mastered transmutation.

    How did he learn it?

    A great mentor? Insights from the ever-changing forms of nature?

    Neither.

    That bastard was a demon wizard who must have harmed countless people.

    So the answer was simple.

    Human experimentation.

    The experience required to create a chimera through transmutation must have alle from live humans.

    ��Heh heh. I don��t know where you��vee from, but give up on leaving here alive!��

    Walter shouted, waving his hand.

    ��Crossbows! Fire the crossbows!��

    ��...��

    Ian, tense, prepared a defensive spell immediately.

    But Belenka quickly whispered.

    ��They won��t be able to fire.��

    ��... Why?��

    ��Because it��s raining.��

    Belenka��s judgment was precise.

    The Empire''s crossbows often used glue made from fish, which dissolved in rain or heat.

    A slight mishap could just snap the bowstring.

    Indeed, the mercenaries couldn��t fire their crossbows.

    Walter shouted in frustration.

    ��Can��t you hear my orders?! You idiots!!!��

    ��But, wizard! The weather...!��

    ��He doesn��t seem to care about his subordinates.��

    Ian sharply observed Walter and the mercenaries.

    The mercenaries didn��t appear particrly loyal to Walter. Their rtionship seemed contractual, or even less than that.

    Ian decided to sow discord between Walter and the mercenaries.

    ��Who dares to cooperate with an evil demon wizard?!��

    As Ian leveled up as a wizard, his voice projection had definitely improved.

    It might seem funny, but wizards here thrived on their ability to speak forcefully...

    When Ian shouted, his voice rang out loudly, causing the mercenaries to freeze in their tracks.

    ��Well, uh...��

    ��The Great One in the heavens is watching! How can you coborate with a demon wizard?��

    Ian��s voice was indeed intimidating.

    The mercenaries didn��t dare approach him, clearly unsure of what to do.

    ��Pathetic scum.��

    Walter looked at the mercenaries with contempt.

    Yet he did not wipe the sneer off his face.

    ��But wizard, it��s pointless. These men know I��m a demon wizard and they still cooperate.��

    ��...��

    Walter shouted at the mercenaries.

    ��If you understand, kill that man! Before the rumor spreads that you cooperated with a demon wizard!��

    Ian red at Walter.

    ��The real scum here is you.��

    Not only was Walter unashamed of being a demon wizard, but he also used it to threaten the mercenaries!

    Ian could easily deduce the rtionship between Walter and the mercenaries.

    Walter had subdued them with demonic power, and they followed him out of necessity.

    ��I''ll need to verify the detailster.��

    For now, it seemed the mercenaries were not deeply involved with the demon wizard.

    If they were, they would have already drawn their swords and attacked.

    ��Alright! This insignificant ice wizard! I��ll crush you with my thumb!��

    A sinister energy began to swirl around Walter.

    The mercenaries, terrified, retreated.

    If Walter killed Ian here, the mercenaries would forever be ves to the demon wizard.

    But Ian had no intention of going down quietly.

    Ian knew nothing about demon magic.

    He also believed he had no talent for it.

    Controlling demons required a fundamentally psychopathic and sadistic personality, and Ian wasn��t wicked enough to handle demons.

    There was no way to stop Walter��s magic.

    So, Ian decided to attack before Walter couldplete his spell!

    Without hesitation, Ian summoned the fastest and most destructive skill card he had.

    [Fire Magic: Spear of me (Lv4)]

    [Throw a spear made of enormous mes. The spear will incinerate the impact point and turn the surroundings into a sea of fire!]

    ��[Spear of me!]��

    ��...!��

    As soon as Ian finished chanting, a massive spear of me appeared.

    The mercenaries, and even Walter, were astonished.

    The mercenaries were shocked purely by the terrifying sight of the spear.

    Despite the pouring rain, the spear burned intensely!

    It was a typical reaction of the ignorant mercenaries.

    On the other hand, Walter was shocked for much more academic andplex reasons.

    ��What the hell is that?!��

    Right now, rain was pouring down everywhere.

    The water element was strong, and the fire element was incredibly weak.

    Even a three-year-old child could tell you that.

    But...

    Ian had summoned a spear of me in a ce filled with the water element!

    ��How?��

    Walter forgot that Ian was his enemy, his mind filled with pure curiosity.

    How had Ian summoned the essence of fire, and how had he managed to wield such powerful fire magic?

    Especially on a rainy day!

    Walter would never understand.

    He didn��t know that Ian had a unique magic that surpassed medieval understanding and was aided by the Goddess of the North...

    Without knowing this, Walter could only mutter in disbelief.

    ��Archwizard...?��

    Since Maronius, no wizard had been honored with the title of Archwizard.

    There had been those called Masters, but not Archwizards.

    Walter��s wizardly instincts whispered that Ian��s magic concealed something beyond just fire.

    ��I want to know...!��

    Walter was captivated by the magnificent, no, the beautiful magic Ian disyed.

    He had pursued power his entire life.

    How could one summon a spear of fire in the air with just a word?

    But Walter��s curiosity would never be satisfied.

    The ming spear Ian summoned was flying straight at him.

    ��Ah.��

    [Why hesitate? Name the sacrifice for me! Summoner!]

    Walter couldn��t finish his demon summoning.

    Ian��s magic hadpleted and flown too swiftly and perfectly.

    Boom!

    ��A-Aaaaah...!��

    With a blinding sh of me, Walter��s body ignited like a torch.

    For a few seconds, Walter writhed as a living me.

    His screamsted only a moment.

    The fierce mes quickly incinerated his lungs and muscles.

    ��Wow...��

    ��What... is that...��

    A man burned to death before their eyes.

    None of the mercenaries could speak, staring at Walter��s charred corpse.

    A person burned to death in the pouring rain...

    Gulp.

    Someone swallowed dryly.

    So this is... the magic they had only heard of!

    ��I��d better be damn careful...!��

    The sensible mercenaries vowed never to approach Ian.

    They didn��t want to mess with someone who could freeze monsters with his bare hands and throw spears of me!

    The sensible ones, that is.

    But among them...

    There were also not-so-sensible mercenaries.

    ��W-Wizard!��

    ��Oh, sh*t.��

    ��I��m screwed...!��

    The leader of the Jubal mercenary band, Jubal.

    Traits: Became mentally impaired after a childhood fever.

    ��You, what have you done to our wizard?!��

    Jubal stammered, rushing toward Ian.

    The other mercenaries nearly lost their minds...

    Ian spoke in a low voice.

    ��Are you a demon worshiper?��

    Ian was merely weary, but his cold, steely gaze made the mercenaries tremble with fear.

    They felt another person might burn to death!

    The atmosphere was tense, but Jubal, being simple-minded, didn��t notice.

    He shrugged his shoulders and answered.

    ��Demon worship...? I don��t know about that... But you shouldn��t kill our wizard...��

    ��What do you mean by ��shouldn��t kill��?��

    Jubal started to sniffle, his nose running.

    Seeing a man nearly two meters tall crying made Ian feel awkward too.

    Wait, why is he crying?

    ��Excuse me...��

    One of the mercenaries approached and spoke.

    ��Our leader... well, he��s not all there.��

    ��Did he fall from an apple tree as a child?��

    ��What? No. He got sick, and that��s how he ended up.��

    Ian nodded.

    Many modern people forget, but childhood illnesses were verymon before modern medicine.

    Diseases that could be cured withmon antibiotics or antipyretics often resulted in permanent disabilities.

    Ian looked up at Jubal for a moment.

    Given hisrge frame, if his mind had been intact, he might have been a renowned warrior.

    ��Even so, he��s the leader?��

    The mercenary answered with a grin.

    ��Well, if you��re strong, you��re the boss.��

    ��...��

    Hmm. Strangely, that��s hard to argue with...

    "Actually, we��re quite uneasy ourselves."

    The mercenary spoke submissively.

    Commoners had no choice but to be deferential when dealing with a wizard.

    Ian briefly thought of the Rabbit Foot Company people he had traveled with before.

    Having dealt mostly with nobility, the reactions ofmoners felt strangely unfamiliar to him now.

    ��What makes you uneasy?��

    ��That wicked wizard showed us a demon. He said, ��Your souls are in my hands, so if you try anything funny, you��ll fall into hell.����

    ��Hmm...?��

    Ian now understood why the giant was crying.

    He''s worried about going to hell...?

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "Contemting a good afterlife as a mere mercenary? How foolish."

    Belenka clicked her tongue disapprovingly, startling the mercenaries.

    Her words were a blunt, harsh truth.

    Mercenaries are those who fight for money.

    Even wandering knights like Belenka could be considered mercenaries in a broad sense.Well-armored men-at-arms are mercenaries, as are rural bumpkins barely equipped with a gambeson.

    Since they''d do anything for money, mercenaries were generally of poor quality.

    From the moment you kill for pay, isn''t heaven out of the question?

    Knights created guidelines for killing, calling it "chivalry."

    Protect the weak, don''t raise weapons against women and children, act honorably on the battlefield, and so on...

    Even knights who follow the code of chivalry can''t confidently expect to go to heaven.

    Let alone these mercenaries, indistinguishable from highway robbers?

    It''s not strange for Belenka to think, ''Their conscience must have burst'' while looking at the mercenaries.

    "S-Sir Knight! Our brother is truly a devout believer of Heaven''s Faith! Saying such things will shock him..."

    Belenka''s expression soured, but Ian intervened.

    "Alright. Don''t be too harsh. They don''t know any better."

    "Are you iming they wielded blind swords, Ian? But swords have no eyes to begin with. That''s why those with sight must wield them."

    Jubal continued sniffling, while the other mercenaries busied themselvesforting their leader.

    Ian decided to move things along.

    "Guide me to the tent the demon wizard was using."

    "Ah! Yes sir!"

    At Ian''s every word, the mercenaries bowed their heads and trembled.

    Ian had already demonstrated his ability to burn people alive.

    That alone made him seem superhuman, and no mercenary wanted to provoke someone like that.

    ''What a headache.''

    Ian shook his head at the mercenaries who had lowered their posture so drastically.

    In truth, Ian had simply wanted to cross the river.

    With no suitable path nearby, he''d chosen this bridge by chance.

    Who could have known it was upied by a f*cking demon wizard?

    "..."

    A warm presence drew close.

    Somehow, Kira hadtched onto Ian''s arm, almost hugging it.

    To the mercenaries, they must look like an affectionate couple.

    Ian wondered why she was acting this way, until his gaze stopped on her lips.

    Kira''s lips had turned pale blue.

    "Are you alright?"

    "... It''s a bit cold."

    That made sense.

    Though the weather was warm, they''d been caught in a continuous downpour.

    But Kira wasn''t just shivering from the cold.

    She was frightened.

    "Ian... was it okay to kill that person?"

    A pointless question. The deed was already done.

    Ian shrugged.

    "That bastard tried to kill me first. He was clearly a demon wizard. No doubt he practiced in wicked ways."

    At Ian''s exnation, Kira''s expression darkened further.

    "... If he was such an evil wizard, won''t his colleaguese seeking revenge?"

    That was a fair point.

    Ian had no idea who that demon wizard really was.

    He could have belonged to some organization. This incident might prompt them to seek vengeance against Ian.

    "Well... if anything happens, I''m sure Gerard wille to warn us."

    At Ian''s words, Kira''s expression brightened a bit.

    "Ah! Yes! That space-time wizard!"

    Gerard was the one who led Kira to her destiny as a fire wizard.

    Since he''s so interested in Ian''s future, he''d likely give some warning if an attack were to happen.

    Space-time wizards are cunning bastards, but convenient at times like these.

    Ian could simply scratch the floor rudely and say "Give me a prophecy~".

    Apparently, Ian''s future is intertwined with the interests of space-time wizards.

    "This way, sir wizard."

    Ian followed the mercenaries'' guidance to inspect demon wizard Walter''s tent.

    "Oh, sh*t."

    The moment he entered, a curse escaped his lips.

    A human skull prominently disyed in the center of the room.

    An exmation challenge level MAX.

    This was an impossible challenge.

    "Wow! Sans[1]!"

    "???"

    It wasn''t some y ornament, but a real human skull.

    Ian easily deduced that it was a kind of terminal used formunicating with demons.

    Sure enough.

    As he approached the skull, an eerie voice was heard.

    [Kill... Kill it and offer me its blood!]

    [Kukuku... I can smell your desire... Don''t you want to ravish the virgin redhead beside you? Vite her! I''ll grant you power if you do!]

    [I''ll give you power and wealth beyond your wildest dreams! Answer my voice, wizard!]

    "...F*cking hell."

    True to their demonic nature, just listening made one''s ears feel dirty.

    Certainly, these were tempting offers for those weak to temptation.

    This medieval fantasy world has a passive bias in information.

    There are rumors about demons being evil, but people don''t know exactly how they''re evil.

    In modern times, they''d Google the sh*t out of it and dig up all the information.

    But in the medieval era with extremely limited information, people frequently fall for such shallow offers and contract with demons.

    ''Get lost, you demon bastards.''

    As Ian''s response remained cold, the desperate demon began spouting nonsense.

    [Contract now and get a ��national power-level�� magic sword for free!]

    [SS Rank minion! In-stant-ly!]

    "...?"

    Ian was immediately dumbfounded.

    What the hell are these bastards doing?

    Demons belong to chaos and have the ability to peek at human desires.

    Not knowing what a national power-level magic sword even is, they''re just babbling random words that popped up in Ian''s mind.

    Watching the demon''s actions, it was clearly on the level of a phishing scam.

    Special information just for you! Invest in gue-researchb penny stocks now for 200% guaranteed returns!

    Sane people with proper thinking wouldn''t give it a second nce, but thosecking information, unfamiliar with the ways of the world, or just in idiots get hooked by such obvious deceptions and ruin their lives.

    "F*cking demon bastards."

    Ian scorned the demons without restraint.

    Even with such stupid temptations, the desperate ones take the bait.

    When offered [I''ll give you power if you vite a woman!] to a man who''s been a virgin all his life.

    How many could tly ignore that?

    In most cases, a Nobelpia erotic novel would be churned out in no time.

    Men who''ve lived as virgins their whole lives are desperate enough to fall for a demon''s temptation.

    Demons are crazy bastards who enjoy inflicting pain on humans and causing chaos in the world.

    Ian unhesitatingly tore his eyes away from the skull ornament.

    "...?"

    But Kira was different.

    She was staring at the skull as if entranced.

    ''Oh no...!''

    Ian had high scam-immunity from experiencing modern society''s con artists who''d even swindle elementary schoolers'' belongings, but Kira, unlike Ian, was an innocent medieval person!

    "Kira!"

    Having been in contact with the mysteries multiple times before, Kira easily heard the demon''s voice.

    Her magical talent became poison.

    "Snap out of it! Kira!"

    As Kira nkly reached for the skull, Ian panicked.

    What the hell kind of temptation is she experiencing to be sopletely captivated!

    There was no response no matter how he called.

    In desperation, Ian pulled Kira into his arms and forcibly turned her body.

    "[Let go!]"

    Kira snarled viciously.

    No, not Kira.

    It was the demon''s voice, stealing Kira''s.

    "[Let me keep listening to the demon''s story! Ian!]"

    "What the f*ck are you babbling with Kira''s voice! sh*t!"

    Ianid Kira on the floor and straddled her.

    "Look at me! Kira!"

    "[The demon''s voice...! I want to hear it...!]"

    "Don''t look at that f*cking skull, look at me!"

    Ian brought his face close to Kira''s.

    Eyes are windows to the soul.

    As Ian''s gaze, filled with a wizard''s will, met Kira''s, her expression gradually returned.

    From eyes gleaming with desire, back to Kira''s usual clear gaze.

    "...Ian?"

    "Are you back to your senses? Kira?"

    Kira stared nkly at Ian''s face.

    Ian''s face wearing a faint smile.

    Straddling her body, pressing down on her shoulders with both hands-

    "...!"

    Kira''s face turned bright red with overwhelming embarrassment.

    "I-I-I-Ian! I''m fine so could you please get off me?!"

    "Are you sure? Really?"

    As Ian scrutinized her face closely.

    Kira just wanted to faint right then and there.

    "I''m really fine!"

    Kira hurriedly pushed Ian away and turned her head.

    He definitely saw how red my face is...

    "A demon''s temptation. Incredible..."

    "What did you see?"

    Ian asked out of genuine curiosity.

    I just heard some bullsh*t about giving a national power-level magic sword.

    Kira must have experienced a different temptation, right?

    "Um. Huh?"

    Kira noticeably flinched and avoided Ian''s gaze.

    Hmm... she''s acting extremely awkward...

    Anyone watching would think she''d been caught watching p*rn.

    "It''s, it''s a secret. I can''t tell you."

    "Really?"

    Kira pressed her lips together and nodded.

    Ian let it be.

    If she''s so reluctant to talk about it, there was no need to forcibly extract the information.

    "In exchange for keeping your secret, promise me one thing."

    "..."

    "Never, ever listen to a demon''s words again."

    At Ian''s serious expression, Kira answered equally seriously.

    "I promise. No matter what happens, I''ll never go near a demon again."

    "Good."

    Ian extended his hand to Kira.

    Kira took Ian''s hand and stood up, looking around.

    "It''s full of strange objects."

    Walter''s tent looked like a typical demon wizard''s quarters.

    Besides the skull, they found a magic book made of human skin and even a ne of fingers.

    All were wickedly evil items, perfect for hearing a demon''s voice if studied.

    All decided for disposal.

    "Hm?"

    Just then, Ian discovered a ring in a chest.

    The object itself wasn''t an unfamiliar type.

    It was a si ring.

    "Kira, take a look at this."

    A si ring is used to leave an authenticating mark in the wax seal of a document.

    People in olden times sealed documents with wax, stamping a specific image as a certification mark to show "I sent this!"

    The history of si rings is very deep, even used by ancient Egyptians.

    "Have you seen this crest before?"

    Si rings are mainly used to identify the sender.

    To reveal who sent the document.

    Most si rings here are made with family or guild crests.

    "Hmm...?"

    Kira tilted her head.

    As a fake wizard, she had memorized noble family crests quite thoroughly.

    She might not know some backwater baron''s crest, but she knew most noble crests.

    "I''m not sure..."

    Ian nodded.

    For now, it''s not a famous noble family''s crest.

    That narrows down the possibilities.

    The likely candidate is that it''s the symbol of the group demon wizard Walter belonged to.

    Ian had even seen this ring''s crest somewhere before.

    Of course, in the lesson of Eredith, a walking Namuwiki[2].

    "This is the symbol of the ancient Heaven''s Faith."

    "Ancient Heaven''s Faith...?"

    Four equteral triangles drawn inside a circle.

    ording to Ian''s memory, it symbolizes the [Golden Rule].

    "[Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.]"

    "W-What?"

    "It''s ancientnguage. A teaching of the ancient Heaven''s Faith."

    Ian frowned as he looked at the si ring.

    Why on earth was a symbol of the ancient Heaven''s Faith''s Golden Rule found among a demon wizard''s possessions?

    He couldn''t know right now.

    ''I''ll keep this.''

    Ian pocketed the si ring.

    ---

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 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "Are you finished with your work?"

    As soon as Ian stepped out of the tent, the mercenaries perked up like meerkats, one by one raising their heads.

    They regarded Ian warily, yet with a hint of curiosity.

    It wasn''t an unfamiliar sight to Ian.

    While magic wasn''t particrly special to him, for ordinary people, it was as miraculous as it was fascinating."Yes. That guy was certainly a vile wizard."

    No sooner had Ian finished speaking than the mercenaries fell to their knees, shouting:

    "We, we have nothing to do with that bastard!"

    "That''s right! He threatened us! He said he''d steal our souls!"

    "We''ve only been mining gemstones this whole time! We haven''t done anything wrong!"

    The mercenaries rushed to deny any connection with the demon wizard.

    It was a wise decision.

    Now that the demon wizard was dead, there was no reason to side with him.

    Ian had no intention of squeezing the mercenaries dry either.

    Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. These armed mercenaries, if they felt trapped with no way out, would grit their teeth and try to kill Ian.

    If there were no witnesses, there''d be no punishment.

    "I see. I understand."

    "Oh...!"

    As the fearsome wizard lent an ear to their words, the mercenaries'' faces brightened.

    This wizard looks noble, judging by his fine appearance! (He''s not)

    He even listens to the words of lowly folks like us!

    "It seems the demon wizard has amassed quite a bit of evil."

    "Y-Yes! That bastard is a real piece of sh*t!"

    "I knew it at first nce!"

    The mercenaries tore into the demon wizard Walter like a pack of dogs.

    Anyone who didn''t curse the demon wizard here? A revolutionary.

    To avoid being lumped in with the demon wizard, cursing him as a son of a b*tch was an effective method.

    "What''s been happening here until now? Spill everything without a shred of lies."

    When Ian said that, the mercenaries seized the opportunity and began their story.

    It wasn''t aplicated tale.

    The Jubal Mercenary Band consisted of their leader Jubal and his behind-the-scenes supporters...

    "What?"

    As Ian made a dumbfounded expression, the mercenaries brazenly replied.

    "Well, the captain''s a bit dumb, isn''t he? He can''t run a mercenary band alone, so there are people who help him."

    ''That''s not helping, it''s exploiting, you bastards...''

    Simply put, the Jubal Mercenary Band was a group that lived off thebat prowess of their captain, Jubal.

    Jubal might have been slow-witted, but he wasn''t ill-natured.

    If there''s someone strong, obedient, and kind-hearted, why not exploit them?

    Not doing so would be like admitting you''re not a medieval person.

    The mercenaries, true to the medieval average, made Jubal fight while they pocketed the money from behind.

    "Hehe."

    "..."

    Judging by their sheepish grins, they didn''t seem to realize what they were doing wrong.

    In truth, Ian didn''t need to be picky about it.

    This wasn''t a post-apocalyptic world devoid ofw and order... it was a medieval fantasy world.

    If anything, it was amazing they didn''t enve Jubal outright.

    Just taking in and feeding a socially vulnerable fool was something in itself.

    In fact, the mercenaries seemed to take pride in considering themselves Jubal''s protectors.

    "But that demon wizard bastard wiped out all the band''s officers and turned us into ves."

    "So that''s why you were upying the bridge?"

    "Yep! We''ve been mining amber here."

    It was quite the nuisance.

    Usually, there were plenty of stepping stones, but on rainy days like today, it was no different from tantly blocking the road.

    "You''ve managed to avoid the lord''s notice, I see."

    The mercenaries insisted they were just "mining amber~", but...

    A group upying a perfectly good bridge and being stubborn about it - how were they any different from bandits?

    They were no different from thieves in how they negatively impacted merchants and passersby.

    It wouldn''t be strange for a righteous lord to show up with his knights.

    "Ah, this is a border region, so there''s no lord managing it."

    "..."

    Ian let out a deep sigh at the abysmal state of medievalw enforcement.

    Right. If it''s not mynd, why bother managing it?

    Why go through the trouble of bringing soldiers tond that isn''t mine? Let the desperate ones deal with it themselves!

    But if word spread that amber was being mined here, lords would surely appear.

    Nobles have a knack for sniffing out the scent of money.

    ''So he was nning to eat and run.''

    Ian urately read the demon wizard Walter''s thoughts.

    The Empire is vast, and emptynds are plentiful.

    No matter how muchnd the nobles have imed, there are always empty spaces that don''t attract attention. This was possible due to the pitiful poption of the medieval era.

    People like Walter, who mine gems in emptynds and then flee, existed everywhere.

    ''He did well to find a ce with hidden gems. Did he get help from demons?''

    Ian''s curiosity grew a bit more.

    If Walter had been mining amber, where did he store the mined gems?

    "Hmm. Where did you store the mined gems?"

    "Well... about that..."

    A mercenary replied with a troubled expression.

    "The monsters that demon wizard controlled took them somewhere."

    "Monsters?"

    Ian tilted his head slightly but didn''t find it strange.

    Birds of a feather flock together - an evil wizard could form cooperative rtionships with evil creatures.

    In the past, when Ian met the manticore, he couldn''t ept its proposal and they became enemies.

    Flipped around, that meant if he had epted the manticore''s proposal, he could have be friends with it.

    Walter was the kind of guy who casually killed people to learn demon magic, so it wouldn''t be strange for him to ally with any kind of evil monster.

    "Hmm..."

    Curious...

    Very curious!

    Ian found it hard to suppress the curiosity typical of wizards.

    Amber was a good catalyst for magic circles. Where would someone userge quantities of mined amber?

    It had to be a battlefield.

    One might think it was for magic training, but in that case, they would just buy from merchants to solve the problem.

    What madman would upy a mercenary band to mine gems needed for magic training?

    ''Should I look into it?''

    Ian thought it would be good to investigate the whereabouts of the missing amber.

    Gems are always useful to have on hand.

    They''re used for drawing magic circles and for trading with nobles.

    If he had amber, it might be useful in rescuing Inn.

    ''First, I need to sort out the situation here.''

    He needed the mercenaries'' help to find the amber.

    But currently, the Jubal Mercenary Band was in utter disarray.

    Ian decided to calm Jubal down first.

    ---

    ---

    The mercenary captain, Jubal, was sobbing like a child.

    "Waaaaaah~"

    "..."

    Watching a grown man wailing on the ground was honestly pathetic.

    Even without a sign on his forehead saying "I''m an idiot~", anyone could tell he was a fool at a nce.

    "The demon wizard stole your soul?"

    "Yes... that''s right."

    The mercenaries answered gloomily.

    Though not as much as Jubal, they too were clearly worried about that aspect.

    As a schr, Ian felt pure curiosity.

    Stole their souls? What does that even mean?

    As far as Ian knew, the souls of Heaven''s Faith believers ascend to heaven after death.

    There, they face judgment for their earthly deeds, with sinners imprisoned in hell and the righteous enjoying luxury in heaven.

    ''A method to steal souls?''

    Ian didn''t know such a technique.

    Eredith hadn''t taught him, and he had little interest in that area anyway.

    If he studied necromancy, his knowledge might increase...

    But he hadn''t met a necromancer yet, so he hadn''t had the chance to learn.

    "The demon wizard bastard gathered us at night and summoned a demon. Then he told us he''d offered our souls, and if we wanted them back, we''d better work properly..."

    "Hmm."

    Ian tilted his head slightly.

    Demons are evil beings, and they might covet human souls.

    But is it possible to hand over someone else''s soul so easily?

    ''It seems impossible.''

    The soul is strongly protected by the body. Bluntly put, the easiest way to obtain a soul is to kill the body.

    Yet these mercenaries were perfectly alive.

    It''s not like he killed them and offered their souls...

    To extract only the soul from a living person and offer it?

    "Come here for a moment."

    "Ah, yes!"

    Ian checked the mercenary''s condition with holy magic.

    If he had been affected by a demon or if something was wrong with his soul, there should be some reaction.

    But...

    "???"

    The mercenary''s soul was perfectly fine.

    "Um... Mr. wizard."

    Unaware of this fact, the mercenary spoke glumly with an expression like a sad frog.

    "Am... am I going to die now?"

    "...!"

    He said his soul was stolen, but it was actually fine?

    Then there''s only one answer.

    It''s not that a kind-hearted demon returned the souls for the dead Walter''s sake... No!

    They never had their souls stolen in the first ce!

    ''This is totally...''

    Ian paused for a moment, dumbfounded.

    It was a method he''d seen many times before.

    Yes.

    The act Ian routinely performed on medieval people.

    It was wizard fraud!

    These poor mercenaries didn''t even know whether the demon wizard had really taken their souls or not.

    Well... they''re just mercenaries after all!

    When a terrifying demon appears and shouts, "I''ll take your souls!", they can only tremble in fear and think, "Oh no! It''s been taken!"

    It kind of made sense.

    He''d wondered how souls could be taken from living bodies. They simply weren''t taken at all.

    "Sob... I want to see my wife''s face back home onest time!"

    The mercenaries seemed to think that having their souls stolen was simr to contracting a fatal disease.

    Since they didn''t know what it meant to be soulless (...), they were just worrying arbitrarily.

    Ian approached Jubal, just in case.

    "Jubal?"

    "... What is it."

    Jubal mumbled in response.

    He looked just like a troll speaking humannguage.

    ''As expected.''

    Ian checked Jubal''s condition too, but again, there was nothing wrong.

    In other words, the demon wizard Walter had pulled off a massive scam on the Jubal Mercenary Band and then died.

    ''Well, that''s what wizards do.''

    Ian felt a bit awkward about criticizing Walter.

    Wasn''t scamming medieval people Ian''s specialty(?)?

    Ian went around pulling wizard scams too. There was no reason Walter couldn''t do the same.

    "... Are you afraid because you''ve lost your soul?"

    When Ian said that, Jubal''s eyes widened.

    He had given up on his soul.

    But when Ian suddenly mentioned it, he was shocked!

    "M-My soul is already lost, isn''t it?"

    "Well. I wonder?"

    Ian spoke meaningfully.

    Jubal straightened his posture and looked at the young man before him.

    Eyes as calm as ake. Hair as ck as night...

    And an aura of flowing with mystery!

    He was no ordinary wizard!

    "N-No way!"

    Jubal stammered.

    "Can you retrieve my soul?"

    Jubal fell to his knees before Ian and cried out.

    "If you return my soul! I''ll serve you as my benefactor for life!"

    As Jubal made a fuss, other mercenaries began to gather one by one.

    They all wanted the same thing.

    "Oh, Master Wizard!"

    "I want to live and return to my hometown!"

    "Please help us!"

    To recover the souls stolen by the demon wizard!

    Ian sighed deeply and said.

    "Haa... That''s not an easy task..."

    "...!"

    Ian said it wasn''t easy, not that it was impossible.

    That simple difference excited the mercenaries.

    Maybe... they could recover their lost souls!

    "W-What do you need?"

    "We''ll do anything you say! Please help us! Mr. wizard!"

    The mercenaries clung to Ian''s trouser legs.

    Perhaps because of this...

    No one noticed Ian''s strange smile...

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The poor Jubal mercenary band was scammed by Walter, the demon wizard.

    Wizard Ian immediately understood Walter''s method of deception.

    After all, Ian was a fellow practitioner in this industry.

    Well, it was inevitable.

    How could uneducated mercenaries who had never set foot in a school escape the deliberate illusions of a determined wizard?Especially since Walter was a genuine demon wizard whomuned with demons.

    From the mercenaries'' perspective, it was impossible to distinguish where the deception ended.

    Fortunately, this logic applied equally to Ian.

    Just as the mercenaries failed to notice Walter''s scam...

    They would be equally oblivious to Ian''s deception!

    After the rain stopped.

    Evening.

    Ian had boxes gathered to form a tform, then climbed atop it and shouted:

    "Mercenaries, listen up!"

    Every single member of the Jubal mercenary band assembled before Ian.

    They had heard he would restore their lost souls.

    "After surveying this area today, I''ve detected evil energies lurking everywhere!"

    "Ooooh...!"

    "As expected of the wizard!"

    "No wonder my sleep was so restless!"

    The mercenaries were instantly captivated by Ian''s speech.

    Ian Eredith Raven.

    Now a professional agitator, this wizard had be adept at mesmerizing the masses with his speeches.

    Enthralling these naive mercenaries was now as easy as eating cold porridge.

    "He certainly has a way with words."

    Belenka and Kira watched Ian''s speech from behind the tform.

    Belenka praised Ian''s ever-improving oratory skills.

    A wizard needs precise pronunciation and a powerful voice, as thenguage of magic forms the basis ofmunication with the mystical.

    And with good pronunciation and impressive volume, one naturally bes persuasive even when addressing ordinary people.

    "He looks really cool like that."

    The problem is when he spouts nonsense in everyday life.

    Even to Belenka, Ian delivering a speech... no, performing wizard-actions on the tform was quite charming.

    "... Ian does look good."

    Belenka nced at Kira''s reddened ears.

    "Kira. Did something happen in the tent earlier..."

    "N-No!? Nothing happened! We just did some investigating and came out?!"

    "...?"

    Belenka tilted her head.

    Though she typically went around slicing people with her longsword, Belenka possessed the delicate sensibilities of a high school girl.

    Something seems... a bit suspicious?

    Belenka thought so but didn''t press the issue.

    Ian and Kira were wizards, often dealing with realms beyond her understanding.

    There must be some reason she''s unaware of.

    As the two chatted, Ian shouted with an even more impassioned voice.

    "I have discovered the evil demon that was roaming this area! And now! I shall vanquish that demon!"

    "Ooooooh!"

    The mercenaries gazed at Ian with eyes about to burst from anticipation.

    To them, Ian was truly an extraordinary wizard.

    A wizard who incinerated a demon wizard with a spear of me on a rainy day!

    A wizard who could casually burn people alive now dered he would strike down a demon!

    ''Perhaps...!''

    ''He''ll restore our souls!''

    For the mercenaries who had (supposedly) lost their souls to the wicked demon wizard, Ian was now their only hope.

    "This task is extremely dangerous. However..."

    "However?"

    "If you sincerely wish for it, we can reim your souls from the evil demon!"

    At Ian''s gesture, Jubal brought over a box.

    Inside were Walter the demon wizard''s personal effects.

    Items Ian had pre-sorted, all suspected of demonic contamination.

    Leaving such things around risked enthralling magically sensitive individuals like Kira.

    "Light the fire!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Jubal grasped a torch. Burning a demon wizard''s possessions was a terrifying act for medieval people.

    Even in modern times, if you asked, "Who wants to burn a shaman''s belongings?", some would slink away.

    Let alone burning the possessions of a wizard who dealt with real demons!

    But Jubal bravely took up the torch.

    Because Ian had reassured him beforehand that it would be fine.

    Jubal trusted the young wizard''s words like a fool.

    Whoosh!

    The demon wizard''s belongings burst into mes.

    As ck smoke billowed up, the mercenaries stepped back with terrified expressions.

    As the fire caught, Ian shouted in the arcane tongue.

    "[Darkness!]"

    "...?"

    At Ian''s arcane utterance...

    Bewildered Kira, who was watching from the side.

    Wait, didn''t he say he was going to vanquish a demon? Ian?

    So why suddenly darkness...?

    Indeed.

    In this gathering, only Kira could understand the Maroniusnguage.

    Kira had been taught the basics of Maronius by Ian, and ''darkness'' was a word she knew.

    So Kira knew well that the ck mass was the mystery of darkness Ian had summoned.

    [Hello! Ian!]

    [Good evening!]

    The darkness greeted Ian cheerfully as usual, smiling innocently.

    However, the appearance of the pitch-ck darkness...

    To the mercenaries, it looked like a demon approaching to devour Ian...!

    "Ah, a demon! A demon has appeared!"

    "Wizard, you''re in danger!!!"

    "???"

    Kira''s pupils shook as if in an earthquake.

    Summoning darkness and staging it as a demon...

    Isn''t this just a scam?!

    Kira, who had been expecting a real confrontation with a demon, felt doubly confused!

    "You''ve shown yourself, demon!"

    "Ooooh!"

    Ian bellowed at the darkness (...) he had summoned with a terrifying voice.

    Watching this, Kira felt dizzy...

    But apart from Kira alone failing to be immersed,

    Everyone else present waspletely enthralled by Ian''s performance.

    "So this is the demon we''ve only heard about!"

    ... Even Belenka.

    Kira briefly red at Belenka.

    Well... Belenka doesn''t know Maronius... so it can''t be helped...

    [Why did you call me today? Ian?]

    "Wicked demon! This is no ce for you!!!"

    [Huh? What did you say?]

    "Spit out the souls you''ve stolen and return to hell at once!!!"

    [Wow! Are we ying a shouting game today?]

    The mystery of darkness had no idea what dog-sh*t Ian was up to.

    So it just happily mimicked Ian''s actions.

    The pitch-ck darkness opened and closed its mouth as if speaking.

    Ian didn''t miss the timing and used magic.

    "[Wind!]"

    Whoosh!

    As the mass of darkness opened its mouth, a strong gust of wind blew in!

    "Eeeek!"

    "Ah, the demon...! It''s getting angry...!"

    The mercenaries trembled in fear at the terrifyingly dreadful sight.

    The demon(?) appeared enormous and powerful.

    Enough to swallow a small wizard like Ian in one bite...!

    However.

    Ian bravely stood his ground against the demon.

    The mercenaries were full of admiration and awe at Ian''s incredible courage.

    Wow. To think such a brave person exists...!

    So this is what a wizard is!

    "Demon!"

    Ian''s cloak fluttered in the wind.

    Ian swung his staff resolutely and shouted in a booming voice.

    "Return to the hell from whence you came!!!"

    Ian also yelled forcefully in the Maroniusnguage!

    "[Thanks foring out today! Let''s stop ying here, and see you next time!]"

    [Eh... already?]

    "[We can y again when I go to sleep!]"

    [Okay! Then I''lle y again when Ian sleeps!]

    ... The conversation content was ordinarily trivial.

    But the mercenaries don''t know that.

    "Dia - ordo - graha!"

    "!!!"

    The mercenaries shuddered at Ian''s arcane incantation.

    As Ian chanted the spell, the demon''s massive body began to melt away and disappear!

    "The, the wizard...!"

    "Defeated the demon!"

    The mercenaries couldn''t believe what had transpired before their eyes.

    ''When the wizard shouted, the hidden demon jumped out!''

    ''When he scolded the demon harshly, it threw a tantrum!''

    ''But the wizard didn''t back down, and chased it back to the depths of hell!''

    Some mercenaries fell to their knees.

    It was as if a halo shone behind Ian''s head.

    "Aah...! Heavens! How regrettable that it''s night!"

    "The radiant sun should have witnessed this sight!"

    Ian put away his staff and said solemnly.

    "Fortunately, the demon retreated obediently."

    "...!"

    The mercenaries rushed to prostrate themselves at Ian''s feet.

    Full body kowtow. Or dogeza.

    There was no particr need to bang their heads, but the atmosphere seemed to demand it.

    After all, Ian now embodied a saint straight out of scripture...!

    "I have reimed your souls."

    Ian said with a knowing smile.

    "You''ll be fine now."

    "Wi-Wizard, hurrah! Hurrah!"

    The mercenaries werepletely enthralled by Ian''s performance.

    No wonder! After demonstrating his insane ability to burn people alive!

    He even drove away a demon with mere words!

    "Thank you... truly thank you...!"

    Jubal, having regained his soul, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Ian.

    Of course, he didn''t know exactly what a ''soul'' was...

    But he felt good about getting it back anyway!

    The only person ufortable with this atmosphere was Kira.

    "Um, Ian."

    Kira secretly called Ian over to ask a question.

    "From what I saw... you just summoned darkness and made it disappear..."

    "Hm?"

    "Those people. Did you really return their souls?"

    "No?"

    For a moment, Kira almost felt disappointed in Ian.

    She thought he might be scamming them by iming to have driven out a demon without actually returning their souls.

    "They never lost their souls in the first ce. How could I return them?"

    "...?"

    "The demon wizard scammed them first."

    Ian exined.

    The demon wizard had deceived and threatened the mercenaries, and Ian had simrly deceived (...) them to relieve their anxiety.

    After hearing the exnation, Kira''s expression became extremely ambiguous.

    What Ian did was good, but...

    ''Isn''t this just like what I used to do...?''

    The former con artist tilted her head.

    Ian said shamelessly:

    "As long as the result is good, it''s fine."

    It wasn''t exactly wrong.

    ---

    ---

    The next day.

    As the sun rose high, the mercenaries'' morale rose with it.

    Being somewhat followers of Heaven''s Faith, they became unnecessarily brave under the sun.

    "I, I have soul. Not going to hell..."

    Jubal grinned as soon as he saw Ian and said.

    Ian patted Jubal''s shoulder without much thought.

    Yeah. I''m d to see you''re happy.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say Ian hadpletely taken over the Jubal mercenary band.

    The key figures who previously led the mercenary band had all been eliminated by Walter the demon wizard.

    All that remained were Jubal and the low-ranking members who worked like dogs under him.

    "Hehe. Wizard..."

    Some of the more influential mercenaries sought out Ian from early morning.

    "About those gems the demon wizard was mining..."

    "Ah. The gems."

    The reason the mercenaries approached Ian was to search for the dead demon wizard''s legacy.

    "We roughly know the way... would you like to go together?"

    It was an offer with absolutely no downsides for Ian.

    "Hmm. Someone exin in detail."

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Until now, the Jubal mercenary group''s job was mining amber.

    Amber serves as both a material for magic circles and a luxury item when processed into jewelry.

    "But we haven''t received a single penny for our work, have we?"

    The mercenaries whined.

    Theirints were understandable.If the demon wizard Walter needed workers, he could have paid forbor. But he likely took control of the mercenary group to get free manpower.

    So there was no way the Jubal mercenaries had been paid.

    The mercenaries were disgruntled about this fact.

    Now that Walter, who should have paid them, was dead, they decided to take the amber aspensation.

    "Hmm."

    It was only natural to want payment for their work up to this point.

    Whether medieval or modern, overdue wages must be collected.

    "Mr. Wizard, how about...ing along with us? Hehe."

    The mercenaries tried to rope Ian in, hoping to spread out the risk of collecting the amber.

    Ian is a wizard.

    Bringing in high-level talent like a wizard greatly increases the chances of sessful collection.

    ''They didn''t consider that I might just take it all for myself.''

    Ian thought this, then shook his head.

    They likely judged that Ian wouldn''t resort to robbery.

    After all, hadn''t Ian just restored their souls(?) without asking for anything in return?

    The mercenaries'' judgment was urate.

    Ian had no intention of running off with all the amber they had worked hard to mine.

    He nned to do a fair share and receive his portion.

    Ian discussed with hispanions.

    "The more money, the better."

    Belenka readily agreed.

    "As long as it doesn''t interfere with our schedule."

    Kira agreed on the condition that it wouldn''t take too long.

    Ian agreed with that point.

    Currently, Ian was on his way to Baron Vincent''s domain to help Inn. It would be putting the cart before the horse if something happened to Inn while they wasted time looking for amber.

    "Let''s take a look around, and if we can''t find anything, we''ll just continue on our way."

    "Sounds good."

    After concluding the meeting, Ian rejoined the mercenaries.

    ---

    ---

    Ian headed into the forest where the demon wizard was said to frequent, apanied by the mercenaries.

    The Jubal mercenary group would mine amber by the river and then hand it over to the demon wizard''s subordinates in the forest.

    "Those subordinates of the demon wizard..."

    One mercenary spoke up dramatically.

    "They''re monsters! Monsters!"

    "What kind of monsters?"

    The mercenary seemed slightly disappointed when Ian maintained a nonchnt expression.

    He had hoped to see the great wizard''s surprised reaction!

    But Ian had traveled too much to be startled by a mere mention of "monsters."

    He had encountered all sorts of monsters, conversed with them, and even befriended some.

    The demon wizard''s minions?

    To Ian, they just seemed like Monster #1 passing by.

    "Well... they''re called kobolds. Have you heard of them?"

    "I have."

    It was a familiar monster.

    Kobolds.

    While they frequently appear in fantasy worlds, they don''t have a standardized appearance like orcs or elves.

    In this medieval fantasy world, kobolds were man-eating monsters with dog heads and child-sized bodies.

    In other words, walking puppies.

    Due to their cute appearance(?), even the medieval locals weren''t particrly afraid of them.

    However, they certainly had the jaw strength to tear into people, child-level intelligence, and a pack mentality that could lead to human casualties.

    "Kobolds, huh..."

    They were suitable minions for a wizard.

    With some intelligence andrge numbers, once controlled, they could be put to various uses.

    Even Ian had aplished many tasks using his flock of birds.

    A wizardmanding kobolds could likely achieve far more.

    "We gathered amber and handed it over to those kobold bastards."

    The mercenary chattered on.

    "The demon wizard must have set up a storehouse nearby!"

    It was a reasonable assumption.

    While kobolds can understand human speech, they''re not smart enough to understandplex orders.

    They might manage to guard the amber somehow, but they couldn''t dispose of it.

    The mercenaries were convinced there must be a storehouse somewhere in the forest guarded by kobolds.

    "Let''s try this."

    Ian had the mercenaries shoulder baskets filled with stones.

    He then piled broken amber fragments only on top of the baskets.

    "Wow, these really look like baskets full of amber!"

    "Don''t they?"

    It was a tactic Ian had often seen merchants use in his past life as a modern person.

    Filling the top with decent products while packing garbage at the bottom...

    Ian was about to brag(?) about this method he''d learned back home.

    But the mercenaries beat him to it.

    "Hey, this is exactly how the merchants in our town do business!"

    "Really? I saw the mill owner pulling this trick!"

    "I''ve seen it at the fish market!"

    Hahaha!

    As the mercenariesughed, the atmosphere became extremely jovial.

    Ian joined in theughter.

    Haha. Humans. How is it that their scamming methods are all the same!

    It was so absurd thatughter burst out involuntarily.

    Anyway.

    Ian had them carry the fake amber baskets to meet the kobolds.

    The kobolds likely didn''t know that the demon wizard Walter was dead yet.

    Unless some mechanism was used to control the minions, if they were simply working under threat of force, they''d have no way of knowing about Walter''s death.

    ''We''ll see.''

    If they had noticed Walter''s death, the n would fail.

    But kobolds appeared in a forest clearing.

    "Keek! Humans!"

    "Oh."

    Ian was momentarily surprised.

    He''d heard their intelligence was on par with children''s.

    But these bastards were speaking the Imperialnguage.

    "Shiny! Give it!"

    The kobolds tried to take the amber from the mercenaries as usual.

    They showed no interest in why the mercenaries had appeared now.

    They just wanted to receive the amber baskets.

    ''They''re certainly not that smart.''

    It seemed they could be given tasks, but only at the level of following specific orders.

    "Grab them."

    "Aye!"

    As soon as Ian''s order fell, the mercenaries pounced and captured the kobolds.

    The kobolds shouted in confusion.

    "Let go! Let go! Humans!"

    "Don''t do this! Humans!"

    The kobolds clearly never dreamed they''d be ambushed by the mercenaries.

    Until now, Walter had thoroughly protected them...

    But that demon wizard had been eliminated by Ian.

    "Ian. Are you going to interrogate them?"

    "I have to."

    Belenka watched Ian''s interrogation with an amused smile.

    Ian''s strange actions were an entertaining spectacle for Belenka.

    Like an ''oh my little Ian''.

    "Hello, kobold friends."

    "Keeng..."

    The kobolds whimpered fearfully as soon as they saw Ian.

    A good sign.

    Frightened opponents are easy to handle.

    "You guys. You took amber from these fellows and stashed it away, right?"

    "...?"

    A kobold tilted its head in confusion.

    Ah, these frustrating creatures.

    "The shiny stuff. The shiny stuff."

    "Ah! Shiny!"

    "Yeah, that. Where did you put it?"

    "..."

    The kobolds mped their mouths shut at Ian''s question.

    They didn''t know what amber was, but they knew it was important.

    Even simple-minded dogs know what their masters like.

    "Ca-can''t say..."

    "Master! We''ll tell when Masteres!"

    The kobolds howled and whined.

    Their excitement spiked at the mere thought of their master.

    They clearly believed their master would appear heroically to save them!

    "Tch."

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Too bad for them.

    I eliminated your master.

    "Your master''s noting anymore."

    "Wh-why?"

    "Because I got rid of him."

    The kobold looked shocked for a moment, but soon barked back angrily.

    "Kang! Liar! You''ll die when Master returns! Human!"

    "I''m telling you, I really eliminated your master."

    "Lies! Lies!"

    The kobolds absolutely refused to believe Ian''s words.

    Should this be called loyalty? Or ignorance?

    Perhaps both.

    "I guess there''s no choice. I didn''t want to resort to this method..."

    As Ian stood up and stretched his hands, everyone''s attention focused on him.

    The wizard has stood up!

    He must be about to use magic to find the storehouse location!

    "Jubal."

    "Yes!"

    "Hang those bastards from a tree."

    At Ian''smand, Jubal grabbed the kobolds without a moment''s hesitation.

    The kobolds were already small, but in the hands of the 2-meter-tall Jubal, they looked like stuffed animals caught in a w machine.

    "Keeng! Keeng!"

    "Kaang!"

    The kobolds whined pitifully, but Jubal tied them up without batting an eye.

    Ian broke off a tree branch and approached the kobolds.

    And then.

    "Where''s my amber! Koboldski!"

    "Kaaang!"

    He viciously struck the kobold with the branch!

    The kobold howled in pain as Ian wielded the branch like a switch.

    The mercenaries stared nkly at Ian.

    Um... well.

    The wizard is... finding out the storehouse location, but...

    Somehow, the method is a bit...

    It wasn''t quite the kind of "magic" the mercenaries had expected.

    But making information flow freely from the opponent''s mouth...

    In a way, isn''t that also magic?

    The kobold, severely punished by Ian''s mysterious magic (physical), tearfully spilled the information.

    "Deep forest! Inside mossy cave! Beyond pile of bat droppings!"

    "F*ck, exin so I can understand!"

    "Kaaang!"

    As a result of the beating, Ian learned the location of the kobolds'' hiddenir.

    Kira awkwardly scratched her cheek and said:

    "I thought Ian would use a more magical method..."

    "A magical method?"

    "You know, likemunicating in the Maroniusnguage..."

    Ian shrugged.

    "Why bother with talking when beating works?"

    "..."

    It was an irritatingly valid point.

    "Besides, these are monsters raised by a demon wizard. No need to mince words with them."

    In the past, Ian had learned a valuable lesson while hunting manticores.

    Communication only works with those who can understand it!

    Rather than wasting time trying to persuade kobolds, it was better to choose a quick and effective method.

    As a result, Ian sessfully obtained the information.

    There really was a secret storehouse where the kobold had said.

    "Keek? Humans?"

    "Don''te closer! You''ll die!"

    The kobolds guarding the storehouse bared their teeth at Ian''s group.

    "Jubal. Belenka. Time to work."

    Ian leisurely crossed his arms and sent out the warriors.

    "Yes... I do work."

    "It''s been a while since I''ve stretched my muscles."

    The giant figure and the ck knight in dark armor took the lead.

    Sensing the ominous atmosphere, the kobolds trembled.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The kobolds crumbled without any way to resist.

    Kobolds are low-level monsters with unremarkable individualbat ability.

    In a one-on-one fight, they''d even get beaten up and chased away by a farmer who knows how to throw a punch...

    "Keeeeng! Keeeeeng!"

    But their opponent was a giant warrior standing 2 meters tall.And a knight d in full chainmail armor.

    Jubal and Belenka were already top-tier warriors overflowing withbat prowess.

    A mere handful of kobolds stood no chance against them.

    "Uwaaaaah!"

    Jubal swung his mace, as big as a child, without hesitation.

    With only theirrge build and sturdy bodies as strengths, the kobolds tried to leverage their physique inbat.

    From the kobolds'' perspective, this was nothing short of a cmity.

    A kobold''s body is only the size of a child, so it was like a madman wielding a weapon as big as their entire body charging at them.

    Belenka also silently sliced through the kobolds.

    Herbat prowess was undoubtedly the most impressive on the battlefield, needing no further exnation.

    The kobolds tried to intimidate the humans with threats.

    "Y-you guys! Do you know whose property you''re messing with?!"

    "Whose property is it?"

    Ian responded on behalf of the group.

    The kobolds nced at each other nervously before finally shouting:

    "Th-the great Lord of Darkness! It belongs to the Demon King!"

    "Y-yeah! Do you want to die horribly?!"

    Ian snickered at the kobolds'' pitiful bluff.

    While Ian found itughable, such bluffs surprisingly worked in this era sometimes.

    It was due to the bias of information.

    Even if you didn''t know who your opponent was, putting on a tough front and acting like your side was incredibly strong often made the enemy hesitate to fight out of fear.

    "... Lord of Darkness!"

    "... Demon King!"

    Indeed, a few of the mercenaries lost their nerve and morale dropped.

    It would be cruel to call them idiots... wouldn''t it?

    They were just typical medieval people.

    How smart could uneducated men barely scraping by in low-ranking mercenary groups be expected to be?

    "Hey, kobolds."

    Ian spoke up for the sake of the frightened mercenaries.

    "Huh. Weak dogs bark the loudest."

    "... Kugh!"

    "Don''t use such strong words. It makes you look weak."

    As soon as he uttered those lines, Ian wanted to rinse his mouth out with salt water.

    No. The characters in manhwa spout lines like that without a second thought. Am I stillcking?

    Though the dialogue was cheesy and cringeworthy...

    ... the mercenaries unexpectedly went wild for Ian''s bragging.

    "Ooh...!"

    "So cool!"

    "..."

    Ian felt strange as the medieval people appreciated the manhwa-like dialogue.

    I guess masterpieces really do work anywhere...!

    The kobolds sensed their bluff had been called out.

    "R-retreat!"

    "Run away!"

    Conversely, the mercenaries'' morale soared to the heavens.

    "Attack! Wipe out those kobold bastards!"

    "Waaaah!"

    Ian watched the warriors fight with an amused smile.

    Honestly, Jubal and Belenka did most of the fighting. Over 80% of the corpses littering the ground were their handiwork.

    The rest of the mercenaries just ganged up on one or two kobolds that strayed from the pack.

    Yet they were the loudest of all.

    "They fight well."

    Though wizards have been active on battlefieldstely, they''re not originally abat profession.

    Inrge-scale wars maybe, but in small skirmishes like this, wizards struggle to be useful.

    Ian had learned all sorts of magic, so he was quite versatile...

    But typically, wizards just watched from the rear.

    "That mercenary Jubal. He could''ve been an amazing warrior if only he had the brains to match."

    "Just a warrior? He would''ve be a knight with his own fief."

    Therger one''s physique, the more advantageous inbat.

    Size isn''t everything in a fight, but it''s certainly not something to be ignored.

    In that sense, Jubal''s body was a natural-born warrior''s frame.

    With long limbs and exceptional strength, he could wield even a dagger like a spear.

    "Master!"

    The fight must have ended, as Jubal returned.

    "Master?"

    "Yes! Sir wizard! You are my master. I, I serve the wizard."

    Ian''s performance must have left quite an impression.

    Jubal saw Ian as his benefactor.

    Ian''s demon exorcism had been a show, true.

    But taking out the demon wizard Walter was no act.

    Walter had indeed been exploiting Jubal''s mercenary band, so Ian really did save Jubal.

    "We''ve disposed of all the kobolds."

    "Well... good job."

    The number of kobolds the mercenaries dealt with was about 40.

    Considering Jubal''s mercenary band numbered barely over a dozen, this was a tremendous victory.

    "Wizard! We''ve achieved victory...!"

    "Ah, yes. I saw."

    The mercenaries rushed over, eager to boast to Ian.

    But Ian''s lukewarm response made them flinch.

    ''We won a great victory, didn''t we? But he doesn''t look happy at all?''

    ''Did someone mess up?''

    The mercenaries whispered among themselves.

    Ian''s reaction defiedmon sense.

    The reason Ian wasn''t ted by the victory... was because he hadn''t expected much from the fight to begin with.

    Belenka had participated, and Jubal had made full use of his massive build.

    Wouldn''t it have been stranger if they''d lost?

    Ian had only watched from the rear, so he felt rtively less joy in the victory.

    ''Idiot! How could the wizard think the same as us!''

    ''... Ah!''

    But the mercenaries didn''t find Ian strange.

    On the contrary, they thought this was how a truly excellent wizard should be!

    He doesn''t revel in victory like an ordinary person?

    Even better.

    For an outstanding wizard like Ian, there should be something extraordinary about him to make it believable.

    That inhumanposure, unmoved even by a great victory...!

    It''s perfect!

    ''As expected of the wizard!''

    "???"

    Ian was slightly bewildered as the mercenaries gazed at him with eyes full of admiration.

    I just watched Kira fight from here? Why are they all looking at me like that?

    ''I guess they''re grateful I didn''t interfere.''

    Ian nodded as he thought this.

    Usually, it''s most annoying when a high-ranking superior who knows jack sh*t about the actual work tries to butt in.

    Ian held a position equivalent to the mercenary band''s CEO(?), so he could have easily meddled in the battle.

    But he just watched from the back, making it so much easier for them to work!

    "Good work, everyone."

    "Thank you, wizard!"

    Ian praised the employees'' hard work with words alone whilezing about in the rear.

    Truly an ideal superior.

    "Ian. Let''s go into the warehouse."

    "Right. Let''s go."

    As Belenka called, Ian brushed himself off and stood up.

    Investigating only after the fight is over.

    This too is a wizard''s privilege.

    Let the brutish warriors do all the fighting.

    Ian headed towards the hidden warehouse, apanied by Belenka and Kira.

    ---

    ---

    The demon wizard Walter''s secret warehouse was set up in the back of a moss-covered cave.

    The cave doubled as the kobolds'' living quarters, so Ian naturally passed through their dwelling area.

    The most noticeable things in the cave were none other than the skulls.

    "..."

    As Ian stared intently at the skulls, Belenkamented:

    "Looks like the bones of nearby vigers."

    "Vigers?"

    "The kobold bastards must have eaten them."

    "..."

    Ian was reminded anew that kobolds were monsters.

    Feral dogs eat humans, wolves eat humans.

    What about kobolds? They naturally chew on people like dogs gnawing on treats.

    "They sure ate a lot."

    Belenka clicked her tongue and made the sign of the cross.

    ''Walter is a demon wizard.''

    Ian thought as he looked at the pile of human bones.

    Whether he made offerings to demons or conducted evil experiments, Walter must have harmed people as naturally as breathing.

    And he likely tossed the corpses to the kobolds as food.

    ''... Why on earth?''

    Ian felt a chilling fear, but was also gripped by curiosity.

    Why did Walter study demon magic while sacrificing so many people?

    Was he simply a deranged psychopath? Or did he have a goal he sought to achieve through sacrifice?

    Either way, it was beyond Ian''sprehension.

    "This way."

    Belenka took the lead, holding a torch.

    She easily discovered the hidden treasure trove in the back of the cave.

    "Oh ho."

    There were baskets full of amber ore piled up.

    But more eye-catching than the heaps of amber was the yellow tapestry decorating the wall.

    A tapestry is a textile craft, simply put, a carpet hung on walls.

    It decorates the wall while providing some instion.

    "My, this must be far more expensive than these measly stones."

    Belenka whistled as she examined the tapestry.

    Medieval tapestries are indeed expensive.

    They''re 100% handmade, and this tapestry even used gold thread.

    It was a tapestry decorated with gold.

    "You''d only see something like this in a duke''s castle..."

    Belenka remarked with genuine admiration.

    This tapestry alone made discovering the secret warehouse worthwhile.

    How much money could they get if they took it down and sold it!

    "Ian?"

    "..."

    "What are you staring at?"

    Unlike Belenka who was excited at the prospect of making money(...),

    Ian observed the tapestry''s image itself.

    ''A circle and an equteral triangle.''

    Ian rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a si ring.

    A ring engraved with a circle and equteral triangle.

    It was the symbol of the [Golden Rule] of the old Heaven''s Faith.

    ''And that... is it a religious painting?''

    Tapestries are typically made for decoration, so they often feature images.

    Depictions of historical battles or biblical scenes are mostmon.

    The tapestry Ian discovered seemed to portray some religious scene.

    Sunlight pouring through the center of a cloudy sky.

    Winged angels and the Golden Rule symbol.

    An emperor and nobles wailing before it...

    Ian furrowed his brow.

    He had a vague idea of what the painting depicted.

    ''The fall of the Golden Empire...?''

    That was probably the correct answer.

    The ancient people of the Golden Empire believed the end of the world woulde after the empire''s downfall.

    The scene this painting portrayed was...

    The moment judgment day arrives as the Golden Empire copses.

    "Is there a problem?"

    "Belenka. This painting. What do you make of it?"

    Belenka answered straightforwardly:

    "It''s very well-made."

    "..."

    "They even used gold thread. It must be incredibly expensive."

    Ian justughed at such a knightly response.

    As a wizard, Ian pondered the hidden meaning of the painting.

    But to the knight Belenka, it was just an expensive piece of loot.

    "Ian. Let''s gather what we need and get out of here."

    "Right."

    Ian rolled up the tapestry and took it with him.

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "Hahaha! Look at this!"

    "Now we''re rich!"

    Ian distributed the amber found in the hidden storehouse to the mercenaries.

    ''Rich... is that so?''

    The mercenaries were delighted as they handled the gem fragments.But to Ian, it wasn''t something to be that excited about.

    Amber was certainly a gem, but its value was ambiguous.

    It wasn''t even cut and polished, just raw stones. They were freshly dug from a river and piled up haphazardly.

    Honestly, some looked no better than ordinary rocks.

    And besides, the mercenaries mined them, so it''s just returning to their own hands, right?

    "I''m gonna buy a cow with this!"

    "Pigs and chickens too! Hahaha!"

    "..."

    When medieval people got money, they first tried to buy livestock.

    Livestock was like a sure-win stock that would always yield profits if raised properly.

    They were all smiles at the thought of buying chickens and pigs and going "To the moon~~".

    Well. If the animals don''t die, they''ll certainly be wealthy, so it''s a good choice.

    ... Though it''s uncertain how much money they''ll get from selling these raw amber stones.

    Ian didn''t outright tell the mercenaries, ''You can''t get rich with that.'' Only cold-blooded bastards born with T genes could do such a thing.

    Ian was just amon INFP, asmon as stones on the roadside.

    "I''m taking this as my share. No objections?"

    "Of course not! Hehe..."

    Ian took his and hispanions'' share of the raw amber stones.

    He didn''t take much, just about half a basket.

    Ian hadn''t hired porters, so the amount of luggage he could carry was limited.

    The most space-consuming item on a journey was, of course, food.

    Just packing enough food for three people already creates an annoying pile of luggage.

    They were using a donkey borrowed from the monastery as a pack animal, but there wasn''t enough room to carry around heavy stones.

    But selling this to the mercenaries?

    Those guys are clearly dirt-poor mercenaries carrying only weapons like falchions. It''s questionable if they could even give proper change.

    It''s better to decide what to do with it after visiting Baron Vincents'' domain.

    "Um... Wizard sir."

    As Ian was dividing the amber, a sharp-eyed mercenary approached and spoke.

    "That cloth-like object... I hadn��t seen it until now..."

    "..."

    He was referring to the golden tapestry.

    The mercenary might have thought he was being quite perceptive...

    But in reality, it was an utterly tactless move.

    "Ah. You mean this?"

    When Ian lowered his voice as if displeased, the ''truly'' sharp-eyed mercenaries around became restless.

    No! The wizard must have taken it first because he liked it!

    Why the f*ck are you pointing that out! You crazy bastard!

    Ian is a wizard who can burn people to death with his bare hands.

    Yesterday he burned a demon wizard to death, so he might burn an annoying mercenary today!

    If Ian had heard this, he would have asked ''Who''s this psychopath you''re talking about?'', but...

    How could the mercenaries know Ian''s personality?

    In the Empire, wizards were known to be entric beings.

    Ian had indeed incinerated the demon wizard with a spear of me.

    Anyone who saw that and thought ''Wow~ He burned that person so warmly~ How kind~'' would have a screw loose in their head.

    The mercenaries naturally assumed Ian was nurturing an entric monster inside.

    So they hurriedly rushed out to do damage control.

    "Wow~ It''s really magnificent!"

    "I don''t know what it is, but it suits you perfectly, Wizard sir! Hahaha!"

    It goes perfectly with the wizard!

    Just take it without hesitation!

    Ian became slightly uneasy when the mercenaries suddenly started ttering him.

    Don''t tell me these guys...

    Are they saying I took the good stuff, so I should share some crumbs? Now?

    Honestly, they were right.

    The raw amber stones were too heavy for their value, but the golden tapestry was light, expensive, and precious. Ian had indeed taken the best item here.

    Also, instead of threatening ''Give us money!'', the mercenaries approached with a begging attitude like ''Hehe. You got the big piece... how about some scraps for us...''

    He could have graciously taken out some change from his pocket and scattered it.

    But Ian made an excuse first.

    "I took it because it was left by the demon wizard. It seems to be imbued with evil power."

    "E-Evil power!"

    "Oh my! I''m not going anywhere near that!"

    The mercenaries retreated in unison, as if on cue.

    Whether it was really an evil object or not, they now had an excuse not to approach it!

    Now any sane person wouldn''t covet the wizard''s belongings...

    "But I''m really curious what kind of object it is. Perhaps I could touch it just once..."

    "Hey, you bastard... Are you a minion of demons?"

    "Drag that f*cker out!"

    There was one who kept coveting Ian''s tapestry to the end.

    But the mercenaries with proper sense immediately moved to suppress him.

    "Wizard sir. Please keep that demon wizard''s object safe!"

    "Uh... Huh? Sure."

    Ian nodded slightly, tilting his head.

    He thought someone might covet it since he got an expensive item.

    But it''s unexpectedly quiet?

    As expected... They all hate demon wizards!

    "Demon wizards must be pretty scary."

    As Ian muttered, Belenkamented from beside him.

    "It seems they''re more afraid of you than demon wizards."

    "Come on. What are you talking about? Of course they''re more afraid of demons than me!"

    "... Hmm. Let''s say that''s the case."

    No matter how you look at it, they seem to be afraid of Ian...

    Belenka thought so, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

    ---

    ---

    As soon as the distribution of spoils was over, Ian immediately prepared to depart.

    In hindsight, Ian had killed a suspicious demon wizard.

    There''s a good chance the demon wizard''s colleagues might notice ande after them.

    It''s better to leave before getting entangled in troublesome affairs.

    Most of the mercenaries chose to go their separate ways.

    The senior officers were all dead anyway. Stupid Jubal couldn''t run the mercenary band alone.

    Me bing an officer? I''m not capable of that.

    Most were just guys who ran away because they hated farming.

    Organizing and managing a mercenary group was out of the question.

    "Hehe. Wizard sir. Perhaps you need a worker..."

    "I don''t."

    For the ipetent mercenaries, Ian absorbing Jubal''s mercenary band as his private army would be the best oue.

    But Ian has no reason to raise soldiers.

    What would a wizard do dragging around a bunch of mercenaries? Plunder viges?

    Moreover, Ian has the spatial scroll he received from Gerard.

    If things go wrong, he could just teleport away, which would mean abandoning the mercenaries.

    "Jubal. What about you? What will you do now?"

    After most of the mercenaries had left, only a handful remained, including Jubal.

    "I..."

    Jubal scratched hisrge chin and said.

    "I want to go with master."

    "Hmm..."

    Jubal was an outstanding warrior, but a fool. Hecked the ability to find his own way.

    "The wizard is busy!"

    "Yeah! Boss! Come with us! Let��s make another score!"

    "..."

    Jubal stared at the mercenaries with gloomy eyes.

    Apparently, he doesn''t want to go with the mercenaries.

    "F*ck... Brother Jubal! Wake up!"

    When the mercenary barked at him, Jubal flinched.

    "Who would take in and feed someone like you! We''re only doing it because it''s us! Where else could you get a warm meal!"

    "..."

    "You''re a murderer anyway! Even the temple won''t take you in!"

    "But... I want... to go to heaven..."

    "Heaven my ass! You think mercenaries like us can go to heaven?!"

    The mercenaries shouted, certain that Ian wouldn''t take Jubal with him.

    In their eyes, Jubal was a useless fool.

    The only thing he knew how to do was fight, so what use would a wizard have for him?

    So they wanted to take him and use him as a battle ve for the mercenary band like before.

    Indeed, Ian had no intention of taking Jubal along.

    At least, not until he heard what the mercenaries were saying.

    "You guys."

    Ian, unable to stand it any longer, opened his mouth.

    "Aren''t you treating your boss too harshly? He''s still the leader of your mercenary band, even if in name only."

    "Hahaha... We''re just close, that''s why. We''re close."

    "If you''re close, is it okay to curse him as someone who can''t even go to heaven when he dies?"

    "..."

    Ian was disgusted by the mercenaries'' words.

    And he wasn''t the only one feeling disgusted.

    "Warriors can go to heaven too."

    Belenka said in a low voice, arms crossed.

    "If they protect the weak and fight for justice. Honor will guide a warrior''s soul to heaven."

    "... But the priests don''t say things like that?"

    "Our local priest did."

    "???"

    The mercenary didn''t know Belenka was a foreigner.

    In reality, there were subtle differences in doctrinal views between the Heaven''s Faith of the Empire and that of Baekguk.

    In the deste and impoverished Wintz of Baekguk, they taught that even warriors whomit murder can go to heaven.

    Seeing Ian and Belenka''s ominous reactions, the mercenaries hurriedly came over and whispered.

    "No... We''re trying to help Captain Jubal right now!"

    "How exactly are you helping him?"

    "Haah... Wizard sir. You great ones might not understand, but for bottom-feeders like us, life is war!"

    Ian snickered.

    Ian is the son of a serf.

    He foraged for bugs in the mountains until he was 10 years old. If he''d been unlucky and there had been a famine, he might have had the rare experience of starving to death.

    Excited, the mercenary raised his voice in front of Ian.

    "To survive, we have to step on those even lower than us! And do you know who''s the easiest to crush and kill? Fools, beggars, and jesters!"

    "..."

    "The weak get trampled! If the captain had met us on the road, do you think he''d be treated like this? No! We would have robbed him!

    Because no one protects fools!"

    Ian flinched.

    He felt a rising heat from behind.

    ...Kira approached the mercenaries with zing eyes.

    She spoke slowly in a voice that seemed to spit out the words.

    "ording to you... ''bottom-feeders''... shouldn''t the weak protect each other instead?"

    "Again with that naive..."

    "Tell me. If you met a wandering jester on the road..."

    "Ha! We''d kill him right away! And take all his money!"

    The mercenary might have thought he was giving the right answer in his own way.

    Beggars, fools, and jesters are society''s weakest, unprotected by anyone.

    Killing the weak and taking their possessions is clearly a profitable act.

    However, that answer triggered a dark memory in Kira.

    "... Then what if. If I meet scum like you..."

    "Wi-Wizard...?"

    "It means it''s okay if I burn you all to ashes!"

    Kira''s eyes shed like burning mes.

    At that moment.

    An explosive me erupted from beneath the mercenary''s feet!

    "Aaaaargh!"

    The mercenary let out a terrible scream.

    His startledrades rushed over, but the magically conjured mes wouldn''t easily extinguish.

    [Yes! Burn! Incinerate them all!]

    Ian noticed the Mystery of Fire swirling around Kira.

    "Haa... Haa..."

    Kira trembled, her fists clenched tight.

    Ian dispersed the Mystery of Fire and calmed Kira down.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Ian..."

    Kira pressed her forehead against Ian''s chest, catching her ragged breath.

    "I... suddenly feel like crying."

    "Calm down first. Go over there."

    Ian sent Kira away and stepped forward.

    The mes had gone out, but the mercenary''s legs were scorched bright red.

    It would be a severe injury even by modern standards, let alone in medieval times.

    It''s a critical wound bordering on disability.

    "M-My legs...! My legs...!"

    "Be grateful you''re still breathing."

    Ian said coldly.

    "That wizard''s father, he was a wandering jester who was murdered by bandits."

    "...!"

    The mercenary was so dumbfounded he lost his words.

    How on earth did a jester''s daughter... be a wizard!

    "Seeing what you guys are like, I can''t possibly entrust Jubal to you."

    "Wh-What?"

    "You''ve been exploiting Jubal without paying him a penny, right? Gaslighting him that he''d starve to death if he left thegroup."

    "Gas... What?"

    "It''s a thing. You ignorant f*cks."

    Ian called Jubal.

    "For now,e with me. I''ll find you a decent vige to live in."

    "Yes! Thank you! Master!"

    "Drop the ''master'' bit."

    Though Jubal was snatched away before their eyes, no mercenary daredin.

    This time, it might not be their legs, but their lives at stake.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    People often say that we learn from our mistakes.

    The mercenaries had clearly seen Ian burn someone alive yesterday.

    They must have also noticed that the red-haired woman clinging to Ian''s side was no ordinary traveler.

    If they had any sense, they wouldn''t have been stupid enough to run their mouths in front of Kira.

    But the mercenaries forgot, for just a moment, how capricious wizards can be.They spouted nonsensical philosophy in front of a wizard and lost their legs.

    "Ugh..."

    Ian watched the fleeing mercenaries with indifference.

    I''ve be so ustomed to this godforsaken medieval fantasy world that I don''t even react when someone gets hurt anymore.

    This is a society without the solid power of amunity or the power ofw enforcement to uphold justice.

    One had to defend their own honor with their own hands.

    And that method usually involved violence.

    "Kira. Try to use magic more carefully from now on. You''re a fire wizard, after all. If you lose control for even a moment, who knows what might happen."

    "...Okay. I''ll keep that in mind."

    Ian didn''t scold Kira for burning the man.

    Kira hadn''t simplyshed out in anger. She had taught those men a painful lesson on behalf of all the weak - especially wanderers and jesters.

    Now those men will think twice before robbing someone.

    The only issue was that Kira had used magic impulsively out of emotion.

    If the fire had misinterpreted Kira''s will and tried to incinerate this entire area, what would have happened?

    The terrifying aspect of fire magic is how difficult it is to cancel.

    Once a fire starts, it''s not easily extinguished. It won''t die down unless it reduces everything around it to ashes.

    "You need to convey your exact intentions through the Maroniusnguage when casting magic. Don''t let your emotions take control."

    Ian kept his lecture brief.

    "Well then, shall we get going?"

    ---

    ---

    The weather grew more humid as they traveled south.

    "It''s getting a bit hot."

    The sweltering heat was quickly draining Ian''s stamina.

    He was surprised to find himself affected by the heat.

    "...The north was much cooler."

    Not long ago, Ian had been traversing snow-covered mountains in the north.

    While that region could be dismissed as the far north, even the northern part of the Empire wasn''t a frigid wastnd covered in permafrost like barbariannds.

    Yet it was still much cooler than the southern Empire.

    Now that they hade south, Ian could clearly feel the difference.

    The sun was unnecessarily bright, and the vast fields were overrun with green monsters - weeds growing at an rming rate.

    Seeing the shepherd boy and his goats grazing in the distance filled Ian with an inner peace.

    Ian briefly stopped his donkey to admire the peaceful countryside.

    There truly wasn''t a soul in sight.

    He could acutely feel the Empire''s pitiful poption density.

    The entire country was just one big rural backwater, so of course there were no people to be seen.

    "Ian. There''s a shepherd over there."

    Belenka took a swig from her waterskin as she spoke.

    "There must be a vige nearby."

    Livestock herding is a profitable business even in the most primitive environments.

    In theory, if you have enough livestock, you can survive without farming. Nomadic tribes are a prime example.

    All you need to do is protect the animals and increase their numbers. It''s a straightforward method.

    Such shepherds were amon sight in the Empire.

    "Hm?"

    Ian furrowed his brow slightly.

    While shepherds weremon in the Empire, thieves targeting those shepherds were equallymon.

    The smarter ones were human bandits. The dumber ones were wolf packs.

    And what caught Ian''s eye now was of the dumber variety.

    "Aren''t those wolves?"

    "I think so..."

    Belenka also squinted her eyes.

    They were wolves alright. But something about them looked off.

    As if they''d been starving for days, they looked terribly gaunt.

    It was as if their bellies were stuck to their backs...

    "What the f*ck?"

    Ian rubbed his eyes.

    Those bastards.

    Their bellies really were stuck to their backs!

    "Those poor things! How long have they been starving!"

    "...Is this really the time for jokes? They''re undead!"

    Belenka shot Ian a sharp re for his nonsensicalment.

    The wolves now charging towards the shepherd were undead wolves.

    As befitting a world with souls, gods, and afterlives, undead monsters exist in full force.

    "Ugh..."

    "There''s a weird smell..."

    Kira and Jubal pinched their noses simultaneously.

    True to their nature as undead dragging around decaying corpses, the stench could be detected even from the distant hill.

    The stench of death permeated the air.

    "Ian! Let me go out there!"

    Belenka shouted.

    Regardless of Ian''s opinion, she intended to join the fight.

    Belenka was a knight, and knights were always in need of good deeds.

    Because they inevitably killed people, they needed to umte enough good deeds to get into heaven when they died.

    From Belenka''s perspective, this was a good opportunity to farm some virtue points.

    "You think I''d send you alone? I''ming too!"

    Ian didn''t hesitate to join Belenka.

    The first reason was the overwhelming biological revulsion towards undead monsters.

    The second was that Belenka had helped him a lot so far, so this was a good chance to return the favor.

    "Jubal! Can you fight?"

    "Yes! I''m good at fighting!"

    Jubal joined in, brandishing his massive mace.

    Kira''s eyes gleamed as she rushed forward as well.

    Ian quickly devised a strategy.

    A wizard can control the battlefield with magic.

    This was a feat only wizards could aplish.

    "Kira! Let''s use fire to narrow their path!"

    "Got it!"

    Ian waved Anor-lsil through the air, conjuring mes.

    Kira then amplified the mes Ian had summoned with her magic.

    "[mes!]"

    As Kira''s eyes shed, the fire responded to her will and began to dance.

    [Time to burn!!!]

    As sparks flew across the field, mes spread at a terrifying speed.

    Kira shouted, blood trickling from her nose.

    "Ian! The mes... they''re spreading too fast!"

    "Don''t strain yourself trying to control them! Just let them burn!"

    "But if we do that, there''ll be a wildfire...!"

    Ian spread his arms wide and closed his eyes.

    He could feel the wind surging through his outstretched arms.

    "[Wind!]"

    [Oh, it��s really hot here!]

    [This is fun~!]

    Thanks to the raging mes across the field, the wind was excited.

    The burning mes created an updraft.

    Ian controlled the wind to direct the mes towards the undead.

    "[Sweep them away!]"

    Ian was a level 4 air wizard.

    The gale he summoned swiftly and precisely engulfed the undead wolves.

    And that gale moved the wildfire at an insane speed.

    Whoosh!

    The undead wolves that had been charging towards the shepherd frantically scattered.

    Their movements were unnaturally jerky.

    Ian observed the undead wolves carefully.

    ''Those bastards. They don''t want to burn, do they?''

    You might think, well of course they wouldn''t, but generally, undead don''t fear the destruction of their bodies.

    After all, they''re already dead!

    Undead feel no pain and have no intelligence. There''s no reason for such undead to fear mes.

    But these wolves were deliberately avoiding the fire.

    The implications were clear.

    ''...A necromancer?''

    There must be someone who doesn''t want these undead wolves to be destroyed.

    A necromancer.

    Ian was certain.

    These weren''t naturally urring undead.

    They were undead raised from corpses by a necromancer.

    "Hah!"

    Belenka let out a battle cry as she swung her longsword.

    The rotting flesh of the wolves sliced apart like rain-soaked mud.

    Thanks to the two wizards creating a wall of fire, only a few undead reached the shepherd.

    A number that Jubal and Belenka could easily handle.

    ''...Hm?''

    However, Belenka couldn''t cleanly dispatch the undead.

    Something leapt out from the grass.

    "Receive the sword of heaven!"

    "The sun shall judge you!"

    They were well-armed men-at-arms.

    Not only were they wearing expensive chain mail, but they had even color-coordinated with green surcoats.

    The men-at-arms methodically dispatched the undead wolves.

    Ian watched from afar.

    And... he was somewhat impressed.

    I don''t know who these guys are, but they look like proper soldiers!

    As you''ve seen the atmosphere of this medieval fantasy world so far, this ce doesn''t have a single thing that''s done properly.

    From nobles tomoners, everyone seems a bit unhinged and sloppy.

    But... to think they even matched their uniforms!

    To have matching uniforms, you need an organization that can afford to pay for uniforms.

    Of course, in this post-apocalyptic...

    No, medieval fantasy world, that''s a difficult feat!

    In a world where people typically just wear whatever clothes they have at home, the existence of uniformed soldiers was no ordinary matter!

    Ian quickly wrapped up his magic and ran to meet the soldiers.

    Belenka had already removed her helmet and was chatting with the soldiers.

    "Ian."

    Just then, someone walked out from the soldiers'' side.

    Light brown hair and chestnut eyes. A typical Imperial appearance.

    If there was anything distinctive, it was his sharp features that made him quite handsome.

    "Are you the wizard who conjured the mes?"

    "And you are?"

    Ian and the man briefly sized each other up, checking for any suspicious points.

    The man extended his hand first.

    "Knight of Saint Casius. Cleric Leshach."

    ''Saint Casius?''

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    Saint Casius was at the top among the 13 saints of Heaven''s Faith.

    Thus, while the disciples of other saints are called [Cardinals], the direct disciples of Saint Casius are elevated with the title of [Pope].

    So...

    This handsome knight was a knight of the Pope!

    "Disciple of Eredith. Wizard Ian."

    Once he knew the man''s identity, those color-coordinated heavy infantry made sense.

    As a knight of the Pope, he could certainly afford to have armored infantry as subordinates.

    ''...But what''s a Pope''s knight doing here?''

    Sensing Ian''s suspicious gaze, Sir Leshach spoke first.

    "We''re investigating the evil magic incidents urring throughout the Empire."

    "Evil magic?"

    "Demon magic. Transmutation. And necromancy... Currently, an unprecedented number of dark magic usage cases are being reported across the Empire."

    Ian nced at the fallen undead wolves on the ground.

    Indeed.

    When Ian was young, he hardly ever heard rumors about undead.

    "I heard there were signs of necromancer activity in this area... It seems the rumors were true."

    Ian understood clearly now.

    Sir Leshach was a Pope''s knight tasked with finding and eliminating necromancers and demon wizards.

    ''Oh ho.''

    Ian pondered for a moment.

    As it happens, he had just killed a demon wizard on the road...

    Wouldn''t it be sweet to stick with Sir Leshach for a while?

    There probably aren''t many lunatics who would attack a partyposed of a cleric and well-armed soldiers.

    While Ian was considering this, the shepherd came running up and bowed his head.

    "Th-Thank you for saving me! Sir Knights!"

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The shepherd was a young boy, appearing to be around 16 years old.

    Ian was reminded of Bernard, the young baron of River Hill.

    Sitting them side by side would give one the feeling of being a middle school teacher.

    "Thank you so much!"

    The shepherd''s name was Pael.He was a shepherd from Artisan vige, an unfortunate boy who had been attacked by undead while tending his flock.

    "Artisan, you say?"

    "Yes, my lord!"

    Sir Leshach was indifferent.

    He had no need to know the names of such rural viges.

    Nevertheless, Sir Leshach decided to head to Artisan vige.

    "We didn''t see any sign of the necromancer. They''re either hiding somewhere... or in the vige."

    Sir Leshach was certain of the necromancer''s existence.

    He decided to visit the vige to investigate.

    Ian hade to the exact same conclusion.

    "Are, are you going to our vige? Then I''ll guide you!"

    Pael quickly volunteered to be their guide.

    It was a natural decision, as traveling with Sir Leshach and his soldiers would make it easy to fend off undead attacks even if they appeared again.

    Using Sir Leshach as a shield wasn''t just Ian''s idea.

    "Sir Leshach. Would it be alright if I apany you?"

    Seeing Sir Leshach on the move, Ian quicklytched on.

    Time to hitch a sweet ride on the knight bus~

    "I don''t mind. Just don''t get in the way."

    "As if I would."

    Ian joined with a friendly smile.

    ---

    ---

    Ian hadn''t given it much thought, but Belenka was wary of Sir Leshach.

    "It seems that monk was right."

    "Monk?"

    "Isi from Blue Key Monastery."

    Ian recalled a certain shrewd old man.

    Monk Isi.

    A cantankerous old man, but respected by the other monks.

    "He warned about the secrization of Heaven''s Faith."

    "Ah."

    "And now we see such a well-armed church army..."

    Ian had only thought "Wow, cool~" when he saw the well-armed church forces.

    He had no reason to think deeply about it.

    But Belenka, as a knight, saw traces of power in the well-armed church forces.

    Ian decided to think like a knight as well.

    "Sir Leshach said it himself. That ck wizards are roaming about."

    Heaven''s Faith doesn''t recognize ''evil'' magic like demon magic, transmutation, and necromancy. They call such forbidden magic ''ck magic'' because ites from a ck and murky heart.

    So ''ck wizard'' isn''t an upation, but a term for criminals.

    Murderers, rapists, ck wizards, thieves... they''re all heinous criminal bastards.

    So anyone who introduces their job as ck wizard or thief should be thrown in jail on sight.

    How can someone''s job be thief or ck wizard?

    "It''s a convenient excuse for the church to build up its army."

    "I was thinking the same thing."

    Originally, the church doesn''t possess an army. The church is a religious organization, not abat unit.

    But...

    Whether Monk Isi is wary or not, the Empire''s Heaven''s Faith is clearly bing secrized.

    It means the wealth umted by the church has increased.

    In medieval times, wealth means food,nd, and poption.

    As the church''s assets grow, it''s only natural for their army to gradually expand.

    But when the church builds up an army, it obviously looks suspicious.

    Aren''t you religious folk? Why are you building an army?

    Nobles have the beautiful excuse of "protecting the people and supporting our lord."

    But such excuses don''t work for the church.

    Clergy are supposed to care for the souls of believers, not collect taxes and throw their weight around.

    So it''s extremely tricky for the church to build an army.

    But if ck wizards are roaming about, that changes everything.

    They now have the beautiful excuse of "smiting demon worshippers!"

    "So the Pope''s knight hase out."

    Sir Leshach was, in a sense, a PR ambassador for Heaven''s Faith.

    Our church built up an army, and look how many ck wizards we''ve smashed~

    Aren''t we great? So we''ll keep building up our army!

    That''s the message he wants to spread as he travels around.

    If the Pope''s knight actually goes around helping people, Heaven''s Faith''s poprity will naturally rise.

    They can resupply at any roadside temple, and monks eager to share in the glory will help enthusiastically, so the results should be quite fruitful.

    The only people who would dislike Sir Leshach are ck wizards and local lords.

    "Catch ck wizards to raise poprity. And while they''re at it, pressure the lords to believe in Heaven''s Faith..."

    "Quite the busy schedule."

    Ian and Belenka whispered from behind, making sure Sir Leshach couldn''t hear.

    It was a rather political conversation, so Ian wasn''t particrly interested.

    Ian is a wizard.

    He barely has enough time to travel and hone his skills, let alone care about nobles squabbling over power.

    ''He''s a knight of Heaven''s Faith. I should make good use of him.''

    Whatever the Pope''s intentions in sending out Sir Leshach, the fact that he''s useful to Ian remains unchanged.

    Isn''t it great to be half-immune to annoying attacks?

    "Sir Leshach!"

    Ian matched pace with Sir Leshach while riding his donkey.

    Sir Leshach''s horse looked like a glossy, well-bred steed, iparably more handsome than Ian''s donkey.

    "What is it?"

    Sir Leshach replied in an apathetic voice.

    He didn''t seem to care about Ian at all.

    "It''s nothing much. I was just wondering, have you caught many ck wizards?"

    "I''ve caught all the ones that stood out."

    Meaning he''s crushed every one he''se across.

    Ian took out a si ring from his pocket and showed it to Sir Leshach.

    "I happened to pick up something like this..."

    Sir Leshach examined the si ring, then frowned deeply and said:

    "Where did you get this?"

    "I picked it up on that ancient road over there."

    "Picked it up? This isn''t something you''d just find lying on the road..."

    "I picked it off a corpse."

    "A corpse? What kind of corpse!"

    "One I made myself."

    Made by Ian.

    Hearing that, Sir Leshach wore an expression of disbelief.

    "So... you killed a ck wizard and took his si ring?"

    "That''s exactly right."

    "... Then you should have said so from the start!"

    Ian replied shamelessly.

    "I thought you might get angry if I did."

    Trembling...

    Sir Leshach''s hand shook slightly as he spoke.

    "You... seem to be a very skilled wizard..."

    "Why do you think so?"

    "Because if your skills were mediocre, you would have been killed long ago!"

    Ian clicked his tongue at the trembling Sir Leshach.

    Your hands are shaking badly at such a young age. Eat more nuts.

    "Well, my skills are decent enough."

    Then one of the soldiers walking alongside them spoke up.

    "If it��s Ian Eredith Raven, he''s quite a well-known wizard."

    What? Me?

    Ian blinked in surprise, but that didn''t change the soldier''s words.

    As Ian traveled this medieval fantasy world, his reputation had spread quite a bit.

    "Not many people around here would know, since he was active in the Duchy of Araz."

    The ''Duchy of Araz'' the soldier mentioned referred to all the territories of nobles who pledged loyalty to Duke Araz.

    A noble''s territory is no different from a country, so it''s a term medieval people use habitually.

    So if you ask "What exactly is a duchy?", you''ll only get a "Dunno?" in response.

    "He helped the Knights of Saint Santiago hunt monsters and rescued Golden Finger Takarion."

    "... His skills must be quite good indeed."

    Sir Leshach acknowledged Ian''s skills as soon as he heard the names ''Knights of Saint Santiago'' and ''Takarion''.

    The Knights of Saint Santiago, sure.

    But acknowledging Ian based on Takarion''s name is a bit...?

    "Sir Leshach, have you perhaps read the Gospel of Marcus?"

    "No. I''ve only heard about it. They say it''s a beautifully devout gospel."

    "..."

    Sir Leshach. Please, just keep imagining based on rumors, don''t actually read it...

    I admit Takarion''s book is a page-turner, but there are some parts that are a bit embarrassing to show others.

    Light novels are like that.

    "So, you say you killed a ck wizard?"

    "Ah. Yes."

    Sir Leshach examined the si ring Ian had handed over once more.

    "This is a ring symbolizing membership in the [Golden Rule Society]."

    "Golden Rule Society?"

    It was a name Ian had never heard before.

    Sir Leshach stared at Ian for a moment before asking:

    "Do you know the history of the Empire?"

    "To some extent."

    "Then you must know that the Holy Empire has nothing to do with the Golden Empire."

    Ian nodded.

    The Holy Empire was a country founded by northern barbarians who had recklessly invaded the fallen Golden Empire''s territory.

    "Come to think of it, we''re descendants of barbarians."

    "... You know quite precisely."

    Leshach was slightly displeased that Ian knew so urately.

    A proud Imperial citizen is actually a descendant of barbarians?

    It''s bound to be an unpleasant point.

    But Ian calmly spat out this chilling fact.

    ''As expected of a wizard?''

    Such a cold rational individual should be fine to talk to.

    "But you seem to have inherited a purer ancient bloodline."

    "Pardon?"

    Sir Leshach pointed to Ian''s hair.

    "That ck hair. Did you know many ancient people had such ck hair?"

    "...?"

    He did know.

    Ian''s jet-ck hair was rare but asionally seen in the Empire.

    But things change as you go down to the southern Coral Sea. ck curly hair is verymon around the Coral Sea.

    And the southern Coral Sea is where the capital of the Golden Empire was once located.

    Meaning he''s a descendant of true Imperials.

    "I thought you might be of mixed Golden Empire descent."

    "..."

    Ian had never given much thought to his rtionship with the Golden Empire.

    Then what about the jet-ck hair?

    Of course... he thought it was because he was Korean!

    But thinking about it, Sir Leshach was closer to the truth.

    "I suppose that could be the case."

    Ian still didn''t think deeply about his hair color.

    What does hair color matter, be it blue or yellow?

    He was grateful enough that his head wasn''t pink.

    "The [Golden Rule Society] is an organization formed by those who im to be descendants of the ancient Golden Empire."

    "Descendants of the Golden Empire...?"

    Ian found it absurd.

    What''s with iming to be descendants of a country that disappeared hundreds of years ago?

    "They''re lunatics who think they''re the true rulers of the Empire."

    Wait.

    Ian felt an ominous sensation and looked up at Sir Leshach.

    A gleam shed in Sir Leshach''s eyes.

    "You''ve already figured it out? What the [Golden Rule] means."

    "The Golden Rule in other words is... ''an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'', right?"

    That was thew of ancient Heaven''s Faith.

    If you harm someone, you must pay an equivalent price.

    And now those iming to be descendants of the Golden Empire have risen up, brandishing the [Golden Rule].

    "That''s right. Those lunatics think the barbarians from the north stole their empire."

    ... It wasn''t entirely wrong.

    The Holy Empire was indeed a country created by barbarian invasions.

    Then the purpose of the Golden Rule Society is clear.

    An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

    "Are they... trying to take back the Empire?"

    Sir Leshach nodded.

    "A preposterous delusion."

    ---

    ---

    Sir Leshach praised Ian''s courage.

    Choosing to fight despite knowing his opponent was a demon wizard was certainly admirable.

    "This ring. Do you need it?"

    "Why?"

    "If you don''t need it, would you sell it to me?"

    Sir Leshach wanted the ck wizard''s si ring.

    It would surely help his performance as proof of vanquishing a ck wizard.

    It wasn''t a bad offer for Ian.

    The ck wizard''s item would only invite strange misunderstandings if he kept it.

    Ian handed over the si ring in exchange for gold coins.

    It was a satisfactory transaction for both parties.

    "Sir Knight! We''ve arrived!"

    The shepherd boy shouted.

    They had already reached Artisan vige.

    The vige''s wee was extraordinary from the entrance.

    "I am Leshach. A knight of the church."

    "A, a knight of Heaven''s Faith?"

    "What a blessing!"

    The vigers enthusiastically weed Leshach''s arrival.

    "Sir Knight! Please help us!"

    "What''s the matter?"

    An old man who looked like the vige chief knelt down and cried out.

    "We''ve caught a necromancer, but we don''t know how to deal with them!"

    "...?"

    Sir Leshach and Ian wore simr expressions.

    The vigers... caught a necromancer?

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Sir Leshach is a church knight searching for ck wizards.

    He had just smashed some undead wolves attacking a shepherd.

    So a necromancer popping up in this tiny vige wasn''t that strange.

    But the vigers caught that necromancer?

    Now that was f*cking weird."Any casualties?"

    "None, sir."

    Sir Leshach and Ian wore increasingly bewildered expressions.

    Even if wizards are weak in closebat, they usually have some trump card up their sleeve.

    But they caught a necromancer without a single casualty?

    Either the necromancer was a total novice or aplete sucker. One of the two.

    "Suspicious. Surrendering so easily to peasants."

    Sir Leshach muttered.

    "Could there be some ulterior motive?"

    Ian offered a shallow deduction.

    As a former modern person, Ian wasn''t unfamiliar with the existence of such bizarre necromancers.

    Why? In novels andics, the mastermind viin often lets themselves get caught to execute their secret ns.

    Of course, based on his experience with countless medieval people so far, it was more likely just a screw-loose ck wizard.

    A mastermind viin deliberately getting caught by the police?

    That only happens inics.

    In reality, 99% of criminals are idiots who get caught while fleeing from the cops.

    A necromancer caught by vigers due to some ridiculous blunder...

    That was the strongest contender.

    "Where''s this necromancer?"

    "We, we locked them in the storehouse."

    This was a small vige, so they obviously didn''t have a prison.

    The sturdiest building, the storehouse, was serving as a makeshift jail.

    "Oh my, what a mess this is..."

    "Thank goodness the knight came!"

    As Sir Leshach and Ian passed by, the vigers whispered fervently among themselves.

    They didn''t even bother lowering their voices, as if not considering Ian human.

    Thanks to that, Ian could hear the vigers'' thoughts in as day.

    "I always felt something was off about that one."

    "To think that young thing could kill someone...!"

    ''Young thing?''

    Ian cocked his head slightly at the odd word choice.

    Could the necromancer be a child?

    "Be careful!"

    The vige chief opened the storehouse door with trembling hands.

    His fear of the wizard was evident.

    Especially since the opponent was a wizard dealing with the mysteries of death. Who knew what curse they might unleash if killed rashly.

    So they had temporarily locked them in the storehouse as a stopgap measure.

    "Are you the necromancer?"

    Sir Leshach asked in a cold voice.

    A voice answered from the darkness.

    "...No."

    Sir Leshach was slightly taken aback.

    ''A young girl?''

    The necromancer''s voice was that of a young girl.

    Ian was moreposed than Sir Leshach.

    Thanks to his high dark affinity, Ian could see clearly through the darkness.

    ''It''s a girl.''

    Though she was buried in the shadows, Ian could see her clearly.

    Jet ck hair and pitch ck eyes.

    In stark contrast, pale white skin.

    Was she around sixteen years old?

    She looked like a middle schooler at youngest, high school at most.

    "Come out and show your face."

    Sir Leshach spoke with a growling voice, as if about to draw his sword at any moment.

    Ian was slightly impressed by the voice dripping with killing intent.

    Wow. Sir Leshach shows no mercy to ck wizards!

    He gives it his all even if the opponent is a child!

    To be honest, in Ian''s eyes, it looked a bit silly. A grown knight getting all worked up over a tiny girl.

    But the others didn''t see it that way at all.

    No matter how young, the opponent was still a wizard.

    No one could predict what kind of crazy sh*t they might pull.

    "..."

    The girl obediently revealed herself.

    The soldiers gasped when they saw her face.

    "Huh...!"

    "A witch! That''s a witch, isn''t it?!"

    Though still a girl, she disyed extraordinary beauty.

    They all tried to deny it, but in the girl''s pale face they glimpsed intense decadence, maturity, and a fragility that stirred protective instincts.

    You lolicon bastards! Is that any way to talk about a high school girl?!

    ...One might think that.

    But in reality, many girl group idols in South Korea debut at middle or high school age.

    That''s old enough to be considered attractive.

    Biologically speaking, it''s not that strange when you consider at what age people finish puberty and be capable of pregnancy.

    Of course, anyone getting horny over 12 or 13-year-olds is definitely a lolicon.

    In this medieval fantasy world, marriages at 16 or 17 were quitemon.

    You could say there was a subtle line between crime and legality.

    "Sir Leshach! Look! It''s a witch! A witch!"

    The girl stared at the soldier with her ck eyes.

    Her oddly lifeless eyes suggested she''d been through some hard times.

    "...I''m not a witch."

    "D-don''t talk to me! You witch!"

    The soldiers shouted hysterically.

    "Sir Leshach! There''s nothing more to see! This woman is the necromancer who summoned those undead wolves!"

    Ian expected Sir Leshach to draw his sword and cut down the girl in one stroke.

    I mean... that''s the image of a church knight, right?

    You''re a heretic? Yep. Death sentence for you.

    But surprisingly, Sir Leshach didn''t draw his sword.

    Instead, he observed the girl much more cautiously than before.

    "Name. And state your crime."

    "Maria. And the crime Imitted..."

    The girl who introduced herself as Maria trembled, then spoke with difficulty.

    "...Imitted murder."

    "Murder?"

    "Yes..."

    ---

    ---

    Sir Leshach interrogated Maria methodically.

    The girl''s name was Maria.

    She said she was a wandering child, taken in and raised by the vige herb woman.

    Until recently she lived with just the old woman, but after the grandmother diedst year, she started working as a maid for some household.

    Up to that point, it was the typical story of an orphan in the Empire.

    In the medieval Empire where war and death weremonce, parentless children were a dime a dozen.

    But the strange part came next.

    "Speak. Who did you kill?"

    "...I killed my master''s son."

    The surrounding soldiers reacted violently to Maria''s words.

    "Such an ungrateful wretch!"

    "They fed and sheltered you, and you killed their son?!"

    Their reaction was understandable.

    What could a parentless wandering girl do on her own?

    She''d end up enved or selling her body.

    The master who took her in was practically her savior.

    Yet Maria killed that family''s son.

    "...It wasn''t intentional."

    Maria spoke calmly, looking down.

    Her demeanor only riled up the soldiers even more.

    "That despicable b*tch!"

    "Sir Leshach! Cut down this murderous whore right now!"

    Sir Leshach calmed the soldiers.

    "Quiet, all of you. Maria. What do you mean it wasn''t intentional?"

    Maria spoke as if sighing:

    "I... cked out for a moment. When I came to, he was dead."

    "You cked out?"

    She was iming temporary insanity.

    Ian pondered deeply.

    It was a suspicious statement.

    You close your eyes, open them, and someone''s dead?

    That''s a pretty damn precise testimony.

    "People think I... killed him with necromancy, so they locked me in here."

    Sir Leshach asked coldly.

    "You''re saying you''re not a necromancer?"

    Maria knelt obediently and answered.

    "No, my lord. I don''t know necromancy."

    Naturally, Sir Leshach''s gaze turned to Ian.

    "Wizard Ian. What''s your take on this?"

    Ian shrugged.

    "I dunno?"

    Ian was lying.

    In fact, he had a vague sense.

    ...Because he could feel the mystery of death surrounding the girl called Maria.

    But Ian didn''t tell the truth.

    If that girl was really a powerful necromancer, they''d need to evacuate people before fighting.

    She might decide to massacre the vigers and raise an undead horde.

    If she was a real necromancer, she wouldn''t have let herself get caught without any preparations.

    That issue needed to be discussed privately with Sir Leshach.

    Separately, the soldiers demanded a quick verdict.

    "Sir Leshach! Stop listening to that b*tch''s words!"

    "We can''t punish without proper investigation."

    "She''s obviously a witch! What''s the point of listening to a witch?!"

    "Hmm. From the way you talk, you must be a magic expert."

    When Sir Leshach shot back, the soldier faltered slightly.

    "Tell me. Why do you think Maria is a witch?"

    The soldier stammered his reply.

    "Well... she looks different from us... her eyes and hair are pitch ck! She must be a demon''s bastard!"

    Ian took ssh damage from that statement.

    "I see. What do you think, Ian?"

    "Tch. Brings back childhood memories."

    Ian briefly recalled the past.

    Ah... those bittersweet memories of neighborhood kids chirping and teasing about Ian''s ck hair!

    Ian''s mood soured a bit.

    "ck eyes and hair aremon around the southern Coral Sea. Are you iming the Coral Sea is a demon''sir?"

    The soldier blubbered nonsense.

    "Maybe it could be... possibly?"

    "The Papal State is just north of the Coral Sea."

    "Uh!"

    Ian stared nkly at Sir Leshach.

    Sir, why do you keep this moron around?

    Sir Leshach calmly cleared his throat.

    "His Holiness''s soldiers aren''t only recruited from near the Papal State. Some haven''t been to the Coral Sea, so try to understand."

    "Even so, calling the Papal State''s location a demon''sir is a bit much."

    A mere soldier had no chance of beating a wizard in knowledge.

    The soldier immediately kowtowed with a pale face.

    "I-I''m so sorry! Please forget what I just said...!"

    Tsk tsk. These ignorant Imperial bastards.

    Ian keenly felt the pain ofcking public education.

    If there had been a school in the neighborhood, he wouldn''t have been teased for his ck hair!

    ...Though if there had been a school, he probably would''ve been teased inside it.

    The crime of being born with rare hair color.

    Ian tossed out casually to Maria:

    "Seems like you and I share the same ancestors."

    "...The same ancestors?"

    "Yeah. Golden Empire people."

    "..."

    Maria silently stared intently at Ian''s face.

    But Ian had already turned away.

    "Sir Leshach. Let''s go back."

    "Alright."

    Ian locked Maria back in the storehouse and headed to the vige chief''s house.

    ---

    ---

    "How... did it go?"

    The vige chief asked as soon as he saw Sir Leshach.

    He must have been quite curious about the oue, forgetting even to bow.

    "Did you take care of her?"

    Even to Ian''s ears, the chief''s tone was slightly grating.

    Needless to say for Sir Leshach, the Pope''s knight.

    "How impudent. I''m not your underling, Chief."

    "I-I''m sorry!"

    Sir Leshach ignored the chief''s words and exined unterally.

    "It''s true some suspicious circumstances were found regarding the girl called Maria. But we can''t punish based on circumstances alone."

    "...Pardon?"

    The chief wore an expression like he''d heard aliennguage after listening to Sir Leshach''s exnation.

    Why... can''t she be punished???

    Circumstantially, Maria is a necromancer...

    Just chop off her head and be done with it!

    "From now on, we''ll gather evidence that Maria is a necromancer."

    "But Sir Knight! That b*tch is definitely a necromancer! What do you mean evidence... what even is evidence?"

    "You don''t know what evidence is?"

    "No, Sir Knight!"

    "Then shut up."

    "..."

    The chief immediately shut his mouth.

    He was excellent at following orders, at least.

    "Ian. I need your help."

    Sir Leshach didn''t trust what others said.

    They were just squawking like parrots, "Maria''s suspicious, let''s kill her!"

    But Ian was different.

    Now was the time a wizard''s intellect was needed.

    "I''llpensate you well. Please cooperate with the investigation."

    Ian pondered briefly before answering.

    "Alright. I''ll help."

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Forming connections with the Pope''s knight would undoubtedly be beneficial.

    Especially in the Holy Empire, where the power of Heaven''s Faith priests was so strong. A friendship with the Pope''s knight could prove invaluable.

    Through Sir Leshach, Ian could potentiallyunch or deflect emunication beams.

    Since Sir Leshach trusted Ian enough to reach out first, there was no reason to reject his offer.

    Besides, Ian needed Sir Leshach as a shield against any potential ck wizards for the time being."It''s a serious matter, Sir."

    Ian had nned to investigate the vige with Sir Leshach, but a soldier who went scouting discovered undead outside the vige.

    "It''s a flesh giant."

    "Damn it."

    A flesh giant.

    Made bybining the bodies of the dead, it was an undead so powerful it could rightly be called a biological weapon.

    Sir Leshach quietly pulled Ian aside and said:

    "To be honest, I don''t think Maria created the undead in this area."

    "Why not?"

    "Just a hunch."

    He''d simply guessed.

    But Ian found himself oddly persuaded by Sir Leshach''s words.

    You know how when a popr person says something it sounds usible, but when a loser says the same thing it sounds like bullsh*t?

    All you''d hear is "Hey guys~ the loser has something to say~"

    The words of a handsome knight like Sir Leshach carried a surprising amount of weight.

    ...In truth, it wasn''t his looks that persuaded Ian, but rather his experience.

    Sir Leshach was both a knight and a cleric.

    That meant he was a medieval super-elite, well-rounded in both physical and intellectual capabilities.

    With extensive experience facing ck wizards, his instincts weren''t to be ignored.

    "But we can''t be certain. We need to thoroughly examine even the slightest possibility."

    As expected of an elite, Sir Leshach was still insisting they "find evidence first!"

    "Sir Leshach, did you happen to attend university?"

    "Hm? I did study at Bautriche University."

    Impressive. No wonder his speech exuded such intellect.

    Sir Leshach had apparently consumed university-level education in the medieval era.

    A knight with a university degree in medieval times!

    "I was taught by a monk at the university. He said all thoughts must have a basis, and be supported by clear evidence that anyone can ept."

    "Was the monk''s name perhaps William?"

    "...William? No, I''ve never heard that name."

    Ian shrugged.

    He''d wondered if Sir Leshach might know the monk who investigated the abbey murders[1].

    "Anyway, I think I should investigate the surrounding area further."

    "I see."

    In short, he wanted to give Ian an easier task.

    The vige surroundings with a ''real'' necromancer lurking vs. the vige with a frail girl locked up.

    Typical manly man behavior: fearlessly tackling the tougher job.

    Sir Leshach wanted to investigate the area around the vige for his main duty.

    But they couldn''t just leave Maria unattended either.

    "I heard the vige chief already requested a trial from the lord."

    "A trial?"

    Write ''trial'', read ''execution''.

    Ian found it a bit absurd.

    These people who''d alreadybeled Maria a criminal were now talking about a trial?

    The chances they pawned it off to the lord because they were squeamish about executing a necromancer themselves?

    Over 10000%.

    "We can... continue the investigation until the lord arrives."

    Sir Leshach said lightly.

    In reality, it wasn''t an issue that required much consideration.

    Whether Maria was a necromancer or not, she was already a murderer.

    If she was a necromancer, she''d be executed as one. If not, she''d be executed as a murderer.

    "I''m counting on you."

    "Leave it to me."

    Ian even exchanged a rxed hand gesture with Sir Leshach.

    The lord would likely arrive within a few days.

    And Maria? She''d be hanged, of course.

    But Ian remained nonchnt.

    It''s not my neck on the line, is it? I''ll just do the bare minimum while earning points with Sir Leshach.

    After Sir Leshach and the soldiers left to search the vige surroundings,

    Ian began his full-fledged investigation.

    ---

    ---

    "First, I''ll distribute the personnel."

    He had a few days'' leeway, and it wasn''t a task that required particr enthusiasm.

    But since he''d started, Ian decided to do it properly.

    To gather information as quickly as possible, Ian mobilized the employees of Ian-Company.

    First up, Belenka.

    "You''lle with me to investigate the house where Maria worked."

    "Understood."

    Belenka''s greatest asset was, of course, her monstrous longsword.

    Commoners would find it difficult to lie in front of a knight who could cleave their heads off with a shing-shing.

    "Kira, meet with the vige chief. Find out when and how Maria used necromancy."

    "Leave it to me."

    Kira had the ability to sweet-talk people.

    Having operated as a fake wizard in the past, pulling off scams left and right, conning one person would be child''s y for her.

    Kira should be able to extract useful information from the vige chief.

    "What should I do?"

    "..."

    Jubal pointed at himself with fingers as big as pot lids.

    The giant over 2 meters tall tilted his head, which was terribly cute...

    "Jubal. I''m giving you a very important mission."

    "An important mission!"

    Jubal''s eyes sparkled.

    With the feeling of an owner throwing a dog treat to a retriever, Ian ordered:

    "Go make friends with the vige kids."

    "The vige kids?"

    Jubal might have low intelligence, but he wasn''t incapable of understanding speech.

    He did understand Ian''s instruction to go y with the kids~.

    "Yeah. After you befriend them, ask about Maria..."

    "Who''s Maria?"

    "...I moved too fast. For now, just go make friends."

    It was difficult to expect high-level information gathering from Jubal.

    But hearing rumors from kids should be possible.

    Don''t underestimate Jubal. He''s an adult with the intellect of a young child, after all.

    "Yes sir! I''ll go make friends!"

    Jubal stomped away with thunderous steps.

    Ian worried a passing hunter might mistake him for a monster and shoot an arrow at him.

    "I''ll be off too."

    Kira disappeared with a sweet eye-smile.

    With her looks and background as a wizard, information gathering should be a piece of cake.

    "Well then... shall we go?"

    Ian visited Maria''s former workce with Belenka.

    ---

    ---

    Maria was an orphan.

    An orphan!

    To a modern person, it sounded like the Dark Ages had arrived, with society''s justice hitting rock bottom and all humanity vanishing.

    But...

    That actually happened...!

    This is the real Dark Ages where society has copsed.

    No, saying it copsed would be incorrect.

    The society that crumbled hundreds of years ago simply hasn''t been restored yet. So let''s call it the Dark Ages (ongoing).

    In these Dark Ages (or medieval times), orphans were asmon as pebbles on the street.

    And typically, orphans received no protection from anyone.

    No matter what hardships they faced, no matter how unjust their experiences,

    They had to stand up on their own, like wild roses or golden grass.

    "Let us in~"

    As Ian knocked on the door of a spacious home, he thought:

    If Maria was a necromancer, dozens of reasons came to mind for why she might have turned to necromancy.

    The [orphan]bel alone was game over.

    How much hardship must she have endured, how much ostracism?

    Ian, with his equally jet-ck hair, could empathize with Maria''s pain to an uncanny degree...

    Maria is not a monster.

    It''s this society that turned Maria into a monster...!

    "??? What crazy bastard is yelling ''Let us in''..."

    The door flew open, and a disheveled man burst out.

    He froze as soon as he saw Ian.

    Though dressed in ordinary travel clothes...

    ck hair and ck eyes. Plus a staff and a crow...!

    If his eyes weren''t deceiving him, it was clear Ian was no ordinary traveler.

    "Uh... uh?"

    "Pleased to meet you. I''m Ian Eredith Raven. Just a passing wizard."

    "A, a wizard... sir?!"

    Ian brazenly extended his hand.

    The man shook it, not knowing what else to do.

    "Yes. I''vee to ask about a girl named Maria."

    "J-just a moment!"

    Bang crash.

    After amotion inside, the door opened a crack.

    "Oh my! To think such an honored guest would visit our humble abode!"

    "...?"

    Isn''t it the opposite? Ian thought, but quickly came to his senses.

    Ugh. My past life''s memories are still haunting me!

    "Please, sit here!"

    The man''s house was quite nice for amoner.

    It even had... a table and chairs, and a bed!

    Wow! Is this ''Medieval The Hill[2]''?

    Ian recalled staying in the domain of Baron Damon, the ''self-proimed'' noble.

    Compared to the house where he ate and slept with those pig-dogs, this ce seemed worth 10 billion!

    "..."

    Ian suddenly had an epiphany...

    This... is considered a nice house in this era...

    "Your home is nice."

    "Ah. Yes. I''m a carpenter..."

    Meaning it was a DIY product.

    "Woman! We have a guest! Hurry up and make something!"

    An alpha male... perhaps?

    Even in the ignorant medieval era, it was unpleasant to see someone barking orders at his wife.

    But soon, Ian noticed the woman''s grave condition.

    "Sob... hic..."

    Her whole face was stained with tear tracks.

    She''d apparently been crying for quite some time.

    "It''s fine, Mom. I''ll do it."

    The woman''s daughter went to the kitchen instead.

    Momentster, honey cakes were ced before Ian.

    Only the father and daughter sat in chairs.

    "You said you had questions about Maria?"

    "Yes. I''d like you to tell me everything you know."

    Though he knew it was unlikely, in the worst case, Maria could have been an infiltrating wizard.

    Didn''t the space-time wizard Larabel nearly destroy an entire domain single-handedly?

    As Sir Leshach said, the more thorough the investigation, the better.

    "Haah... Alright. Just thinking about that b*tch still turns my stomach. But I should tell you what I know."

    "...I heard about it. I''m sorry about your son."

    The man nodded glumly.

    "Yes... Maria. That witch b*tch killed my son..."

    Earlier, Maria had confessed clearly.

    That she had murdered the son of the house where she worked.

    "What exactly happened?"

    To Ian''s question, the man slowly replied.

    "I took that b*tch into our home a year ago. I really didn''t want to, but the vige chief threatened me to take her in..."

    The man exined.

    He was a carpenter named Robert who had taken in Maria as a housemaid about a year ago.

    He said he disliked Maria from the moment he first saw her.

    "Wasn''t there something off about her eyes, even though she was young? They seemed kind of lewd. And that pitch-ck hair was so ominous!"

    Ian nkly pointed at his own hair.

    Are you perhaps talking about me?

    Belenka sighed and said:

    "Think before you speak."

    "No, that''s...!"

    "Forget it, just continue your story."

    Gulp. Robert swallowed dryly and spoke.

    "That b*tch was strange."

    "Strange?"

    "Yes! Sometimes she''d visit the graveyard alone! And she''d talk to herself! And... asionally, she''d eat an insane amount of food!"

    The first two were understandable.

    That''s the behavior of a genuine outcast...

    Unlike Easterners, Westerners are less afraid of graveyards. They even build memorial parks, which are basically graveyards, right in the middle of cities.

    Just because she visited the graveyard alone doesn''t mean she''s definitely a necromancer.

    Talking to herself goes without saying.

    The problem was thest point.

    "She ate a lot?"

    "Yes! I don''t know why. She''d just pig out on food like some possessed person... No matter how much we beat her, she wouldn''t stop."

    "..."

    Just how much food did she eat for them to beat her?

    "So... you knew Maria was a strange kid."

    "Yes. So when that b*tch killed my son with necromancy, I thought, ''It''s finally happened.''"

    "Tell me in detail. How did she kill him?"

    Robert paused for a moment.

    As if it was too horrifying to even speak of.

    "That b*tch Maria called my son to the forest... and possessed a ghoul to sh him with its ws."

    "...Possession?"

    Bang!

    Unable to contain his agitation, Robert mmed his hand on the table.

    "If, if it wasn''t necromancy! How else could that tiny girl have torn my son to shreds?!"

    Certainly.

    Possessing an undead monster to fight is abat method used by necromancers.

    To summarize the story:

    Maria lured Robert''s son out, then killed him using a pre-prepared ghoul.

    ''But...''

    Ian sensed something odd.

    ''Maria said she cked out. That when she came to, someone was dead...''

    Perhaps Maria wasn''t a skilled necromancer, but...

    Someone who identally experienced possession due to a brush with the mysteries - a ''necromancy ident'' victim?

    ''Then it''s not Maria''s fault.''

    Ian shook his head.

    It was still too early to draw conclusions. There was far too little information.

    ---

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 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    This time, Robert''s daughter provided information.

    She rummaged through a chest and handed something to Ian.

    It was a dagger.

    "What''s this?"

    "... It belonged to my brother. That woman gave it to him."''That woman'' was obviously Maria.

    "Maria gave it to your brother?"

    Her face contorted with malice as she spoke:

    "That b*tch is a sly whore. She gave him this to seduce him."

    A dagger as a gift for a man. The recipient must have been quite pleased.

    "That woman tried to seduce my brother to be our family''s daughter-inw. It''s disgusting to think about now! But my brother seemed to believe she truly loved him."

    Ian pocketed the dagger and exchanged a few more words with Robert.

    "Thanks for your cooperation."

    "Don''t mention it! Make sure to hang that b*tch by the neck! Wizard!"

    Ian walked down the street with Belenka, organizing the information he''d gathered.

    "Those people really hate Maria."

    "Of course. She killed their son."

    Belenka added:

    "But... I think they would have hated her even if the ident hadn''t happened."

    Saying she was ominous, or a suspicious woman.

    Robert''s family made it clear they disliked Maria from the start.

    "Still, she seemed close with the son."

    "Hmm..."

    Belenka tilted her head and said:

    "It''s certainly strange. She didn''t harm the people who hated her, but killed the man who liked her?"

    Belenka''s expression was serious.

    "A wizard''s thinking is truly iprehensible."

    "..."

    Miss Belenka. Are you serious?

    Ian stared at Belenka in disbelief.

    Seriously, what do Imperial people think of wizards?

    Ian shuddered at this wizard-discrimination as severe as racism...

    "Kira should be done with her investigation by now."

    "Let''s go find her."

    ---

    ---

    Ian went straight to the vige chief.

    But the chief led Ian to an unexpected ce.

    "Kira went to meet Joseph."

    "Joseph?"

    "He''s Robert''s cousin, a young man who works as a gravedigger."

    The chief guided Ian into a forest.

    In the distance, a red-haired woman could be seen.

    "As I thought..."

    The chief sighed.

    As they approached, Kira was intently observing something with a young man.

    When Ian looked to see what they were examining, it was just bare ground.

    The sight of grown adults staring at the ground was quite striking.

    In other words, they looked like idiots.

    If they added Jubal to the mix, it would be quite a sight.

    "What are you doing there?"

    "Oh, Ian. You''re here?"

    Kira shed Ian a light smile before introducing the young man beside her.

    "This is Joseph. He works as a gravedigger."

    Ian looked at the young man called Joseph.

    True to his profession, hisplexion was terribly pale.

    Ian worried if he was getting enough vitamins.

    "Hello, Wizard."

    Joseph greeted Ian, removing his hat.

    Ian asked the question he was most curious about.

    "What are you two doing here?"

    Joseph answered with a sinisterugh:

    "Kekeke... We were examining the scene."

    "The scene?"

    "Yes... The ce where my dear nephew breathed hisst."

    "..."

    Ian stared intently at Joseph.

    This bastard. Why does he talk like that?

    You must be the necromancer! Or a ck wizard!

    Though he couldn''t pinpoint it exactly, there was something unsettlingly off about this man.

    Ian made a mental note to have Sir Leshach investigate him when he returned.

    "My nephew was killed here by that necromancer Maria."

    Joseph pointed to a patch of grass.

    "There were rotten flesh and maggots left there. That''s where Maria had the ghoul waiting."

    "Just curious, but what makes you think those were ghoul remains?"

    Josephughed sinisterly at Ian''s question.

    "Kekeke... Wizard. In my work as a gravedigger, I''ve seen countless deaths. I know the difference between flesh that''s fallen from a corpse and flesh that''s fallen from a ghoul. That was from a ghoul."

    It was the same story Ian had heard at Robert''s house.

    That Maria had summoned a ghoul tomit the murder.

    "But Maria... said she had no memory of killing Robert''s son?"

    "Kekeke... Wizard. Do you believe that?"

    To some extent.

    Ian nodded.

    Maria might have identally contacted the mysteries and unintentionally killed Robert''s son in an ident.

    "It''s obviously a lie. How else would you exin the ghoul waiting there?"

    "Maybe it was just passing by..."

    "There are no ghouls that ''just happen'' to stand in one ce for hours. That''s only possible under a necromancer''smand."

    ... Damn. Why is this guy so logical?

    Ian looked at Joseph again.

    He''d thought he was just a creepy bastard.

    But he was a creepy bastard who made valid points.

    "So... you think Maria deliberately killed Robert''s son?"

    "Of course. Maria used necromancy to murder my nephew. When her crime was discovered, she pretended to have lost her memory."

    Only necromancers can control ghouls.

    Therefore, Maria is a necromancer.

    That was the gist of it.

    "Certainly..."

    Ian had to reconsider.

    An ident caused by identally brushing against the mysteries?

    From the moment she deliberately prepared a ghoul, this was no ident.

    Maria had some motive for preparing the ghoul.

    "Kekeke... Wizard, did you perhaps not sense anything strange about that child?"

    "Strange?"

    Joseph smirked three times more lecherously than before.

    Seriously, this bastard really seems like a necromancer.

    "I''ve met those who deal with death a few times. They all had something inmon."

    "... The mystery of death."

    "Exactly. It''s hard to exin in words... but I sensed a certain spiritual power from necromancers. And I felt that power from Maria too."

    "...!"

    Ian was shocked by this gravedigger''s sharp perception.

    It was something Ian knew as well.

    Maria emanated the power of death.

    But... why the f*ck can a gravedigger sense it too?

    With his creepy pale looks, Joseph seemed like just the type the mystery of death would fancy.

    "Maria is definitely a necromancer. Kekeke..."

    Ian asked, just in case:

    "Have you met Sir Leshach?"

    "No. I heard he went to handle some business outside the vige. But when he returns soon, I n to tell him everything I know."

    Ian was certain.

    If Joseph spills everything to Sir Leshach...

    Maria is definitely going to die.

    "I was just telling him about that."

    Kira approached and whispered.

    Ian nodded and said:

    "I''ve heard your story. Thanks for your cooperation, Joseph."

    "Kekeke... Don''t mention it."

    Joseph retreated with a sinisterugh.

    Ian gathered hispanions to briefly discuss their findings.

    "What do you all think?"

    "Is there even anything to think about?"

    Belenka tilted her head as if to say "What are you talking about?"

    "Maria doesn''t seem to be the necromancer who created the undead outside the vige. But she clearly has connections to a necromancer. How else could she have learned magic?"

    That''s what Belenka thought.

    That there was another necromancer outside the vige, and Maria had learned magic from them.

    "Sir Leshach probably thought the same, which is why he went to investigate the outskirts."

    "So... you''re saying someone taught Maria necromancy?"

    "We can find out if we interrogate Maria."

    Belenka said nonchntly.

    "If we pull out a few fingernails, she''ll quickly spill the information..."

    "No, sh*t. That''s not interrogation, it''s torture."

    "Pulled out fingernails grow back, you know?"

    "..."

    That''s not the issue here.

    Ian gave Belenka an exasperated look.

    She snapped her fingers.

    "Ian. Get your head on straight. We''re dealing with a murderer and necromancer. She won''t say anything without some violence."

    "..."

    "What, did you develop some sympathy because she has a pretty face?"

    That wasn''t it.

    Ian was a modern person, but he didn''t particrly object to medieval mindsets calling for harsh punishments for murderers.

    Ain''t nothing wrong with smiting evil bastards, right?

    But Ian hesitated for one reason.

    Something didn''t sit right with him.

    Because there were still puzzle pieces that didn''t fit together, Ian couldn''t bring himself to suggest torturing Maria.

    If Maria wasn''t actually a murderer...

    Then they''d be torturing an innocent person, not an evil bastard.

    "There are two things that still aren''t clear."

    "Two things?"

    Belenka looked at Ian with surprise.

    Ian nodded and said:

    "First, why did Maria kill Robert''s son?"

    The motive is unclear. That''s what Ian thought.

    Belenka seemed to think Maria was just a crazy psycho, but still.

    "And second, it''s questionable whether Maria could actually kill Robert''s son."

    "What do you mean questionable? The ghoul traces..."

    "That''s just evidence a ghoul was waiting at the scene."

    They needed an urate eyewitness ount.

    At the very least, they needed to hear Maria''s exnation one more time.

    Kira marveled at Ian''s calm reasoning.

    "That''s... very logical. So Ian, do you think Maria didn''t kill Robert''s son?"

    "Well. Maybe?"

    "Wow..."

    To be honest, Kira couldn''t follow Ian''s thought process.

    She had never reasoned that way before.

    Based on the circumstances, Maria killed Robert''s son, right? So isn''t Maria a murderer?

    That''s how most medieval people would think.

    This is still a world where evidence-based trials aren''t applied.

    No, trials themselves are rare in this neighborhood. Ian''s way of thinking is actually strange inparison.

    Maria even said she killed Robert''s son.

    To doubt Maria''s guilt at this point?

    There''s no reason to at all.

    But Ian knew at least the basic concepts of ''deduction'' and ''evidence''.

    In his past life, Ian had indirect experience in the legal world.

    Namely through [Legal High] and [Ace Attorney][1]...!

    Though his legal knowledge was only skin-deep... at least he understood the concept of evidence.

    As long as doubts remained, Ian didn''t want to draw conclusions.

    "Hm?"

    Heading towards the shed where Maria was locked up, Ian ran into a familiar giant on the way.

    "Ah! Mr. Ian!"

    Ah. Right. Jubal.

    I told him to go y with the kids.

    "Hey Jubal. How''d the task I gave you go?"

    Despite having forgotten about it until just now, Ian brazenly asked.

    Oblivious to Ian''s thoughts, Jubal grinned.

    "I had fun ying!"

    "Waaaah~"

    When Jubal smiled, the neighborhood kids ying beside him smiled too.

    Hmm. They do seem to have gotten closer.

    Jubal may look intimidating, but after exchanging a few words, you could quickly tell he was an idiot.

    The kids, arrogantly thinking Jubal was inferior to them, approached to tease him.

    Can that be considered getting along?

    Since it hade to this.

    Ian gathered information from the neighborhood kids.

    "Kids. Did you have fun ying with this big brother?"

    "Yes!"

    "Then, can I ask you a few things?"

    Ian asked without much thought.

    He figured kids wouldn''t know much anyway.

    But that was Ian''s mistake.

    Surprisingly, the kids knew a lot.

    "You mean Maria?"

    "That sister is always alone. Oh! Except for Eric!"

    "Pael keeps going to visit her, but Maria seems annoyed by it."

    ''Eric'' was Robert''s dead son.

    And Pael was...

    "Who''s Pael?"

    "The shepherd!"

    Ah. That guy.

    Ian had met him before. When he and Sir Leshach rescued him from the undead wolf attack.

    "I-I think... both Eric and Pael liked Maria..."

    One girl voiced her opinion.

    Typical statement from a teenage girl obsessed with others'' love lives.

    "Even when Pael saw ''that'', he was probably looking for Maria."

    "By ''that'' you mean..."

    Ian asked the girl.

    "When Maria used necromancy?"

    The girl nodded.

    "Yes. When Maria... k-killed Eric. Pael said he saw it all..."

    ...The list of people to meet was growing.

    Pael. The vige shepherd. The one who witnessed Maria''s necromancy.

    Just then, one boy shouted:

    "We knew Maria was a necromancer!"

    What an attention seeker.

    He clearly yelled out of jealousy because Ian was talking to the girl.

    Ah~ I know something too~

    "What do you mean?"

    "Once, Pael took Maria to the sheep pasture. I saw it!"

    "..."

    Why were you watching that?

    Ian was more curious how this kid knew about someone else''s date, but he asked anyway.

    "What did you see?"

    The boy excitedly shouted:

    "Maria tried to rip apart and eat a rotten wolf carcass!"

    "...?"

    What the...

    Ian pondered what that meant for a while.

    Then he realized.

    That must have been an incident caused by the mysteries of death interfering with Maria''s mind.

    ---

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 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian organized the information he gathered from the children.

    The shepherd named Pael witnessed Maria''s necromancy.

    Maria had also exhibited strange behavior in the past. Once, when she was with Pael, she tried to eat a rotten wolf carcass.

    ''Pael. Maria. And Eric.''

    The little girl suspected a love triangle between the three.It wasn''t just a conclusion drawn from being a romantic.

    "This gets stranger by the minute."

    Ian shared his thoughts with hispanions.

    "I''m even more confused about why Maria killed Eric. They liked each other, didn''t they?"

    "She even gave him a gift."

    Belenka muttered.

    In her hand was the dagger, Eric''s keepsake.

    The one who gave this gift was none other than Maria.

    "She killed him with necromancy in a way that was easy to discover, and even got caught."

    "Ian. You still..."

    Kira asked carefully.

    Ian nodded.

    "The one who killed Eric... might not have been Maria."

    Belenka slightly furrowed her brow.

    "But didn''t she admit it herself? That she killed Eric?"

    "No. Maria said this: ''It wasn''t intentional.''"

    "...? That''s the same thing."

    "It means Eric died without her willing it."

    That''s right.

    Maria never once spoke about ''why'' she killed Eric.

    She only said, ''I don''t remember'' and ''It wasn''t intentional.''

    "If Maria were really the culprit, why would she let herself be caught by country farmers?"

    "She might have been unable to use magic for some reason."

    "That... I''ll concede."

    As a wizard, Ian knows well how unstable magic can be.

    What was possible yesterday might not be today.

    If the mysteries refuse to cooperate, it''s all for naught.

    Maria might have simply been caught due to someplication.

    "But she''s quietly locked up in the shed now, right? If we go ask her calmly once more..."

    Just as Ian was saying this.

    Someone came running frantically from afar.

    "Wi-Wizard!"

    The vige chief said, panting heavily.

    "Bi-Big trouble!"

    "What''s with the fuss?"

    "Ma-Maria! Maria!"

    The chief shouted roughly.

    "That b*tch has disappeared!"

    "..."

    Goddamn it.

    Belenka''s expression changed in an instant. Kira too waited for Ian''s instructions with a grim face.

    "Looks like something''s gone down."

    "Haa. Let''s go after her for now."

    Ian hurriedly pursued Maria.

    ---

    ---

    Surprisingly, one of Ian''s specialties was tracking.

    Since he was friendly with Oberon.

    "Oberon! Go find the ck-haired girl!"

    "Caw! Caw!"

    [I''ll find her right away!]

    Proving that crows are the gangsters of the bird world, Oberon grabbed any bird in the forest and shouted while yanking their heads:

    [Where''s the ck-haired girl! Bird-ski!!!]

    [Eeeek!]

    Terrified by Oberon''s crow fists, the birds spilled information readily.

    [Sh-She went towards the clearing over there!]

    [You sure? If I look and she''s not there, it won''t end with just punches!]

    [Eeeeek!]

    Oberon was surprisinglyrge.

    He was about the size of a well-fed country chicken, which exined why Ianined about his weight.

    In the animal world, size equalsbat power.

    Oberon could beat up all other birds except birds of prey.

    Because of this, tracking Maria ended quickly.

    "Caw!"

    [Found her! Master!]

    "Where?"

    [She escaped down the ravine!]

    She went quite far.

    Ian immediately led hispanions down the ravine.

    It was a ce difficult for people to descend, with creepy weeds growing like green zombies and a steep slope.

    In other words, if you escaped here, it would be hard for pursuers to follow.

    Without Oberon''s help, even Ian wouldn''t have searched this ce.

    "Be careful, Ian! Maria''s aplice might appear!"

    Belenka warned sharply.

    If Maria had attempted a bted escape, it wouldn''t be strange for an aplice to pop up.

    ''There she is!''

    Shortly after, Ian spotted the ck-haired girl.

    She was looking around as if searching for something.

    Ian immediately uttered words of magic.

    "[Earth!]"

    The solid ground shook and turned soft like mud.

    Ian had changed the nature of the earth with earth magic.

    The girl staggered about in confusion.

    "Ian sir! Shall I kill her?"

    "Hold on, Jubal."

    "Yes sir!"

    Jubal growled, ready to kill at a moment''s notice.

    Ian alerted hispanions before approaching Maria alone.

    She was rummaging through the soft ground again as if she''d never been startled.

    Ian quietly watched to see what Maria was looking for.

    After a while, Maria pulled something out of the ground.

    "..."

    It was an earthworm as big as a palm.

    Maria brought the wriggling worm to her mouth, whether Ian was watching or not...

    Maria opened her mouth wide.

    At that moment.

    Ian struck Maria''s hand away.

    Thwack.

    Therge earthworm writhes on the ground.

    Maria stared nkly at the worm.

    "Are people not feeding you well?"

    When Ian asked, Maria answered with an alluring eye-smile:

    "No. Why would they give food to a murderous witch like me? They obviously want to kill me as soon as possible."

    Maria groped for the worm again, fumbling.

    Ian gently grasped Maria''s hand so as not to startle her.

    "... What is it?"

    "I''d prefer if you didn''t eat that. If you need food, I''ll give you some. So, don''t eat it."

    "..."

    Vaguely, Ian had guessed.

    Combining Robert''s testimony about herrge appetite and the neighborhood kids'' ount of her trying to eat a rotten wolf carcass, one could deduce the truth.

    Maria was currently under the influence of the mystery of death.

    The endless hunger of the dead was controlling her body.

    "But..."

    "You don''t want to eat it, right? Don''t eat it."

    "...!"

    For a moment, Maria looked up at Ian with a shocked expression.

    But soon, she hid her expression and said:

    "My, how embarrassing. I''ve shown you an unsightly side of me."

    Ian observed Maria for a while.

    More precisely, he observed the sticky mystery clinging to her body.

    Some soul was attached to Maria''s body.

    Though Ian wasn''t a necromancer, he felt he knew what type of soul.

    A hungry ghost. Or the ghost of someone who starved to death...

    "Earthworms don''t seem very tasty."

    "Taste? Huhu. Do you think I''d eat such a thing for its taste?"

    Maria murmured.

    On the surface, it was the murmur of an ordinary girl.

    But Ian felt the power of mystery boiling beneath, hidden. The mystery reacted as if in sympathy with Maria''s anger.

    It''s a phenomenon sometimes seen in Kira too.

    The trace of a novice wizard unaware of their contact with mystery.

    "Originally, what I wanted to eat was a corpse."

    "A corpse?"

    "Yes. I smelled a sweet scent around here. The scent of an ownerless corpse, properly rotted, teeming with insects and maggots..."

    Thud.

    Maria quietly knelt down.

    "I''ve exined this much, so you understand now. Yes. I am a monster."

    "..."

    "I''ve been like this for a long time. Like a mad pig, wanting to stuff anything into my mouth. Salivating at the smell of rotten meat... Ha, haha... Disgusting and horrible, isn''t it?"

    She showed Ian her pale nape.

    "The power of death flows through me. The will of the dead. It gnaws ceaselessly at my will. My body and mind. Yes. That''s why I killed the man who loved me."

    Plop plop.

    The sound of water droplets falling could be heard.

    With her head bowed, Maria''s face wasn''t visible.

    But Ian could tell.

    She was now.

    Crying.

    "My madness...! My wicked power...! The screams of the dead...! They ruined everything!"

    "Maria."

    "You might be able to get rid of my curse by taking my life."

    Maria said, sobbing.

    "Kill me now."

    "..."

    "Kill me! And take away my terrible curse! Please!!!"

    Ian looked down at Maria silently for a while.

    Belenka closed her eyes tightly, and Kira bit her lip.

    The girl''s cry-mixed plea was eerily sorrowful and mournful.

    This is usually how it goes for those whoe into contact with mystery.

    Mystery is called mystery because humans cannot understand it.

    It was only natural that humans who contacted mystery would repeat iprehensible actions.

    Mariapulsively craved food, rotten meat.

    It was not her will, but the dead souls permeating her body and mind that desired it.

    It''s beyond her will.

    That fact drove Maria mad.

    Kira pitied such a Maria.

    ''If I hadn''t met Ian...''

    Kira had received the attention of the mystery of fire without proper magical initiation.

    If she hadn''t met Ian, Kira would still be handling fireworks and mes.

    Someday, unable to extinguish the mes she ignited, she would have burned to death.

    Receiving the attention of mystery was both a blessing and a curse.

    "Ian."

    "..."

    "Shall I do it?"

    Belenka drew her longsword.

    But Ian shook his head.

    "No. There''s no need for that."

    Belenka, having stuck with Ian for quite some time, could tell.

    Ian wasn''t sympathizing with Maria or hesitating to kill.

    Ian was... angry.

    Srrk.

    Ian took out Anor-lsil and aimed it at Maria.

    Ian spoke in a cold voice.

    "If you want to diefortably as you wish, speak honestly."

    "Ah... Of course!"

    Maria lowered her head to make it easier for the de to enter her neck.

    Ian asked without hesitation.

    "You''ve been in contact with the mystery of death for a long time. Is that right?"

    "Yes. Probably since I was twelve years old."

    "But you never learned how to control the mystery."

    "... If there was such a method, I would have learned it even if I had to rip out my heart."

    "And you''ve never met a necromancer."

    "Never."

    "You never prepared a ghoul to kill Eric either."

    "..."

    For a moment, Maria raised her head to look up at Ian.

    At some point, Ian had put away Anor-lsil.

    Instead, with a gentle smile, he patted Maria''s head.

    "You just spoke only the truth. You''ve never contacted a necromancer, nor learned necromancy."

    "...What are you saying? I''ve been possessed by ghosts."

    "Receiving the attention of mystery and handling mystery are separate issues. You fool."

    Maria''s eyes widened.

    Only now does the appearance of the young man before her look different.

    Ian Eredith Raven.

    He was not a nobleman who came to execute Maria...

    He was a wizard, versed in the world and its mysteries.

    Ian dered:

    "Maria. I''ve just confirmed it."

    "... Yes?"

    Ian smiled gently.

    "You did not kill Eric."

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Maria stared nkly at the wizard.

    Ian Eredith Raven.

    He had just said that she didn''t kill anyone.

    ''Why?''

    She couldn''t believe it.No, she couldn''t allow herself to believe it.

    Maria knew well the madness coursing through her veins.

    She had long been tormented by the curse of the dead.

    It was a horrific, disgusting, filthy kind of curse.

    An endless appetite.

    A craving for rotten meat.

    When she closed her eyes, the whispers of the dead echoed in her mind, slowly chipping away at her sanity.

    Maria thought she was already half-mad.

    It couldn''t be helped.

    Maintaining one''s sanity while hearing the whispers of the dead was an incredibly difficult task.

    So even when Eric''s corpsey before her eyes.

    Maria calmly epted the reality.

    Ah. My madness has struck again.

    I''ve killed someone who cared for me with my own hands.

    Maria offered no resistance when the vigers arrested her.

    In the dark shed, she thought and thought again.

    Where did it all go wrong?

    So when she lost consciousness again, she wasn''t surprised.

    When Ian came after her, she wasn''t particrly shocked either.

    She merely thought an opportunity hade.

    A perfect chance to put an end to this miserable, painful life.

    But.

    Ian didn''t kill Maria.

    Instead, he said this.

    That it wasn''t Maria who killed Eric.

    "But... but...!"

    Tears streamed endlessly down Maria''s cheeks.

    Unable to wipe them away, she cried out as if wailing:

    "It could only have been me...! The only one who could have harmed Eric was me!"

    Ian extended his hand to Maria.

    "Are you really sure about that?"

    "...!"

    "You don''t even fully understand the mystery dwelling in your body. Can you still be certain? Was it really only you?"

    Maria fell silent.

    She couldn''t refute Ian''s words.

    No.

    It would be more urate to say she didn''t want to refute them.

    ... If she hadn''t killed Eric.

    If that were true.

    There could be no greater salvation than that.

    "I... I don''t know."

    Maria still couldn''t grasp Ian''s hand.

    "Did I... did I really not kill Eric?"

    Ian smiled and replied:

    "Try trusting the wizard."

    With trembling fingertips, Maria grasped Ian''s outstretched hand.

    "I''ll... I''ll try to believe you."

    Belenka sheathed her sword.

    Kira smiled contentedly, while Jubal scratched his head as if he couldn''t make sense of the situation.

    Still holding Maria''s hand, Ian slowly walked back towards the vige.

    The moment he witnessed Maria''s mystery, Ian had found the missing puzzle piece.

    And now, it was time to deploy the final piece andplete the entire picture.

    ''The shepherd Pael.''

    That boy was the final puzzle piece in this incident.

    Ian intended to interrogate Pael as soon as they returned.

    "Oh my! Mr. Wizard!"

    But at the vige outskirts, Ian encountered a group of farmers.

    Judging by their pitchforks and ils, they were undoubtedly a mob gathered to pursue the escaped Maria.

    Indeed, they were startled upon seeing Maria.

    "The witch!"

    "The wizard''s caught her!"

    Ian scattered darkness to force the farmers back.

    The encroaching nightfall made it convenient to manipte the mystery of darkness.

    "W-Wizard?"

    "Stop making a fuss and go back. I''ve got Maria well in hand."

    "But..."

    "But what?"

    The farmers didn''t dare meet Ian''s eyes.

    If there was anyone capable of staring down a wizard, they certainly wouldn''t be wasting their time as country farmers.

    "Um..."

    "What now?"

    "Sir Leshach is waiting."

    The farmer hesitated before adding:

    "And... the lord as well."

    "The lord?"

    Ian hurried towards the vige square.

    A bustling crowd came into view.

    Sir Leshach, the vigers, and even the lord''s entourage had all gathered.

    "Ah! You must be the wizard Ian!"

    An unfamiliar man acted overly familiar with Ian.

    Judging by his neat attire and the horse he rode, he seemed to be part of the lord''s entourage.

    He appeared to be in his early thirties, not a particrly striking type.

    "Ah. Yes."

    It wasn''t unusual for nobles to act chummy with Ian.

    So Ian simply ignored the man.

    The man seemed slightly taken aback by Ian''s response.

    But he recalled that Ian was a wizard.

    "Aha! I see how it is!"

    "...?"

    "You stupid, arrogant wizard!"

    The man suddenly started hurling insults.

    Ian knew exactly what this was about.

    It was [Calling a Wizard].

    Ian let out a deep sigh, utterly exhausted.

    Come on, there''s a necromancer running around the vige...

    Even in this situation, you still want to try Calling a Wizard?

    "Let''s skip that."

    "What? Who do you think you''re talking back to, you dried-up piss stain!"

    "..."

    "You nauseating ball of phlegm! You toilet turd!"

    No.

    Ian stared at the young noble, dumbfounded.

    That wasn''t Calling a Wizard, it was just straight-up cursing...

    He seriously considered advising the man to pursue a career in hip-hop.

    "Young baron. Stop with the insults."

    "Ah! Sir Leshach! This isn''t just insults, it''s..."

    "It''s just cursing, so knock it off."

    "Are, are you sure?"

    Rural barons didn''t know how to properly Call a Wizard.

    It was only natural, since they rarely had asion to meet wizards.

    Sir Leshach shut the young baron up immediately, then approached Ian.

    "Is the investigationplete?"

    "I''ve uncovered quite a bit."

    "That''s good."

    Sir Leshach pointed to an elderly noble.

    "Baron Dorin came personally to judge the necromancer. He''ll pass sentence today."

    Ian asked, just in case:

    "When does the trial begin?"

    Sir Leshach gazed at the lengthening shadows and replied:

    "Right after sunset."

    ---

    ---

    In medieval times, a lord wielded power like a king within his domain.

    A lord''s rights typically included the right to levy taxes,mand troops, and administer justice.

    Among these, the right to administer justice was truly fantastic.

    In short, it meant the lord''s word =w.

    Whatever the lord decreed instantly became legal!

    Even if he ordered "Every household must eat mint chocte before bed" or "All pizzas must have pineapple," no one could object.

    Why? Because the lord''s word wasw!

    He even had the right to arrest an emperor visiting hisnds if the emperor removed pineapple from a pizza.

    Emperor or not, he broke thew!

    Such were the rights of a medieval lord.

    Of course, if he actually arrested the emperor for not eating pineapple pizza, he''d likely wake up the next day to find his domain a smoldering wastnd...

    But the fact that it was a legitimate exercise of his rights shows just how terrifying a lord''s judicial power could be.

    Before the trial began, Ian briefly questioned Sir Leshach.

    "Have you found the necromancer?"

    Sir Leshach shook his head.

    "No. They left no trace."

    He quickly whispered:

    "They''re either targeting us... or at least trying to get our attention."

    Ian folded his arms, deep in thought.

    "With no clues, we can''t even guess what they want."

    "Sir. If my hunch is correct... they''ll show themselves at today''s trial."

    Surprised by Ian''s words, Sir Leshach stopped speaking.

    Could it be... in that short time, he''d uncovered the necromancer''s identity?!

    "Have you discovered the necromancer?"

    "More or less."

    Ian said:

    "Most likely... they''re after Maria."

    "Maria? That novice necromancer?"

    Ian shook his head.

    "She barely qualifies as a novice. She''s just someone swept up in necromancy."

    "Why would they be interested in such a girl?"

    Ian held his tongue.

    It was all spection. They''d have to see how things yed out to know for sure.

    But regardless, Sir Leshach was genuinely impressed by Ian''s abilities.

    "Entrusting the investigation to you was the right decision."

    "I just stumbled upon it by chance."

    Sir Leshach trusted in the wizard''s wisdom.

    With Ian, they would surely uncover the truth and find the necromancer.

    "I believe in you."

    "What a coincidence. I believe in you too, Sir Leshach."

    Sir Leshach burst outughing at Ian''s joke.

    "Alright then. Let''s do this."

    ---

    ---

    As the sun set, torches zed in the vige square.

    The lord and his retinue. Sir Leshach. Ian and the vigers.

    The trial was ready to begin.

    "We nowmence the trial of the necromancer Maria!"

    Ian observed the lord''s entourage with a nk expression.

    During his rounds of the vige, Ian had gathered various pieces of information.

    As a result, he''d concluded that Maria was not Eric''s killer.

    Ian believed there was no reason for Maria to be executed.

    She was just a pitiful girl overwhelmed by mystery.

    ... But that was merely Ian''s opinion.

    Naturally, it was the lord before him who held Maria''s life in his hands.

    If the lord said innocent, she was innocent. If he said execution, she''d be executed.

    That''s how medieval courts worked.

    "The rightful ruler of thisnd, Baron Dorin, will judge the necromancer''s guilt!"

    The trial''s... emcee was the baron''s son, the young baron.

    "Baron, please speak."

    A hunched old man rose from his chair.

    And.

    The moment Baron Dorin opened his mouth, Ian felt dizzy...

    "Eee~ eee~ ee~"

    "Baron. You need to say you''re starting."

    "Waaah~ I am a baby baron~ Want milk~"

    "..."

    Baron Dorin was... a senile old man!

    That thing... is the judge?

    Ian immediately wanted to object...

    "Excuse me. The baron seems a bit off. Is the trial even possible?"

    "How dare you! Wizard! Mind your tongue! What''s wrong with the baron!"

    As they insisted the trial could proceed, Ian was left speechless.

    If the lord''s son said it was possible, what could Ian say?

    ''Please just don''t spout nonsense.''

    This might actually work out better.

    A young noble who could be swayed was easier to deal with than a stubborn old man.

    The young baron was clearly deferring to Sir Leshach''s authority.

    A typical rural baron''s way of conducting himself.

    "Now exin the situation!"

    The young baron was just a procedural shuttle...

    Sir Leshach would effectively serve as the real judge.

    As the vigers looked on, someone stepped forward and bowed.

    It was Joseph, the pale-faced gravedigger.

    Joseph exined the situation as the vige representative.

    "Two days ago. The necromancer Maria killed Robert''s son, Eric, using necromancy."

    "Maria secretly lured Eric to a secluded forest."

    "There, she possessed a pre-prepared ghoul and brutally murdered Eric."

    "She tried to flee, but fainted due to magical bacsh."

    "In the end, we captured her."

    No sooner had Joseph finished speaking than the vigers began shouting.

    "Execute the witch!"

    "Kill her! Kill her!"

    "For the peace of our vige!"

    While trials were a lord''s right, they were also very important events.

    Just because you could pass judgment freely didn''t mean you actually should.

    If a lord ruled tyrannically, rebellion would naturally follow.

    Thus, the young lord had no choice but to carefully consider Maria''s sentence.

    If Ian and Sir Leshach weren''t present, he would have unhesitatingly passed a death sentence.

    After all, it''s what the vigers wanted!

    If everyone was moring for her death, wouldn''t executing Maria boost the lord''s poprity?

    But the courtroom included individuals even the lord found troublesome.

    The wizard Ian and the knight of the pope, Sir Leshach.

    Tap! Tap!

    A loud tapping sound rang out.

    The wizard Ian stepped before the crowd, striking the ground with his staff.

    At the wizard''s appearance, not just the vigers but even the young lord fell silent.

    "Esteemed lord."

    As Ian began to speak.

    All eyes focused on him.

    Ian spoke calmly, his voice almost melodic:

    "Here, I wish to reveal three truths."

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    To the people, Maria was already a b*tch worthy of death.

    They took in a parentless girl with nowhere to go, fed and sheltered her. And she killed their son and tried to run away?

    Their rage was understandable.

    But Ian knew Maria hadn''t killed Eric.

    It had merely been staged to look that way.''I don''t know why they did it, though.''

    This was what Ian had discovered from investigating the vige.

    Maria was only a murder suspect. The real culprit was someone else. That was Ian''s conclusion.

    He couldn''t figure out why the real culprit had tried to frame Maria.

    Because he hadn''t spoken with them yet.

    But at least he could argue for Maria''s innocence here and now.

    Maria = Culprit.

    Removing this frame was the first step.

    "Three truths?"

    The young baron tilted his head.

    He hade to the vige to ''y''.

    No joke, he really came just to have fun.

    He''d heard rumors of necromancers roaming around the domaintely.

    But aren''t knights supposed to deal with that sort of thing? Not my problem!

    He was already bing a bad seed of hereditary nobility, a budding member of the privileged ss.

    If necromancers were about, the lord should be the busiest of all.

    But the real lord was a senile old man... and the young baron was a shameless fool, waiting to inherit the title without knowing how to do anything.

    So the young baron could go out carefree.

    He was more interested in Sir Leshach, who imed to havee to beat up necromancers, than in the necromancers themselves!

    Whatever Maria had done in this vige, he didn''t care.

    He nned to quickly pass a death sentence and then go drinking with Sir Leshach.

    But.

    This wizard suddenly says he''ll reveal three truths.

    The young baron decided to watch what the wizard would do for now.

    Wizards were such unpredictable beings, and since Sir Leshach was keeping quiet, it felt awkward for him to say anything. (He was not aware that he was supposed to be the judge.)

    "Alright! Speak!"

    The young baron naturally assumed Ian would prove Maria''s guilt.

    He couldn''t imagine anything else.

    The vigers felt the same way.

    But Ian began to tell a storypletely different from people''s expectations.

    "First, let me introduce myself. I am Ian, disciple of Eredith. At Sir Leshach''s request, I''ve been investigating the necromancer Maria."

    Ian strode confidently around the courtroom as if sweeping it.

    He was used to being the center of attention.

    That natural, dignified attitudebined with the wizard''s mysterious aura added persuasive authority.

    As evidence, everyone was holding their breath, focused on Ian''s words.

    "I heard that Maria killed a young man named Eric, so I investigated that in detail... but there were some questionable points."

    "... Questionable? What do you mean?"

    When Ian made a statement that didn''t fit the flow of the trial.

    The young baron asked in genuine surprise.

    Is he... not arguing for Maria''s guilt right now?

    "First. Maria killed Robert''s son, Eric. But... why did she kill him?"

    A moment of silence fell.

    The only ones who could answer this question were the vigers.

    But with the lord, knight, and wizard speaking here, no one dared to step forward.

    Unless they hadpletely lost their senses, that is.

    "I''ll answer that question."

    The pale-faced gravedigger stepped forward.

    The gravedigger, Joseph.

    He was amoner who had not an ounce of fear.

    "Why did Maria kill Eric? The reason is simple."

    Joseph spoke in an eerie voice.

    "My cousin was forced to reluctantly raise Maria on the vige chief''s orders. My ill-tempered cousin and his wife bullied and abused Maria."

    "Ah, no! Joseph! What are you saying...!"

    Robert and his wife, who had been silent until now, were aghast.

    The fact that the couple had tormented Maria was an open secret.

    But to say that in front of the lord!

    Whose side are you on! Really!

    "Kuk kuk... Robert. Don''t try to gloss over the situation with pretty words. This isn''t a ce where flimsy lies will work."

    "B-But still...!"

    "Evidence that you bullied Maria is everywhere. Should we ask the children?"

    "..."

    When Joseph turned his head, the vigers flinched and avoided the gravedigger''s gaze.

    Joseph''s words were true.

    Maria had indeed been bullied by Robert and his wife.

    Those who knew were aware, but no one particrly tried to stop it.

    It''s not like there''d be any consequences for tormenting a parentless orphan as a pastime...

    Joseph looked at Ian and said.

    "The grudge overflowed. Maria, who usually suffered from discrimination and bullying by the Robert couple, decided to kill their eldest son out of resentment... Kuk kuk."

    There was no reaction from the vigers. It was a motive everyone had more or less guessed.

    Even the young baron, hearing the story for the first time, nodded.

    But Ian slowly shook his head.

    "That doesn''t make sense."

    "Kuk kuk... Why do you think so?"

    Ian took out a dagger from his pocket.

    The only person who recognized that object was Robert and his wife''s daughter.

    "That''s...!"

    "Perfect. You tell us."

    Ian called Eric''s younger sister forward.

    Called to the center of the courtroom, she approached Ian''s side, trembling.

    "Can you exin what this object is?"

    Though shaking, she did as Ian instructed.

    "This is... something Maria gave to my brother... She must have given it to seduce him! Or maybe put some curse on it!"

    "Enough. That''s all."

    Ian sent her back and exined.

    "As you just heard, this is a dagger Maria gifted to Eric. Of course, it''s an ordinary dagger without any curse."

    "Ordinary? How do you know that?"

    When the young baron asked, Ian lightly snapped his fingers.

    Pitch-ck darkness swirled around Ian before disappearing.

    Faint-hearted vigers slumped to the ground, and even the young baron gaped as he watched Ian''s magic.

    With the sun now set and darkness fallen, Ian demonstrated dark magic with ease.

    "I guarantee it on my magic."

    "... Continue."

    Ian went on.

    "This wasn''t given to ''seduce'' Eric. It was Maria''s gift, conveying her gratitude towards Eric."

    "Gratitude?"

    "As Joseph said, Robert and his wife hated Maria. But there was one person. One person in that house who liked Maria."

    The young baron nodded frantically.

    "That must be Eric!"

    "Correct. Eric and Maria have been in a budding rtionship for quite some time."

    Ian summoned the vige children with a gesture.

    The children repeated the same testimony as before.

    "Big sis Maria was close with big bro Eric and big bro Pael!"

    "We saw it clearly!"

    Ian looked around calmly and eximed.

    "Maria cared for Eric enough to give him a gift. So she simply killed him to get revenge on Robert and his wife? Doesn''t something seem off?"

    "That''s..."

    The young baron tilted his head.

    Now that he thought about it, it did seem strange.

    If she was a necromancer who could control ghouls, wouldn''t it be much easier to just kill Robert and his wife?

    "Kuk kuk... An interesting spection."

    Josephughed grimly.

    "But, Mr. Wizard. How can we understand the thought process of someone like Maria?"

    Joseph knew Maria''s mind was a mess.

    "I know about those who wield the power of death. And from Maria, I clearly sense the power of death."

    The young baron wavered slightly.

    Sir Leshach''s eyebrows twitched.

    They understood that Maria''s motive was ambiguous.

    But Maria could use necromancy?

    If she was the only one capable of murder using a ghoul, then what could they do?

    "I acknowledge that the mystery of death can be sensed from Maria."

    "Then there''s no need to continue this..."

    "However."

    Ian cut off the young baron''s words.

    The young baron shut his mouth and waited for Ian to continue, despite being interrupted.

    "At the time of the incident, Maria was unconscious. There''s no way she could havemitted murder."

    Joseph shouted as if he''d been waiting for this.

    "The ''fainting'' was the result! She fainted because she used necromancy!"

    "No. Maria did not use necromancy. She fainted due to some external factor."

    "..."

    "..."

    A deathly silence nketed the makeshift courtroom.

    The young baron, Sir Leshach.

    Robert and his wife, and even Joseph.

    Everyone lost their words and stared at Ian.

    Without a hint of hesitation or uncertainty, Ian boldly continued.

    "If Maria had used necromancy, Eric wouldn''t have died."

    "W-What...!"

    "Wizard! What on earth are you saying!"

    The vigers were collectively shocked.

    To them, Maria was a b*tch.

    They thought this was obviously a ce to discuss her execution... but suddenly he''s arguing for her innocence!

    The flow of the trial was clearly different from what they wanted.

    So someone hiding in the crowd shouted.

    "ck hair! This man is on the witch''s side!"

    People looked back and forth between Ian and Maria.

    Both had ck hair and ck eyes...

    They possessed unusual appearances rarely seen in the Empire.

    Swayed by public opinion, the young baron asked Ian in a trembling voice.

    "C-Could it be... you were actually on the necromancer''s side..."

    "Haa. Young Baron."

    When Ian sighed, the young baron flinched.

    Sure enough, Ian scolded the young baron in front of everyone.

    "Are you implying that Sir Leshach who entrusted me with this task has terrible judgment?"

    "W-What?!"

    "It sounds like you''re saying Sir Leshach is an idiot for bringing a necromancer as apanion... is that right?"

    "No! Absolutely not!"

    The young lord couldn''t recover his stance and once again shut his mouth.

    It was impossible to doubt Ian. Because Ian was a wizard recognized by Sir Leshach.

    Which means...

    Ian must have some basis for arguing innocence.

    "Very well. Let''s hear from an eyewitness at this point."

    Snap!

    Ian snapped his fingers.

    "Shepherd Pael, step forward."

    This was a courtroom with all the vigers gathered.

    There was no way Pael wouldn''t be participating. That''s what Ian thought.

    As expected, Pael was in attendance.

    "Ah... Yes!"

    A young man with an innocent look stepped forward.

    He looked around awkwardly, seemingly ufortable in this setting.

    Ian approached Pael and said.

    "Shepherd Pael. You witnessed Maria''s necromancy. Correct?"

    "Yes! That''s right! I saw it with my own two eyes!"

    "Exin the situation."

    Pael spoke without hesitation.

    "While taking a walk, I happened to discover Maria and Eric. The two seemed to be having some kind of secret conversation in the forest."

    "But suddenly Maria copsed... and out of nowhere, a ghoul appeared and tore Eric to death."

    "I was surprised, thinking this must be the necromancy I''d only heard about, so I brought people."

    "You know the rest, Mr. Wizard."

    At Pael''s testimony, the vigers were stirred up once again.

    No matter how many times they heard it... the culprit could only be Maria.

    Hadn''t Joseph and Ian already acknowledged Maria''s necromancy abilities?

    But Ian calmly looked at Joseph.

    "Joseph. What do you think?"

    "... I''m not a necromancer, but I know that necromancers can possess undead."

    Joseph spoke in a low voice.

    "Maria possessed a ghoul and brutally murdered Eric. But due to her inexperienced necromancy, she couldn''t return to her original body in time. That''s why she lost consciousness."

    "Even if Maria had no intention to kill... do you still think Maria is the culprit?"

    "Whether there was intent or not, murder is murder. Even if Maria was possessed by ghostly madness and identallymitted murder... the dead don''te back."

    The dead don''te back.

    That sentence painfully stabbed Maria''s heart with cruel sharpness.

    ''Ah...''

    She wanted to rush into the courtroom right then.

    To shout that she had killed that person. To beg forgiveness for her wrongdoing.

    But.

    Ian had told Maria.

    The one who killed Eric wasn''t you.

    It might have been a shallow lie.

    But Maria decided to believe Ian''s words.

    She wanted to believe she hadn''t killed Eric...

    "Then. You think Maria used possession magic?"

    For a moment, Joseph didn''t understand Ian''s question.

    Isn''t that... the same question as before?

    "Yes. I think she did."

    Since it was the same question, Joseph gave the same answer.

    Then, Ian asked a follow-up question.

    "Joseph. Do you know what kind of death mystery Maria handles?"

    "... Pardon?"

    This time there was no way to answer.

    Well, Joseph was a gravedigger, not a wizard.

    "I''m sorry, Mr. Wizard. I don''t know."

    Ian nodded.

    Well, that''s expected. I didn''t expect you to know anyway.

    Ian then questioned Pael.

    "What about you? You witnessed the scene, so you might know. What kind of death mystery do you think Maria handles?"

    "Well..."

    "Even something minor is fine, just say whates to mind."

    Pael scratched his head and said.

    "I''m not sure. Mr. Wizard. Nothinges to mind at all."

    "Really, nothinges to mind?"

    "Yes. Well... she controls some kind of spirit, doesn''t she?"

    "What kind of spirit?"

    "Just... dead ghosts..."

    At that moment.

    Ian let out a snicker.

    It was clearly a mockingugh.

    "Once again. Kids,e forward."

    Ian called the children to testify.

    The children looked at Ian with big, round eyes.

    "What kind of ghost do you think Maria summons?"

    "..."

    "..."

    The children nced at each other.

    ''Why is he asking kids something like that...''

    ''Do kids even know?''

    The vigers couldn''t understand Ian''s actions.

    They naturally thought the children wouldn''t be able to give any answer.

    But surprisingly, one child spoke up.

    "I, I..."

    This was the child''s thought.

    "I think Big Sis Maria... summons ''ghosts of those who starved to death''."

    "...?"

    The vigers tilted their heads.

    Ghosts of those who starved to death...?

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Sir Leshach looked at Ian, intrigued.

    ''I don''t know the wizard''s skills. But...''

    The name Wizard Ian was one his subordinates had told him about.

    Sir Leshach didn''t even know that a person named Ian existed in the world.

    He only gave high marks for the part about helping the Knights of Saint Santiago and Golden Finger Takarion.However, at this moment, Sir Leshach made a definitive assessment of Ian.

    ''Ian is clearly a wise wizard.''

    The idea of a wise wizard solving riddles was something he had only thought existed in fairy tales from long ago.

    But Sir Leshach had to revise his thinking.

    Right before his eyes was a wise wizard who seemed to have stepped out of a story.

    The only person who knew the full story surrounding Necromancer Maria was Ian alone.

    Everyone in the vige thought Maria was a murderer.

    Sir Leshach had also been assuming as much to some extent.

    But Ian had found some new possibility amidst the sea of confusing information.

    If it had a reasonable basis...

    If Maria imed innocence, Sir Leshach was willing to agree.

    "Wizard Ian. Exin about the ''starved ghost''."

    After sending the children away, Ian spoke in a calm voice.

    "Just now, I happened to witness Maria being overwhelmed by the mystery of death."

    "What did it look like?"

    "She was trying to dig up the ground to eat worms."

    "..."

    "..."

    The young baron wore a shocked expression, and even Sir Leshach looked slightly surprised.

    "That''s certainly not a normal urrence."

    "If an ordinary person had seen Maria, they would have just thought she was crazy."

    Ian said impassively.

    "Just like the Robert couple thought."

    Robert and his wife''s faces turned pale.

    The young baron pressed the couple.

    "Speak! Did you know about Maria''s strangeness?"

    "W-Well...! We knew she had a big appetite, but..."

    A big appetite.

    That was also one of the reasons why Robert and his wife hated Maria.

    Sometimes she would eat like a demon had possessed her, and it was unbearably irritating.

    But Robert and his wife failed to recognize the mystery of death clinging to Maria.

    Maria was truly ''possessed''...

    "We didn''t know it was because of a ghost!"

    "That''s enough."

    Ian red at Robert and his wife.

    Guilty as they were, they couldn''t say another word and returned to their original ces.

    "As I saw, and as Joseph and the Robert couple know... Maria is in a state of being tormented by a ''hungry ghost''."

    Joseph nodded reluctantly.

    "I acknowledge that... But what of it?"

    Thud!

    Ian struck the ground with his staff.

    "Maria has never properly learned necromancy. She doesn''t know how to control the mystery, and instead, she has only shown signs of being overwhelmed by it."

    "Ah."

    Sir Leshach let out a low exmation. He understood what Ian was trying to say.

    Sir Leshach was also a cleric who had studied scripture and the Maroniusnguage.

    He had some knowledge about magic.

    "I see. If Maria... got caught up in a mystery by ident..."

    Impressive, as expected of an educated man!

    Ian grinned and continued Sir Leshach''s thought.

    "Yes. She wouldn''t have had the leisure to harm anyone."

    "What nonsense...!"

    "If Maria had identally possessed a ghoul, rather than killing people, she would have gone looking for rotten meat!"

    "...!"

    "...!"

    The young baron and the vigers were simultaneously shocked.

    Ian dered loudly.

    "The mystery that clings to Maria is precisely the ''hungry ghost''!"

    ---

    ---

    The three truths Ian aimed to prove were these.

    Maria''s motive for murder, her means, and whether it was feasible for her to carry it out.

    Ian not only demonstrated the ambiguity of Maria''s motive for murder, but also proved that even the feasibility was unclear.

    Maria could have identally possessed the ghoul. That could happen due to the whims of the mystery.

    However...

    The possessed Maria wouldn''t have torn Eric to death.

    Maria, dominated by the mystery of death, would only have been transformed to crave food.

    "Seeing her try to eat worms convinced me. The mystery clinging to Maria has no aggression."

    "...But couldn''t she have killed Eric in order to eat him?"

    Joseph cried out urgently.

    But Ian shook his head.

    "Remember the corpse. What state was Eric''s body in?"

    "That''s..."

    Joseph quickly shut his mouth.

    The person who buried Eric''s corpse was Joseph himself.

    Eric''s body was badly damaged, but there were no signs of cannibalism...

    "Let me summarize the situation for you."

    Ian spoke again.

    "On the day Eric was murdered, Maria had lost consciousness and copsed due to someone''s actions."

    "At that time, the ''real culprit'' of this incident controlled a ghoul to kill Eric. Then they quietly slipped away."

    "You all thought Maria was the culprit because she was the only one who could control ghouls."

    "Sure, Maria could possess a ghoul."

    "However, Maria''s ghost is one that''s only fixated on food. If Maria had borrowed its power, she might have craved food, but she wouldn''t have attacked people."

    "..."

    A heavy silence nketed the courtroom.

    The only thing that cut through that deathly silence was the sobbing of a girl.

    "Hic... huuuuk...!"

    It was Maria.

    Forgetting that this was the lord''s courtroom, Maria pressed her head to the ground and wailed.

    "Uwaaaaaa!"

    Kira and Belenka hurried to calm Maria down.

    But Maria couldn''t stop crying.

    Relief at not being a murderer.

    Guilt towards the deceased Eric.

    And anger towards the real culprit.

    All sorts of emotions swirled chaotically in the small, fragile girl''s heart.

    That pain and resentment were not emotions that could easily subside...

    Ian waited to let Maria cry her heart out.

    As Maria''s crying subsided, Sir Leshach spoke.

    "I understand sufficiently. Ian. It''s difficult to see Maria as the culprit who harmed Eric."

    "That''s right."

    "Continue speaking. Is the real culprit you''re thinking of in this vige?"

    The vigers held their breath as they looked at Ian.

    Ian slowly nodded.

    "Yes. They are."

    Amidst the mixture of shock and sighs.

    Ian said.

    "Shepherd Pael."

    "...!"

    "It could only be him."

    Pael stepped forward with a sour expression.

    He spoke to Ian with a look of iprehension.

    "You mean me, sir?"

    "I mean you, Pael."

    Pael looked around.

    As if searching for an escape route.

    "Suddenly saying such a thing... it''s quite perplexing and troublesome."

    The vigers nodded.

    Ian''s usation seemed too oundish.

    "Surely you don''t think I''m the murderer just because I witnessed the killing? It''s a bad habit to use without solid evidence..."

    Ian let out a snicker.

    Pael''s reaction looked exactly like that of a guilty bastard.

    "You know what, Pael? In detective novels, when the detective points out the real culprit, the criminals always say this. ''Do you have evidence?''"

    "... What novels?"

    Ianmented the wretched medieval reading level.

    Read some books in the library once in a while, damn it!

    Even though there''s no library, no books, and no knowledge to read...!!!

    "As you said, one reason I think you''re the culprit is that you''re the only witness."

    Pael immediately put on an aggrieved expression.

    "If you suspect me just because I reported it..."

    "I''m suspicious because you reported it. Listen carefully. If Maria didn''t possess the ghoul. Who controlled it?"

    "..."

    "At the scene, there was only Maria, Eric, and you. Eric is dead, and Maria was unconscious. That only leaves you, doesn''t it?"

    Scratching his head, Pael said.

    "A hidden necromancer could have..."

    "That''s even stranger. A passing necromancer attacks a viger with a ghoul out of boredom? And it happens to be a boy Maria was close to?"

    The vagueness of the motive.

    When Ian pointed that out, Pael immediately retorted.

    "It could have been a weird necromancer! Wizards are entric by nature, after all!"

    The residents nodded.

    Even Sir Leshach seemed to agree.

    Ian''s pure and innocent heart was about to be wounded.

    This is wizard hatred! Discrimination!

    The reality that such words were persuasive was depressingly bitter...

    "No. You had a motive to kill Maria''s boyfriend candidate."

    "Oh ho. Me? Do you really think so?"

    ... This bastard.

    He''s not even trying to hide it anymore?

    At Pael''s brazen response, Ian spat out.

    "You wanted Maria, didn''t you?"

    At that, Pael burst intoughter.

    "Hahaha! Just like a wizard, you''re talking nonsense! You''re saying I killed Eric to have Maria for myself? Learning necromancy and preparing a ghoul?"

    "..."

    "Wizard. I don''t... sense any mystery of death from Pael."

    Joseph whispered as if giving advice.

    You''re saying this knowing that, right?

    Of course, Ian knew that too.

    "No. There��s no need for that. He was a necromancer from the start."

    Pael''s parents and acquaintances were startled.

    Our child... was a necromancer from the beginning?!

    Pael sneered at Ian.

    "What are you saying now..."

    But Ian cut off Pael''s words.

    "''You'' were originally a necromancer. Nameless wizard."

    "...!"

    Ian''s target was clear.

    Not Pael, but the wizard hiding behind Pael''s shell.

    Pael''s acquaintances looked at him in shock.

    Pael didn''t seem flustered or try to deny Ian''s words.

    He was just... smiling.

    "Kuk kuk... You''ve got a decent head on your shoulders, wizard."

    Ian gazed calmly at Pael.

    Shepherd Pael.

    He was a necromancer who had infiltrated the vige.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian red at Pael.

    No, he red at the nameless necromancer.

    That bastard was the root cause of this incident.

    The one who murdered Eric and framed Maria.

    ''...But why?''This was all spection from here.

    Yet strangely, Ian was certain his thoughts were correct.

    The reason was unclear.

    It was just a wizard''s intuition.

    "You... nned this from the start, targeting Maria."

    Pael (tentatively named) listened intently to Ian''s words with a meaningful smile.

    "Why do you think that, wizard?"

    Ian nced briefly at Maria.

    At Maria, who was ring at Pael as if she wanted to tear him apart.

    There was only one thing that made sense.

    "You were attracted to Maria''s appearance."

    "Kuk, hahaha! Masterpiece, wizard! I orchestrated all this, entranced by some wench''s looks? This troublesome affair?"

    "If it weren''t troublesome, it wouldn''t have been meaningful."

    Ian said in a low voice.

    "What you wanted... was Maria''s submission."

    "..."

    "It was a suspicious situation to anyone. Everyone thought Maria was the murderer, and she nearly faced execution."

    Pael is the mastermind who manipted this situation.

    That means Pael deliberately led Maria to the gallows from the beginning.

    Why go to such trouble?

    Simply wanting to kill Maria?

    A necromancer whomands undead minions?

    "You wanted to make Maria an ''outcast.''"

    Pael''s goal wasn''t Maria''s murder.

    It was Maria''s ''social'' murder.

    "Maria is a woman born with the talent for necromancy. She''s a future necromancer in the making."

    "..."

    "But even if Maria learned necromancy, there was no guarantee she would move ording to the will of her teacher."

    A disciple follows the pathid by their master.

    But there''s no rule saying they must walk the exact same path.

    ... Especially if the master''s path is bloody and horrific.

    "You''re a wizard from the [Golden Rule Society], aren''t you?"

    Pael smiled deeply.

    It was as good as an affirmation.

    "Correct. Did Leshach tell you?"

    "It''s too obvious. A ck wizard prowling around here. Pulling this kind of sh*t, no less."

    It could only be a wizard from the Golden Rule Society.

    - That was Ian''s conclusion.

    And that conclusion was correct.

    Pael bowed theatrically like a jester.

    "Then let me introduce myself properly. I am a necromancer from the [Golden Rule Society]. [Heavenly Wizard] Bertholdt."

    Ian let Pael''s... no, ''Bertholdt''s'' self-introduction go in one ear and out the other.

    So what?

    What the f*ck is a Heavenly Wizard, you f*cking weeb?

    But an unexpected reaction came from an unlikely source.

    "...Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt!"

    It was Sir Leshach.

    Sir Leshach knew the name Bertholdt.

    Ian nodded.

    Ah. So that''s how it is.

    Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt must be like a title from a martial arts novel!

    Martial arts novel special - You have to act surprised when a title appears.

    Can''t resist a clich��~

    "Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt!"

    Ian shouted, following Sir Leshach''s lead.

    Bertholdtughed sinisterly.

    "Hehe... Now do you understand? What kind of wizard you''re facing!"

    "Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt!"

    "Yes! That''s me!"

    "Right! You''re Bertholdt!"

    "...?"

    Bertholdt paused at Ian''s strange response.

    He was giving a killer answer, but...

    Somehow, it feltcking...

    "Hey. You do know what kind of wizard I am, right?"

    Ian answered boldly.

    "Of course! You''re Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt!"

    Something feels off.

    "...Besides that!"

    "I don''t know anything?"

    "..."

    Bertholdt''s blood pressure spiked.

    This bastard... running his mouth without knowing a damn thing about me!

    "Who cares what kind of bastard you are! Plotting sinister schemes from the shadows!"

    Ian pointed usingly at Bertholdt.

    "The Bertholdt I know is a gloomy bastard trying to drive a young girl to social death by framing her! Only when she''s isted and cast out by the world! Then you can educate Maria the way you want!"

    Ian''s tone was f*cking pissed, but he was hitting the nail on the head.

    So Bertholdt''s hands trembled.

    That''s right. What Bertholdt desired was Maria''s social istion.

    Maria, pushed to be a death row inmate and evil necromancer, would lose her trust in humanity and harbor hatred for the world.

    Not missing that moment, Bertholdt would extend a hand of salvation...

    ''I can nurture your necromancy.''

    ''Your murder was perfectly justified. Don''t you want revenge on those who tormented you?''

    Very few people wouldn''t fall for such temptation.

    Because Bertholdt alone would affirm Maria when she was isted and driven to death.

    ... But Bertholdt''s n waspletely overturned.

    The wizard Ian had uncovered that hideous truth.

    "Maria has ck hair and ck eyes. Golden Rule Society. The traits of ''Imperial people'' you guys cream your pants over."

    "..."

    "Your goal is to raise Maria as a true Imperial ck wizard, isn''t it?"

    Ian''s tone was annoying as f*ck, but...

    Instead of getting irritated, Bertholdt slowly pped.

    p, p, p.

    The empty apuse echoed hollowly.

    "Perfect. Everything is as you say, Ian Eredith Raven."

    There was no way to deny it anymore.

    Bertholdt cleanly admitted to his crimes.

    Since everything was exposed, there was nothing left to hide.

    "Maria. I apologize for ying such a cruel prank on you."

    "...Cruel prank?"

    Maria murmured nkly, as if hearing an unfamiliar word.

    She was shocked by Bertholdt''s amazing word choice.

    "I bore you no ill will. I simply wanted to show how pathetic, stupid, and easily swayed these ''Holy Imperial people'' are."

    Ian was dumbfounded by Bertholdt''s words.

    Sure, the vigers had wavered back and forth. They''d misunderstood and nearly executed Maria by mistake.

    But that... f*ck, you intended all that, you bastard.

    Isn''t it weirder for rural farmers to foil a n carefullyid by a wizard?

    Bertholdt was determined to frame Maria from the start, and he nearly seeded.

    If Ian hadn''t interfered, Maria would have easily received a death sentence.

    And now what?

    He''s spouting ''Hehe. Holy Imperial people are stupid for not seeing through my n~''?

    He was clearly a chuunibyou-afflicted bastard.

    "Maria. You''re different from these stupid barbarian descendants. Noble Imperial blood flows through your veins..."

    "Shut- the f*ck up!!!"

    She couldn''t listen anymore.

    Maria clenched her fists and screamed at the top of her lungs.

    "Don''t say another f*cking word! You, you took Eric''s... Eric''s life...! You yed with it like a toy! With me! With the vigers!

    We all danced in your filthy hands...!"

    "..."

    "I swear right here. Even if my limbs are shattered and my heart ripped out..."

    Maria cried out.

    "I''ll never forgive you necromancers! Never!"

    Maria''s voice savagely raked across the courtroom.

    It was a voice so loud and intense, it was hard to believe it came from a small girl.

    Perhaps because it was a cry containing a sincere oath.

    Ian looked at Bertholdt and smirked.

    "You''re f*cked. What now?"

    A situation 180 degrees different from the initial n.

    Bertholdt wanted Maria to join the Golden Rule Society. But there''s no chance in hell she''ll ever be hisrade now.

    "...I see. I''ve incurred her hatred."

    Bertholdt gazed vacantly at the night sky.

    At that moment.

    Ian felt a chilling sensation crawl up his spine.

    ''Wait. That''s...!''

    The most horrific sensation any living being can instinctively feel.

    Death.

    Death began to gather around Bertholdt, as if creeping in.

    The gravedigger Joseph was most surprised by this bizarre phenomenon.

    "Impossible! He clearly had no power just moments ago...!"

    But Ian and Sir Leshach instantly grasped the truth.

    "A corpse..."

    "What? What?!"

    "That''s neither ''Pael'' nor ''Bertholdt''!"

    Belenka, closest to Bertholdt, moved first.

    "Haaah!"

    Belenka''s longsword passed smoothly through Bertholdt''s nape.

    Simultaneously, Bertholdt''s head rolled on the ground.

    Thud...

    No matter how great a wizard, they die when beheaded.

    Magic always requires an incantation to persuade mystery, so if you cut off a wizard''s head before theyplete the incantation, the magic won''t activate.

    However, that only applies...

    When you''ve properly ''killed'' the wizard.

    "Be careful! Ian! Bertholdt is the [Heavenly Wizard]! He''s on a whole different level frommon necromancers!"

    Sir Leshach shouted in Maroniusnguage while drawing his sword.

    "[Heavens above! Protect your children!]"

    In an instant, the darkness vanished and a beam of moonlight illuminated Sir Leshach.

    The heavens had epted Sir Leshach''s holy plea.

    At the same time.

    The mystery of death enveloping Bertholdt erupted skyward like an explosion!

    Though his head was clearly severed, Bertholdt kept moving.

    The reason is simple.

    "That was a corpse from the start!"

    Bertholdt is an excellent necromancer.

    "Bertholdt was controlling Pael''s corpse!"

    The ''real'' Bertholdt must be hiding somewhere, controlling Pael''s corpse.

    The reason no mystery of death was felt from Pael''s corpse was also simple.

    Because Bertholdt hadn''t sent the mystery...!

    The mystery of death must have only been swirling around the real Bertholdt!

    The beheaded Bertholdt.

    No, Pael''s corpse shouted.

    [The childish game ends now! Maria! True daughter of the Empire! I''ll have you by force if I must!]

    The swirling mystery of death was ominously dreadful.

    Just as mystery of fire raises mes and the mystery of wind stirs up gales.

    ... The mystery of death can trample and annihte life itself.

    It''s not just dangerous in appearance, but truly perilous!

    ''Ordinary magic won''t cut it!''

    Ian focused intently.

    If exposed to the deathly power Bertholdt had amassed, even Ian couldn''t guarantee survival.

    The power Bertholdt had gathered was extremely dangerous.

    But there was also a clear weakness.

    ''He''s not the main body, but a possessed vessel.''

    The one wielding that power is Bertholdt, possessing a corpse.

    If we can just destroy that corpse, the mystery of death will lose its focal point and dissipate.

    ''I''ll unleash everything!''

    There was no time to hold back.

    Ian prepared the most powerful magic he could.

    If we''re talking Ian''s strongest magic, it''s obviously skill card magic.

    "[Lightning Spear!]"

    [Grand Skill: Lightning Spear (Lv4)]

    [Throws a spear made of unstable lightning that will fry everything it touches!]

    Fizzzzzz!

    One of the 8 skill cards created with the ice god Hrundal.

    The power of a great technique unfurled from Ian''s fingertips.

    Ian grasped an enormous spear of lightning in his hand.

    The vigers.

    Sir Leshach and Maria.

    Even Bertholdt.

    "What the... is that?"

    They stared at Ian''s magic, unable to hide their astonishment.

    And no wonder.

    Ian''s magic was... a bizarre spell unlike anything any wizard had ever experienced!

    The skill card system of magic is an original creation devised by Ian and Hrundal, non-existent in this world.

    It''s only natural they''ve never seen it before.

    "The mystery of lightning...? But the sky is so quiet...!"

    Bertholdt forgot he had an enemy before him, busy analyzing this never-before-seen magic.

    He too was a wizard, after all.

    But Ian didn''t give a damn what Bertholdt thought.

    "Bertholdt!"

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Ian plunged the lightning spear towards Bertholdt.

    The lightning spear was so fast. It engulfed Bertholdt in an instant.

    Before Bertholdt could even finish his astonishment-

    "Vanish!"

    Kwaaaang!

    The spear of pure lightning pierced Bertholdt''s crown!

    An earsplitting roar and blinding radiance swept the surroundings.

    A momentter.

    "...Heavens above."

    Sir Leshach rubbed his stinging eyes and looked straight ahead.

    Ian''s lightning spear had charred the corpse Bertholdt was controlling pitch ck.

    The man-sized lump of charcoal that was once a corpse slowly crumbled.

    Thud.

    Ian breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the fallen corpse.

    So much for being a Heavenly Wizard (lol).

    Necromancer Bertholdt. Surprisingly underwhelming, huh?

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt.

    [Heavenly Wizard] was originally an official title from the Golden Empire era.

    Wizards existed even in the Golden Empire days (in fact, that was their golden age).

    Heavenly Wizard was the highest rank in the imperial magic department, a wise advisor position helping the governor and regent run the empire.

    Heavenly Wizard was originally a Golden Empire office.But Bertholdt is from the Holy Empire.

    Yet he can brazenly go around with the title [Heavenly Wizard] because...

    The organization he belongs to, the [Golden Rule Society], is obsessed with the Golden Empire.

    You know how when some people get too obsessed with something, they start using all sorts of weird titles?

    Like how during the real-life Japanese Empire era, there were ck-haired nobles running around calling themselves counts and viscounts.

    ''We''re the legitimate sessors of the ancient Golden Empire!''

    ''So let''s use titles from the Golden Empire!''

    In the Golden Empire, the number 1000 was used to mean something like superior or awesome.

    So Heavenly Wizard just meant a really, really exceptional wizard.

    The name Heavenly Wizard itself was undoubtedly a chuunibyou name steeped in pretension and ancient empire obsession.

    But Bertholdt''s skills were the real deal.

    ''A weirdo who wanders around looking for Golden Empire era tombs.''

    Bertholdt was part of the Golden Rule Society and a ck wizard, but like most wizards, he was a bit off in the head.

    He went around the empire collecting the bones of soldiers who died in the Golden Empire era.

    All because he aimed to resurrect the Golden Empire''s army as undead (...).

    So the nobles of the Holy Empire didn''t acknowledge Bertholdt.

    The Golden Empire fell ages ago, why the f*ck are you trying to bring them back now?

    Are you trying to steal mynd?!

    But conversely, Bertholdt''s undead army became a useful force for the Golden Rule Society.

    That''s why Bertholdt''s position was quite high within the society.

    ''Even if it''s not the real body...''

    Bertholdt is a wizard with solid skills.

    Yet Ian wiped him out with a single spell.

    Using a strange magic that even Sir Leshach had never seen before.

    Sir Leshach couldn''t help but marvel at Ian''s magic.

    "Impressive work, Ian."

    He sincerely praised Ian''s skills.

    As someone who dabbled in magic himself, Sir Leshach knew just how extraordinary Ian''s magic was.

    But Ian himself seemed a bit underwhelmed.

    ''I thought he was supposed to be a famous wizard from the Golden Rule Society... but he wasn''t much.''

    Ian had been on high alert.

    So when his opponent fell so easily, he felt a bit cheated.

    If Bertholdt knew, he''d be foaming at the mouth.

    "You called him Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt, right? He seemed pretty weak."

    "???"

    Sir Leshach was momentarily dumbfounded by Ian''s words.

    What the hell? Is this some kind of bluff?

    "Did you not see the deathly power he gathered?"

    "I saw it. But he didn''t do anything with it."

    That''s because you f*cking sted a lightning bolt through his head, you idiot.

    Sir Leshach struggled to grasp what Ian was thinking.

    It was like watching a swordfight between masters, seeing one fell a formidable opponent, then saying, ''He died when I stabbed his throat? How disappointing.''

    Isn''t it weirder to survive getting hit by lightning?

    ''...Is it because he''s a wizard?''

    Sir Leshach decided to just ept it and move on.

    Right. Wizards are all a bunch of weirdos.

    "Indeed. What you destroyed was just Bertholdt''s possessed body. His real body is hiding somewhere around here. He might be rushing over with an undead army as we speak."

    Sir Leshach said calmly.

    Of course, the chances of Bertholdtunching a full-scale attack were low.

    The vige is full of Sir Leshach''s men-at-arms, two wizards, a knight, and one big idiot who could join the fight.

    There''s no f*cking Golden Rule Society secret hidden here. Why would he throw him and his army into this?

    Of course, wizards are erratic beings, so there''s a chance he might attack in a fit of rage.

    But Bertholdt is a cunning ck wizard. You can tell just by how he tried to seduce Maria with his nefarious scheme.

    Now that his surprise attack has failed, Bertholdt won''t reveal himself recklessly.

    "Night is the time of the dead. Stay alert until dawn breaks."

    "Yes sir!"

    Sir Leshach''s soldiers shouted vigorously.

    That night, the vigers huddled together under Sir Leshach''s protection.

    The lord, young lord, and their retainers all weed Sir Leshach''s protection.

    Ian found it a bit absurd.

    "Isn''t this their f*ckingnd?"

    The homeowners getting protection from a guest?

    And with such big smiles on their faces?

    "Oh Sir Leshach! The jewel of the church! The shining silver knight!"

    "You seem to have energy to spare. Stop yapping and get some sleep."

    The young lord was clinging to Sir Leshach''s side, spouting nothing but ttery.

    Belenka spoke dryly.

    "A prime example of an ipetent noble. It''s nothing new for shitheads like him to strut around."

    Noble titles in the empire are fiercely protected. It''s to keep the emperor in check.

    Originally, in principle, all imperialnds belong to the emperor.

    But thend is so vast and underpopted that due to administrative limitations, it''s ''lent out''.

    So if the emperor wants to reimnd, there''s no problem in principle.

    But in reality, there are a ton of problems.

    Nobles, of course, don''t want to give up theirnds.

    So when the emperor asks fornd back, they just ignore the request.

    The emperor needs a clear reason to take backnd.

    But nobles who don''t want to lose theirnd constantly cry ''Unfair!'', so it''s really f*cking hard to takend away without a damn good reason.

    They''ve turned the first emperor''s ''kindness'' into a ''right''.

    That''s why even if a noble is stupid,zy, and utterly unlikable, as long as they''re born noble, they can keep theirnd.

    Someone''s going to take away theirnd because they''re ipetent?

    That would vite the nobles'' sacred rights, so other nobles would rise up in swarms.

    That''s why nobles in the rural frontier can wield power like f*cking kings.

    No matter howzy they are, they won''t get kicked out.

    Who else is going to meddle in what happens in my territory?

    Of course, if they do some batshit insane stuff that''s basically begging to have theirnd taken away, they might lose it. But barring that level of idiocy, it''s an iron rice bowl.

    "In a way, you could call it cunning. He solved his territory''s security problem without spending a single coin."

    A strong, prideful noble would have hated Sir Leshach''s visit.

    Saying sh*t like, this is mynd, why the f*ck is the Pope''s army wandering around?

    But the young lord over there is shaking his tambourine with gusto...

    In the end, he got the troublesome necromancer removed for free.

    In industry terms, this is called ''a lucky break''.

    "As expected of Sir Leshach!"

    "I told you to sleep."

    Sir Leshach looked at the young lord with an expression that said he was sick of this sh*t.

    But the young lord kept persistently lobbing suck-upments at Sir Leshach.

    Is Sir Leshach some kind ofment dumpster or what?

    Just unterally spouting off whatever he wants to say, isn''t that just harassment at this point?

    "Let''s get some sleep too."

    "Indeed. It''s been an unusually long day."

    ---

    ---

    Ian set up camp in a quiet, dim corner.

    He didn''t like camping when there were perfectly good houses all around.

    But what could he do? Who knows what threats might be lurking in those dark woods beyond.

    Since everyone else was sleeping outside, it was better for Ian to join in.

    If Bertholdt attacked again, he''d have to fight back.

    "Ah! Ian! Come here!"

    Kira had made ate-night snack with jerky and flour.

    Ian, hungry from all the shouting, quickly grabbed a bowl and sat down.

    As he spooned up the stew, Ian examined the unfamiliar guest.

    "..."

    Next to Kira sat a ck-haired beauty eating stew.

    It was Maria.

    All the misunderstandings surrounding Maria had been cleared up. The vigers now know she didn''t kill anyone.

    But Maria didn''t return to the vigers'' side.

    The misunderstanding was resolved. But the wounds in her heart hadn''t disappeared.

    "Everything alright?"

    "Yeah. No suspicious people around."

    There were an unusually high number of torches around Ian''s camp. Kira had stuck them in just in case.

    If any suspicious person approached, those torches would instantly transform into methrowers.

    "What the hell are we doing here?"

    Belenka muttered as shedled a heaping portion of stew into Jubal''s bowl.

    Ian''s hometown is in the northwest of the empire. It was a region with few people even in the sparsely popted empirends.

    While gloomy space-time wizards wandered about, gloomy necromancers were rare to see.

    But as soon as he came south, he ran into ck wizards...

    The south was definitely a more turbulentnd than the north.

    "Ian. After we rescue Professor Inn, how about leaving the empire altogether?"

    "Where do you want to go?"

    "The Rnd Kingdom? Or it wouldn''t be bad to see the Coral Sea."

    Belenka''s suggestion was a bit unexpected.

    "I thought you''d say we should jump into the war and make a name for ourselves."

    "It hasn''t started yet. And I''m sick of seeing these ck wizards. We should both live long, healthy lives."

    Ian nodded.

    It would be pretty f*cking stupid to die picking a fight with some ck wizard.

    Wizards tend to flock together. The more simr mysteries they handle, the better they understand each other.

    What the f*ck are you supposed to talk about with guys who specialize in necromancy and demon magic?

    Ian chatted with hispanions for a while.

    Then suddenly, he felt a quiet gaze.

    "..."

    Maria, who had cleaned her bowl, was silently staring at Ian.

    "Oh. Want another bowl?"

    As Ian reached for the stew pot, Maria shook her head.

    "I''ve had enough. But..."

    "Really? You barely ate onedle-full."

    Kira chimed in from the side.

    She clearly ate less on purpose, trying to be considerate.

    Ian smiled and said:

    "Is that so? Want more? By the way, you can eat as much as you want."

    Ian possessed the magical power to produce food at any time.

    He could barge into any house, say ''I''m the wizard Ian'', and make flour and eggs pour forth.

    If that''s not power, what the f*ck is?

    "Then, dly..."

    Maria shyly held out her bowl.

    As expected, she had refused at first out of consideration.

    Maria parted her lips slightly and took a spoonful of stew.

    "It really is delicious."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. It''s as good as the stew my grandmother used to make."

    "..."

    An awkward atmosphere briefly passed by.

    Maria continued speaking as if nothing was wrong.

    "My grandmother, she went senile and used to say she was a princess of a small country. But that must have been a lie. I can tell just from the taste of the stew."

    "The taste of the stew?"

    Ian responded, and Maria smiled sweetly.

    "Yes. There''s no way a princess of a country could make such delicious stew. She must have been a cook."

    Ian crossed his armsfortably.

    "I''m curious about something."

    "What is it?"

    "Your way of speaking? Your ent? Did you learn that from your grandmother?"

    Maria nodded.

    "Yes. It''s a bit strange, isn''t it? She said this was the court''s way of speaking... Hehe. Words from someone who probably never set foot in a pce in her life."

    Just then, Kira gave a slight look from the side.

    It was a look that conveyed affirmation.

    Which meant that Maria''s way of speaking was actually simr to that of a real court noble.

    ''Perhaps?''

    Ian felt a bit curious.

    It''s just a possibility, but.

    Maybe Maria''s foster grandmother really was a princess of a small country.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ''But she''s already passed away.''

    Ian recalled the information about Maria''s foster grandmother.

    A year ago, Maria''s foster grandmother had died. That''s why Maria had been working as a maid in Robert''s household.

    If she were still alive, Ian could have at least talked to her, but now there was no way to find out.

    "If my manner of speech bothers you, I can speak normally.""You can speak normally?"

    "Of course. I was merely trying to be respectful, considering your position as a wizard."

    "No, it''s fine."

    Ian wasn''t particrly bothered by Maria''s way of speaking.

    Hell, he put up with that bastard Takarion''s way of talking, so this was nothing.

    Maria set down her stew bowl and stood up.

    Then she gracefully bent her knees and gave Ian an elegant curtsy.

    "Once again. I express my gratitude to you, Wizard."

    "Ian is fine."

    Maria shed a sweet smile at Ian.

    "Yes. Ian."

    That smile... honestly, it had enough power to make even Ian flinch.

    Wait, isn''t she definitely younger than me?

    Maria was indeed younger than Ian.

    But Maria''s beauty had something that set her apart from other women.

    You could say it was a bewitching beauty rather than mere prettiness. There was a seductiveness that didn''t match her age.

    Ian imagined Lucy from Talian giving the same smile.

    It would be pure wholesomeness.

    Lucy would protest immediately, but that''s an undeniable fact.

    Lucy might be older, but Maria was definitely more eye-catching.

    "Ian..."

    "Uh. Yeah. What?"

    Ian sensed something unsettling in Maria''s gaze.

    If Ian had noticed it, there was no way the other women hadn''t.

    ''That girl...''

    ''She really likes Ian.''

    Maria continued in a melodious, cheerful voice.

    "Today, I''ve incurred far too great a debt to you, Ian."

    He couldn''t exactly deny it.

    For whatever reason, Ian had cleared Maria''s false charges and driven away the real culprit.

    If Ian hadn''t intervened, Maria would have been hanged without mercy.

    "I''ve been thinking... I want to repay this debt somehow."

    "Now that I think about it, there''s no real need to repay it..."

    "No. I must repay it."

    Ian''s eyes briefly met Maria''s.

    And he felt a slight chill...

    Maria''s pitch-ck eyes looked like they belonged to some ''dead-eyed'' character!

    No... Maria... why are you looking at me like that...

    This is kind of creepy...

    "All I have, worthless as I am, is this wretched body."

    Maria bowed her head once more.

    "So I wish to offer my all to you, Ian, and serve you for the rest of my life."

    Ian gulped nervously.

    He knew Maria felt grateful, but...

    Isn''t this a bit too heavy?!

    And offering everything she has? Should those words being from a young girl''s mouth?!

    "Ahem. You have a bright future ahead, there''s no need to follow a wandering wizard like me..."

    "Since you travel, you''ll naturally need a servant."

    Ian tried to gently refuse.

    It''s true that not having a servant can be inconvenient.

    But Ian was deliberately traveling with minimalpanions despite knowing this.

    Paying servants'' wages is a hassle. And if they get caught up in strange incidents and die, it leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

    If Ian were a lord or ruler, he might have taken Maria on as a maid.

    But Ian is a wizard.

    What''s the point of a wizard having a maid tagging along?

    If he needed a worker, he would have bought a ve long ago.

    But Maria didn''t even pretend to hear Ian''s refusal.

    Ian spoke more firmly.

    He was a wizard after all, and Maria was just amoner girl. He thought he could push through with his authority.

    "You''re cursed by the dead. How could you take care of anyone else?"

    "..."

    "You''d just be a burden if I took you. I''ll introduce you to a wizard who can solve your curse, so forget about giving me anything and live your own life."

    Was that too harsh?

    Ian felt a bit worried.

    But that was 100% Ian''s misunderstanding.

    Maria was a woman who had worked as a maid under Robert and his wife, enduring all sorts of vulgar abuse.

    If the words of Robert and his wife were verbal abuse, Ian''s warning was more like a caress(?).

    In fact, Maria felt a slight thrill(?).

    Maria spoke with a flushed face.

    "Ah... Such a kind person..."

    "???"

    "To worry about the life of a lowly woman like me... And even concern yourself with my curse... I don''t know how to react."

    As Maria''s cheeks reddened slightly, Ian felt dizzy...

    This is driving me crazy. Seriously.

    I''m a farmer''s son too, you know. Want to have a battle of lowly origins with me?

    "Then all the more reason, I want to follow you, Ian."

    "No, I''m telling you I don''t need..."

    "I''ll do anything you ask. Whatever you demand, I''ll obey. So please."

    Argh!

    Ian felt crushed under the weight of Maria''s intense feelings.

    He was afraid to say anything.

    It was suffocating!

    "Hey. Isn''t this a bit much?"

    Belenka, unable to stand by any longer, cut in.

    "Didn''t Ian say he doesn''t need you? If you need a master, look for someone else."

    "But if it''s not Ian..."

    "Then find a suitable man and get married. With that pretty face, it shouldn''t be hard to find a husband."

    There was an edge to Belenka''s voice.

    He already saved her life once. Why is she still clinging to Ian after that?

    She knew Maria had taken a liking to Ian.

    But how many women out there fancy Ian?

    Just look at Lucy, the lord of Talian, who likes Ian...

    Most daughters of baronial families wouldn''t hesitate to be with Ian.

    Far from hesitating, they''d wee it enthusiastically.

    In short, Ian is a high-value man.

    What noble would refuse a wizard son-inw with a bright future who could protect their domain?

    Belenka thought Maria, a country girl, was reaching too high for someone as premium(?) as Ian.

    Belenka thought Maria would understand after hearing this much.

    But Maria was far more sincere about Ian than Belenka imagined.

    "You''re telling me to live my own life... But Sir Knight, I''m weary of life."

    "What?"

    "A life full of the pain of curses... It''s a torment I never want to taste again. So I have neither the heart nor the will to continue my own life."

    "..."

    "If I can''t follow Ian... Yes. I should end it appropriately."

    The ''ending'' of a life is... undoubtedly death.

    Ian was appalled by Maria''s words.

    This went beyond heavy, it was sinking through the ground!

    Wasn''t she saying she''d make a ''big decision'' if Ian didn''t take her in?

    Ian, genuinely angry, snapped at her.

    "Are you threatening me with your pathetic life?"

    You dare? Threaten someone with your worthless life?

    Saying you''ll kill yourself if I don''t take you along is no different from a threat.

    This level of psychological warfare borders on mental illness.

    However, Maria''s next response left Ian momentarily speechless.

    "You truly are a kind person..."

    "???"

    "You asked if I was threatening you with my life. But Ian, threats can only be made with something the other person values."

    "..."

    "Yes. You consider my life ''valuable'', which is why my words sounded like a threat to you... Hehe. I''m truly sorry, but... also happy."

    Wow...

    This is truly amazing.

    Ian lost his ability to speak in the face of Maria''s divinely inspired interpretation skills.

    The more infuriating part was that he couldn''t exactly say she was wrong.

    Ian did indeed value Maria''s life.

    If he didn''t, he would have coldly continued his journey, not caring if Maria died miserably somewhere.

    He wanted Maria to keep living, which is why he was even thinking of introducing her to a wizard.

    "You''re not pushing me away because you hate me."

    "... Of course not. Why would I hate you?"

    Maria smiled faintly.

    "There are many reasons. A lowly woman with no parents, possessed by the dead. An ominous ck-haired wench."

    "Can you stop with that ominous ck hair talk? I told you before. This is because of our bloodline. Neither you nor I are ominous at all."

    Maria smiled and took a step closer.

    That smile, as always, held a sensuality unfitting for her age.

    "Yes. It seems you and I are kindred spirits, Ian."

    Kindred spirits? We''re not monsters or anything.

    Ian sighed, thinking this.

    He could leave Maria behind and depart like this, but.

    If he did, she might really make that ''big decision'' ande back as a virgin ghost.

    There was a certain madness in Maria''s eyes...

    "Ugh. Fine. Come along then. Come along!"

    "Thank you so much!"

    As he heard Maria''s thanks, Ian felt cognitive dissonance.

    Wait, why am I receiving thanks for taking on a servant???

    His feelings were mixed, but.

    Anyway, Maria was set to join Ian on his journey.

    ---

    ---

    The next morning.

    The vige was surprisingly normal, as if nothing had happened.

    Meaning nothing had urred.

    "It seems he fled."

    Sir Leshach patrolled the vige outskirts as soon as day broke.

    There were no traces of undead or necromancers.

    Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt had escaped during the night.

    "Hecks guts."

    When Ian muttered this, Sir Leshach chuckled.

    Isn''t a Heavenly Wizard supposed to be quite high-ranking in the Golden Rule Society?

    Even if his identity was exposed to Ian, to retreat so meekly...

    "Let''s just say he''s cautious. Without that level of caution, he''d have been executed long ago."

    "Well, I suppose."

    Unlike wizards, ck wizards are shunned by the nobles.

    How could they be friendly when associating with them might bring down the Pope''s emunication-beam?

    Bertholdt decided it was better to simply hide rather than sh pointlessly with Sir Leshach.

    "Getting his hands on that girl was... probably just a way to pass the time."

    "No way. He caused all this chaos just to pass the time?"

    As Ian grumbled, Sir Leshachughed.

    "Watch your words. The one who turned the situation into chaos was you, wasn''t it?"

    If Ian hadn''t been there, Bertholdt would have gotten his hands on Maria and quietly disappeared.

    Honestly, Bertholdt must have been dumbfounded too.

    Who''d have thought some passing wizard would suddenly appear and overturn the trial?

    Ian knew that Bertholdt hadn''t put in much effort.

    Bertholdt didn''t know what kind of death mystery had attached itself to Maria.

    If Pael were still alive, he might have been able to guess. Pael had seen Maria trying to rush at and eat the rotten wolf corpse.

    Bertholdt was simply enchanted by Maria''s appearance, and as soon as he vaguely sensed the power of death, he put his n into action.

    It was a n with ws if you dug deeper, but it was good enough.

    He thought no one would check.

    But like a fairy tale, the ''passing wizard'' Ian saw through Bertholdt''s n.

    "You''ve earned Bertholdt''s enmity, Ian."

    Sir Leshach said mischievously.

    He hoped that Ian, worried about a possible attack, might follow him.

    But Ian was an even more entric wizard than Sir Leshach had imagined.

    "That doesn''t matter."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. What can he do just because he hates me? Does he have the guts toe after me?"

    Hey. Do you have confidence?

    Sir Leshach inwardly admired Ian''s entricity... or boldness.

    To remainpletely unfazed even though a ck wizard held a grudge against him!

    But it was all based on well-founded confidence.

    Ian had his trump card - skill card magic.

    If Bertholdt tried any half-assed attack, his skull would be the one cracking open.

    And Ian had already decided on his next destination.

    "After visiting Baron Vincent''s domain. I''ll head straight back north."

    "The north?"

    "To Dranheim Imperial University."

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Dranheim Imperial University.

    In the past, when parting with Eredith, Ian made a promise with his master.

    A promise to meet again someday in Dranheim.

    ''It''s a bit early, but... should I go ahead and wait?''

    Ian had three main reasons for visiting Dranheim.First was because of the promise with his master Eredith. He wanted to see her face after so long.

    Second was because of the wizards Ian had recovered.

    The novice fire wizard Kira. The possible necromancer Maria. And... Professor Inn.

    Inn was already a professor at Dranheim, while Kira and Maria were novice wizards who needed to gain knowledge at the university.

    They would have plenty to do at the university, so their time could be spent productively.

    Andstly.

    The situation in the southern Empire was more turbulent than he''d expected.

    ''Why are there so many ck wizards running around?''

    Ian was far from being a crusader for justice.

    He didn''t like ck wizards, but he had no intention of bing a medieval policeman hunting down criminals.

    Ian wanted to focus on exploring mysteries and collecting treasures.

    But he''d already shed with the ck wizard group [Golden Rule Society] several times.

    Before any more trouble arose, he nned toy low at the Imperial University.

    There he could meet his master, study magic, and pass the time until the ck wizards quieted down.

    "I see. The Imperial University, is it?"

    Sir Leshach gave Ian a look of obvious disappointment.

    He''d finally met a capable young man.

    As a wizard, Ian was highly skilled and even adept at fighting ck wizards. If he helped Sir Leshach, he would surely aplish great things.

    But Ian had openly dered his intention to flee to the Imperial University.

    Sir Leshach had to swallow his disappointment.

    Wizards being willful was nothing new. It wasn''t an particrly unusual situation.

    "I''ll be sure to report your deeds to His Holiness."

    "I''d appreciate that."

    For Ian, maintaining good rtions with Heaven''s Faith was beneficial.

    Religion was one of the two great pirs supporting the Empire. Sir Leshach had said he would inform the highest religious leader of Ian''s name.

    "Ah. If you''d like to sell the amber stones, I can write you a letter of rmendation."

    "A letter of rmendation?"

    Befitting a knight of His Holiness, Sir Leshach''s rmendation would be extremely valuable.

    Any merchant guild influenced by the church would treat the bearer as a VVIP!

    Sir Leshach immediately wrote a letter of rmendation for Ian.

    As an educated knight, Sir Leshach wrote directly on parchment.

    Considering most medieval knights were illiterate, it was certainly impressive.

    "I''ll continue pursuing Bertholdt."

    Ian nodded.

    It was as expected. Sir Leshach had been hunting ck wizards from the start.

    Having discovered a big fish like Bertholdt, he wouldn''t just let it go.

    "It would be best if you could cut off his head."

    Sir Leshachughed at Ian''s words.

    Ian was d to be rid of the troublesome burden, and Sir Leshach was pleased to have a chance to earn merit.

    Only that bastard Bertholdt would be wailing in hell with his head cut off.

    "May the heavens'' blessing be with you, wise wizard Ian."

    "May the sun and moon light your path, Sir Leshach."

    After exchanging farewells, Sir Leshach set off.

    It was a cool morning with a gentle breeze.

    ---

    ---

    Ian headed for Baron Vincent''s domain, while Sir Leshach moved to pursue Bertholdt.

    So what was Bertholdt up to?

    The Heavenly Wizard Bertholdt...

    Was running for his life without looking back.

    ''What the hell? Who was that guy?!''

    Scattering the undead he''d created, Bertholdt fled with just the clothes on his back.

    The reason for Bertholdt''s unseemly escape was none other than Ian.

    Ian had dispelled Bertholdt''s undead with a single magical attack.

    So Ian thought, ''Maybe Bertholdt is actually a weakling?''

    That thought was precisely the opposite for Bertholdt.

    ''... Isn''t that bastard ridiculously strong?!''

    Bertholdt had no idea what kind of wizard Ian was.

    He didn''t even know Ian existed until that moment.

    But Ian suddenly summoned lightning with his bare hands and turned Bertholdt''s undead to ashes.

    It was natural for him to be shocked out of his wits.

    Bertholdt couldn''t even guess what magic Ian had used for such a feat.

    In short, a magical prodigy had suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

    ''Let''s get out of here for now!''

    So Bertholdt threw away his pride and everything else to run.

    He judged he stood no chance if Ian and Sir Leshach attacked together.

    Thanks to this, Bertholdt couldn''t even carry out the mission he''d been given at the meeting.

    He had to hide in a remote mountain.

    "Look at my situation."

    Bertholdt grumbled as he chewed on some dried rations.

    If we had to pinpoint where things went wrong, it was when he tried to hit on Maria halfway through.

    If he''d just quietly carried out his mission, he wouldn''t have met Ian.

    He wouldn''t have caused trouble for the meeting either.

    ... Butining now was useless. The milk had already been spilled.

    Bertholdt had royally screwed up.

    Sighing deeply, Bertholdt pulled out a brass mirror from his backpack.

    This brass mirror was a gift from a demon, a wondrous item that allowed face-to-face conversations no matter how far apart.

    The ck wizards of the Golden Rule Society used these brass mirrors to exchange opinions.

    "[I desire a call.]"

    As Bertholdt spoke in Maronius, the brass mirror rippled.

    Beyond the mirror, the face of an old man with a long beard appeared.

    [Oh. Bertholdt. Did your journey end well?]

    The old man mistook Bertholdt''s call for a regr report.

    Bertholdt shook his head with a haggard expression.

    "There''s been a bit of a problem."

    [A problem?]

    "On the way to the destination... I ran into Sir Leshach and a strange wizard."

    Bertholdt bowed his head.

    "I''m ashamed, Regent."

    The long-bearded old man.

    Regent Antios frowned.

    [Tell me more.]

    Bertholdt reported to Antios what he had experienced.

    Of course, with a hefty dose of MSG.

    The basics of reporting are to minimize your own faults and exaggerate others'', right?

    [Hmm.]

    After listening to the entire report, Antios tilted his head slightly.

    He more or less understood the situation, but...

    [I can understand Leshach, but... a wizard named Ian?]

    "Yes, Regent."

    [He created lightning with his bare hands and struck with it?]

    "That''s correct."

    [...]

    Antios'' expression turned strange.

    Bertholdt, you bastard. Didn''t you sprinkle too much MSG on this story?

    It was customary to praise your opponent''s valor when defeated in battle.

    Not because you wanted to... but to cover up your own mistakes.

    Rather than admitting you lost because you''re an idiot, it''s better for your mental health to think you lost because your opponent was overpowered!

    It''s not for nothing that during the Imjin War, Japanese generals described Yi Sun-sin as a monster.

    You need to say things like ''That bastard breathed lightning!'' for others to nod and say ''Ah! He really was a monstrous opponent!''

    So Antios was prepared to take Bertholdt''s description of ''Wizard Ian'' as exaggerated.

    But...

    Isn''t this a bit much?

    [He used magic without invoking Mystery?]

    "... That''s how it appeared."

    [Nonsense. Even the most talented air wizard can''t handle lightning barehanded. They can only call down lightning by calling upon the mysteries.]

    "But Ian clearly..."

    [Could you have seen it wrong?]

    "No, I definitely...!"

    Bertholdt insisted like a Joseon-era peasant that ''I saw it with my own two eyes!'', but Antios wouldn''t believe him...

    Ian''s magic was that far removed frommon sense.

    It truly was magic that defiedmon sense.

    Ian''s magic waspletely different from the Maronius system.

    But as Bertholdt continued his consistent victim testimony, Antios began to think ''Maybe?''

    Right. Bertholdt''s not a five-year-old child. He wouldn''t make up apletely false story, would he?

    [I see. Since your location has been exposed, there''s nothing to be done. Hide well and avoid your pursuers.]

    Bertholdt let out a sigh of relief.

    There''s a clich�� in fiction where evil organizations don''t forgive failure. They do things like sinking the failure into a river full of man-eating crabs.

    But the Golden Rule Society was surprisingly lenient about failure.

    The reason was simple.

    The organization was just too small...

    It was already difficult to get support from nobles, so if they punished every little failure, the organization''s roots would be shaken.

    Like the space-time wizard conference, the Golden Rule Society, an underground organization, was not free from economic concerns.

    The greatest enemy of evil organizations was none other than the miserable medieval economy...

    As evidence, Antios'' residence was not a mansion, but a cave in some mountain.

    He bore the imposing title of [Regent], but his home was a cave.

    Antios imed he lived in the mountains ''for smoothmunication with members'', but the truth was he had no domain to settle in.

    "I''lly low for a while. Contact me when things settle down on your end."

    [I''ll be waiting!]

    Antios put the brass mirror back in its sack.

    Then he sat down on a mat woven from straw.

    A growling cry echoed from the darkness.

    [What is it?]

    "Nothing much. Don''t mind it, Dragon."

    Antios wasn''t alone in the cave.

    A massive body writhed in the thick darkness beyond.

    Yellow, vertically slit pupils stared at Antios.

    [Oh-ho. Don''t mind it, you say? How very suspicious. I wonder if you creatures are plotting behind my back...]

    A flicking tongue. Eyes bigger than a human head.

    ''ck Dragon Predius.''

    Antios red at the repulsive creature with contempt.

    The ck dragon Predius had some kind of contract with the Golden Rule Society.

    The contract stated that if the Golden Rule Society provided treasures, Predius would lend his strength.

    But this contract wouldn''tst long.

    Because of Predius'' personality.

    ''A dragon mad with greed...!''

    Predius was a being gripped by revolting greed.

    All dragons are evil and greedy, but Predius was on another level.

    [This wasn''t in the contract!]

    The ck dragon thrust its massive head forward.

    Saliva-coated fangs gleamed, threatening to tear Antios apart.

    But that wasn''t all.

    A giant spear was lodged in Predius'' jaw.

    This wasn''t a wound inflicted by humans.

    Predius had jabbed the spear into his own jaw.

    This spear was Predius'' most prized treasure.

    He cherished and obsessed over it so much that he pierced it through his jaw like a piercing to keep it connected to his body.

    As a result, saliva constantly dripped from the hole in his jaw, but Predius didn''t care.

    He''d rather be a drooling beast than let someone steal his treasure.

    "... I apologize for startling you. As an apology, I''ll give you a cartload of amber stones."

    [That''s not enough! Make it two cartloads!]

    "Two cartloads. I''ll give you two cartloads."

    Predius grinned with satisfaction.

    Saliva dripped from the spear-pierced hole, making Antios turn away in disgust.

    He had made the contract with the dragon himself, but even Antios found this mad dragon hard to handle.

    ''We''ll have to dispose of him someday.''

    When the time came, the Golden Rule Society would eliminate the ck dragon.

    But for now, he could be useful in many ways.

    [Don''t forget our contract, old human.]

    "I know. I''ll tell you soon which domain to attack."

    [Not just any domain! And overflowing with precious treasures! If you tell me about some insignificantnd, I''ll chew you up bones and all.]

    "... I know, Dragon."

    Antios slowly considered whichnd would be suitable for unleashing a dragon.

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    After sending off Sir Leshach, Ian prepared to depart once again.

    As news of Ian''s departure spread, the vige began to buzz with subtle excitement.

    "The people seem happy," Ian observed.

    For reasons he couldn''t fathom, Ian felt a strange sense of disappointment...

    "Are they that d to see us go?"Ian had, after all, driven out an evil ck wizard.

    Yet it seemed the vigers hadpletely forgotten his heroics, waving goodbye with what appeared to be enthusiasm.

    "Farewell, dear wizards! Safe travels!"

    ...Why did it sound more like "Good riddance!" to his ears?

    It was as if his ears had a built-in filter for polite words.

    Belenka found Ian''s reaction perplexing.

    "Why would farmers have any reason to like us?"

    "Why not? I drove out a ck wizard for them."

    "...In their eyes, you and the ck wizard probably look about the same."

    Ian''s expression betrayed his shock at Belenka''s brutally realistic exnation.

    "Really? Surely I can''t be on the same level as a necromancer..."

    "Be grateful they don''t think of you as something even worse."

    Ian asionally acted as if hecked awareness of his status as a wizard.

    As a former modern person, the title of "wizard" didn''t strike him as particrly frightening.

    What was a wizard to someone from the modern world?

    Wow! A wizard! A powerful character ss!

    But to medieval vigers, the word "wizard" evoked simr feelings to "demon" or "dark lord".

    They wielded strange, arcane arts and could turn violent at the slightest provocation. There was no reason to like wizards.

    Just because a lion chased away a tiger doesn''t mean you''d want to befriend the lion, does it?

    Get too close and you might end up as human cat food.

    Medieval folk feared wizards.

    That''s why the vige buzzed with energy at Ian''s departure.

    "Maria. Are you reallying with us?"

    Maria looked up at Ian, her eyes sparkling.

    "Yes, of course."

    At present, Maria had be an outcast in the vige.

    There was no way she could return to her position as a maid for the Robert family.

    Her only options were to live alone on the outskirts of town or marry some random man and settle down.

    But living quietly among people who viewed her as ominous was nearly impossible.

    Though Maria had never traveled before in her life.

    Following Ian on his journey seemed far preferable to staying in the vige.

    "I''m a bit nervous," Maria admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly as she spoke to Ian.

    Unlike Ian''s otherpanions, this was Maria''s first journey.

    Ian, his bag filled to the brim with supplies thanks to his wizard-powers (though in reality, the minor lord had shared the provisions), once again set off down the straight path ahead.

    ---

    ---

    Before leaving the vige, Ian stopped briefly at Maria''s hut.

    He wanted to learn more about Maria''s adoptive grandmother.

    "Nothing left," Belenka clicked her tongue, surveying the nearly ruined hut.

    It had been a year since the grandmother passed away. Any useful items would have long since been taken by the vigers.

    "No. There''s still something left," Maria said.

    She moved with practiced steps, digging up a spot in an empty lot.

    Surprisingly, a wooden chest emerged.

    "Oh, a treasure chest!" Ian eximed, genuinely impressed.

    So people in the old days really did bury their valuables!

    This thought came from Ian himself, despite also being from medieval times.

    "This is what she left for my dowry," Maria exined.

    The box contained truly precious items.

    Some fabric, a hat, a ne, and a si ring.

    "Ian! Look at this!" Kira eximed.

    "My goodness. A fairy silk hat!"

    In truth, it was closer to a headdress than a hat. It was just a thin piece of cloth with decorations attached.

    But it was clearly the kind of item nobledies would wear at court.

    "Fairy silk?"

    Maria tilted her head, not understanding Kira''s excitement.

    As a simple country girl, she didn''t even know what fairy silk was.

    "Silk made by fairy hands! Cool in summer, warm in winter! And so soft and beautiful!"

    Kira didn''t realize it herself, but Ian caught a glimpse of the greed that shed in her eyes.

    It must be quite a desirable item indeed.

    Of course, Ian remained indifferent.

    To Ian, the hat looked like nothing more than a piece of cloth with decorations attached.

    It''s not like it had a bonus stat like +50 Intelligence. As a purely cosmetic item, he saw no reason to covet it.

    "Hmm. It is pretty," he conceded.

    "Right? Oh, can I try it on?"

    "Yes, as long as you don''t damage it..."

    "Oh, then me too."

    But Kira, Belenka, and Maria chatted for a full 30 minutes over this one hat.

    Ian watched the three women, slightly exasperated.

    Is gossip a female-specific trait?

    He felt like the lone man dragged along on a weekend shopping trip...

    ''Good thing Lucy isn''t here.''

    If Lucy had been present too, it would have devolved into gossip hell.

    "Jubal. Aren''t you bored...?"

    Ian started to look for Jubal but stopped short.

    True to his reputation as a wise fool, Jubal was already ying in the dirt under a cool shade.

    ''Smartd.''

    Typical manly behavior: acting without regard for others'' opinions.

    His go-my-own-way attitude was no joke.

    Sensing they might spend all day admiring the hat if left unchecked, Ian intervened.

    "That''s enough looking. Give it back. It belongs to Maria, after all."

    "I suppose, but..."

    Kira returned the hat, her eyes brimming with undisguised regret.

    Unable to bear it any longer, Ian spoke up.

    "When we visit the Talian domainter, I''ll gift you something simr."

    "...A gift? A fairy silk hat?"

    "Yeah, that."

    Kira beamed, making no effort to hide her delight.

    "...Thank you, Ian."

    Maria whispered a question to Belenka.

    "Um, Sir Knight. Is fairy silk really that precious?"

    "Of course. Only someone like Ian could obtain it so casually. Most people would be lucky to touch it once in their lifetime."

    Belenka subtly showed off her hair ribbon.

    It was a fairy silk hair ribbon Ian had given her as a gift.

    "I can see why from looking at you. It''s truly beautiful."

    It was an obviouspliment, but Belenka grinned, pleased nheless.

    "Don''t call me Sir Knight. Just call me Belenka."

    "But... how could I possibly address a knight so casually..."

    Maria hesitated slightly. She still remembered how Belenka had red at her warily before.

    Belenka chuckled and said, "You chatter away just fine with Ian. Am I that ufortable to you?"

    "I apologize if I''ve offended you."

    "No, I only spoke that way then because you were making Ian ufortable. Now that Ian has decided to ept you, I have no reason to object."

    Maria nodded slightly.

    Meanwhile, Ian examined the other heirlooms with Kira.

    "This is the key item."

    Ian studied the si ring from various angles.

    It was definitely not something you''d expect to find in the home of an elderly woman living alone.

    It had to be one of two things:

    Either Maria''s adoptive grandmother was truly of noble birth...

    Or she had been a notorious highwayman who robbed nobles in her younger days.

    "Maria''s grandmother... she wasn''t a robber, was she?"

    "...Probably not?"

    Kira replied with a grimace.

    Unless Maria''s grandmother had been a legendary bandit who robbed nobles, this had to be considered her personal possession.

    "Kira, can you tell which family this belongs to?"

    "Sorry, I have no idea."

    Though Kira couldn''t identify it, Ian wasn''t particrly disappointed.

    It was unavoidable.

    Both Kira and Ian were wizards who had mainly operated in the northwest of the Empire.

    The Empire was vast. Nobles might know those nearby, but distance made recognition unlikely.

    ''I''ll need to investigate further.''

    Ian thought as he organized the heirlooms. Asking other nobles might provide some clues.

    ---

    ---

    The weather was pleasant, and the journey smooth.

    Though people were likely dying somewhere in the world even now, the trip wasfortable enough to make one forget such grim realities.

    What? Bandits? Monsters? Those things are all over the roads?

    Come on, don''t lie!

    Someone traveling for the first time might mistakenly believe that all journeys were this thrilling and fun.

    Thanks to the minor lord''s gift of a pack horse (though it actually belonged to a viger), Ian''s donkey now had some extra space.

    Originally, Ian rode the donkey while Belenka and Kira rode small horses, but now Maria had been added to the group.

    Maria, of course, didn''t know how to ride a horse...

    In the end, she ended up sharing the donkey with Ian.

    As a result, Maria''s mood soared throughout the journey.

    The weather was nice, the journey peaceful.

    And with just a turn of her head, she could see Ian''s face right there.

    "Hehe..."

    Maria kept giggling for no apparent reason, but Ian paid it no mind.

    The girl had nearly died, after all. She deserved to be this happy.

    More concerning was the specter that clung to Maria.

    As the power of death grew stronger, Maria would lose herself to the specter.

    Having decided to bring Maria along, this was an issue Ian had to resolve.

    Ian pondered deeply.

    The best solution would be to summon a necromancer to subdue the specter.

    A necromancer could easily control the specter attached to Maria.

    ''But that''s just a temporary fix.''

    However, the effects of such treatment were unlikely tost long.

    Like Kira, Maria was someone who attracted the attention of the mysteries.

    The mystery of death kept showing interest in Maria, naturally drawing specters to her.

    Even if they removed the starving specter, another would likely attach itself to her next.

    And if she had the misfortune of attracting the specter of a murderous ghost?

    That would be a real headache.

    ''It''s simr to spirit possession.''

    In reality, shamans are said to suffer from spirit sickness before receiving their divine calling.

    epting the calling cures the illness, while refusing prolongs the suffering...

    The mystery of death clinging to Maria would likely continue to torment her in the same way.

    Therefore, the second option was...

    To teach her necromancy directly.

    ''It would be best to teach her just enough to avoid being controlled by specters.''

    The choice of method could wait until they reached the Imperial University.

    But like with Kira, it would be good to teach her the basics of the Maroniusnguage when time allowed.

    If things became truly desperate, Maria herself might need to address the mystery of death.

    ''Decision made.''

    "Ian, sir."

    Maria naturally addressed Ian with honorifics.

    Ian cut her off mid-sentence.

    "I''m not worthy of such formal address, and we''re not that far apart in age."

    "What? But you''re a wizard..."

    "Don''t get hung up on the wizard thing. You''ll be one soon enough."

    "...Pardon?"

    Maria''s eyes widened in surprise.

    Ignoring her reaction, Ian continued, "I''ll teach you the Maroniusnguage whenever we have time. So drop the formal speech."

    Ian''s offer to teach magic didn''t really register with Maria.

    She knew nothing of magic or the Maroniusnguage.

    But...

    She clearly understood Ian''s request to stop using extremely formalnguage.

    "Then..."

    Maria shyly tucked her hair behind her ear.

    Her long ck hair and translucent skin sparkled in the sunlight.

    "Is it alright if I call you Brother Ian?"

    For a moment, Ian was reminded of the sister he''d left behind at home.

    When they were young, she called him "oppa". If they met again now, she might call him "orabeoni" too.

    "Sure, that''s fine. Much better than ''Ian, sir.''"

    "Okay... Brother Ian."

    Maria smiled, her eyes crinkling.

    At that very moment:

    [Your bond with Maria has strengthened!]

    [A new destiny has been forged!]

    ''...Hm?''

    The status window acting up again after a while.

    Now that Ian knew this was his own unique ability (or mental illness) rather than a divine gift, it had lost some of its mystique.

    But it remained something to be explored.

    Whatever it was, it clearly worked properly.

    Ian felt an unfamiliar sensation at his waist.

    As if entranced, he drew a card from his Arcana deck.

    The card Ian drew was number 13, the [Death] card.

    It depicted a pale girl with ck hair gazing across a river.

    That elegant art style...!

    The [Death] card was undoubtedly sent by Hrundal.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ''Lucky me,'' Ian thought with a smile as he checked his Arcana cards.

    Originally, Ian had 8 cards. But with the addition of the [Death] card, he now possessed 9 skill cards in total. The number of skill magic spells he could use also increased to 9.

    ''I''ll think about which magic to imbueter.''

    A skill card could hold one type of magic. Ian had verified the power of skill magic in realbat many times. Skill magic, which bypassed the process ofmunicating with mystery and produced instant results, was truly unfair cheat magic, to say the least. While others were muttering incantations, it felt like he alone was clicking skills like in an RPG.

    The more skill cards, the better.Ian felt a moment of curiosity. Getting skill cards was good, but what were the conditions?

    ''Do I need to recruitpanions?''

    Nothing happened when he was traveling with Jubal. But when he recruited Maria, a skill card appeared.

    ''The status window mentioned something about fate,'' he recalled. Pioneering fate, was it?

    Ian thought of a certain wizard who had a suspicious fondness for the word ''fate'' - the space-time wizard Gerard. He made a mental note to ask Gerard about skill cards when they met again.

    Ian inserted the newly acquired [Death] card into his Arcana deck.

    ---

    ---

    Ian''s group steadily advanced toward their destination. There were still no attacks or ambushes, and the weather was ridiculously good. The party members were rxed, exchanging silly jokes. Thanks to this, Maria quickly became friends with the others.

    "So Belenka is from the east?" Maria asked.

    "Yes. A ce called Wintz in Baekguk... Not a very nice ce."

    Belenka had left her homnd as if she''d been chased out. It was and with no particr memories or affection.

    "It doesn''t matter where you lived. What''s important is thend I''m standing on now."

    "You''re a strong person" Maria said with a chuckle.

    Surprisingly, Belenka and Maria conversed well. The exile code of being driven out of their homnd also matched quite well.

    "Didn''t you also run away because you were sick of your vige?"

    "Well... I can''t deny that," Maria admitted.

    Belenka and Mariaughed together.

    Thinking that Maria was adapting well, Ian called her and Kira over for a magic lecture-orientation.

    "Kira. You''re studying Maroniusnguage well, right?"

    "Uh... yeah?!" Kira''s shoulders twitched.

    Ian narrowed his eyes.

    "You should''ve been able to review on your own, at least?"

    "O-Of course! Definitely! I''ve been reviewing!"

    Kira shouted, quickly turning her head away.

    Ian was truly a good person, but he was terrifyingly scary when talking about magic! Kira thought Ian''s education was strict. This was because Ian and Kira had different magical standards.

    Ian himself wasn''t aware, but he had acquired Maroniusnguage very quickly due to his innate magical talent. Even Eredith, the super-genius wizard, had taught him with admiration. Ian was a case of growing into a wizard through one-on-one education with Eredith.

    Of course, he had no idea what the learning development level of other wizards was like!

    ''She''s been skipping studies again,'' Ian thought, looking at Kira with disapproval.

    It was a misunderstanding that would have killed Kira with indignation if she had known. In reality, Kira was diligently reviewing Maroniusnguage. It''s just that her progress didn''t meet Ian''s standards...

    "Kira. Fire magic is incredibly difficult. No wonder my master tried to dissuade me when I said I''d be a fire wizard."

    "..."

    "If you neglect your studies, you''ll definitely regret itter."

    As Ian lectured seriously, Kira made a sulky sound.

    He wasn''t trying to torment Kira. He was worried about her. Ian was concerned that she might be consumed by her talent for fire magic, that she might draw power beyond her control.

    Maria quietly watched as Ian scolded Kira. Then she spoke up.

    "Um. Is Kira in a position to learn magic from you, Ian?"

    Ian nodded. There was no particr need to hide it, as they were traveling together aspanions.

    "Kira has excellent talent for fire magic, butcks control."

    "Control?" Maria asked.

    "Mystery shows interest first, but she can''t properly deal with it."

    To draw an analogy, Kira was in a position of being subjected to a confession attack by mystery. When mystery approached first and spoke first, it naturally became easier to use magic. But after that? What goes aroundes around.

    You need to form an appropriate rtionship with mystery. If it bes a one-sided rtionship of just taking and using, mystery gets pissed off too. If you keep trampling on its pure heart, it turns into a thug.

    "If mystery goes berserk, there''s no way to handle it then. That''s why we talk in advance to prepare for the worst."

    Ian''s exnation was easy enough for Maria, a magic novice, to understand.

    Maria nodded and said, "Kira... seems to be in a simr situation to me."

    It was an urate conclusion. Kira was much better off than Maria. In the past, before learning Maroniusnguage, Kira had given pleasure to the mystery of fire by setting off firecrackers. This meant that mystery didn''t torment Kira. But Maria was only receiving attention from the mystery of death, unable tomunicate with it. That''s why Maria''s situation was more dangerous.

    "Maria," Ian said.

    "Yes?"

    "From now on, you''ll learn Maroniusnguage together with Kira."

    He had mentioned this before. Instead of being surprised, Maria made a troubled expression.

    "Magic... you mean? But how could I possibly..."

    "You can learn it," Ian said firmly.

    Unless someone is especially gifted or dull, human learning abilities are more or less the same. There''s an anecdote that during World War II, African tribesmen were brought in and trained as airne pilots.

    Most peopleughed, wondering how primitive people who went "uga uga" in the bushes could be pilots. But... the tribesmen did it. They were primitive in technology, not stupid in the head.

    Even barbarians easily acquire civilized ways when given civilized education. Because they''re human too. Given the same education, they produce the same results. Being of a different race or civilization level doesn''t mean a person is stupid.

    "Wizards don''t receive some impossibly difficult education. It''s much simpler than you think. You study letters, study pronunciation. Later, you contact mystery and converse with it. That''s all."

    "... But," Maria spoke as if anxious. "Is it alright to teach such a precious skill... to a lowly woman like me?"

    It was an unnecessary worry.

    "From now on, saying ''lowly'' is forbidden. I''m a farmer''s son too. Kira isn''t of noble blood either," Ian said.

    "Ah..."

    "And I don''t think magic is a power that should be monopolized by a few."

    Maria watched Ian speak with her hands sped together. Ian, who expressed his thoughts without the slightest hesitation, seemed to exude a mysterious aura.

    ''Indeed. This person...'' Maria nodded vigorously.

    She thought the wizard Ian was a man worth devoting her life to follow. Even if she gave her all to him, it wouldn''t be a waste. That''s who the wizard Ian is.

    "Good. Then let''s start learning slowly from now," Ian said, pping his hands and beginning a simple lesson.

    ---

    ---

    Magic, Maria had vaguely thought it would be difficult. In reality, magic was indeed difficult. Even Ian had umted knowledge through repeated seclusion training with Eredith.

    But...

    "No, no. You can''t draw the line like that," Ian said.

    "Is that not right?" Maria asked.

    "The stroke is crooked. Then it''s hard to tell if it''s ''ere'' or ''daom''. Do you know how many cases there are where meaning changes with just one stroke difference?"

    "..."

    The magic she actually encountered was difficult beyond imagination. Maria followed Ian''s lesson, floundering helplessly. The word "followed" was a bit of an exaggeration. It would be more urate to say she was dragged along.

    "This won''t do. Kira. Show her an example," Ian said.

    "M-Me?!" Kira eximed.

    "Who else is there besides you? Should I bring Belenka?"

    Kira wrote letters on the sand with an expression like a student called out by the professor during a lecture.

    "This is ''ere''... and this is ''daom''..."

    "No, no! Don''t write them so close together!" Ian shouted.

    At that moment, Kira and Maria felt a chill run down their spines... Something invisible appeared behind them!

    Drawn by the Maronius letters Kira had written too close together, something had approached!

    Ian hurriedly erased the letters on the ground and shouted, "[Go back!]"

    The mystery disappeared smoothly as if nothing had happened. Thankfully, it was just the curiosity of a resident out for a neighborhood stroll.

    "Geez! I told you before! If you write the letters too close together, it bes a magic circle!" Ian scolded.

    "S-Sorry..." Kira mumbled.

    "What do you do when it''s ambiguous? I told you to write in a circle, didn''t I?"

    Ian started frantically writing letters on the ground with chalk. Kira and Maria just nkly watched Ian write letters with machine-like precision.

    ''So that''s a wizard...'' Kira thought.

    ''A real wizard looks like that...'' Maria mused.

    Ian dusted off his hands and said, "This is enough!"

    In reality, Ian truly thought it was a really, really easy task. Well... he had only written letters on the ground! But to the two newbie wizards, Ian looked like a hardcore veteran.

    Ian''s letters, so natural and smooth, were arranged in a circle as if drawing a perfect circle. They looked like a work of art. It was a level that Kira or Maria could never imitate even if they were reborn.

    "It''s so... difficult?" Kira said.

    Ian replied in bewilderment, "Difficult? This?"

    Ian looked at Maria to check. Maria shook her head and said, "It''s amazing skill. Someone like me could never even imitate it."

    "???"

    Ian was confused. He just wrote letters on the ground?!

    As Ian made a face of iprehension, Kira and Maria sighed simultaneously. This is why geniuses... This wizard... doesn''t understand the hearts of ordinary humans!

    "Hmm. It might feel difficult since it''s the first day. Right?" Ian tried to reassure them.

    "..."

    "It''s not... right? Guys?"

    Watching Ianugh awkwardly, Maria quietly turned her head away. Magicalnguage was, indeed, incredibly difficult. Thinking about having to learn such letters in the future, Maria felt her vision go dark...Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    While Ian broke down Kira and Maria''s mental fortitude, Belenka and Jubal savored sweet honey.

    "Oh, Jubal. It''s bee honey," Belenka remarked.

    This wasn''t a metaphor; they were actually sucking on real honey.

    "Those bees don''t have stingers. Go fetch a little."

    "Yes, sir. I''ll be right back."Jubal charged bravely towards the beehive and returned with enough honey for five people.

    As Belenka said, the bees were stingless, making it easy to collect the honey.

    "Ian. Eat this and keep going."

    "Oh, what''s this? Honey?"

    Belenka grinned as she popped a piece of honeb into the mouths of her otherpanions.

    Kira and Maria''s expressions were a sight to behold.

    She''d heard Ian was giving some special training, but...

    Rather than training, their faces looked like they''d been through hell.

    Of course, as a knight, Belenka couldn''t care less.

    She was happy being a knight.

    "We''re almost there," Belenka said while sucking on the honeb.

    Observing her surroundings keenly, Belenka could tell the environment had already changed quite a bit.

    It was evidence that they''d nearly arrived at Baron Vincents'' domain.

    "Belenka," Jubal said, pointing somewhere. "That squirrel... I think it''s been watching us for a while."

    "Let''s see."

    Belenka observed in the direction Jubal indicated.

    Indeed, a squirrel was staring intently at Ian''s group.

    In the past, she would''ve passed by such a squirrel without a second thought.

    But traveling with Ian, Belenka had witnessed far too many mysteries.

    "Hey! Ian!" Belenka immediately called out.

    "What is it?"

    "Look over there."

    Ian scrutinized where Belenka was pointing.

    Then he tilted his head, puzzled.

    "A familiar?"

    From this unfamiliar squirrel, he sensed the scent of a familiar.

    ''... A ck[1] wizard?!''

    Ian''s tension skyrocketed.

    They''d been toox due to theck of attacks so far...

    The southern Empire was clearly and where ck wizards ran rampant.

    Even Ian had already shed twice with the [Golden Rule Society]!

    ''Were we being watched?!''

    Ian admitted he''d been too careless.

    "Belenka! Guard the perimeter!"

    "Got it. Jubal! Raise the shield!"

    "Yes!"

    At Belenka''smand, Jubal immediately raised arge wooden shield.

    It was a crude thing Belenka had made on the road, just wooden nks with handles attached.

    One proper axe blow would turn it into firewood in an instant.

    But it could effectively defend against crossbows, spears, and swords.

    Even more so when wielded by a giant standing 2 meters tall!

    ''Skill cards... Do I have Spear of me?''

    Ian checked for skill cards immediately useful inbat.

    Spear of me, which he''d used against the ck wizard Walter, had finished its cooldown.

    If there was only one enemy, he could roast them with Spear of me.

    ''The wizard must be nearby!''

    Ian instinctively knew this to be true.

    The presence of a familiar meant the wizard was hiding not far away.

    Ian took a deep breath and shouted, "Oberon! Go catch that squirrel!"

    "Caw!"

    Oberon pped his wings and shot out like a ck arrow.

    As mentioned before, Oberon was quiterge.

    Sorge, in fact, that he wasparable in size to a 13-14 pound native chicken.

    Weighing over 1kg, Ian would get annoyed every time Oberon perched on his shoulder.

    Moreover, crows were infamous for their nasty temperament.

    Beating up one cute little squirrel was child''s y for him.

    "Squeak!"

    As Oberon swooped down, the squirrel startled and tried to flee.

    But its opponent was Oberon, the merciless hunter!

    A massive shadow engulfed the squirrel!

    "Caw!"

    "Squeeeak! Squeeeak!"

    Oberon subdued the squirrel in the blink of an eye.

    The squirrel wed desperately at the ground with its tiny fingers, but there was no escaping Oberon''s cruel beak.

    "... That''s kind of pitiful," Kira muttered.

    But Ian snorted.

    Just because it looks cute doesn''t mean it''s harmless. Squirrels are part of nature too. They eat something in the forest and are eaten by something else.

    Especially since this one was a ck wizard''s familiar.

    He didn''t feel an ounce of pity!

    "Caw!"

    [Where''s your master, squirrel-ski!]

    "Squeak! Squeak!"

    [Wh-what are you talking about! Who is it? Squirrel-ski?!]

    Ian heard the two animals chattering away.

    As a level 3 summoner, Ian had reached the stage where he could somewhat understand animal intentions.

    "Oberon. Is that how you''re going to make it talk?"

    [Oh! Was I too soft?]

    Ian nodded.

    "Right. You should''ve said you''d break all its precious acorn-cracking front teeth if it didn''t spill quickly."

    [...!]

    Oberon''s wings trembled at Ian''s fierce threat.

    The mere thought was horrifying.

    Breaking a squirrel''s acorn-cracking front teeth...!

    How cruel!

    ''As expected, my master is wonderfully twisted!''

    Thinking he''d chosen his master well, Oberon nodded.

    "Caw!"

    [Spill it before I break your teeth!]

    "Squeeeak!"

    The squirrel trembled under Oberon''s talons.

    If they intimidated this squirrel well, they could find out where its master was hiding!

    Just then.

    Something burst out of the bushes.

    "Wait! Stop!"

    ''... Here theye!''

    Ian immediately activated his [Spear of me] skill.

    "[O Spear of me!]"

    Whoosh!

    A massive me tore through the air!

    ''Strike first, win first!''

    After fighting wizards a few times, he knew for certain.

    You must never give a wizard time.

    If you give them time to prepare magic, who knows what kind of nonsense they''ll pull.

    Ian tried to drive down the Spear of me before the opponent could cast a spell.

    "Kyaaaa!"

    "???"

    The moment Ian raised the Spear of me.

    He witnessed an unexpected scene.

    The enemy wizard suddenly copsed to the ground.

    Hadn''t they just jumped out to fight?!

    ''Is this a trick?''

    Ian seriously debated whether to ignore this or not.

    Then he made his decision.

    For now... let''s stop the spear and hear what they have to say.

    "Who are you?"

    "Spare me! Please spare me!!!"

    "...?"

    ''Is that... a ck wizard?''

    As soon as Ian stopped his attack, the opponent started begging desperately.

    Bowing their head and trembling...

    They really looked pitiful.

    "Answer me! Who are you! Why were you spying on us?"

    "I''m so sorry! Really! I really had no ill intentions! Please believe me!"

    "..."

    Ian nced around briefly.

    Hispanions had already lost their will to fight.

    Honestly... Ian had lost his steam too.

    If this was an act by a ck wizard trying to lull Ian into a false sense of security, they were clearly an actor rivaling Kira.

    "Please...! Just spare my life...!"

    "Haah."

    Snap!

    Ian snapped his fingers, dispelling the Spear of me.

    It seemed the opponent wasn''t a ck wizard after all.

    As the zing Spear of me vanished.

    "Hu, huaaaaaang....!"

    The wizard burst into tears they''d been holding back.

    "Ah...!"

    Kira''s face turned beet red as she hastily covered Ian''s eyes.

    "Ian! Look away!"

    "Huh? Why?"

    Kira, genuinely flustered, stuttered as she whispered, "That woman... she, she peed herself..."

    "???"

    Ian was instantly dumbfounded.

    ''Indeed...''

    There was a reason the elders warned against ying with fire.

    It was truly a terrifying power.

    Today''s lesson.

    Don''t y with fire(?).

    ''She''s definitely not a ck wizard.''

    Ian was certain this ditzy woman couldn''t possibly be a ck wizard.

    If she were, he''d dive into a river, for real.

    ---

    ---

    Of course, the one who actually ran to the river was the suspicious female wizard.

    After witnessing Ian''s tremendous magic and soiling herself (not a metaphor), she needed to find a river for cleanup.

    Some timeter.

    The wizard returned, clutching dripping wet clothes (Maria had lent her spare clothes).

    "Are you alright?"

    "...!"

    As soon as the wizard left, Belenka and Kira flooded Ian with words.

    How upset must she be~

    Never embarrass a girl like that~

    Try to smooth things over as naturally as possible~ and so on.

    He hadn''t noticed earlier due to the chaos, but the wizard was a woman around Ian and Kira''s age.

    Meaning she looked to be in herte teens to early twenties.

    The most notable feature was her silver hair.

    The wizard''s face turned bright red the moment her eyes met Ian''s.

    If she went for a health checkup like that, she''d get a full course in the emergency room.

    In other words, she looked far from normal.

    "You...! Ugh!"

    She seemed to have a ton to say.

    But when you have too much to say, you often end up speechless.

    The wizard red at Ian with a crimson face, then suddenly thrust herundry forward.

    ''Ugh, dirty!... is what I almost thought!''

    Manners towards girls.

    Recalling hispanions'' advice, Ian put on a polite smile.

    Right. Let''s try to understand this girl''s sorrow!

    A way to resolve this without embarrassment...

    ''Thrusting out her clothes like that... she must wantpensation, right?''

    That was the only exnation.

    In fact, Ian felt genuinely sorry for her.

    He naturally assumed she was a ck wizard since she was openly spying with a familiar.

    Anyway. It''s all because of those bastard ck wizards, Walter and Bertholdt.

    "Here''s some money..."

    The wizard saw the coins Ian offered and screamed.

    "That''s not it!"

    ''...? Is it not enough?''

    Then what is it? Ian wondered.

    Just then, the wizard, who had been concentrating, suddenly blurted out words of magic.

    "[Freeze!]"

    "Oh."

    The dripping wet clothes instantly froze solid.

    Then as she shook the clothes, ice shards scattered everywhere.

    ''Impressive.''

    Ian was genuinely amazed.

    The magic the wizard demonstrated was none other than ice magic.

    Ice magic, which steals heat from objects, bes more likely to seed the colder the surroundings.

    It has nearly 0% chance of sess in summer and approaches 100% in winter.

    Right now the weather was neither cool nor warm.

    Yet she seeded with ice magic, proving her considerable skill.

    "You saw that clearly, right?! This is who I am!"

    p p p~

    Ian apuded enthusiastically.

    Half to cover her embarrassment, half out of genuine surprise.

    Having regained herposure, the wizard shouted with energy iparable to before.

    "You! You''re Ian Eredith Raven, right?!"

    "...? Do you know me?"

    The wizard ced her hand on her chest and dered, "I am Krysus Montana! Your senior by two years!"

    ''Senior?''

    Ian tilted his head, puzzled.

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The Empire''s magked foundation.

    It wasn''t surprising that baseless magic ran rampant, given that the Empire itself was a baseless country.

    The roots of magic naturallyy in the ancient Golden Empire.

    Archwizard Maronius had presented the basic concepts of magic, which his disciples developed into its present form.

    During the Golden Empire''s heyday, Imperial wizards held such high status that they even participated in state affairs. There was even an official position called Celestial Wizard.But the Golden Empire fell...

    And the Holy Empire, founded by barbarians from the north, took its ce.

    In the Holy Empire, wizards were treated as reclusive entrics.

    They were capable and useful, but strange people who wouldn''t be swayed by the nobles'' whims!

    However, a systematic wizard society like in the Golden Empire era wasn''t established.

    The Holy Empire was such a barren country that even wizards had nothing among themselves.

    At best, magic was taught at the Imperial University in Dranheim.

    Even the Imperial University hadn''t been around for long.

    For most wizards, knowledge was passed down between master and apprentice, with members of the same school holding periodic meetings to share their magic.

    In other words...

    The treatment of other wizards varied wildly!

    ''I don''t really get this senior-junior business,'' Ian thought, tilting his head.

    It wasn''t that Ian was strange.

    Ian had spent his entire life as a wizard under his master, Eredith.

    Eredith had only taught him that ''wizards should just be polite to each other'', without borating on other aspects.

    Well... Eredith didn''t know much either!

    Like Ian, Eredith had never experienced wizard society life.

    No, there wasn''t anything that could be called a wizard society to begin with!

    In this deste post-apocalyptic... no, Holy Empirend, what wizardmunity could one expect to find?

    It was just about attending periodic fire wizard meetings, receiving grants, andpleting quests given at the meetings.

    That''s why Ian found it difficult to understand what this woman, Krysus, was saying.

    Krysus imed to be Ian''s senior by two years...

    But so what?

    In wizard society, there were no set ''protocols for meeting seniors''.

    There wasn''t even an atmosphere of treating seniors with particr respect.

    The wizards Ian had met so far just mutually respected each other and moved on.

    "Ah. So you''re my senior."

    So Ian decided to go along with it perfunctorily.

    "That''s right! Your master is my master''s junior, and I became a wizard two years before you!"

    Krysus nced at Ian, gauging his reaction.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    If she was the senior, why was she checking Ian''s reaction?

    "... So. I''ll graciously forget your rudeness. Because I''m a benevolent senior!"

    Ah. So that''s what it was about?

    "You, you too! Don''t breathe a word about what happened here!"

    The reason forying the groundwork about being a senior was to keep Ian''s mouth shut.

    A lot had happened, but Krysus had indeed shown an unsightly side.

    "Yes. I understand."

    Ian replied immediately.

    It''s not like Ian was a viin. He had no intention of ckmailing Krysus by exploiting her weakness.

    "Phew... Good. Let''s get moving then."

    Krysus tucked her squirrel familiar into her clothes and started walking without hesitation.

    As they moved, Ian asked a simple question.

    "By the way, why were you watching us?"

    "Obviously to see when you''d arrive! These days, there are so many ck wizards..."

    Krysus suddenly startled herself and looked at Ian.

    "You, don''t tell me you thought I was a ck wizard?!"

    "... If that wasn''t the case. Why else would I have attacked you, senior?"

    Krysus shouted, her face reddening.

    "I, I just thought you were some weirdo!"

    ''These wizards, really...'' Ian heaved an internal sigh.

    How unbiased were wizards that they''d think ''Ah! I''ve run into some weirdo!'' even when suddenly attacked?

    Though Ian himself was a wizard, wizards were indeed full of strange people.

    "Were you waiting for me?"

    "Yes. You''re thest one."

    "Thest one?"

    It was an unexpected statement.

    Krysus exined.

    "You know Professor Inn was captured, right?"

    "Yes. That''s why I came."

    Inn had been captured in Baron Vincents'' domain.

    Upon learning this, space-time wizards spread the news far and wide, requesting help from other wizards.

    In other words, many wizards besides Ian had received requests for help.

    "Everyone who could move has gathered."

    "Besides you and me, senior?"

    "There are three more people."

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    Did that mean five wizards had gathered to rescue Professor Inn?

    With five wizards deployed, and counting the space-time wizards who had been running around, who knew how many wizards were in motion?

    ''This professor has a talent for causing trouble,'' Ian thought, clicking his tongue.

    He should have just stayed at the university handing out C grades to students...

    Why did he have to travel for magic research?

    "You didn''t go in first?"

    "We nned to move after gathering people. If they could capture a wizard, they''re not ordinary opponents."

    Ian understood.

    Just like recruiting party members to cross a mountain, they were gathering party members to confront this Baron Vincents character.

    No matter how much respect and awe wizardsmanded, they were still just individuals.

    Meaning they''d die if stabbed with a sword.

    Usually, they were treated well, but asionally, when faced with an opponent who''d lost their mind, wizards found it very tricky to deal with.

    So for safety, they were going to confront them as a full party of five.

    "I''ll exin the details after we arrive."

    Krysus guided Ian''s group to a tavern.

    The scent of warm wood and the warmth of a bonfire weed Ian.

    As Krysus had said, three people were gathered at one table.

    "Ah! You''re here!"

    The unfamiliar wizards greeted Ian.

    Ian bowed politely to the wizards.

    ---

    ---

    As Ian''s group entered, the small tavern felt cramped rgely due to Jubal''s presence).

    "Come on, let''s wet our whistles before we start!" a blonde wizard said, standing up.

    Only after a mug of beer was ced in front of everyone did the wizards begin to talk.

    "Let''s start with introductions! I''m Herta, and I specialize in air magic!"

    Herta was a blonde female wizard.

    Her lively tone gave off the scent of an extrovert.

    "I''m Anton, a water wizard."

    A wizard named Anton stood up and spoke. He had brown hair and a typical Imperial face.

    If there was anything distinctive about him, it was that he was clearly showing how bothersome this all was.

    "Karl. Earth wizard."

    The oldest man spoke.

    Unlike Anton, he just seemed to be a man of few words.

    "You already know me, right?"

    "Yes, Senior Krysus. Ice wizard."

    Krysus smiled with satisfaction.

    "You''ve got a good memory!"

    "..."

    She''d just said it, wouldn''t there be a problem with her memory if she forgot?

    Four wizards had finished introducing themselves.

    Now it was Ian''s turn.

    Ian politely greeted the wizards.

    "Pleased to meet you all. I''m Ian, Eredith''s disciple. My specialization is..."

    "He''s a fire wizard!"

    "... dark magic."

    "Liar!!!"

    Ugh. So noisy.

    Ian red at Krysus, but she didn''t pay any attention.

    She was too busy being shocked.

    What, fire magic wasn''t his specialty?

    Then what was that spear of me he showed earlier?!

    "You, you''re really a dark wizard?!"

    "Yes."

    Ian lightly flicked his finger.

    Ian''s shadow writhed like a living creature before stopping.

    The other wizards let out small gasps of admiration.

    "It''s dark magic! You handle a difficult type of magic!"

    "An unusual fellow."

    "..."

    In fact... it seemed only Herta had actually expressed admiration.

    Anyway.

    "Now that thest wizard has arrived, let''s talk about the job!"

    As Krysus had exined, the wizards had been waiting for Ian.

    Herta, being the most extroverted, took the lead in exining.

    "Ian. How much do you know about the situation?"

    "I only know that Professor Inn has been imprisoned."

    "Alright. The person who imprisoned Professor Inn is Baron Vincents'' proxy."

    "...?"

    The wizards had arrived before Ian andpleted various investigations.

    They had even found out who had captured Inn.

    But the culprit was somewhat unexpected.

    "The baron''s proxy?"

    "Yes."

    "Then where''s Baron Vincents?"

    "He''s not here. He''s in his own domain."

    "???"

    Ian''s brain short-circuited for a moment.

    Baron Vincents isn''t in Baron Vincents'' domain, but in his own domain...?

    What kind of nonsense was that?

    Seeing Ian''s peculiar expression, Herta btedly added.

    "Ah. Baron Vincents is Count Gremlin."

    Ian couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.

    He understood Herta''s exnation.

    Medieval titles are attached tond, not people.

    Baron of Somewhere, Count of Somewhere - these aren''t official titles, but names ofnd deeds.

    In other words, Baron Vincents being Count Gremlin meant...

    Count Gremlin was holding twond deeds.

    "Holding two titles. How wasteful."

    "Indeed."

    However, holding many titles wasn''t necessarily a good thing.

    First, it''s difficult to manage.

    Titles are typically bound to other titles by oaths of fealty, and holding multiple titles could lead to conflicting oaths.

    For example, imagine a noble who ownsnd in both South Korea and Japan.

    If war breaks out, whose side should they take?

    And if the King of Japan gives an order, should a Korean noble follow it?

    There are many other problems besides these.

    How would one manage domains far apart, and how would it look to other vassals to possess many titles?

    Knights without titles would surely want to be the lord of Baron Vincents'' domain.

    But if their master tightly holds onto a barony, ignoring his vassals...

    He''d certainly look like a greedy pig.

    "Baron Vincents'' domain is and where the lord''s power is weak."

    Ian nodded.

    He had thought Baron Vincents had gone mad and captured Inn...

    In fact, it was a situation that had little to do with the lord.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian calmly organized his thoughts.

    What mattered now wasn''t whether it was Baron Vincents or Count Gremlin.

    The key point was that the baron''s proxy had captured Professor Inn.

    "This won''t be easy."

    In truth, the situation had been sh*tty enough from the moment Inn was captured.A ruler of a domain had used violence against a wizard.

    But it was still far better than if the baron himself had captured Inn directly.

    If the baron himself had acted, wouldn''t that mean he was blind with rage, wizard or not?

    It meant he was half-mad, or something had driven him to madness.

    As the saying goes, a stick is the cure for a madman.

    If the baron had gone mad andid hands on Inn... no joke, it would''ve sparked a war.

    If wizards joined forces, mobilizing the surrounding lords would be child''s y.

    "True. It won''t be easy. But it''s not the worst-case scenario, is it?"

    Herta said with a slight smile.

    If surrounding lords got involved, this Vincents barony would be like a b of meat before wolves.

    All sorts of thugs(knights) woulde rushing in to wreak havoc.

    They''d smash other people''s fences... butcher pigs to make sausages...

    The baron would''ve caused the trouble, but themon folk would bear the brunt of it.

    "Not the worst case?"

    Anton the water wizard said sarcastically.

    "It''s already f*cked up enough! Having to deal with this sh*t because of some old geezer who can''t even take care of himself!"

    He tells it like it is! Wizard Anton!

    Ian inwardly admired Anton for his no-fucks-given attitude.

    I believe you, Anton. You''re a true Imperial wizard.

    Only an Imperial wizard could pull off such an ornery way of speaking.

    "He''ll probably be smearing his own sh*t on the walls, unable to control his dder or bowels..."

    "Anton! Stop saying such disgusting things!"

    Poor Professor Inn.

    Anton seemed to already view Inn as a senile old man.

    Herta and Krysus looked serious, but Anton remained unfazed.

    "So... who''s the baron''s proxy, and why did he capture Inn?"

    Sensing things might spiral out of control, Ian tried to get the situation back on track.

    Herta collected herself and continued.

    "The baron''s proxy is Count Gremlin''s son."

    Anton chimed in indifferently.

    "Obvious, isn''t it? He''s letting his son y lord to educate him."

    It was a highly usible guess.

    As the count''s son, he was bound to inherit the count''s domainter.

    Letting him y lord on someone else''snd beforehand was entirely possible.

    Meanwhile, he could use the title as bait to pit his vassals against each other.

    "Then I''m even more confused. Why would the baron''s proxy have any reason to capture Inn?"

    The simplest and dumbest answer would be... ''just because''.

    A medieval lord wields power in his domain equivalent to a king.

    Of course, he can ignore what others say!

    If the baron''s proxy saw Inn''s face and ordered, ''Ugh! What a disgusting old man! Lock him up!'', it would be carried out immediately.

    If we had to attach a crime... maybe ''offending his sensibilities''?

    That''s medieval lords for you - able to imprison people ''just because''.

    Of course, such things only happen tomoners and ves who can be stepped on without consequences (the horror being that it actually happens).

    As a wizard, Inn had no reason to receive such terrible treatment.

    "That... we''re not sure about either."

    "What?"

    Ian stared nkly at Herta.

    Weren''t these people supposed to have arrived first and gathered information?

    Yet they don''t even know why Inn was captured?!

    Herta spoke as if making an excuse.

    "Information leaking from the castle is limited... To find out the details, we''d need to meet the baron''s proxy directly."

    The wizards hadn''t gone to meet the baron''s proxy yet.

    The reason was simple and clear.

    To avoid being picked off one by one.

    What a joke it would be to storm into the castle to protest magnificently, only to end up captured themselves.

    If Inn shouted, ''You''vee to rescue me!'', they''d only be able to reply, ''No. I''ve been captured too.''

    Whatever the baron''s proxy was thinking when he captured Inn.

    If five wizards showed up en masse, he wouldn''t be able to arrest them so easily.

    "In that case..."

    Ian fully understood Herta''s words.

    Herta nodded with a smile.

    "Yes. From now on, we''re going to protest to the baron''s proxy."

    ---

    ---

    Publicly, ''Baron Vincents'' is known as a young nobleman.

    This was because the baron''s proxy, the count''s son, was a young nobleman...

    When a young man is sitting prominently in the lord''s manor, people naturally assume this young baron is the lord of thend.

    Unless you investigated thoroughly like Herta, you couldn''t know whose name was on thend deed.

    "Who dares intrude!"

    "I am Wizard Herta. I have an identification badge issued by the university. Would you like to see it?"

    The gatekeeper guarding the castle was startled by the unexpected visitors.

    Especially since the visitor was a wizard!

    "A-a wizard?!"

    To Imperial citizens, wizards are objects of both reverence and fear.

    And in most cases, feares before reverence.

    The gatekeeper was no exception.

    As soon as he heard the name "Wizard Herta", he was utterly cowed.

    Her mysterious blonde hair and jade-like eyes.

    Just that extraordinary beauty alone was enough to tell that Herta was no ordinary traveler.

    "I''vee to meet Baron Vincents'' proxy."

    "??? Who?"

    "The baron''s proxy. Count Gremlin''s son."

    "Th-there''s no such person here..."

    Ian tapped Herta''s shoulder.

    "Herta. You''ve greatly overestimated this person''s level of education."

    "... Is that so?"

    What would a mere gatekeeper know?

    As Ian whispered to Herta, the soldier eyed them suspiciously.

    "And who are you to be with the wizard...?"

    "I''m a wizard too."

    "???"

    "Eredith''s disciple. Wizard Ian."

    The soldier''s jaw dropped.

    Two wizards...!

    No, two wizards visiting this tiny domain!

    Has war broken out somewhere?!

    At that moment, Anton, bristling with irritation, snapped harshly.

    "Cut the stupid time-wasting. If you don''t clear the way right now, I''ll turn you into a frog."

    "A-and you are...?"

    "Wizard Anton."

    "!!!"

    Upon witnessing the third wizard, the soldier experienced severe wizard-reality shock.

    Eh? Ehhhhh? Wizards? Why?!

    When ordinary people encounter wizards, they suffer mental shock. This is a fact that appears in the scriptures of Heaven''s Faith (not really).

    Setting aside such nonsensical talk, the mental shock the soldier received was real.

    Because three wizards had appeared in one ce.

    "G-go right in..."

    Half-stupefied from the shock, the soldier weakly opened the gate.

    Having witnessed three wizards, he had forgotten his very identity.

    Yet he hadn''t reached the true, terrible truth.

    That those women lingering behind were all, everyst one of them, wizards...

    Sometimes, there are blessings that can only be enjoyed because one doesn''t know the truth...

    ---

    ---

    Having defeated the gatekeeper with mere self-introductions, the wizard party marched imposingly into the inner castle.

    The presence of wizards roaming the inner castle put the servants on ultra-high alert.

    "Gatekeeper Down! Ultra-emergency!"

    "The baron! Bring the baron here! Hurry!"

    Technically it was the ''baron''s proxy'', but no one called him that.

    That''s the sort of thing only high-ranking people care about.

    To the servants, whoever sits in the lord''s manor is the baron and the lord.

    As the servants kicked up a fuss, the baron (or baron''s proxy) couldn''t just sit still.

    He took his knights and went to greet the guests who had stormed the castle.

    "Who dares!"

    The baron''s thundering voice was impressive.

    Ian had met quite a few nobles before, but none had shown such presence as this young lordling.

    ''Is he the real deal?''

    It might be prejudice, but the more capable someone was, the better their voice and artiction tended to be.

    Though the baron''s exact abilities were unclear, he certainly had the charisma to captivate people.

    ''Inn... You didn''t cause trouble again, did you?''

    Upon meeting the baron directly, Ian immediately suspected Professor Inn.

    From the start, Inn was a man caught grave robbing...

    Could it be he''d been caught doing something weird in Baron Vincents'' domain again?

    If so, it would be truly infuriating.

    "I am Wizard Herta."

    "Wizard Anton."

    "Wizard Krysus!"

    "... Wizard Karl."

    "Wizard Ian."

    For a moment, the wind blew, making the wizards'' robes flutter.

    As the five wizards introduced themselves one after another, they looked like protagonists from an epic tale.

    Maybe I should change my name to [Ian-ck] while I''m at it?

    The baron muttered with a genuinely bewildered expression.

    "Why are so many wizards...?"

    ''My thoughts exactly.''

    Judging by his expression, the baron still hadn''t realized what he''d done.

    "Don''t disrespect wizards", "Mind your manners with wizards" - these were sayings passed down like proverbs among Imperial nobles.

    But few nobles actually knew what happened when youid hands on a wizard.

    Logically, there was absolutely no reason for a noble to be harsh to a wizard.

    But now.

    The wizards were about to demonstrate firsthand.

    What happens to a noble whoys hands on a wizard...!

    "Let''s go inside first and..."

    The baron tried calmly to persuade the wizards.

    However, he had already broken [Calling a Wizard] once before.

    That was when he captured Professor Inn.

    Inn had visited the baron''snd intending to fleece(...) Baron Vincents.

    At that time, the baron broke the principle of [Calling a Wizard] and imprisoned Inn.

    "We refuse!"

    "...?"

    Since the baron had broken the rules first.

    The wizards had absolutely no reason to be courteous.

    "You''ve captured Professor Inn, haven''t you!"

    "..."

    "Just as you captured the professor, why don''t you try capturing me too!"

    Herta shouted with her eyes wide.

    The content of Herta''s threat was quite appropriate.

    The only problem was that her voice and tone were so feminine that she came across as cute rather than scary.

    But Herta was doing her best to raise hell(...).

    ''This should be enough to scare him, right?''

    Herta was giving exactly that kind of look.

    ... If Herta hade alone, the baron might have ordered, ''Haha! Capture that wench too!''

    Then Herta would have cried, ''Professor, I''ve been captured too~''

    But here, there was a whole bunch of ornery wizards.

    Especially Anton!

    Just looking at those lips puckered with spite...

    It''s just so damn reassuring!

    "Hey, you little sh*t. Bring Inn here right now!"

    "L-little sh*t?!"

    "Yeah, I''m talking to you! You milk-breathed brat!"

    Ian sincerely admired Anton''s ssy way of speaking.

    Wow. That bastard. He''s a crazy bastard.

    As expected of an Imperial wizard, he''s f*cking ornery!

    With Anton charging in without hesitation, Ian didn''t need to step up.

    Ian immediately hid behind Anton''s sturdy back and chimed in.

    "The Baron Vincents is a little sh*t~"

    "... What are you doing?"

    "Senior, hurry up and say something too. This is f*cking fun."

    "B-Baron Vincents is a promise-breaking jerk!"

    Krysus felt a strange thrill as she smiled slyly.

    Ian and Krysus snickered behind Anton''s back.

    ''W-what is this...?''

    Wizard is a time-honored DPS ss.

    This is a fact proven by countless fantasy novels. Baron Vincents felt like he was losing his mind from the prodigious (verbal) DPS the wizards were unleashing...

    ''W-what should I do?!''

    Not only was it hard to keep his wits about him, but he couldn''t even assess the situation properly.

    Now, facing the wizards'' fierce protests(?).

    What on earth should he do?

    Should he imprison all these wizards too?

    But this hellish scene had unfolded precisely because he had imprisoned a wizard.

    Draw his sword?

    Then it was obvious that verbal DPS would turn into magical DPS.

    Of course, the most fundamental solution would be to release Professor Inn.

    ''But... I can''t do that!''

    Baron Vincents gritted his teeth.

    He couldn''t release Professor Inn.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    The wizards'' verbal sparring was terrifying.

    Not just the lowliest servants, but soldiers and knights too. Even the baron''s proxy acting as lord was rendered immobile!

    But...

    "Are you deaf? I said bring Inn!"

    "Looks like you''re deaf!""Seems like you can''t hear~"

    The wizards'' verbal assault was closer to mental damage than physical.

    Their chatter was clearly painful to hear.

    But in other words, it was just annoying.

    Words have no physical force.

    Meaning, if the listener shuts their eyes and ears tight and switches to defense mode, there''s no power to break through.

    "This goddamn bastard..."

    "Anton. That''s enough."

    As Anton''s tirade started to escte, Herta calmed him down.

    Even if the wizards had justification, going too far wasn''t allowed.

    Insults beyond the level of protest could hurt the other party''s feelings.

    ''He''s still resisting even after we''ve said this much?''

    Herta closely examined the baron''s proxy.

    There was almost no change in his outward expression.

    He must have courage and guts to spare.

    Just like Ian had, Herta also highly evaluated the baron''s proxy.

    ...In reality, the baron''s proxy was in a state of brain freeze.

    ''What, what should I do...!''

    While the baron''s proxy was keeping his mouth tightly shut.

    One wizard threw out a heavyment.

    "Seems he can''t understand words."

    It was Carl, the wizard who had been sparing with his words until now.

    "What more can we say to someone who refuses to hand over Inn even if it kills him."

    Coincidentally, the baron''s proxy was quite a troublesome opponent for the wizards.

    If it had been the actual baron instead of the proxy, he wouldn''t have been able to endure the wizards'' relentless verbal assault.

    It''s mynd, my position that''s in danger!

    However, the opponent was, very annoyingly, the baron''s ''proxy''.

    No matter how stubbornly he acted, he wouldn''t lose his title or anything like that.

    ''Nope~ I''m going to ignore what the wizards say~ I can just go hometer and that''s that~''

    The baron proxy''s mindset seemed visible.

    This is how scary someone with nothing to lose is.

    "Hey. Kid. Answer me. Why did you capture Inn in the first ce?"

    Carl asked in a heavy voice.

    The baron''s proxy answered as if he''d been waiting for this.

    "That man deceived me on mynd."

    "How?"

    "He said ill fortune had befallen thisnd, and that a ritual must be performed to appease heaven''s wrath."

    "...And?"

    "He demanded money, saying we must pay the costs for the ritual."

    Ian cursed Inn inwardly.

    Sheesh. Of course.

    How is this any different from fraudulent fortellers who say you need talismans because yourplexion looks bad?

    "That son of a b*tch Inn."

    "Anton!"

    Herta hurriedly covered Anton''s mouth but.

    In fact, all the wizards were thinking simr thoughts.

    Even if the other party was a young nobleman...

    What? Give me money to resolve the bad luck?

    What kind of wizard is that?!

    "...Isn''t it his own fault?"

    Krysus muttered, but Ian pretended not to hear.

    If they concluded that Inn was just a bad guy, there''d be no reason for the wizard-Avengers to assemble, would there?

    "I''m certain he was looking down on me and spreading such malicious rumors. That''s why I imprisoned him."

    Baron Vincents'' (proxy) exnation was sufficiently logical.

    But not enough to convince Carl.

    "Then you should have kicked him out after [Calling a Wizard] was over."

    "..."

    "Laying hands on a wizard as you please. You''ve crossed the line by far, pup."

    That''s right.

    The Empire had a beautiful yet bizarre tradition called [Calling a Wizard].

    First, you pour a bowl of insults on the other party.

    If they''re a proper wizard, you apologize, and if not, you kick them out.

    If Baron Vincents had judged Inn to be a fraud, he should have kicked the wizard out.

    Any measure beyond that is an excessive response.

    This was a rule wizards had created to protect themselves from nobles.

    It was a rule made to prevent being imprisoned on strange pretexts.

    If nobles started detaining wizards, it would be difficult for wizards to travel, and in extreme cases, they might be forced to serve nobles against their will.

    Like what happened with Kira and (self-proimed) Baron Damon.

    There was a time when a bandit who knew jack sh*t about wizards forcibly detained Kira, who was a wizard.

    Fortunately, Kira was a fake wizard then.

    If they had detained a real wizard, there would have been an uproar like this.

    "We''ll apologize for Inn. We''ll evenpensate you, so release him."

    Wizard Carl said gravely.

    The wizards had conceded greatly too. They were clearly aware that Inn had caused trouble.

    Ian expected Baron Vincents to naturally ept the proposal.

    But...

    "I am the lord of thisnd. Who are you to order me around?"

    Baron Vincents kicked away the wizards'' goodwill.

    ''Why is he acting like this?''

    Ian felt suspicion before bewilderment.

    Carl''s proposal was sufficiently reasonable.

    Yet he kicks it away?

    Is Baron Vincents saying he''s that stupid?

    ''...I don''t think that''s it.''

    Ian had already sensed sufficient intelligence in Baron Vincents'' way of speaking.

    If he were an idiot incapable of discernment, he would have drawn his sword when the wizards were pouring out their verbal attacks.

    "...Are you refusing the offer?"

    Carl asked, his thick eyebrows twitching.

    Baron Vincents answered without the slightest hesitation.

    "Of course. I have the right to handle matters that happen on mynd."

    It was a perfectly valid statement.

    If he were the ''real'' Baron Vincents, that is.

    "But strictly speaking, aren''t you the baron''s ''proxy''?"

    When Herta pressed the issue, Baron Vincents shut his mouth.

    It was an irrefutable fact.

    "Then the right to trial would belong to the real baron, wouldn''t it!"

    Herta openly pointed at Baron Vincents and shouted.

    "We''ll formally protest to Count Gremlin. We expect Professor Inn to be released before the count''s people arrive!"

    "..."

    Herta turned her back abruptly.

    The other wizards, including Ian, trailed after her.

    Baron Vincents remained silent until the end.

    Until the wizards left the castle.

    ---

    ---

    The [Rescue Inn through Intimidation] operation ultimately ended in failure.

    The opponent was more troublesome than expected.

    If it''s any constion, they got to see Inn''s face on the way.

    The face of Professor Inn, who they met after a while, was...

    too plump and glossy.

    "You all! Herta! Carl! Ian!"

    Ian inwardly cursed again as he looked at Inn''s face glistening with vitality.

    That old fart. How well did he eat in prison?

    He looked like he could start a male cam broadcast as [Plump-Inn] without any sense of dissonance.

    "Hey! Old man!"

    Bang!

    Anton kicked the prison door and shouted without hesitation.

    He never failed to meet expectations, that bastard.

    "Five wizards gathered just to save you! Five! Do you have any idea how wasteful this is!"

    "Well... that..."

    Inn broke out in a cold sweat and said.

    "First, I''m sorry... discuss the details with the Imperial University''s magic department. I don''t know anything..."

    "F*cking geezer!"

    Bang! Bang!

    Inn ghosted behind the university-shield.

    Ian nodded.

    He felt confident that even if news came that this guy had been stabbed someday, he''d just think, "Well, that figures."

    "Ian my boy! So when are you going to get me out of here?"

    "I don''t know anything about that either."

    "Aaah...!"

    Inn hung his head low.

    Though he looked quite fair-skinned, Inn must have suffered some mental anguish.

    After all, he''d been captured by a nobleman right away, so he couldn''t help but worry.

    Only Hertaforted Inn.

    "Don''t worry too much, Professor. We''ll figure something out for you."

    "Herta...! I knew I could count on you!"

    Carl turned his back coldly.

    "Let''s go."

    "Already?"

    "We''ve confirmed he''s alive. No need to waste more time."

    It was true.

    It''s far more economical to ponder ways to get Inn out as soon as possible.

    Ian returned to the vige tavern with the other wizards.

    The otherpanions were already eating.

    Ian discussed future ns with the wizards.

    "At this point, we''ll resort to a show of force."

    Herta spoke as the representative.

    No wizard opposed her opinion.

    Ian raised his hand.

    "By show of force, to what extent?"

    No matter how ustomed Ian was bing to acting as a wizard, the wizards before him were far more impressive in terms of experience.

    Ian hadn''t yet grasped what level the wizards'' ''show of force'' would be.

    If he were alone, he could have managed somehow, but with several people, shouldn''t they coordinate?

    That''s when Krysus shouted urgently.

    "We, we can''t kill people!"

    "???"

    What kind of...

    Ian looked at Krysus with distrustful eyes.

    "Of course we won''t kill anyone. Who do you take us for, murderers?"

    Herta and Carl had simr expressions.

    Krysus felt so wronged!

    "Hey! Did you forget what you did to me?!"

    I didn''t do anything.

    Ian thought proudly.

    It was Krysus who was wrong for creepily monitoring Ian with a familiar in the first ce.

    But Krysus only remembered that Ian had almost killed her.

    "Cut the bullsh*t, Krysus. You think this kid''s ever killed someone?"

    "? He nearly killed me though?"

    "That''s just you being a coward. Scaredy-cat. There''s no way this brat has killed anyone."

    Krysus pouted.

    No, he really held out a fireball to me...

    "For the show of force, let''s use whatever magic each of us is confident in."

    Herta said.

    "Our goal is to give the impression that the wizards are this angry."

    That''s what Herta wanted from the [show of force].

    The wizards will put on an enthusiastic magic show where Baron Vincents'' proxy can see.

    Then it will naturally draw attention-

    They can publicly appeal to the masses that [The wizards are this angry!]

    Therefore, the biggest benefit of the magic show is word of mouth.

    The story that [A noble imprisoned a wizard] doesn''t spread very far, but.

    [Angry wizards are going wild!] spreads at an incredible speed.

    It''s a f*cking awesome story!

    It''s one of the few public opinion battles that can be waged in the Holy Empire where transportation has gone to sh*t.

    If the wizards put on a magic show to apply pressure, the baron''s proxy or whoever will feel an enormous burden.

    Needless to say, Count Gremlin wille running.

    "Ian. This is your first time doing something like this, right?"

    Ian thought for a moment.

    He had countless experiences of using magic in front of people.

    But it was his first time gathering in a group like this to use magic.

    "Yes, it''s my first time."

    At Ian''s answer, Herta smiled brightly.

    ''How cute.''

    In Herta''s eyes, Ian was a fledgling wizard.

    At twenty, you think you''re an adult, but in society as a whole, you''re immediately treated like a baby.

    Looking at Ian''s face, which obviously appeared young, Herta naturally assumed Ian was a wizardcking in ''wizard experience''.

    "Don''t be too nervous. I don''t know dark magic, but I''ll observe for you."

    "??? Thank you?"

    Ian didn''t understand what Herta was saying, but he thanked her anyway.

    Why would she observe Ian''s magic when she doesn''t even know dark magic?

    ''Is it a wizard tradition?''

    Ian thought Herta''s offer was a kind of academic exchange.

    The tradition (it''s not) of wizards gaining insights by observing each other''s magic!

    "Um... Herta."

    "Oh my. Call me sister. Ian."

    Ian immediately changed his form of address.

    Unlike Eredith, Herta was actually old enough to be his sister.

    "Okay. Sister Herta."

    "Oh my."

    "? What''s wrong?"

    "Nothing. I just like it. Keep talking, Ian."

    Weird person.

    That''s what Ian thought, but he spoke calmly.

    "Can I observe when you use magic too, sis?"

    "Of course! But..."

    Herta tilted her head.

    "I''m an air wizard. Do you know how to use wind magic, Ian?"

    ''Sister Herta is justing to watch too.''

    It seemed Herta, as an experienced wizard, intended to help Ian.

    So she judged there was no need for Ian to help her in return.

    But contrary to Herta''s expectations, Ian did know how to use wind magic.

    His skill level was even top-notch.

    Ian is a level 4 air wizard.

    "Yes. I can use it fairly well."

    Herta looked at Ian with strange eyes and said.

    "But didn''t you say you learned fire magic as your secondary school?"

    "I can use fire magic too."

    "You''re saying you learned both fire and air magic while majoring in dark magic?"

    "Yes."

    Dark magic, fire magic, air magic.

    All at level 4.

    Herta crossed her arms and said.

    "Other than that, have you learned any other magic?"

    "Earth magic, ice magic, water magic, and summoning."

    "..."

    An awkward silence suddenly descended.

    Ian looked around.

    ''Did a ghost pass by?''Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

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    The atmosphere in the tavern grew tense.

    Krysus was startled, Carl remained silent, and Herta shook her head.

    "Phew... Ian. You shouldn''t say such things so carelessly," Herta sighed.

    To Herta, Ian looked like an adorable little chick of a wizard, chirping away. Anyone who saw Ian''s youthful appearance would think the same. So when they heard the list of magic Ian imed to know, they wondered what kind of childish boast this was.

    "I can use fire magic, and air magic~ dark magic, and earth magic...""..."

    But Ian was such a young wizard, wasn''t he? It could only be seen as him putting on airs.

    "What a load of bullsh*t," Anton, a wizard severelycking in patience, spat out.

    "Hey. Little ck kid."

    "Me?"

    "Yeah, you brat. There''s a limit to how much you can lie."

    "???"

    Ian was shocked by Anton''s words. Could it be that they didn''t believe he''d been initiated into multiple schools of magic? Well, that could be the case. Even his master Eredith found it strange to see Ian getting along with all sorts of mysteries, didn''t she? An exceptional affinity with mysteries was clearly Ian''s characteristic and strength.

    "But I really..."

    "This little sh*t is still at it!" Anton red at Ian as he spoke. "Looks like you''re trying to show off in front of Herta or something."

    "? Me?"

    "You don''t need to put on such airs. She''ll look after you anyway. So cut out that arrogant crap."

    "... No. That''s not it."

    "Just because you managed to use a mystery once or twice doesn''t mean you can handle magic!"

    Anton, irritated by Ian''s persistent "showing off", shouted angrily. "Mysteries appearing and disappearing,ing and going - that''s not what we call ''magic''!"

    "... What?"

    "Only when mysteries always listen to you! Only when you can always hear the voice of mysteries, that''s when we call it a real ''initiation''! You little brat!"

    "There are times when you can''t see mysteries?"

    "...?"

    Ian was genuinely surprised. That''s right. Mysteries were... originally invisible things! But Ian didn''t know that fact. Even if mysteries didn''t grant Ian''s requests, he could alwaysmunicate with them!

    However, Anton was thinking the exact opposite of Ian. He thought Ian was bragging about being a ''wizard'' just because he got lucky and used a mystery once or twice.

    But Anton didn''t know. Surprisingly... Ian was a human who could always contact mysteries...!

    "Of course there are times when you can''t see them!"

    The fact that mysteries could disappear from perception was mon sense'' for wizards. The more often one failed to perceive mysteries, the closer they were to ordinary people, and most people lived their entire lives barely perceiving mysteries once or twice, if at all.

    "Hmm..."

    But Ian didn''t have such mon sense''. That''s because Ian''s very existence was so extraordinary.

    "Doesn''t that mean Anton''s skill iscking?" Ian asked innocently.

    "W-What... What did you say?!"

    Struck by this shocking statement as if hit on the back of the head, Anton momentarily lost his ability to speak.

    Skill...cking? The skill of Anton, this genius wizard?!

    As a rule, men are prone to getting riled up when told ''you suck''. Though he had devoted his entire life to studying magic, Anton was still a man. Anton was mercilessly provoked by Ian''s words!

    "Y-You...!"

    Anton, unable to continue speaking due to surging anger, sputtered.

    Ian looked at Anton and shook his head. ''I must have hit the nail on the head.''

    Unfortunately for Anton, Ian thought that Anton was the one putting on airs, a pathetic~ wizard. That guy said he sometimes couldn''t see mysteries. Didn''t that mean he was a sh*tty wizard? (He wasn''t)

    "Anton. Unlike you, there''s never a time when I can''t hear the voices of mysteries. Though I do get rejected by them often."

    Anton was utterly dumbfounded by Ian''s words. How dare he put on airs that would be exposed in a day! There were over five wizards gathered here!

    "Stop lying!"

    Anton thought Ian was 100% lying. How could a person always be in contact with mysteries every single time? If that was the case, why the f*ck was it called a mystery? It would just be a neighborhood bum. It was a mystery because it was iprehensible and difficult to contact.

    Ian''s statement was a direct challenge to suchmon sense. But there were witnesses here who could prove Ian''s statement.

    "Excuse me for interrupting, but Ian is telling the truth," Kira, a true novice wizard, said as she walked up with her red hair swaying.

    She ced her hand gently on Ian''s shoulder, wearing a confident smile. "I''ve watched Ian use numerous spells until now. As for Ian failing to call upon a mystery, well... at least not in my memory."

    It was Kira in show-time mode. Kira''s confident tone, clear enunciation, and vivid expressions lent sufficient weight to her statement. Why is it that the same words sound more usible when spoken by a beautiful person? And Kira was clearly a beauty. That meant her persuasiveness was skyrocketing.

    "Although my skills are meager... I can properly meet the mystery of fire at least."

    Kira shed a smile. "Isn''t it the wizard who asionally loses sight of mysteries whocks learning?"

    "Wh-What... are you... saying..."

    Ugh!

    If Anton had been suffering from low blood pressure, this stimtion would have been effective enough to instantly improve his symptoms. Anton''s blood pressure shot up. He was furious! Two rookie wizards were mocking him in tandem?!

    "Heh. I can summon the mystery of ice at will too. But Anton..." Krysus chimed in.

    "Will you please shut up! Krysus! I can summon the mystery of water anytime I want!" Anton snapped back.

    Krysus quickly got her revenge on Anton. "Heheh~ A pathetic~ wizard who can''t even summon mysteries~"

    "Grr...! You cheeky little brat!"

    He couldn''t take it anymore. Anton vowed to crush the noses of these greenhorn wizards with his skills!

    "Ha. f*ck. Fine. If we''re wizards, let''s settle this like wizards, with magic."

    "With magic?" Ian smiled brightly. Settle it like wizards with magic, he said. He really liked the sound of that! "Alright. Then from now on, why don''t we each demonstrate one spell?"

    "... Huh?"

    Caught off guard by Ian''s sudden proposal, Anton was flustered. Settling it was fine, but... right now...? Anton was a water magic user. He needed water to use magic. He thought they''d have some time to prepare... but to settle it right now?

    On the other hand, Ian had mastered all sorts of misceneous magic. Demonstrating a simple spell was nothing to Ian.

    "[O Darkness!]"

    Ian called upon the mystery of darkness as naturally as breathing. The inside of the tavern was already dim and gloomy. Darkness enveloped Ian''s surroundings all too easily.

    "It''s dark magic!" Herta eximed.

    "Hmm," Carl nodded approvingly.

    "Kyaaaah! It''s magic!" a customer screamed.

    "???"

    There was a bit ofmotion as the startled customer fled (...) the tavern. But Herta and Carl highly praised Ian''s magic. Ian''s dark magic was extremely clean.

    "Anton. It''s your turn now," Ian said.

    "..."

    "Come on, show us your magic."

    Anton didn''t use magic. No, he couldn''t use it. Instead, he red at Ian, trembling...

    "You... dirty bastard!"

    "???"

    "Just because you''re a dark magic user doesn''t mean you''re everything! Let''s have a fair fight by the river!"

    Anton couldn''t contain his anger at Ian''s pettiness. How dare you ask a water magic user to show magic in a tavern room! There was no water here!

    As Anton trembled with rage, Ian whispered to Kira. "I''ve been thinking this for a while, but that guy''s skill is really..."

    "Right? He seems pretty pathetic."

    While Anton might be a (self-proimed) genius wizard, that was limited to water magic. Without water, he couldn''t use magic!

    "You... just wait until it rains," Anton growled.

    Thump!

    Anton roughly shoved his chair aside and stomped off somewhere.

    "Anton!" Herta called after him, but Anton was too quick. He must have been wounded in his pride. And understandably so. Rookie wizards had mocked Anton as pathetic. And he couldn''t demonstrate his skills because there was no water (...).

    But Ian still thought Anton wasn''t much of a wizard. After all, a truly aplished wizard could perform incredible magic even in ces without water. The fact that he needed water for magic meant Anton''s learning was stillcking.

    "Ian. Make sure you apologize to Antonter," Herta said sternly.

    "That''s..."

    "I''ll take responsibility and tell Anton to apologize too."

    Herta was saying, don''t fight among wizards. Ian nodded without protest. Even if Anton was a mediocre wizard (?), he was still Ian''s senior.

    "I went too far," Ian admitted.

    "Be more careful from now on. That aside..." Herta looked at Ian with her arms crossed and said, "I didn''t want to go this far, but I really want to see with my own eyes Ian handling magic from other schools."

    It meant, are you ready to take responsibility for your words? Of course, Ian was confident.

    "Would it be alright if I helped all the other wizards?"

    The three wizards nodded.

    "Good. Then let''s help each of you once."

    ---

    ---

    Herta and Carl left, saying they needed to prepare their magic. Anton also seemed to have rushed to the river for his magic. Only Krysus remained, sipping beer idly.

    "Aren''t you going to prepare, senior?" Ian asked.

    "Eh. Too bothersome."

    "..."

    Ian wasn''t sure if that one would be able to use magic properly. He had a brief chat with hispanions before going to help with the magic.

    "Ian. Got a moment?" Belenka spoke to him first.

    "What is it?"

    "I have something to say about Baron Vincents'' proxy."

    Ian sat down at the table again. Belenka and Kira joined. Even Maria joined the conversation. Jubal... just sat there.

    "Don''t you think something''s odd?" Belenka opened the topic, and the others chimed in with their opinions.

    "To be honest. I didn''t expect him to hold out this long," Kira spoke frankly. She had some experience meeting nobles. Kira knew well how ufortable nobles were around wizards. Let''s say detaining Professor Inn was just out of irritation. But what came after was the problem. A group of wizards barged in and collectively protested. And hepletely ignored that?

    "Even for a proxy, that''s going too far."

    Being the proxy ruler of thisnd was only a temporary shield. Moreover, the baron''s proxy was the son of a count. He''d inherit the title someday, but with this uproar, would the surrounding wizards look kindly upon him? Wizards and nobles had a mutually beneficial rtionship. Such tant disregard for wizards was by no means desirable.

    "I... got the impression that the baron''s proxy was hiding something at that time," Belenka said thoughtfully.

    "I felt that impression too..." Kira agreed.

    "I felt it a little as well," Maria added.

    It was themon opinion of the three. Ian had no objection.

    "When the wizards start flexing their powers, it''s obvious the baron''s proxy won''tst long."

    It was a fight where defeat was predetermined. Soon, wizards would be putting on all sorts of shows throughout the domain. How could he withstand that pressure? Yet the baron''s proxy didn''t release Inn. Was the baron''s proxy aiming for something?

    "Ian. That''s why..." Belenka said. "While you''re mingling with the wizards. We''ll investigate the baron''s proxy on our own."

    "Just you guys?"

    Ian''spanions nodded. It seemed they had already agreed on this.

    "The most ideal conclusion would be if the baron''s proxy turns out to be aplete idiot, but..."

    It meant they needed to investigate in case that wasn''t true.

    "Alright. Investigate, but don''t overdo it," Ian cautioned.

    It wasn''t a bad idea.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The situation had somehow turned into a feint operation.

    While Ian drew aggro with the wizards, Belenka and Ian''s otherpanions investigated the Baron''s proxy.

    ''Better to draw as much attention as possible.''

    Since they''d divided roles, it was best to produce definitive results. If Ian and the wizards took the brunt of the attention, it would make things easier for Belenka''s group to move.

    Though the situation had changed, Ian''s task remained the same: putting on a show of force with the wizards.Ian first joined up with Carl, the earth wizard, who had set up on a nearby hill dominated by imposing rock formations. Ian marveled as soon as he set foot there. Even above ground, the power of the earth surged all around. As expected of a seasoned earth wizard, Carl had chosen a location where earth magic could be utilized best.

    "You''re here," Carl said.

    "Yes. I was wondering if there was anything I could help with..."

    "Sit there."

    Ian had agreed with Herta to help with each wizard''s magic manifestation as he visited them. He''d imed he could handle magic from various schools, and proof of that was needed. But that was just Ian''s circumstances. Carl couldn''t care less about who Ian was or what he was doing.

    Carl was always like that. Indifferent, brusque, and a man of few words. He spent more time in solitary meditation than others, which allowed him tomunicate with the mysteries of the earth more easily.

    Ian sat on a wide rock as Carl instructed, wondering if there might be a task. But that was Ian''s misunderstanding. Carl had simply shoved Ian out of sight because he found him annoying. He had no intention of epting Ian''s help or testing him.

    A wizard only opens his mouth to mysteries! Carl,pletely uninterested in small talk, sat Ian down somewhere and prepared his magic.

    "[Earth, respond to my call]" Carl intoned.

    Given the location brimming with earth''s power and the wizard''s clear, strong invocation, Ian expected the mystery of the earth to respond. As expected, the ground began to quiver slightly, announcing its presence.

    [What is it, my friend?]

    ''As I thought.''

    Carl had seeded in summoning the mystery of the earth in one go. As expected, he was a skilled earth wizard.

    "[I wish to borrow a part of you]"

    "Why is that?"

    "[Because I want to see a part of you move.]"

    Carl''s tone was stiff and polite. The mystery of the earth used vocabry just as stiff as Carl''s, making them a perfect match in a way.

    Carl spent over 30 minutes carefully persuading the mystery of the earth to cast the magic urately and perfectly, without any room for misunderstanding.

    "How troublesome," Carl muttered in the imperialnguage after 30 minutes.

    Ian didn''t miss Carl''s mumbling. "Carl, sir. You''re thinking of rolling that boulder down, aren''t you?"

    Carl looked at Ian with eyes that said, ''You''re still here?'' But he wasn''t a telepath. He couldn''t convey his intentions 100% with just a look.

    Ian nodded, feeling Carl''s gaze. I see, you''re asking what I''m thinking right now! (He wasn''t)

    "In my opinion, it would be better to roll it southwest," Ian suggested. "The soil there seemed soft and spongy, so the boulder shouldn''t break."

    Not a bad idea. But Carl shook his head.

    ''If we roll it that way, we''d have to go through a wheat field. We can''t ruin a farmer''s crops just to deal with one half-witted noble,'' Carl thought.

    Emphasis on ''thought''.

    Carl was originally a man of few words and taciturn. Chattering to coordinate opinions with a colleague didn''t suit his personality.

    ''It doesn''t matter if the boulder breaks a bit. I''m nning to tear off a chunk of solid granite bedrock. The important thing is how to move this to the front of that noble''s castle. The obstacles in between are quite annoying.''

    Carl''s mind was racing. As expected of an excellent wizard. However, contrary to his hardworking mind, his mouth was the epitome ofziness. Carl''s mouthpressed the results his mind had diligently organized and analyzed into a single sentence.

    "We''re not using the southwest."

    "But why..."

    "Because we''re sending it straight to the Baron."

    "... Pardon?"

    Naturally, Ian had no idea what thoughts were running through Carl''s head. So Ian thought like this:

    So. To the suggestion of ''rolling'' the boulder... He''s answering that he''ll send it straight to the Baron? Now?!

    ''Has this old man gone mad?!'' Ian was dumbfounded by Carl''s entricity that defied imagination.

    What method is there to send a boulder straight to a noble without rolling it?

    There''s only one answer. That is... to shoot the boulder straight at the castle like a catapult!

    This crazy old man! So that''s why he chose the hill behind the castle!

    ''Even so, that''s going too far!'' Ian was appalled by Carl''s insane idea.

    Earth wizards are scary. Too scary!

    Even if it''s a ''show of force'', how could a normal person think of catapulting a boulder at someone else''s castle!

    "But Carl, sir... will it be alright?" Ian asked out of genuine concern for the Baron''s proxy. What if the Baron''s proxy dies from having a boulder hurled at him?

    But Carl interpreted Ian''s wordspletely differently. ''You''re saying you''ll deliver the rock all the way to the front of the noble''s castle while avoiding all obstacles and without causing any civilian casualties? Heh heh. Can you really pull that off, Sir Carl?''

    ''What an impudent brat.''

    Though it was an obvious provocation, Carl decided to humor Ian.

    "Do I look incapable?" Carl asked with a serious face.

    Ian broke out in a cold sweat. As expected... I couldn''t tell because he kept his mouth shut, but... This guy is a wizard after all!

    Sh*t, he''s not in his right mind!

    So he''s really going to shoot that rock at the Baron''s castle!

    ''Well, I suppose a wizard could do that,'' Ian thought, swallowing hard as he looked at Carl.

    He might look like just a taciturn old man... But this guy is an experienced earth wizard who''s been around the block. He knew full well how to deal with nobles.

    Logically speaking, whose judgment would be correct? Ian, the fledgling wizard? Or Carl, the seasoned wizard?

    Ian had no choice but to go along with Carl''s opinion. So this is the level of mischief needed for a show of force! (It wasn''t).

    "No, it''s just..."

    "Just?"

    "Your magic seemed much calmer than I expected..."

    ''Oh ho.''

    Ian''s observation was urate.

    Carl was in the middle of a very careful and calm conversation with the mystery. Because of this, Carl became interested in Ian''s words. He had no intention whatsoever of epting help, but he became a bit curious about Ian''s level of earth magic.

    "Calm, you say? Then what''s your method?"

    To slowly roll the boulder, you''d need the earth''s delicate assistance. But if the goal was just tounch it, rougher methods would suffice. This ce was full of earth''s power, wasn''t it?

    Ian spoke without hesitation. "We borrow the power from deep within the earth."

    "Deep within?"

    Ian had no desire whatsoever to meddle with Carl''s magic. Carl was an excellent earth wizard, and he''d undoubtedlymunicate with the earth in a way far superior to Ian''s. Nevertheless, Ian honestly shared his opinion.

    In Ian''s view, the power needed for catapulting wasn''t the power of soft soil, but the volcanic-like power erupting from deep within the earth. An experienced earth wizard might think differently, but at least Ian thought this was the right answer.

    That very difference of opinion piqued Carl''s interest once again.

    ''The power deep within the earth is strong.''

    Carl became even more intrigued when Ian unexpectedly didn''t spout nonsense. Ian himself had said he could use earth magic. But Carl hadn''t held much expectation for that. How much could such a young wizard have learned about magic from other schools?

    Moreover, Krysus had said Ian had demonstrated excellent fire magic.

    Dark magic and fire magic. It''s challenging enough to master two schools of magic, and on top of that, earth magic?

    Carl hadn''t expected much, but surprisingly, Ian''s knowledge of earth magic was top-notch. It was definitely not at a level that could be called ''beginner''.

    Carl felt the urge to actually see Ian''s magic. Well... the most entertaining sight in the world is watching a newbie!

    ''Is he really an earth magic newbie?''

    Carl became even more curious when Ian said he''d roll the boulder using power from deep within. A earth magic newbie is trying to do something while mentioning terms only specialists know?

    Oh my, I must see this!

    "What exactly are you nning to do?"

    Carl asked, his voice filled with goodwill. However, as usual, his words were far too brief.

    Carl wanted to say, ''Your fresh idea excites... no, intrigues me greatly. Would you care to calmly exin the theory you''vee up with?'' but he just habitually omitted it.

    Instead, using magic, he tore off a huge boulder from the rocky cliff.

    If Carl had heard Ian''s ''real'' thoughts, he would have gaped on the spot. Use the explosive power of the earth to shoot the boulder at the castle? Are you in your right mind?

    But Carl skipped the process of asking for Ian''s opinion. He just thought, ''Rather than words, it''s better to see it directly in action.''

    "Go ahead and do it."

    "Me?"

    "Yes."

    Ian flinched. Even so,unching a boulder at the Baron''s castle with my own hands is a bit... But he had a promise with Herta, and above all, Carl was a crazy wizard (Ian firmly believed this), so it seemed better to move as instructed.

    ''Oh, whatever.''

    Ian moved the boulder, cing it on the ground where earth''s power had pooled. Fortunately, this was a hill behind the lord''s castle, so with just a little force, it would collide straight into the castle walls.

    ''Here goes!''

    Ian uttered an incantation in the magicalnguage.

    "[Earth!]"

    [What is it, human?]

    What Ian wanted was the earth''s eruption. He intended to use the earth''s explosive force to push the boulder. Then, how to make the earth erupt?

    The earth''s power had already reached its critical point. Even with the slightest shock, the ground would be sufficient to erupt. Ian decided to gift the earth with a very slight emotional change. It''s nothing grand. Really, just a tiny emotional change would be enough.

    "[I''d like you tounch this rock!]"

    [Hmm. I don''t particrly feel like doing that...]

    "[You need a change of mood, I see.]"

    Wizards are warned time and time again to be careful in their word choice when talking with mysteries. Because you never know what an excited mystery might do. But right now, Ian needed to excite the mystery of the earth. Only then could he borrow the power of eruption.

    And Ian knew a very effective means of manipting someone''s emotions. That''s right... dad jokes.

    "[Let me tell you a few funny jokes.]"

    [Oh. Jokes? Go ahead.]

    "[What do you call a rock you raise as a pet? The answer is... pet rock![1]]"

    [...]

    "[What sound does a horse''s leg make when it breaks? The answer is... horse-ttuk![2]]"

    [...]

    It was a makeshift and half-hearted method. But it was safe and effective. If the joke isn''t understood, nothing happens. If it''s funny, the mood improves, which is good. If it''s infuriating, the emotional change is still beneficial. (Dad jokes are originally intended to irritate the listener.)

    [Pet... rock... horse... ttuk...]

    Ian held his breath, waiting for the earth mystery''s reaction. Soon, the reaction burst forth.

    [Bwahahahaha!]

    The result was uproariousughter. Seems it was a mystery that enjoyed dad jokes.

    As the mystery of the earth burst into heartyughter, the earth soon began to quake...!

    Rumble rumble!

    ''Sess.''

    A geyser erupted from deep within the earth. It was proof that the earth had burst open. The massive boulder ced on top flew like a cannonball and struck the Baron''s castle wall.

    Boom!

    Judging by the billowing dust, one side of the castle wall must have copsed. A satisfactory result.

    Ian grinned and looked at Carl. How about that, Carl? My magic''s pretty good, right?

    But Carl''s state was a bit strange. Carl was... staring at Ian with eyes full of shock, as if looking at a monster...

    "You bastard."

    "Pardon?"

    "You''repletely insane! This guy!!!"

    "???"

    Ian didn''t understand, but Carl was utterly shocked by Ian''s outrageous behavior.

    Why the hell did youunch the boulder now! You crazy bastard!

    ---

    [1. raei: the pet rock is a y on the phrase ''????'' which is abination of the words pet and animal. The animal is switched with rock creating ???. Why is this funny? Not sure. Dad jokes work just fine for me in English, but in Korean...]

    [2. ?? which I''ve decided to trante as horse-ttuk, is thebination of ?(horse) and ?(a snapping sound) ttuk. The two together actually mean a different word which is ''stake/post'' but I''m not really sure if it''s relevant to the joke...]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "It wasn''t a stone-throwing spell???"

    Ian was dumbfounded by Carl''s exnation.

    In fact, the more ridiculous part was that the usually taciturn Carl had suddenly be a chatterbox.

    If Herta had seen this, she would''ve been startled.

    What on earth had Ian done to turn that silent Carl into a motormouth?And if she found out what Ian had actually done, she''d be even more shocked.

    "Yeah! You reckless idiot!"

    Carl was equally appalled by Ian''s actions.

    Wizard Eredith...

    What kind of disciple have you raised!

    "But I thought you said to send the stone directly to the baron..."

    "I said send it directly, notunch it!"

    Isn''t that the same thing?

    As Carl unleashed a torrent of scolding, Ian finally engaged his meta-cognitive abilities.

    "..."

    Looking at the pitifully crumbled corner of the distant castle wall...

    It seemed like he might have gone too far...

    ''Was I too harsh?''

    But Ian soon felt something like betrayal.

    No, Carl. You''re supposed to be an exceptional wizard.

    Shouldn''t you be able to demolish someone else''s castle wall as a test??? (No)

    "I thought for sure Carl would be able to destroy the wall..."

    Carl was once again dumbfounded by Ian''s attempt at an excuse or whatever it was.

    Just what... kind of thoughts do you have on a daily basis to think demolishing castle walls is normal!!!

    Are we at war! You fool!

    ''Truly, he''s a peculiar one...''

    Carl thought that Ian was the very stereotype of an [entric wizard].

    Thinking that such a guy would lead the future of wizardry...

    It made him dizzy just imagining it.

    ''... Why are you so damn good at earth magic!''

    Moreover, the guy had beautifully seeded in earth magic.

    In short...

    A capable oddball.

    A terrifyingly dangerous type of human...

    Unaware of Carl''s thoughts, Ian spoke nonchntly.

    "I guess we should go apologize to the baron."

    "..."

    ''Do you think the baron will ept your apology?''

    Carl was genuinely curious, but.

    To avoid provoking Ian any further (...), he reverted to his taciturn Carl mode.

    ---

    ---

    Baron''s proxy.

    Theo of Gremlin let out a deep sigh.

    The reason he came to be the baron''s proxy in Vincents'' barony was simply due to his father''s orders.

    Theo was a sort of steward sent by Count Gremlin. Someone who wasn''t the owner of thend but was entrusted with its management.

    Count Gremlin was a man who enjoyed political schemes and liked to make his vassalspete for the position of Baron Vincents.

    Everyone knew that Theo would never be Baron Vincents.

    So Theo could perform his duties as baron''s proxy lightly, feeling as if he were truly managing someone else''snd.

    But recently, a problem had arisen.

    "My lord..."

    "Yes, my love."

    Theo''s local lover in Vincents'' barony.

    The ck-haired Karenne whispered from the bed.

    "My lord, I... I can''t take it anymore."

    ''Is she asking to get married?''

    Theo frowned.

    Even if he cared for and liked Karenne, she was just a local lover he had casually taken up.

    She wasn''t a woman he loved sincerely enough to give the position of countess.

    "I, I want to have your child..."

    "Enough! Karenne. I''d like you to leave my room."

    "My lord...?"

    As soon as he heard the words he least wanted to hear, Theo immediately kicked Karenne out.

    Karenne was nothing more than a pastimepanion.

    "Are you kicking me out right now?"

    "You guessed correctly. Yes. Disappear from my sight."

    "... You''re being too cruel."

    It''s your attitude that''s too cruel, Theo thought to himself.

    You''re just amoner with no abilities, yet you think you can snatch up the position of countess just because we slept together a few times?

    "You said you loved me!"

    "I did then. But not anymore."

    "..."

    "You''ve crossed a line you shouldn''t have. Leave my castle while I''m still asking nicely. If you keep resisting, you''ll see a terrifying sight."

    Karenne fell to her knees.

    She looked up at Theo with a intive gaze.

    "My lord... Please..."

    "I told you to disappear, didn''t I?"

    But Theopletely ignored Karenne''s gaze.

    What do you think you''ll aplish by begging, youmoner?

    There was absolutely no chance that Theo''s heart would change and he''d take her as his wife.

    "This is your final warning. Get out of my room."

    "..."

    Karenne bowed her head deeply.

    Theo thought she was despairing and shedding tears.

    Even if she cried her eyes out, it wouldn''t change his mind.

    "Ah. F*ck."

    "...?"

    "You f*cking bastard, you''re going too far. Tsk."

    "... Karenne?"

    However, the words that spilled from Karenne''s mouth... weren''t pitiful pleas.

    They were rough curses that could rival a mercenary''s.

    "Hey. Theo. Can''t I just like you a bit?"

    "???"

    "After all that sucking and f*cking, now you tell me to f*ck off when I want to have a kid. You son of a b*tch."

    "Karenne. You''re now..."

    "[Twist!]"

    Surprisingly, a skilled magguage tumbled from Karenne''s mouth.

    Even more surprisingly.

    In response to Karenne''s magic, Theo''s important area began to twist like a pretzel...

    "Aaaaargh!"

    Theo screamed in terror.

    But the twisting didn''t stop.

    His important area, which was being wrung out like a wet rag, eventually started dripping bright red blood.

    Theo foamed at the mouth as he experienced the shocking pain.

    "[Stop.]"

    Karenne stopped her magic.

    Theo, drenched in cold sweat, stared at his ''ex'' lover before him.

    Karenne wasn''t just a maid who had entered the castle.

    She was a wizard.

    "You are... you are...!"

    "The jig is up. F*ck. You acted like a bastard first. So I''m acting like a bastard too. Noints, right?"

    Theo, looking at his blood-soaked lower body, nodded as if entranced.

    Theo didn''t know, but Karenne was a skilled transmutation wizard.

    A wizard who could twist and transform things was precisely a transmutation wizard.

    There was an unwritten rule in transmutation that [transmutation should never be applied to the human body].

    However, Karennepletely ignored such rules and.

    She had be a terrifying wizard capable of twisting people like pretzels.

    "Cute little Theo. We need to do something together."

    "A, a job?"

    Karenne covered Theo''s lips with her own.

    After a deep kiss, Karenne spokenguidly.

    "Don''t worry too much, honey. Just catch one wizard for me."

    "... A wizard?"

    Theo couldn''t understand Karenne''s request.

    Suddenly asking him to catch a wizard?

    However, whether Theo grasped the situation or not wasn''t particrly important.

    Theo didn''t have a choice anyway.

    Theo swallowed hard as he looked at his bloodied lower body.

    "F*ck. You know how pissed off I was earlier? I almost ripped your thing off."

    "..."

    "But I''ll forgive you. What''s important is our future, right? So, let''s just get through this job safely."

    Karenne looked at Theo with a sultry smile.

    At that moment, Theo sensed it.

    He would never be able to escape from this woman''s clutches...

    After Karenne revealed her identity, Theo became her puppet.

    To others, nothing seemed different from before.

    Baron''s proxy Theo, and his lover Karenne.

    But Karenne was a wizard who could tear Theo''s body apart with a single word, and Theo could never disobey her orders.

    "... Haa."

    Theo sighed so deeply it seemed the ground might cave in.

    It didn''t feel like living even though he was alive.

    When the wizard named Inn came to visit, Theo detained him on Karenne''s orders.

    Theo didn''t know why or for what reason Karenne captured Inn.

    But people believed that Theo had captured him out of anger at Inn''s arrogant attitude.

    That rumor spread far and wide...

    And brought a group of no less than five wizards to the domain.

    It was enough to drive him insane.

    If it weren''t for Karenne''s threats, Theo would have released Inn when the wizards sternly warned him.

    But Theo stubbornly refused to release Inn and...

    As a result, the enraged wizards left, huffing and puffing with an "We''ll see about this!" attitude.

    If things continued like this, Theo was surely doomed.

    Soon, the angry wizards would turn the domain into a wastnd...

    But if he released Inn?

    Theo was equally doomed.

    Karenne would shatter his body to pieces.

    It was then, as Theo was lost in his worries.

    Kwaaang!

    "Wh-what''s going on!"

    A thunderous sound struck the castle, shaking the very foundations.

    Theo was so startled he even stuttered.

    Soon, a servant came running in a fluster to report.

    Like Theo, he wore an expression ofplete shock.

    "A wizard... a wizard...!"

    "A wizard?!"

    The servant shed a tear and prostrated himself on the ground.

    "A wizard has destroyed our castle wall with magic!"

    "..."

    Theo forgot his dignity and gaped.

    Good heavens... Those mad wizards...

    They''ve finally done it!

    Theo immediately rushed to the scene.

    "What in the world..."

    And he was at a loss for words.

    Indeed, the castle wall had been struck by a huge boulder and was caved in!

    F*ck, is this the Crusades or what! Right now!

    Knights, soldiers, and even farmers dropped their work and rushed to see the demolished castle wall.

    The power of magic they witnessed in person was beyond imagination.

    "Is this... magic?"

    It''s not for nothing that wizards are called ''gods of the battlefield''.

    The presence of an outstanding wizard can be powerful enough to turn the tide of war itself.

    Theo felt dizzy.

    What other reason could there be for a wizard to destroy a castle wall with magic?

    It''s clearly a message saying they''ll crush us like this from now on!

    "My, my lord!"

    "What is it now..."

    "A wizard ising this way!"

    It was true.

    A ck-haired wizard was approaching.

    A wizard with a crow on his shoulder.

    Ian Eredith Raven stared nkly at the copsed castle wall...

    ''Is he admiring his own handiwork?!''

    That wizard.

    He must be observing how spectacrly he smashed it.

    "It seems to have crumbled a bit too much."

    Ian said impassively.

    Theo felt a chilling sensation run down his spine.

    Those insensitive eyes!

    Does this wizard have no human emotions!

    Ian bowed his head and apologized.

    ... At the same time, an automatic trantor whirred in Theo''s mind.

    "I''m sorry, Baron."

    [It''s me, you f*cker.]

    "I didn''t intend to, but somehow I ended up breaking the castle wall."

    [Of course I broke it on purpose. Keep b*tching and I''ll crack your skull like this too.]

    "I''ll take responsibility and fix the broken wall."

    [If you really whine about fixing it, your house is next.]

    "But before that, I''d appreciate it if you could release Professor Inn quickly."

    [So hand over Inn quickly, you bastard.]

    "Well then, I''m busy so I''ll be going."

    [Well then, I''m busy so I''ll be going.]

    Ian turned his back coldly.

    But no one could me or curse Ian.

    He was a wizard who brought natural disasters with him...

    ''That crazy wizard... is threatening to destroy our house next!''

    Theo looked up at the sky with tears in his eyes.

    His only wish was for Karenne, or anyone really, to quickly resolve this situation.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    When Ian returned after meeting the baron, Carl had vanished.

    Instead, Krysus greeted Ian while sipping a beer.

    "What gives? Weren''t you supposed to go use earth magic with Senior Carl?"

    Krysus was the only person in the tavern.

    The wizards hade and gone so frequently that they''d practically taken over the ce.''Another act of wizardly mischief to add to the list,'' Ian thought as he took a seat.

    The vigers might soon beining to the baron, "Please kick the wizards out of the tavern!"

    But adding another act of mischief? Not bad.

    They''d leave if you just handed over the booze nicely.

    "I used it."

    "Ah. Is it all done then?"

    Krysus nodded as if she understood.

    "I thought so. I heard an incredible noise earlier."

    She stared directly at Ian and eximed, "Senior Carl must have used an amazing spell!"

    "..."

    Ian turned his head and pretended not to hear.

    Well... about that...

    Things just kind of turned out this way...

    "But where did you go?"

    "I went to apologize to the baron briefly."

    "Apologize? Ah. That kind of thing?"

    Krysus grinned.

    Ian said he went to apologize, but...

    He must have gone to threaten under the guise of an apology!

    "Hehe. To receive an apology from a wizard. That baron must have had quite the wake-up call by now, right?"

    "...?"

    Ian couldn''t understand Krysus''s words.

    Why would apologizing wake someone up...?

    Ian had apologized with genuinely pure intentions...

    "Well, the only way you could help Senior Carl is by running errands anyway."

    "..."

    Krysus thought Carl had used magic and Ian had gone to the baron on an errand.

    Of course, that''s all she could think.

    Carl was an excellent earth wizard, and Ian was a dark wizard!

    "I''ll say you did well for now."

    "Senior. Actually, I..."

    "What? Tired? Are you trying to ck off as the youngest?"

    "..."

    No.

    I was going to say that I demolished the baron''s castle...

    Ian had those words on the tip of his tongue, but he held back for now.

    There was no need to go through the trouble of exining.

    "This works out well. Ian. You need toe with me."

    Krysus summoned Ian.

    "Ah. Are you going to use ice magic? I''ll help too."

    "Pfft! Yeah~ Having you help makes this senior feel so reassured~"

    "..."

    Ian red at Krysus with salty eyes.

    Why did that woman make him want to smack her upside the head?

    She was clearly holding a grudge over crying when surprised by Ian''s fire magic.

    It was a bit annoying, but he decided to let it slide for now.

    After all, Ian couldn''t say he was entirely innocent either.

    "Alright! Let''s go! Let''s go!"

    "No, I just ordered a beer..."

    "Down it like a man! Or are you still too much of a baby for that? Hah!"

    "..."

    I''ll let it slide just this once.

    Ian downed the lukewarm beer in one go and got up.

    "Let''s go, senior."

    ---

    ---

    The ce Krysus wanted to go was a cave located in a forest not far from the vige.

    "It''s a cave where cold air umtes."

    Ice magic was heavily influenced by the surrounding environment.

    The failure rate increased with heat and decreased with cold.

    Naturally, a cool ce was needed to use powerful ice magic.

    "But senior, didn''t you use it at normal temperature before?"

    Ian was slightly puzzled.

    Ice wizards were strong in winter and weak in summer. That''s because they were swayed by temperature.

    But Krysus had used ice magic at room temperature, though it wasn''t summer.

    That''s why he thought she was an excellent ice wizard, but...

    "Th-that''s right!"

    "...?"

    Krysus was flustered by Ian''s observation.

    "B-but! This time I''m going to use a much more amazing spell! So I need the power of cold air!"

    "The spell you used before was plenty impressive though?"

    Ian thought for a moment.

    Why was Krysus going out of her way to find cold air?

    "Senior. Perhaps."

    Ian just asked what came to mind.

    "Can you only use that freezing spell once?"

    "... No?! I can use it multiple times!"

    "Senior. That''s not the right direction."

    Krysus had tried to walk towards the river instead of the cave.

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    Had she lost her mind?

    "You really can only use it once, can''t you?"

    "Sh-shut up! What do you know about ice magic!"

    ''It really was single-use.''

    Ian reassessed his evaluation of Krysus.

    A spell that could only freeze one set of clothes, usable only once every few days...

    "Ice magic really sucks, huh."

    "No it doesn''t! I''m just not good at it!"

    "Is that so? I thought you were a decent ice wizard..."

    "That''s right! I''m excellent for my level!"

    "...? But you just said you''re not good at ice magic..."

    Krysus insisted that ice magic was an excellent type of magic, but...

    In Ian''s view, ice magic honestly seemed like trash.

    It wasn''tpletely worthless since it was still magic, but...

    He couldn''t highly rate a magic that''s unusable in summer and has such pathetic usage limits.

    "Argh! Ice magic is excellent magic!"

    "Ah. Okay..."

    "You don''t care because you learned fire magic, right! Cocky junior! Hurry up and shout that ice magic is the best!"

    "..."

    "Ice magic is the best! Ice magic is the best!"

    Rather than feeling annoyed, Ian just felt...

    Well, sorry for her...

    "Then senior, what spell are you going to use with the cave''s cold air?"

    "Of course, a freezing spell! I''m going to freeze a ton of water!"

    "... And then what?"

    Let''s not forget, Ian had just demolished the baron''s castle walls with earth magic.

    But what Krysus was trying to do was just show off some frozen ice...

    "And after freezing a bunch? Are we supposed to carry it ourselves?"

    "Ah."

    Ah. What the hell.

    As expected, it seemed Krysus hadn''t thought at all about what to do after the freezing spell.

    "... Let''s just freeze a little."

    "Then, are we giving the baron ice as a gift?"

    "Gift? It''s not a gift, it''s a warning!"

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    As if cold ice cubes would be much of a warning.

    Wouldn''t you need to at least turn the baron''s bedroom into a freezer orpletely freeze the well for it to be a "warning"?

    But unfortunately, that was impossible at Krysus''s level.

    Because winter hadn''te yet...

    "Ice magic really seems like crap..."

    "La~ I can''t hear you~ I don''t know~ Ice magic is the best~"

    "..."

    Ian just gave up and followed Krysus.

    It''s not like Ian was going to use ice magic instead of Krysus.

    He had originally nned to help, but from the atmosphere, it seemed Krysus was determined to handle it alone.

    "Senior. Then why am I..."

    "You''re a dark wizard, right? You can walk well even in the dark?"

    Ian nodded.

    Krysus was bringing Ian along as a guide.

    The cave would be pitch ck, but they couldn''t use torches.

    Because it would drive away the mystique of the cold air...

    ''Ice magic really is such garbage...''

    Ian shook his head and changed his thoughts.

    ''Hmm. Ice magic is the best.''

    Anyway, that''s that.

    A little whileter, Ian and Krysus arrived at the cave in the forest.

    "Senior. Is it there?"

    "Uh. Yeah."

    They had found the right destination.

    But the state of the cave was the problem.

    "There are people inside."

    "..."

    The cave already had guests.

    Since it was far from the vige, they hadn''t even considered that anyone would be there.

    Casual attire. And crude weapons in hand.

    Judging by their appearance, they were clearly a group of thugs.

    Multi-purpose criminals who dabbled in ruffians, thieves, bandits, and unemployed bums.

    "They weren''t here a while ago..."

    Krysus also seemed taken aback, her words bing fewer.

    It must have been frustrating, but there was nothing they could do.

    It was a cave that anyone would see as perfect for spending a few nights, so some night visitors might have stopped by temporarily.

    "Should we ask the baron for help?"

    "... Would that work?"

    Ian shrugged.

    It was a matter of clearing out some suspicious guys, so the baron might lend his strength. He was the lord after all.

    But since it was rted to wizards, the stiff-necked baron might ignore them.

    Especially asking him to move just to make ice to threaten(?) him.

    ''No, he might like the ice?''

    Surprisingly, the baron might be happy to receive threatening ice.

    After all, ice was a preciousmodity.

    Ian frowned.

    Though Ian was a skilled wizard, he wasn''t yet adept at handling such small fry.

    Skill card magic wouldn''t work due to cooldown.

    It seemed wasteful to throw skill cards at mobs that could be wiped out by a single knight.

    Still... maybe I should prepare some magic just in case?

    As Ian was thinking that...

    "Oh!"

    Krysus suddenly shouted.

    Wondering what happened, he looked and saw a blonde female knight walking steadily towards the thugs.

    "Isn''t that woman your friend?"

    "So it is."

    The blonde female knight was none other than Belenka.

    Behind Belenka, Kira, Maria, and even Jubal appeared one after another.

    ''Come to think of it...''

    Ian recalled what Belenka had said.

    She had said she would do her own investigation since the baron seemed suspicious.

    No doubt they had arrived here while investigating something.

    "What are you doing! Ian!"

    "What?"

    "Hurry up and run! Your friend is in danger!"

    "??? In danger? Who?"

    Krysus wore an expression of disbelief, but Ian remained calm.

    In reality, Belenka exchanged a few words with the thugs, then...

    sh!

    She soon swung her longsword and cut off a thug''s head.

    The severed head rolled over to Ian''s feet.

    Krysus''s face turned ghostly white.

    "Well. The thugs are the ones in danger."

    No matter how strong thugs were, they were just a snack for a knight.

    Soon Belenka naturally began to perform an unrivaled massacre.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

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    The bandits upying the cave numbered around fifteen.

    But facing the knight armed with chain mail and longsword, they were cut down helplessly like practice dummies.

    As expected, Belenka was practically a human weapon.

    Jubal covered her rear in case of encirclement, but it proved unnecessary.

    The thieves chose to flee with their lives rather than gang up on Belenka."Aaaaargh!"

    "Run!"

    The battle ended in an instant.

    The cave entrance, transformed into a battlefield, became an unpleasant space filled with the stench of blood and piles of corpses.

    Kira shook her head bitterly, while Maria made a small sign of the cross.

    It seemed safe enough to leave now.

    Ian quietly approached Belenka.

    "Hm? Ian?"

    "Nice work, Belenka."

    Belenka looked at Ian as if surprised, though Ian also found the situation unexpected.

    "How''s the magic demonstration going?"

    "...Not bad."

    Ian briefly recalled Carl''s enraged face, but shook his head to dismiss the thought.

    At any rate, it was progressing fairly well.

    "What about you? Did you find out anything?"

    "I uncovered some rather interesting information."

    "Good or bad?"

    "If I had to choose, I''d say bad."

    Belenka gestured.

    Ian listened to Belenka''s story in a suitable open space.

    ---

    ---

    After Ian disappeared, saying he''d help the wizards, Belenka began an investigative search with the remainingpanions.

    First, Belenka checked the people entering and exiting the Baron''s castle.

    The economy of this medieval fantasy world was, on average, in a miserable state.

    When one thinks of a medieval economy, they typically imagine aplex power dynamic between guild craftsmen, merchants selling their goods, and lords trying to tax the merchants.

    That image was about half correct.

    The city-states of the distant southern Coral Sea maintained such an economic system.

    That area did feel like a ce where people actually lived, by modern standards.

    But this wasn''t the Coral Sea, this was the proud Holy Empire.

    In the Holy Empire''s economy, agriculture reigned supreme.

    Till the fields on your estate, grow crops, and make bread!

    That was it!

    A bakers'' guild specializing in bread-making? That was only in big cities.

    Merchants selling goods? With estates often having poptions of just 300-400 people, what merchants would be roaming around? At most, you''d have peddlersing and going.

    Farmers worked, priests prayed, and lords lounged about!

    That was the typical scene in rural estates of the Holy Empire.

    In short, Holy Empire estates were characterized by their extreme istion.

    It was only natural, given how few visitors came from outside.

    "So if an unfamiliar face is seening and going from the Baron''s castle..."

    "They''d be spotted immediately, right?"

    "Exactly."

    Belenka, along with herpanions,piled a list of people who had entered and exited the castle.

    With Kira, capable of wizard cosy, things progressed smoothly.

    Given that wizards were currently wreaking havoc in Baron Vincents'' domain, no one dared refuse Kira''s requests.

    "Come to think of it..."

    The castle''s cook testified:

    "Recently, there''s been an increase in strange fellowsing to eat and leave."

    "Strange fellows?"

    "At first I thought they were game wardens, but not a single one was carrying a bow!"

    He''d assumed he didn''t recognize their faces because they were game wardens, but that wasn''t the case.

    These were truly outsidersing to eat at the castle and then leaving.

    "They weren''t merchants, were they?"

    "No! What kind of merchants travel without wagons?"

    Belenka immediately pursued these ''suspicious characters''.

    With her extensive travel experience as a wandering knight, Belenka easily devised a way to track them.

    She headed to the market and questioned the merchants.

    "Has anyone been spending a lot of money suddenly?"

    "Well..."

    "Oh, there is someone who''s been buying a lot of breadtely."

    Belenka tracked down the home of this bread-buying individual.

    There, she discovered a group of men.

    They were operating out of a lodging house.

    "Maria."

    "Yes. It gives me an unpleasant feeling. They seem ustomed to death."

    Maria easily sensed the aura of death surrounding them.

    Belenka interrogated them physically.

    Soon, she heard a strange confession.

    "We''re sorry! We... we killed people!"

    "I already know that. If you don''t tell the truth, your lives are forfeit, you criminals."

    Their upation was... surprisingly, professional killers.

    Truly, they were men who only ate and killed.

    "Are you assassins?"

    Belenka reflexively thought of that profession.

    Men who kill for money.

    Far away, in the Sand Empire, there were said to be men called [Assassins] who specialized in assassinations for the Sultan.

    But she knew there were no such men in the Holy Empire.

    Could these guys possibly be professional assassins?

    "Professionally trained killers-"

    "No! We''ve never received such brutal training!"

    "..."

    Belenka, who had received such ''brutal'' training (she had trained in swordsmanship), felt slightly offended but didn''t show it and continued questioning.

    "Then who did you kill?"

    "Just... people walking on the road."

    "???"

    Highway robbers?

    The more she heard, the harder it was to understand.

    "If we bury the bodies in specific locations... a woman named Karenne gives us money."

    "Karenne?"

    "She''s the Baron''s lover."

    "!"

    The pieces of the puzzle came together in her mind.

    They weren''t assassins... but corpse production specialists!

    The goal wasn''t murder itself, but the corpses themselves.

    "This is insane. Karenne? Are you saying she''s really the Baron''s lover?"

    "Yes! It''s all that crazy b*tch''s orders! We had no choice but to-"

    sh.

    Belenka executed one of the killers as an example.

    Startled, the killers spilled every bit of information they knew.

    "There are other coborators outside besides us!"

    "Coborators?"

    "A really terrifying bastard! He said if we betray them, he''ll bury us in the pit too...!"

    Belenka couldn''t grasp what exactly was going on.

    ''A woman named Karenne is hiring people to collect corpses.''

    ''Collecting corpses. Why on earth?''

    ''And outside the estate, there are guys monitoring the corpse collectors...''

    ''Karenne and the monitors are likely working together.''

    Her head ached.

    She had onlye running after being asked to help Professor Inn.

    What on earth was happening here?

    ''I need Ian''s help.''

    Belenka decided she needed to inform Ian about this.

    Clearly, suspicious activities were taking ce, and the wizards werepletely unaware of it.

    "Um, Belenka."

    "What is it?"

    "I sense... some kind of death in that forest."

    Maria, with her aptitude for necromancy, could hear the whispers of death''s mysteries even in unfamiliar ces.

    ''Corpses.''

    With no wars having broken out, there was only one reason to sense death in the forest.

    Corpses.

    The corpses that woman Karenne was supposedly collecting.

    "Let''s do a light reconnaissance."

    Belenka told herpanions.

    She intended to gather as much information as possible to ry to Ian.

    Belenka scouted the forest outskirts, not venturing too deep.

    She encountered some thugs who appeared to be ''corpse collectors''.

    After dispatching them, she headed to their temporary hideout.

    That ce was...

    "That cave, I presume."

    "Correct, Ian."

    Ian eyed the cave suspiciously.

    It seemed they had indeed stumbled into an incredibly troublesome situation.

    ---

    ---

    Ian exchanged opinions with hispanions.

    "Things have gotten this bad. It must be because that bastard Baron''s proxy turned a blind eye."

    ording to Belenka''s information, the woman named Karenne was the Baron proxy''s lover.

    It was right to assume they were in cahoots.

    "The Baron''s proxy. Karenne. And the corpse collectors..."

    Ian heaved a deep sigh.

    "More ck wizards, perhaps?"

    An ominous feeling overwhelmed him.

    Somehow, Ian felt like he was cutting straight through areas where ck wizards were active...

    ''Am I just unlucky?''

    He had the unpleasant thought that if he dug deeper, ck wizards would inevitably pop up.

    "Wait, wait, wait!"

    Krysus, who had been listening, cried out in panic.

    ck wizards? Did he just say ck wizards?

    Even if ck wizard activity was frequent in the southern Empire, surely they hadn''t run into ck wizards?

    "ck wizards! No way! Are you saying we''ve encountered the infamous [Golden Rule Society]? Right now?"

    "Yes."

    When Ian answered bluntly, Krysus turned pale.

    As a wizard herself, Krysus had heard rumors about the Golden Rule Society.

    Those lunatics who aimed to overthrow the current Holy Empire and rebuild the ancient Golden Empire.

    The ck wizards of the Golden Rule Society were known for recklessly using forbidden magic, making them both messy and powerful.

    Most wizards'' attitude towards ck wizards was avoidance.

    They avoided them not out of fear, but because they were filthy, like avoiding excrement.

    After all, no matter how much trouble those guys stirred up, most of the damage fell on ordinary people.

    From the perspective of privileged wizards, there was no need to bother dealing with ck wizards.

    Unless a noble''s request came in...

    The Empire was vast anyway, so as long as they didn''t cross paths, it was OK.

    "A typical noble''s lover doesn''t buy corpses with money, right?"

    "That''s true, but..."

    This woman Karenne''s actions were clearly suspicious.

    But Krysus found it difficult to connect Karenne with ck wizards.

    "It''s still strange!"

    "In what way?"

    "If this Karenne woman is plotting something! Wouldn''t she naturally be wary of wizards?"

    "..."

    That was a valid point.

    Even if ordinary wizards don''t meddle in ck wizards'' affairs, such tantly suspicious activities would inevitably draw attention.

    Yet currently, Baron Vincents'' estate was crawling with wizards.

    This was because the Baron''s proxy had captured Inn and refused to release him.

    "The Baron''s actions and his lover''s actions don''t match up!"

    "...Senior Krysus, what if..."

    "Yes?"

    "What if the objectives of the Baron''s actions and Karenne''s actions are actually aligned... would that be the answer?"

    Belenka furrowed her brow.

    "Then..."

    It had to be one of two things:

    1. The Baron''s proxy releases Inn, aligning with Karenne''s purpose.

    2. He keeps Inn captive, aligning with Karenne''s purpose.

    However, the first option was definitely not the case.

    Inn was still being held by the Baron, after all.

    So naturally, the answer had to be option 2.

    "But if he keeps Professor Inn captive, wizards wille rushing to rescue him..."

    Krysus stopped mid-sentence.

    If Karenne benefited from Inn''s captivity...

    It meant the resulting gathering of wizards was also beneficial to Karenne.

    "..."

    As Krysus struggled to continue, Ian sighed and spoke for her.

    "Perhaps... the reason the Baron''s proxy was being so stubborn... was to ensure wizards were definitively drawn in?"

    Krysus trembled.

    Ian''s hypothesis was all too usible.

    The wizards thought they had rushed here to rescue Inn, but...

    Perhaps.

    Lured by Inn as bait, had they walked straight into a ck wizard''s trap?

    "No! That can''t be!"

    Krysus cried out desperately.

    "I received a letter from a space-time wizard!"

    "..."

    "Are you saying those high-and-mighty space-time wizards were unaware of this situation?"

    Suddenly, Ian impulsively asked a question.

    "Who was this space-time wizard?"

    "It was a woman named Larabel!"

    Space-time wizard Larabel.

    Coincidentally, someone Ian knew.

    She was the woman who had plotted evil schemes in Baron Devosi''s castle in the past, only to be subdued by Ian and Gerard.

    Gerard had spared her life and taken her somewhere...

    Had she possibly returned as a space-time wizard?

    Ian rubbed his forehead.

    There was still far too little information.

    "Belenka. Stop the investigation and go fetch Anton the water wizard. He''s probably by the river."

    "Hmm. Alright."

    "Senior Krysus. Let''s go get Senior Herta together."

    "G-good idea!"

    After allocating the personnel.

    Ian worried about the missing Carl.

    ''...He should be fine.''

    "Ian. Let''s at least check this cave before we leave."

    Ian agreed with Belenka''s suggestion.

    Checking the cave would only take a moment to go in and out.

    "Alright."

    Ian''s group entered the cave.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    Kira prepared a torch to explore the cave.

    Krysus frowned.

    "We have Ian. Can''t we go without fire?"

    "What? Explore the cave without light?"

    Belenka looked at Ian, bewildered.Exploring a cave without torches sounded insane to anyone listening. Coincidentally, the one suggesting it was a wizard. Wizards spouting nonsense wasn''t anything new.

    "That''s fine. Let''s just use torches," Ian said, neatly ignoring Krysus''sint.

    Krysus immediately whined.

    "But why! It''s hard to use ice magic when the air is hot!"

    "Do we really need to use ice magic?"

    Ian snapped his fingers lightly.

    The torch sparked in response, as if agreeing with Ian.

    Kira caught the me with her bare hand and tossed it behind her back. "We have two fire wizards here, don''t we?"

    "Well, aren''t you special!" Krysus retorted.

    Sorry Krysus, but fire magic was far more powerful than ice magic inbat. You could tell just by how much higher Ian''s fire magic level waspared to his ice magic.

    "We''ll handle the fighting. Senior, please focus on investigation," Ian said.

    Krysus reluctantly nodded.

    Ah~ This could''ve been a chance to show off the power of the almighty ice magic! What a waste!

    In truth, Krysus wanted to pull her weight inside the cave, since it''d be hard to demonstrate ice magic once they left. But if Ian said it wasn''t necessary...

    Krysus had witnessed Ian''s fire magic with her own eyes. She had to admit it. Ian was far more reliable inbat.

    "Let''s proceed carefully," Belenka said.

    Belenka and Jubal took the lead, with the other wizards following behind.

    As they descended into the cave, Belenka said, "They were probably using this ce as a storage area."

    "Storage?"

    "I heard the temperature deep inside the cave is particrly cold. Perfect for preserving things."

    Krysus puffed out her chest proudly.

    Ian muttered halfheartedly, like reading from a textbook, "Wow. Looks like it''s cold inside, just as you said, Senior."

    "Heh. That''s basic knowledge!" Krysus rejoiced at her sessful prediction. She was the only one rejoicing.

    "Ian. Are we going the right way?" Kira asked. The cave was a single path. She wasn''t asking if they were lost.

    "It''s so... cold?"

    The cave was much colder than expected, so she was asking, "Is this normal?"

    "Ugh. It''s too cold."

    "Indeed. This temperature could freeze even ice."

    "What an unpleasant ce."

    Thepanions were feeling uneasy.

    Ian exhaled sharply. A puff of white breath billowed out.

    "Senior Krysus. This is..." At Ian''s words, Krysus nodded.

    "You''re right. It''s magic."

    Someone had clearly set up a spell to summon cold air inside the cave. There was no other way to exin this abnormal chill.

    [Ah. How refreshing.]

    [Winter truly is the best.]

    "...?" As they went deeper, Ian heard the mystery of cold whispering.

    He''d expected there to be a mystery. But it wasn''t winter right now, was it?

    "Senior. Did you hear that?"

    "Huh? Hear what?"

    "The mystery of cold. It''s gathered down there."

    Is... is that so?

    Krysus focused her mind, straining to hear the voice of the cold, but... She couldn''t hear a thing.

    ''Is he lying to me?'' Krysus stared at Ian for a while, half-expecting him to yell "Surprise~!"

    But his expression wasn''t yful.

    Ian had truly heard the voice of the cold that even she couldn''t hear!

    "Ian. You''re a dark wizard, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Then... how did you learn ice magic?"

    "...?"

    Ian didn''t understand Krysus''s question. How did he learn ice magic? Wasn''t she an ice wizard herself? Why ask such a question?

    "How did I learn it? I buried myself in snowy mountains and tried to befriend the cold."

    Krysus fell silent for a moment...

    The process of entering ice magic wasn''t much different from hers.

    "I swam in ake in the dead of winter..."

    "That must have been tough."

    "It was really tough... Wait, that''s not the point!"

    The initiation process was normal. This meant Ian truly had an exceptional affinity with the cold attribute.

    "Why did you be a dark wizard with that aptitude?"

    "???"

    "You should''ve obviously be an ice wizard!"

    Eredith wouldn''t have rmended ice magic to ruin a perfectly good disciple(?), and Ian had no lingering attachment to ice magic.

    The supreme 0-tier magic, ice magic, was enough for Krysus alone to use...

    "Ah. I can hear it too."

    As they advanced further, Krysus muttered. She heard the mystery of cold whispering, just as Ian had said.

    "Someone intentionally gathered the cold."

    Krysus closed her eyes and focused on the voice of the cold.

    "The way they handle the cold is excellent. But... something feels unnatural."

    Ian focused his mind as well. He quickly caught on to what Krysus meant by ''unnatural''.

    "The cold doesn''t recognize the wizard as human."

    "Yes. That''s it."

    That was the source of the unnaturalness. The cold, clearly gathered by a wizard, didn''t mention the wizard at all.

    [I wish it was winter all year round.]

    [I feel like I could live here forever.]

    [But hey. Don''t you sense something warm and cold?]

    [Indeed.]

    [How strange. The body is warm, but I feel a sense of kinship.]

    ''Oh no.'' Ian opened his eyes.

    Perhaps because two ice wizards had gathered, the mystery of cold quickly recognized Ian and Krysus''s presence.

    The mystery recognizing humans meant... Magic was about to begin.

    A biting cold wind blew from the darkness.

    "Ugh!"

    "The torch!" Kira desperately protected the me.

    Just then, Krysus shouted, "There''s someone over there! An ice wizard!"

    Krysus couldn''t see through the darkness. She only saw a vague human outline.

    But Ian was different. Ian noticed that the approaching figure from the darkness wasn''t human.

    Maria shouted, "No! That''s not a person!"

    The being that had been gathering cold in the underground cave was... A human corpse.

    "A lich!"

    A dead wizard, moving in an undead body.

    It was a lich.

    ---

    ---

    A dead wizard resurrected as an undead. That''s what we call a lich.

    Generally, liches are called monsters, but sometimes they''re not. The factor that determines the ssification of a monster is intelligence.

    [Ahhh...]

    "A ghost! A ghost has appeared!" As the emaciated corpse approached with heavy steps, Jubal cried out in fear.

    Jubal, brave against monsters and humans, became infinitely weak before supernatural beings.

    "Ian!"

    "Wait! Let me try talking first!"

    Belenka waited for Ian''s instructions, her sword drawn.

    Ian decided to attempt a dialogue with the lich first. Ian, now well-ustomed to this medieval fantasy world. First, try talking. Ifmunication is possible, resolve it through dialogue. That was the wizard''s way Ian had learned.

    "[Who are you!]" Ian asked in fluent Maroniusnguage.

    Undead monsters like liches often retain their personalities from when they were alive. Meaning this lich''s personality could be either good or bad.

    "Wait a minute! Ian! That''s too rude to our senior!" Krysus interjected.

    "Pardon?"

    "Move aside!" Krysus pushed Ian aside and stepped forward.

    She bowed gracefully to the lich and sang in a soft voice in Maroniusnguage. "[It''s an honor to meet you, respected senior. I am Krysus, disciple of Montana, an ice wizard.]"

    Ian felt a bit annoyed at Krysus''s unnecessarily polite speech... No, how can someone who knows how to speak like this usually talk in a way that makes you want to smack them?

    [Ahhh...]

    "[And this dark one is Ian, an ice wizard,]" Krysus continued.

    "I''m not an ice wizard though," Ian protested.

    "Shut up. Introducing you as a fellow disciple from the same school will make you look cuter."

    The "cutie"(?) Ian tilted his head. Krysus was speaking with a bright smile, but...

    Somehow, that lich. It seemed like it had been having trouble speaking since earlier...?

    "Ian!"

    That''s when it happened.

    [Ahhh...!]

    The lich''s eyes shed red. It pulled out a long icicle from the ground and started swinging it!

    ng!

    "Step back! Ian!" Belenka intervened at the right moment, deflecting the lich''s icicle.

    Ian staggered back. He thought something was off. But a sudden attack! And a physical attack with an icicle, from a lich no less!

    Sh*t, is this the Ice King from Adventure Time?

    "Wait a moment! Senior!" Krysus shouted, but the lich didn''t even pretend to listen.

    It didn''t even properly engage with Belenka.

    ng!

    The lich''s body, immersed in massive cold, had frozen as hard as cold steel. Belenka managed to cut off the lich''s wrist with her longsword, but the undead lich felt no pain, showed no agitation, and only rushed towards Ian.

    [Die! ck wizard!]

    "...?"

    For the first time, the lich uttered propernguage. But the content was absurd. Calling Ian a ck wizard? Weren''t they meeting for the first time today?

    ''No, thinkter!''

    Ian focused on the lich. What magic should he use to stop this ice robot-like undead?

    Skill card magic? Spear of me would be appropriate, but it''s on cooldown.

    Arcana magic? That''s too random. It''s not desperate enough to y real-life Hearthstone.

    Ian looked around.

    And came to a conclusion.

    ''It''s ice magic!''

    There was an abundance of cold power around. Enough to respond immediately to Ian''s call!

    "[Mystery of cold!]"

    With a loud shout, a massive amount of cold erupted from beneath Ian''s feet.

    Just as the lich had pulled out an icicle. Ian pulled out a giant ice pir from the ground!

    Boom!

    The ice pir struck the lich. Despite being frozen solid, the lich''s skull shattered like it had been hit by a siege hammer, and it rolled on the ground.

    "Ian!" Belenka breathed a sigh of relief.

    Ian grinned. As expected of the almighty ice magic! Ice magic is too strong!

    "It''s not over yet!" At Kira''s cry, Ian looked at the lich.

    It was true. The shattered bones were reattaching, returning to their original form!

    ''Undead regeneration.''

    Undead don''t die easily. They''re beings that have crossed the boundary between life and death.

    Burning them thoroughly is most effective, but this lich, annoyingly enough, was one that handled the power of cold. Thebination of undead and cold was truly troublesome.

    If it weren''t for the cold, Kira would have already summoned a massive me.

    ''Huh?''

    That''s when it happened.

    Maria, who had somehow approached the lich, tightly embraced the regenerating lich.

    "Maria!"

    Maria gritted her teeth at the lich''s cold touch. But she didn''t let go. Blood dripped from her nose, staining the ground.

    "Yes... Yes... Listen to my voice... I want to be your friend..."

    Maria whispered.

    "..."

    The mystery of death floated around Maria. The attention from the mystery, usually a poison, could now be called a ''medicine''.

    Surprisingly, the lich... was captivated by Maria''s voice. Though regeneration wasplete, the lich no longer attacked Ian.

    "Maria. Has that lich... be your ''friend''?"

    Ian asked.

    "Yes. They turned out to be nicer than they looked."

    Maria was a novice, but she was a necromancer.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    Communicating with users of Maroniusnguage without proper training was extremely dangerous.

    While Maroniusnguage was essential in modern magic, it wasn''t that magic was impossible without it.

    After all, the first wizardsmunicated with mysteries through pure intuition when they interacted with them.

    ''Hey me! You want to burn the enemy right now, don''t you?''

    ''Actually, I''d rather burn you!''''Argh! Why is this crazy meing at me?!''

    ... As a result, magic in the past was far more dangerous and unpredictable than modern magic.

    Moreover, magic without Maroniusnguage was no different from magic of the past.

    "That was a dangerous thing you did," Ian said.

    Maria shrank back and lowered her head.

    "I did something presumptuous..."

    "I didn''t say it was presumptuous. I said it was dangerous."

    Seeing Maria getting too nervous, Ian gently stroked her head.

    "Relying on intuition to use magic is very dangerous. Learn magic properly before trying it."

    Maria looked up at Ian with strange eyes.

    Her lips were... clearly smiling.

    "Ah... My heart feels like it''s going to melt from Ian''s kindness."

    "No. I don''t think it''s quite that much..."

    "To worry about me so much... Yes. I don''t want to make you sad, so I''ll be more careful from now on."

    "..."

    She says she''ll listen well, so it should be fine?

    That''s what Ian thought, but still. Ian was a bit scared of Maria.

    She was originally a bit scary...

    Anyway.

    Maria seeded in neutralizing the lich through luck (or talent).

    If Maria''s level had been higher, subduing it might have been possible, but expecting that kind of result from a novice necromancer was impossible.

    "But this person... seems very pitiful."

    Maria made contact with the dead in the spirit realm.

    Just as a wizard reads the thoughts and feelings of mysteries, she was able to read the thoughts and feelings of the soul to some extent.

    "This person was forcibly turned into an undead by a necromancer."

    Ian nodded.

    He had thought something was strange. It seemed odd that a lich would have no sense of self.

    If someone had be a lich voluntarily, they would surely have found a way to maintain their sense of self.

    If you be a lich only to end up braindead, how is that any different from suicide?

    But it was different for those turned into undead by others.

    They didn''t care if there was a sense of self or not since they were just going to use them as ves anyway.

    "Did you talk to it?"

    "Yes. Actually, it says it has a story to tell us."

    "The lich does?"

    Maria nodded, then shyly asked.

    "Um. Ian. I''d like to lend my body to it for a moment... would that be okay?"

    Ian frowned slightly.

    Lending one''s body to a spirit was clearly a dangerous act.

    If the spirit was too strong, or conversely if the body''s owner was too weak, the invading spirit could take control of the body.

    Just look at Maria''s case - didn''t she periodically lose control of her body to invading hungry spirits?

    If the lich had ill intentions, it could harm Maria.

    "Will you be alright?"

    "It seems like a kind and pitiful person... I want to help them."

    When she put it that way, Ian didn''t object.

    He needed the information too.

    If anything went wrong, he nned to ask Hrundal for help.

    ''Right, Hrundal?''

    Ian drew one Arcana card.

    [Arcana Manifestation - Draw One Card]

    [You have drawn an Arcana card...]

    [You''ve drawn [Death] card!]

    Number 13, the [Death] card. The illustration showed a ck-haired girl looking across a river.

    Ian handed the Death card to Maria.

    "What''s this?"

    "It''s a kind of charm. If anything happens, the northern god will protect you."

    Maria examined Ian''s Arcana card from all angles.

    "It''s a very beautiful card."

    "The northern god''s hobby is painting."

    "... What?"

    Maria put the Arcana card in her bosom and reached out to the lich.

    "Ian! Ian! Ian! Ian!!!"

    "Ugh. Just call me once. Senior."

    "That''s not the important part! Just now, you! You used an incredibly amazing ice magic, didn''t you?!"

    "..."

    "You sneaky bastard! You weren''t actually a dark wizard but an ice wizard, weren''t you?! How about changing your ss to ice wizard while we''re at it?"

    "That''s not a ss change, it''s a demotion..."

    Krysus seemed quite shocked by Ian''s ice magic.

    She spoke in a very excited voice.

    "Ian! Your ice magic talent is slightly less than or equal to mine!"

    "... Senior."

    "You''ll be a great ice wizardter and perform miracles like freezing ice even in summer...!"

    "Oh, stop the talking! Don''t you see how serious this is?"

    Ian understood that Krysus was excited, but she was very noisy when left alone.

    What?

    Now she wants Ian to be a great ice wizard?

    Miracles of freezing ice in summer?

    That kind of thing is settled at the level of an ice dispenser.

    Ian had absolutely no intention of going all-in on ice magic.

    "Senior, go clear away some of that cold! It''s freezing in here."

    "But why remove this precious cold..."

    "Other people are cold! Are you going to take responsibility if Maria catches a cold while doing necromancy?"

    "... Hng."

    Krysus waved her arms (...) and drove the cold outside.

    Only then did the temperature befortably cool.

    Meanwhile, Maria finished her necromancy.

    As soon as she opened her eyes, Maria shouted.

    "Eh...! Is this me...?"

    "..."

    "I''ve be a cute girl..."

    "Maria. Kick that bastard out right now."

    "Ack! Wait, wait! It''s a joke! A joke!"

    Then Maria (or rather, the lich possessing Maria''s body) cackled merrily.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Clearly, Maria had said the lich seemed like a "kind and pitiful person"...

    But this wasn''t a kind person, it was a crazy bastard, wasn''t it?

    "Sorry! Sorry! The atmosphere was too stiff, so I wanted to lighten it up a bit."

    Maria winked and said with a cute smile.

    "Like an ice wizard''s ice-breaking, you know? Haha!"

    Hmm. I want to beat the crap out of him.

    That was the only thought that came to Ian''s mind.

    The fact that it was actually cute when doing cute things with Maria''s body was the most infuriating point.

    "But this is surprisingly nice. Maybe I actually have talent as a woman...?"

    "... Stop the nonsense. What''s your name?"

    Maria responded with a sly smile (...).

    It was amazing to see the shadow of an old man on a girl''s face.

    "Victor. A wandering ice wizard."

    So he really was a man...!

    While Ian was thinking that, Krysus was surprised by a different part.

    "Senior Victor?!"

    "Hm? You know me? Young friend?"

    "I-I''m Montana''s disciple! Krysus!"

    "Ah! Montana! So you''re that friend''s disciple!"

    As expected.

    wizards all seemed to know each other with just one degree of separation.

    Although this Victor was an irritating person...

    Ian thought it was good that they tried necromancy.

    "Victor. What happened?"

    "..."

    Most of the cheerfulness disappeared from Maria''s face.

    It was time to talk about the gloomy part.

    "I came here to rescue Professor Inn Kate."

    "You too?"

    "From the way you say that, I guess you''re here for the same reason."

    Victor was also a wizard reinforcement who rushed here to save Inn.

    However, unlike Ian''s group, Victor ran straight to Inn immediately upon arrival, without joining up with the other wizards.

    That was the root of the problem.

    "I was killed by some hooded knight."

    "A hooded knight...?"

    "I couldn''t see his face. He seemed to know I had settled in here, and killed me right away."

    Victor had arrived early, wandered around alone, and died without anyone knowing.

    "With some evil item... he forcibly turned me into an undead. It must be a magical tool made by a necromancer."

    "So that''s how you became a lich?"

    The lichified Victor was then stuffed underground in the cave.

    The hooded knight either had no use for Victor, orcked confidence to use him, as he gave no particr orders.

    "The only order was to gather cold."

    After that, Victor just mechanically gathered cold like a machine.

    Ian thought for a moment.

    ''It seems to be for preservation.''

    Undead were corpses, and they easily rotted and fell apart.

    The natural enemy of undead monsters was not priests or holy knights... but maggots.

    Maggots that ate rotten flesh bored holes all over the undead''s body, making it easily crumble.

    The reason they created a huge cold storage underground was likely to preserve Victor for as long as possible.

    "You were too careless."

    When Ian said that, Victor immediately became indignant.

    "Come on, I''m not a space-time wizard. How could I have known I''d be killed by a knight?"

    Victor had simply rushed here with pure intentions.

    It was the hooded knight who broke the unwritten rule of not harming wizards.

    "... Victor. Do you remember which space-time wizard asked for help?"

    Victor giggled (...) and waved his hand.

    "I don''t know! It''s been a while since I died, so my memory is fuzzy!"

    But almost simultaneously, Victor said seriously.

    "You guys. Leave this ce immediately."

    "..."

    "No matter how I think about it, Professor Inn is just a worm on a fishhook. Bait to catch people like us!"

    Ian clenched his fist.

    This confirmed one fact.

    In Baron Vincents'' domain, there were viins roaming around to kill wizards.

    They just hadn''t encountered them yet...

    It wouldn''t be strange if they were hiding somewhere, aiming for Ian''s life.

    "It was a short meeting, but fun. Young friend."

    Victor held out his hand.

    "Thank you so much for freeing me. If you hadn''t helped, I would have be a ything for those ck wizards."

    Although it was Maria''s hand, Ian grasped it.

    "... Ian. Ian Eredith, Eredith''s disciple."

    "I see. Ian Eredith."

    Victor shed a grin at Ian, then turned his head.

    "Krysus."

    "Y-Yes! Senior!"

    Krysus awkwardly approached Victor.

    Since Maria''s body was smaller than Krysus, it ended up looking down at the senior.

    "Although I''m leaving this world first. I''m truly d to have met such a brave ice wizard junior like you."

    "... Senior."

    Krysus fidgeted, not knowing what to do.

    Victor unhesitatingly embraced Krysus.

    ... Victor was crying.

    "Tell Montana. His foolish friend will be waiting for him in heaven first, okay?"

    "Yes... *sniff* Senior!"

    The cold reality pierced Krysus''s heart.

    Victor was dead.

    He now had to ascend to heaven.

    Thud.

    Maria fell to her knees limply.

    At the same time, the lich''s frozen body crumbled into powder.

    "... He''s gone."

    Maria said.

    Her voice sounded somehow powerless.

    "Let''s move."

    "Ian. Should I go bring Herta?"

    "Yeah. Let''s hurry as much as we can."

    Ianpletely revised his n.

    Now that he confirmed enemies were hiding, there was no need to dawdle like before.

    ''Gather the wizards and use force to rescue Inn.''

    Victor may have been helplessly defeated because he was alone.

    But Ian had four professional wizards and otherpanions.

    He was determined to break out of the prison if necessary to extract Inn and escape.

    And for a wizard, breaking a prison was nothing.

    Ian left the ice cave.

    ---

    ---

    Around the time Ian was talking with Victor''s soul.

    "This feels f*cking sh*tty."

    Water wizard Anton sat by the river, watching the surging waves.

    Anton was in a foul mood.

    It wasn''t just because he had an argument with a newbie wizard for a stupid reason.

    Anton was also starting to sense the suspicious atmosphere surrounding Baron Vincents'' domain.

    ''There''s something here.''

    It felt like looking at rustling bushes.

    You can sense something''s there beyond... but you can''t tell if it''s an animal or just the wind.

    As much as he wanted to just smash everything and extract Inn...

    Just as nobles couldn''ty hands on wizards, wizards also couldn''t carelesslyy hands on nobles.

    They couldn''t ignore the trust rtionship built with nobles over many years just because of suspicions.

    ''They don''t seem like they''ll hand over Inn just because we show some magic.''

    Anton thought as he prepared magic.

    If they were afraid of wizards, they should have already caved when the group stormed in.

    But the baron was still holding out.

    That bothered Anton.

    ''I really hope it''s just a pathetic pride contest.''

    It would be best if it was just the baron''s arrogant pride refusing to back down.

    Anyway, all Anton could do right now was demonstrate magic as a show of force.

    And incidentally put those cocky brats in their ce.

    "Catch anything good?"

    Just then.

    A heavy voice sounded from behind Anton.

    When he turned his head, a man in strange attire was standing there.

    ''... A knight?''

    He had the sturdy build of a knight, but.

    Why was he wearing a hood covering his face?

    "I''m not fishing."

    "Hmm. I thought so."

    "...?"

    Anton didn''t understand what the big guy meant.

    He also didn''t expect -

    That the sword the big guy drew would fly towards him.

    "See you in hell, wizard."

    Anton stared in shock at the man thrusting a sword at him.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    The wizards who came to the barony, expecting the worst, found not a single person.

    In the Empire, wizards were treated as special beings.

    Everyone knew thatying a hand on a wizard meant certain retaliation.

    Nobles respected them, whilemoners trembled in their presence.

    No wonder stories of arrogant wizards abounded.Some even strutted about rudely, as rumors suggested the more entric ones were more skilled.

    wizards never imagined someone would dare attack them.

    After meeting the baron, they were even more convinced of this.

    "Now that a wizard''s been killed, there''s no reason to stay here," Ian said.

    Hispanions nodded in agreement.

    Wizards could act mad because nobles and knights respected them.

    Knowing their heads wouldn''t roll no matter how entric they acted, they behaved even more erratically.

    But this unknown assant had simply killed a wizard outright.

    If they wandered around carelessly as usual, they might truly end up gutted.

    "Herta should be near the windmill," Ian said.

    "Alright Ian. You go to Senior Herta. I''ll check on Senior Anton."

    "Okay. Belenka, help Krysus out."

    "Got it."

    Ian divided the group and moved to find the scattered wizards.

    Fortunately, they found Herta quickly.

    "Sister Herta!" Ian called out.

    "Oh my, Ian?" Herta replied.

    Herta was preparing air magic near the windmill.

    Ian summarized what had happened in the underground cave.

    "What?! Victor? You''re saying that ice wizard Victor was taken out?!" Herta eximed.

    "Sadly... yes. He''s returned to the heavens," Ian confirmed.

    Herta knew Victor. She''d met him a few times at wizard gatherings in the past.

    He was a cheerful ice wizard who loved jokes...

    "That idiot!"

    Herta blurted out, overwhelmed by frustration and dismay.

    It was an era wheremunication between people was difficult. Unless informed beforehand, there was no way to know where someone had gone.

    Moreover, wizards loved wandering and exploring. In these dangerous times for travel, dying away from home was surprisinglymon.

    If Victor hadn''t been murdered, he would have joined the wizard group...

    But he fell victim to an unknown killer.

    "Sister Herta. Staying here longer is dangerous for us too," Ian warned.

    "I understand. Good heavens... murdering a wizard..." Herta grasped the situation.

    If Inn was truly bait...

    The wizards had walked right into a forest where huntersy in wait.

    "I just want to rescue Professor Inn with magic," Herta said.

    "Of course. Let''s go get Professor Inn and get out of here."

    Herta immediately agreed with Ian''s suggestion.

    She wasn''t keen on using magic against nobles, but the wizards were in no position to consider others'' circumstances.

    Strictly speaking, it was the proxy baron''s own fault.

    He should have released Inn earlier. Or managed his domain better.

    Ian moved to the meeting ce with Herta.

    Krysus and the others were there, but Anton was nowhere to be seen.

    "Senior. Where''s Anton?" Ian asked.

    "Well..." Krysus spoke nervously.

    "We looked everywhere, but couldn''t find him. We even went all the way down the river just in case..."

    "And he wasn''t there?"

    Krysus nodded.

    It wasn''t a good sign.

    Anton was a water wizard.

    He would have wanted to prepare magic to tten Ian and Krysus''s noses. So he should have been found by the river.

    But Anton was nowhere to be seen.

    "What should we do?" Krysus asked.

    "Let''s look a bit more. We''ll check down to theke."

    Though it meant straying quite far from the vige, Ian decided to go downstream.

    And that decision proved fruitful.

    "Ian!" Belenka, who had gone ahead to scout, shouted.

    "I found a wizard!"

    Ian''s group rushed to theke.

    There was Anton.

    "Oh my god. Anton!" Herta cried out.

    Antony pale and bleeding.

    Herta rushed out first and patted Anton''s cheeks.

    Anton''s consciousness was fading in and out.

    "Anton! Anton! Are you alright? Open your eyes! Anton!" Herta called desperately.

    "... Herta?" Anton spoke with difficulty.

    Ian quickly asked: "Anton. What happened?"

    "... Demon."

    "Demon?"

    An unexpected word came out.

    Anton coughed roughly. It was a cough mixed with bright red blood.

    "A demon... attacked me. I jumped into the river right away but... *cough*. Seems it was all for nothing."

    Anton exined haltingly.

    While preparing magic, Anton was ambushed by some assant.

    And that assant''s identity was a demon.

    "Nonsense! Anton! Don''t give up!" Herta gripped Anton''s hand tightly as she cried out.

    Belenka, skilled in first aid, tore open Anton''s shirt and bandaged his wounds.

    But the bandages turned bright red in an instant.

    The bleeding was too severe.

    If no one else, Anton knew.

    He knew his time was running out.

    "Demons are difficult opponents to defeat with magic... *cough*! So, leave this ce as quickly as possible."

    "Anton!" Herta cried.

    "Haa... this sucks. To think I''d die in a backwater countryside like this..." Anton struggled to raise his hand.

    Herta immediately grasped it.

    "Herta. I have onest thing to say..." Anton spoke, clinging to his fading consciousness.

    "What is it?!" Herta asked urgently.

    "The truth is, I liked you."

    "... What?"

    "From the moment we first met. Your voice. Your way of speaking. Every single action of yours, I found beautiful and lovable."

    "No, wait. Anton! What are you suddenly..." Herta stammered.

    Cough, cough!

    Anton coughed roughly.

    It meant, "Don''t interrupt me when I''m about to breathe myst."

    Herta was facing a dying man, but she was so dumbfounded she forgot about it.

    What kind of confession was this right before death?!

    But seeing Anton pale from blood loss, she couldn''t bring herself to say anything harsh.

    Anton wasn''t spouting nonsense.

    He was sincerely confessing the feelings he''d harbored all this time.

    "I love you. I''ve been hiding it, but... now that it''s the end, I guess it doesn''t matter."

    "..."

    It was truly ast-ditch confession only possible for someone on their deathbed...

    Anton smiled, looking somewhat relieved.

    Herta sincerely wanted to beat the crap out of Anton.

    Is this what shoulde out of a dying person''s mouth? Now?!

    "Say that kind of thing when you''re well!" Herta eximed.

    "... Sorry. I didn''t have the courage..." Anton apologized.

    Undoubtedly, it was the worst confession escape ever.

    Plus, the fact that his escape route was "heaven" made it utterly despicable!

    How was she supposed to contact him there!

    "If you say that now... what am I supposed to do?" Herta asked, tears falling on Anton''s cheek.

    Even as he was dying, Anton felt secretly pleased.

    The fact that Herta was worried about him. The fact that she was shedding tears for him, he quite liked it.

    For better or worse.

    Herta would never forget Anton for the rest of her life.

    ''Good,'' Anton thought.

    Satisfied with the fact that she would remember him forever...

    Anton closed his eyes gently.

    Now, it was time to meet the heavenly Lord.

    ...

    ...

    "Anton!"

    That''s when it happened.

    As Anton was about to surrender himself to peace, he heard an unfamiliar voice.

    ''Ian Eredith?''

    Yes. It was Ian, Eredith''s disciple.

    Ian felt terribly sorry for the dying Anton.

    He truly did.

    A man confessing his true feelings right before death...

    And a woman mourning the death of such a man...

    Isn''t this the perfect pure love story?!

    "You said you liked Herta! But if you die like this, isn''t that too cowardly?!" Ian eximed.

    Ian was a thoroughly wholesome young man who abhorred NTR and loved pure love stories.

    ''A forced pure love story is better than an amazing NTR plot...!''

    The development of Anton dying like this didn''t sit well with him at all.

    Ian wanted to help the Herta-Anton coupling somehow.

    How could he sit still when a pure love story was unfolding before his eyes!

    "Ian?! What are you trying to do?" Herta asked.

    "Holy magic! I''m going to petition the heavenly Lord! To save Anton!"

    ''No! Don''t do it!''

    He had just made his final confession and was about to breathe hisst.

    But if hees back to life...

    It won''t be a confession escape anymore!

    Why did Anton choose a confession escape?

    The reason was simple.

    It seemed Herta wouldn''t ept Anton''s feelings.

    Like most wizards, Herta and Anton knew each other.

    But they were just acquaintances.

    Apart from meeting a few times at wizard conferences, they had no deep connection.

    Herta was originally kind-hearted, treating even men she just met kindly.

    Anton, with his prickly personality, was drawn to Herta''s gentle nature.

    So he attempted a confession escape before departing for heaven...

    If Ian revives Anton.

    And Herta rejects Anton''s confession?

    ''Absolutely not!''

    Sincerely, Anton was confident he could die twice.

    No. He would certainly die...

    "Is, is it possible? Ian? You know how to use holy magic?" Herta asked.

    "Yes! It''s not to brag, but the heavenly Lord likes me a bit! I''ll try to ask somehow!"

    "Then please! Please save Anton!" Herta begged.

    ''Herta...''

    Anton''s heart swelled at Herta''s voice.

    Such a desperate voice...

    Perhaps, Herta too...

    Could she have liked Anton as well?!

    ''She might have been too shy to say it, like me!''

    This... there might be a possibility?

    Suddenly, his mind changed.

    Anton wanted toe back to life as soon as possible.

    ''Please! Ian!''

    "[Oh graceful, noble, holy, and beautiful ruler of this world!]" Ian intoned.

    "???"

    ''???''

    All the wizards who knew the Maroniusnguage were simultaneously confused.

    He clearly said he''d use holy magic, but...

    What was that rootless spell? It was vaguely sphemous!

    Wouldn''t he get struck by divine punishment for that?!

    But contrary to their concerns, no thunderbolt fell from the sky.

    [Oh my, Ian. It''s been a while, hasn''t it?] a voice responded.

    "[I beg you. Please don''t take your faithful servant away!]" Ian pleaded.

    [Hmm. It''s not good to interfere too often in matters of life and death, but... since it''s Ian''s request, shall I grant it specially?]

    Ian prayed earnestly with his hands sped.

    Holy magic is the act of invoking miracles by petitioning the divine.

    The holy magic of one loved by the divine often brings about results that turn the impossible into possible.

    A technique positioned between magic and miracles.

    That is holy magic.

    "Sister Herta!" Ian called out.

    "... A miracle... perhaps?" Herta wondered.

    A warm light enveloped Anton''s body.

    Wounds healed, consciousness returned, and the me of the soul began to ze anew.

    A miracle, inexplicable bymon sense.

    Holy magic saved the life of Anton the water wizard.

    "Anton!" Herta cried.

    Anton opened his eyes.

    He saw the face of an impudent brat with jet-ck hair.

    Ian Eredith.

    "... Your magic saved me," Anton spoke with a wry smile.

    He had to admit it.

    Ian, who imed to have learned all sorts of magic including dark magic, earth magic, fire magic, and whatnot.

    That im was probably true.

    Otherwise, there''d be no reason for him to dabble in holy magic that clerics train in.

    "You really have learned all kinds of magic, haven''t you, Ian."

    "Is that the first thing you say aftering back to life?"

    Ian smiled and pointed behind him.

    A beautiful woman stood there, her eyes moist and cheeks flushed red.

    The air wizard Herta.

    "Anton."

    "Herta."

    The two wizards called each other''s names simultaneously.

    "I''m so d... you''re safe," Herta said.

    "Yeah... thanks to Ian," Anton turned his head away, his face reddening.

    His face felt too hot to look directly at Herta.

    It was the aftermath of his mindless confession...

    "Ian, Ian! Those two don''t look normal, do they?" Krysus whispered.

    "They don''t look normal at all~" Ian agreed.

    "What''s this~ Are they gonna start dating?" Krysus wondered.

    "They might start dating~" Ian replied.

    "... Shut up! Damn brats!"

    Anton chased away Ian and Krysus, who were gossiping beside him.

    They became annoying brats just 1 second after he came back to life.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    A group of men huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

    "Has the Baron''s proxy lost his mind?"

    They were knights who had sworn fealty to Baron Vincents'' domain.

    There were three knights in total, each owning a small plot ofnd.

    While Theo of Gremlin, the Baron''s proxy, soaked his pillow with tears every night,The knights of the barony couldn''t help but worry about their own futures.

    "Well? Did you talk to him?"

    "I did."

    "What did he say?"

    "Ha. What kind of answer do you think I got?"

    The knights frowned in unison, as if on cue.

    No matter how they looked at it, Baron''s proxy Theo seemed to have a screw loose.

    "He''s going to keep that old man locked up till the end?"

    "Why on earth is he doing this?"

    "How should I know? Probably too stubborn to back down because of his stupid pride."

    The knights had no idea what evil scheme Theo had fallen victim to.

    They mistakenly assumed he was just being stubborn for no good reason, to satisfy some petty noble''s ego.

    Before the wizards arrived, it didn''t really matter.

    Theo was the one who imprisoned Professor Inn, and the knights weren''t involved.

    They weren''t vassals sworn to die for the Gremlin family, just knights tilling small plots in Baron Vincents'' domain. They had no reason to question the Baron''s proxy''s decisions.

    That''s how it had been until recently.

    But after the wizards showed up, everything changed.

    Now it wasn''t just Theo''s neck on the line, but every person of privilege in Baron Vincents'' domain!

    "As you all know, the wizards fired a rock with magic."

    "..."

    The madman whounched the rock was actually Ian alone, not "the wizards".

    But the knights had no way of knowing that.

    They saw the wizards as a single group and felt threatened by "wizard forces".

    "It was a chilling warning..."

    "I still feel sick thinking about it."

    After their exciting quasi-siege experience, the knightsined of quasi-PTSD symptoms.

    The impact they felt when the rocks hit the castle walls was tremendous.

    The knights, who hadn''t given it much thought until recently, snapped to attention after Ian''s rock-throwing magic.

    Ah. If this keeps up, we''re all screwed.

    Let''s release Professor Inn quickly and make peace!

    The knights rushed to Theo en masse, begging him to release Inn.

    They fully expected Inn would be freed.

    But...

    "That bastard spends all day holed up in his room, busy screwing around."

    "He''s an immature brat. He probably thinks the Count will take his side."

    Theo ignored all the knights'' requests and spent his days rolling around with his mistress.

    A ruler indifferent to politics, obsessed only with women.

    This had to be a textbook case of a puppet ruler!

    "Haah. We have no choice."

    After their repeated pleas were thoroughly ignored, the knights resolved to take drastic measures.

    And that was...

    Operation: [We''re Staging a Coup, Dammit.]

    "Let''s free the wizard Inn ourselves and lock the Baron''s proxy in his room."

    The knights'' choice was rebellion.

    It was a decision they truly didn''t want to make, but they had no other option.

    The Baron''s proxy seemed determined to ruin the domain. And he wasn''t taking any action to fix things.

    It was, quite literally, a patriotic decision to save the country!

    Their resolve was no less than that of the Empire''s greatest heroes!

    It was a bit pathetic that the country they were saving was just one barony, but still.

    In any case, they had to put out this urgent fire, didn''t they?

    "This is absolutely not a vition of chivalry."

    "That''s right. The Baron''s proxy broke the contract first."

    The knights agreed to govern the barony themselves until Count Gremlin sent a new proxy, after resolving the issue peacefully.

    Of course, they also promised to return the barony intact when the new proxy arrived.

    But well...

    If the knights did an exceptionally good job managing the domain, winning the love of the people, it wouldn''t be so bad to be the new barons themselves.

    ''You never know.''

    ''He might just give us the baronial title outright?''

    The knights grinned at each other.

    Anyway, they rose up for the public good, with absolutely no selfish desires.

    That''s just how it was.

    The knights began their march, driven by the sole ambition of bing heroes.

    The total number participating in the coup was three.

    That''s all the knights in Baron Vincents'' domain.

    "Sir Morrison! You free the wizard Inn!"

    "Alright. Keep a close eye on the Baron''s proxy in the meantime."

    There were only three of them, but it was enough manpower to overturn the domain.

    After all, the knights were the most powerful figures after the Baron''s proxy. With them united, no one could stop them.

    Themon soldiers certainly couldn''t stop the knights.

    "Out of the way!"

    "Ah... Yes sir!"

    The soldiers were like automatic doors with human skins.

    Meaning they opened wide as soon as they saw the knights.

    For the knights, upying their current workce was a piece of cake.

    All the soldiers were their subordinates, and the only obstacle was the Baron''s proxy. There was no way they couldn''t subdue him.

    "Hmm?"

    That''s what they thought, until they encountered a suspicious figure.

    "That way leads to the prison. Where are you going in such a hurry?"

    "...? How did you know this was the way to the prison? No, more importantly."

    The knight questioned the hooded stranger.

    "Who are you?"

    The stranger removed his hood.

    Instantly, the knight felt a shock that nearly took his breath away.

    "W-what! You...! Like, a, a demon..."

    "Demon? I hate such religion-centricbels."

    Bright red skin. Two straight horns.

    Even reptilian, bright yellow eyes.

    The stranger was clearly not human.

    He was the very embodiment of a demon risen from hell!

    "Call me a subterranean resident or a citizen of Pandemonium, human."

    "Ah, ah..."

    The knight gritted his teeth.

    He had no idea why a demon was wandering around the middle of the castle, but

    Judging by his appearance at such a hellish time, he was definitely not someone to be messed with.

    "If a wizard sent you, stand aside! Demon! I''m on my way to free the wizard!"

    "Oh. You''re going to free Inn?"

    The demon drew his sword.

    The knight steadied his trembling hand and likewise drew his sword.

    There was no further verbal exchange.

    A cold dialogue of steel began.

    "Guh!"

    ... Battle result.

    The demon won and the knight lost.

    "Inn is mine. He''s the prize I was promised."

    "Cough, cough!"

    The knight copsed helplessly to the floor, his lung pierced.

    He would die of suffocation due to his blood-filled lung.

    The knight''s death was mirrored elsewhere.

    The two knights who set off to imprison Baron''s proxy Theo and his lover Karenne...

    Met an equally miserable end.

    "You f*cking maggots! How dare you! Betray my darling and stage a rebellion!"

    "W-what is that!"

    "It''s a monster!"

    The knights who burst into Theo''s bedroom pointed their swords at the couple caught in the throes of passion.

    Immediately after, something unbelievable happened.

    Theo''s lover, Karenne''s body twisted and contorted...

    Transforming into a horrific monster resembling a spider!

    The monstrous Karenne sent the knights flying with ease.

    The knights died without putting up much of a fight.

    Even with thorough preparation, monsters are difficult to deal with. There''s a reason they''re called monsters, after all.

    But Karenne transformed into a monster of her own ord.

    As a result, she could wield overwhelming strength, tossing two knights around like toys.

    [Monster Transformation] was a secret technique of transmutation wizards.

    It was also the source of Karenne''s confidence in infiltrating the operation area alone.

    "Karenne... Oh. This is troublesome."

    The demon stopped short while searching for Karenne.

    The transformed Karenne howled.

    "What is it, Pentagon!"

    The demon, Pentagon.

    He was a demon affiliated with the Golden Rule Society, a mercenary of sorts who moved in exchange for the massive tribute Karenne paid.

    Karenne sacrificed abundant souls and corpses to control Pentagon.

    They were corpses obtained by murdering travelers and domain residents.

    "I have bad news, Karenne."

    "Worse than these maggots staging a rebellion?"

    "That barely qualifies as bad news."

    The knights'' rebellion felt more like something that finally burst after holding out for too long.

    It meant they had spent a lot of time in Baron Vincents'' domain.

    "The wizards have caught on."

    It''s time to withdraw.

    "No more wizards wille. I''ll deal with the remaining four and clock out."

    "That''s not even bad news."

    Karenne licked her ws with her snake-like tongue.

    She was a ck wizard affiliated with the Golden Rule Society, and the person in charge of this [Trap Operation].

    The outline of the operation was simple.

    Utilizing the nature that wizards help other wizards, it was an operation to kill or capture multiple wizards.

    The benefit desired by the Golden Rule Society was clear.

    The fewer the wizards, the higher the value of magic.

    And ck wizards are wizards too.

    Could those desperate for magical aid... truly resist the temptation of ck magic?

    As the number of wizards decreases, the domain of ck wizards naturally expands.

    Right now, everyone shuns ck magic.

    But when things get desperate, they''ll quietly reach for ck magic.

    It was a rough and truly ck wizard-like idea and operation.

    That''s why Karenne intended to eliminate all the wizards who came to Baron Vincents'' domain.

    She even summoned a demon to deal with as many wizards as possible.

    But it seems they''ve reached their limit of holding out.

    It was time to pull in the trap.

    "Well. I''ve sucked plenty of honey... and other things too."

    Karenne looked at Theo with herpound eyes.

    Theo felt like he was going to lose his mind...!

    While Karenne in her human form was quite beautiful, right now she was just tantly a monster!

    The mere fact that such a monster showed interest in him was enough to drive him mad.

    "How convenient. The prey is walking right into our hands?"

    The wizards'' goal is, of course, Professor Inn.

    If we guard the prison, they''ll show up on their own.

    "Don''t let your guard down. We''re dealing with wizards."

    "You''re the one I hired to kill those wizards."

    Pentagon nodded silently.

    He had already killed two wizards - the ice wizard Victor and the water wizard Anton.

    The remaining wizards didn''t particrly scare him either.

    Unlike fragile humans, a demon''s flesh isn''t easily broken by mystical tricks.

    Pentagon calmly waited for the wizards.

    ''Once I kill the remaining wizards, I can clock out.''

    But the demon didn''t know.

    That Anton, who he thought he had killed, was actually alive...

    And that the one who saved Anton was a wizard versed in all manner of bizarre mysteries.

    ---

    ---

    ---

    Meanwhile.

    Ian and his group arrived in front of the Baron''s castle.

    The castle was eerily deste.

    ''... Is it because I wrecked the walls?''

    There wasn''t a single soldier on guard duty outside.

    It seems they fled, scared of magic.

    "Are you ready?"

    Ian looked at hispanions and shouted.

    Except for Anton, whose condition wasn''t great, everyone was ready for a fight.

    Though they said he could rest, Anton stubbornly insisted on following Ian.

    "Be honest. Did youe to follow me? Or to follow Herta?"

    "What does that matter..."

    Anton was about to say that, but felt Herta''s gaze from beside him.

    Staring.

    "... I came to follow Herta. Damn it."

    He couldn''t help but be a so-sweet wizard.

    Ian chuckled and ced Herta and Anton side by side.

    "Take good care of each other. Now, let''s go!"

    Ian stepped into the Baron''s castle.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    ''It''s like a dungeon.''

    The thought crossed Ian''s mind as he entered the baron''s castle.

    Ian had been reincarnated in a medieval fantasy world, not some game world. He''d never seen a dungeon teeming with monsters. If he had topare, Baron Talian''s graveyard was the closest thing to a dungeon. But this ce felt even more dungeon-like than that.

    First off, there were no people.

    No. There were, but...''Corpses.''

    There were dead people.

    Brutally murdered bodiesy strewn about the corridors. Some had holes in their chests. Others were missing body parts.

    "Ugh..."

    "What in the..."

    The wizards grimaced at the horrific scene. It was revolting, but there was something even more concerning.

    "Is this the work of demons?"

    "ck wizards! It must be ck wizards!"

    "...It could be the baron''s doing too."

    The culprit who''d turned the castle into this mess was nowhere to be seen.

    Ian felt even less inclined to go rescue Inn...

    ''Should I just bolt?''

    Making a run for it was an option.

    But Ian shook his head.

    With four wizards gathered in one ce, it made sense to settle things here. What would change if he ran away now? The ck wizards would only have more free rein.

    "Um, seniors? What if we just run..."

    "That''s not an option, Krysus. Are you suggesting we turn a blind eye to this carnage?"

    "Are you telling me to run away with my tail between my legs?"

    ''...Good thing I didn''t say anything.''

    Krysus, who''d foolishly suggested running away, got an earful from the senior wizards. Anton and Herta had no intention of fleeing either.

    That''s when it happened.

    "H-help..."

    A corpse grabbed Ian''s ankle.

    No. It wasn''t quite a corpse since it was still alive. Though it''d be one in about 10 minutes.

    ''No good.''

    Ian tried praying, just in case.

    But his will couldn''t reach the Sky God. He''d twisted the world''s will too much by healing Anton.

    "..."

    Herta bit her lower lip hard.

    She couldn''t even muster an empty "Are you alright?" It wasn''t something you''d say to someone with a hole in their stomach, intestines spilling out.

    "M-monster...! Monster...!"

    "Calm down and speak."

    Ian listened closely to the voice of the woman who looked like a maid.

    "A monster cursed by the heavens...! Ahhh! Save me!"

    Thud.

    The woman fainted.

    She likely wouldn''t regain consciousness before dying. So, it was safe to consider her dead.

    "Damn demon."

    Anton muttered.

    He''d been attacked by a demon before.

    "But Anton. Is that demon so terrifying? Enough to be called cursed by the heavens?"

    "..."

    Anton fell silent at Herta''s point.

    She was right.

    Demons just looked like demons, not terrifying monsters.

    "There might be another monster."

    That was Ian''s guess.

    And soon after, Ian''s guess proved true.

    Crunch... Crunch... Crunch...

    An eerie sound echoed through the chilly corridor.

    The sound of bones breaking and muscles twisting.

    The sound of a person being devoured.

    "What the... f*ck is that?"

    Anton eximed in shock.

    It was a statement that spoke for all the party members.

    The monster before their eyes could only be described as a ''monster''.

    It was massive, filling the entire corridor with its eight long legs and plump body. And... it had a human-female head with insect eyes.

    Disgustingly horrific...

    Especially since it had just been eating human entrails!

    "Eeeeek!"

    Krysus let out a scream that nearly choked her.

    But no one med her.

    That thing was so monstrous that not screaming would seem abnormal.

    "Oh? Aren''t you wizard fellows?"

    The spider-like monster spoke in a grotesque voice.

    It was a hideous voice that felt like it would tear their eardrums.

    "If you''re looking for Inn, head to that tower over there."

    "Y-yes! We''ll go right away!"

    Krysus answered sharply!

    Ian was so dumbfounded he smacked the back of Krysus''s head.

    "Eek!"

    "Sorry, senior. But! What the hell are you thinking, listening to a monster like that!"

    "Ah... Ah! R-right!"

    Krysus snapped back to her senses.

    She''d been so terrified and distressed that she almost moved exactly as the monster ordered. But thinking about it again, it was a foolish action. Who in their right mind would follow the orders of such a monster!

    "Hahaha!"

    "Ugh...!"

    "What a terrible voice...!"

    As the spider monsterughed happily, a brain-rattling shock wave hit them.

    "I apologize for myte introduction. I''m Karenne, a transmutation wizard. I''m your friend?"

    "..."

    Ian was utterly dumbfounded.

    Who the hell decided we were friends? This crazy bastard?

    "The Inn you''re looking for went to be killed by a demon called Pentagon. So head that way."

    "Ah. Is that so?"

    Ian retorted sarcastically.

    "But what the f*ck is this mess? Friend? Why are you eating people?"

    "This? I ate them because they''re delicious. It''s also good for replenishing meat. Transmutation isn''t magic that creates something from nothing, you know."

    "..."

    "They''re all just servants anyway. Don''t worry about thesemoners, let''s continue our chat. Wizards. I want to help you. Actually, the culprit who harmed you wizards is Pentagon..."

    Ian drew Anor-lsil and swung it.

    zing mes followed the sword''s trajectory.

    The spider monster, Karenne, made a strange expression.

    "Friend. Could you shut the f*ck up? No. There''s no need. I''ll make you shut up myself."

    "You foolish bastard. I told you, didn''t I? You should catch Pentagon, not me..."

    "As if anyone would be convinced by that appearance."

    Ptui. Ian spat out saliva contaminated by the disgusting air.

    Karenne seemed desperate to send Ian to the demon called Pentagon, but Ian had absolutely no reason to listen to Karenne. Why would he listen to a man-eating monster?

    Ian didn''t heed the words of the evil monster.

    As a wizard, he''d learned one thing clearly. Monsters with sh*tty behavior invariably have sh*tty personalities.

    "Ha. You... useless demon!"

    Karenne directed her anger not at Ian, but at the demon.

    But anger aside.

    Karenne swung her massive log-like front leg.

    Now that things hade to this, she decided to eliminate Ian directly!

    "Dangerous!"

    Jubal leapt out and grabbed Karenne''s leg.

    As the 2-meter-tall human-troll exerted his strength, surprisingly, the leg stopped.

    "Monster...! Rip off leg...!"

    Crack!

    Jubal twisted the spider leg with astonishing strength.

    The sound of joints twisting and exoskeletons cracking echoed.

    "You crazy bastard?!"

    Karenne shouted in surprise at Jubal''s monstrous strength.

    His strength was so incredible it made her suspect he''d enhanced his body with transmutation.

    But that was the extent of her surprise.

    Karenne wasn''t a wizard foolish enough to lose a leg so stupidly.

    She had eight legs.

    Thump!

    Karenne swung another leg, striking Jubal''s head.

    "Jubal!"

    Jubal''s forehead split open, blood streaming down and soaking his eyes.

    But Jubal didn''t even flinch.

    While he was incredibly weak against ghosts or demons without physical form...

    He wouldn''t cower before monsters with physical bodies!

    "Hraaah!"

    Jubal reached out and grabbed a second leg.

    Karenne''s movement stopped once again.

    It was mind-boggling.

    A single person stopping the movement of a 3-meter-tall monster!

    It wasn''t even a human empowered by magic or blessings.

    He was just that f*cking strong in his arms and legs!

    "Monster leg! Rip off both!"

    Jubal exerted all his strength.

    But unlike before, Karenne''s legs didn''t break.

    Even Jubal couldn''t destroy two legs simultaneously.

    "You insect!"

    Crack!

    Karenne was furious at being restrained by a mere human.

    Using her monstrous mass, she pressed down on Jubal like a crushing weight.

    As the remaining six legs braced against the corridor walls, even the herculean Jubal couldn''t hold on any longer.

    His shoe soles shattered as he was pushed back dozens of meters.

    A long trail of red blood followed his skid marks.

    The skin on his feet had been torn off, leaving them bloody.

    "Ugh...!"

    "Damn it, Jubal!"

    Belenka hastily swung her longsword.

    But Karenne wasn''t an opponent that could be dealt with by a single longsword.

    The monster was too massive and too tough.

    "Ian! The mes!"

    Kira called for mes.

    But Ian immediately shouted back.

    "No! We can''t burn Jubal too!"

    "Then what do we do!"

    Ian gritted his teeth.

    He needed physical force.

    Overwhelming physical force that could push back even that massive monster''s body!

    ''Think.''

    The battle was in full swing.

    Jubal was even at a life-or-death crossroads.

    "Arrrgh! Kuh!"

    "Hahaha! Struggle all you want! You bug!"

    If no one helped, Karenne would pop Jubal''s body like a balloon.

    ''Think, Ian!''

    But Ian observed the battlefield with a cool head.

    What a wizard needed was a sharp mind to find the best solution.

    ''There are many wizards.''

    The advantage overwhelmingly favored Karenne.

    After crushing Jubal to death, it would soon be Ian''s turn.

    But there were wizards by Ian''s side.

    They had to find a way before Jubal''sst breath.

    "Freeze!"

    "...?"

    Just then, a silver-haired wizard darted past Ian''s eyes.

    It was Krysus!

    ''Ice magic?''

    Surprisingly, Krysus used ice magic.

    ''Could it be, from the ice cave?''

    Her senior, the ice wizard Victor, had gathered a massive amount of ice magic just before dying.

    Krysus must have taken the remaining ice magic before leaving the cave!

    Krysus stretched her hand towards Karenne''s legs.

    "Freeze and shatter! You monster!!!"

    A chilling cold poured forth.

    It was a storm of ice so intense it made the entire corridor frigid.

    Krysus''s trump card.

    But...

    "Oh ho. My leg''s frozen solid?"

    Krysus''s ice magic wasn''t powerful enough to freeze Karennepletely.

    Nothing would change by just freezing one leg.

    Karenne swung the frozen leg like a club.

    "Senior!"

    "Kyaa!"

    By a hair''s breadth, Ian hugged Krysus''s waist and rolled on the ground.

    Krysus''s action was reckless.

    But it gave Ian an inspiration.

    "Senior! Are you alright?"

    "Ian...! I... my ice magic...!"

    Krysus cried out, almost in tears.

    "I guess it''s no help after all...! I''m sorry! Ian!"

    Ian quickly shook his head.

    As expected.

    Krysus''s ice magic was excellent.

    It just wasn''t utilized in the right ce and time!

    "You should have told me you could use ice magic earlier!"

    "What...?"

    "There''s something you need to do, senior."

    Even Ian couldn''t perform ice magic as well as Krysus.

    It wasn''t winter right now...

    So only Krysus could properly unleash ice magic.

    "Let''s try freezing that bastard one more time."

    "H-how?!"

    "Can you do it? Senior? Just tell me if you can or not!"

    Faced with Ian''s firm and resolute expression.

    Krysus found herself nodding as if entranced.

    She had failed on her own, but...

    Perhaps. If Ian helped.

    It might be possible to freeze that massive monster.

    She just had that feeling.

    "I-I can do it!"

    "Good. Senior. Let''s give it a shot."

    Ian snapped his fingers.

    Now, the wizards'' time had begun.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Pushing Jubal aside, Karenne contemted her situation.

    Though she despised the Pentagon bastard for cking off, the atmosphere suggested she could eliminate them all single-handedly.

    Karenne sneered at the pathetic disy of these ipetent wizards.

    Those useless, lowly scum!

    There were many schools of magic, but Karenne believed only a few were worthwhile.Her criteria for "worthwhile" was simple: destructive power.

    Karenne didn''t consider any magic that couldn''t crush enemies and subjugate opponents to be real magic.

    Most magic failed to make the cut, being either too weak or too restrictive.

    Powerful magic without limitations tended to be evil.

    ''Oh. Transmutation?''

    In that regard, transmutation might as well have been created for Karenne.

    Mighty power and mysteries that bent to the wizard''s will!

    The only issues were its difficulty to master and the need for human experimentation...

    Karenne couldn''t care less.

    What? You need to dissect humans for transformation? Then just do it!

    Sacrificial test subjects and moral or religious concerns werepletely irrelevant to her.

    Karenne was a wizard interested solely in mastering powerful and useful magic.

    Through countless human experiments, she''d reached a level where she could transform human bodies at will.

    ''It''s fortunate the other wizards are all morons.''

    That''s what surprised Karenne.

    Unexpectedly... few wizards studied transmutation!

    Some called human experimentation disgusting, while others feared permanent disabilities from failed spells.

    To Karenne, this was excellent news.

    No one''s learning this amazing magic? They won''t even try because they''re afraid of failure? Typical loser mentality.

    Magic schools tend to align with personalities.

    Karenne pursued transmutation studies to the end, while others deemed it madness. Thanks to her innate psychopathic nature, she became an outstanding transmutation wizard.

    ''This is the result!''

    Karenneughed as she wielded her overflowing power.

    Through diligent effort, Karenne had be a transmutation master, gaining the ability to tear other wizards apart single-handedly.

    Those cowardly wizards who trembled in fear were now on the brink of death, pretending to be refined!

    ''Good thing there''s no earth wizard.''

    Karenne''s most wary opponent was the earth wizard Carl.

    Carl... even Karenne thought that guy was a bit unhinged.

    No matter how much you warn him...

    Hurling boulders at noble castle walls!

    With that level of skill, he''d be a troublesome enemy.

    But Carl was nowhere to be seen.

    Pentagon must have driven him out.

    Excluding Carl, the other wizards were all pushovers.

    Water wizard Anton? What could he do without water?

    Air wizard Herta? What magic could an air wizard use in a cramped corridor? This was indoors, for crying out loud!

    Ice wizard Krysus. She was an ice wizard. Need I say more?

    And... the rest were greenhorns.

    ''Victory is mine!''

    That brutish warrior with troll blood had put up a decent fight.

    But Karenne still won.

    Now, she was confident she could kill him within 30 seconds.

    "Grrrrgh!"

    Jubal iled, foaming at the mouth.

    He was suffocating fromck of air.

    That b*tch Krysus had pulled some weird trick, but it only showcased ice magic''s pitiful performance.

    No variables left.

    Or so Karenne thought.

    ...

    But at that very moment.

    The ck-haired wizard shouted in Maroniusnguage.

    "[Earth!]"

    "???"

    Ian Eredith Raven.

    That wizard... attempted earth magic!

    ''Earth magic?!''

    Karenne was startled but quickly regainedposure.

    That brat was a dark wizard.

    He must''ve spent most of his timemuning with dark mysteries, so his earth magic skills should obviously be crap...

    Rumble...!

    The ground trembled.

    The earth began to vibrate as if responding to Ian''s will!

    Karenne was dumbfounded.

    Did the earth''s mystery actually listen to that pipsqueak?

    What, were they buddies or something?!

    [Ah! You called again! My cheerful friend!]

    "[Mystery of the Earth!]"

    [What sound does a horse''s leg make when it breaks? The answer is... horse-ttuk! Hahahahaha!]

    Karenne''s jaw dropped.

    That heavy, solemn, calm mystery of the earth...

    Appeared cracking some cheap wordy!

    Wait, was that even funny?

    Karenne genuinely couldn''t understand the mystery''s sense of humor.

    Well. If everyone understood it, would it be a mystery? Mysteries are mysteries because humans can''t understand them. There must be some emotional appeal somewhere, right?

    It was beyond Karenne''sprehension.

    ''What the hell is going on?!''

    She didn''t know the details. Karenne judged based solely on visible information.

    Ian Eredith... surprisingly seemed to have an intimate rtionship with the earth.

    To the point where that rigid earth mystery cracked jokes first!

    ''Was that guy an earth wizard???''

    Karenne didn''t know.

    In fact, the madman who hurled boulders at the baron''s castle walls...

    Wasn''t Carl, but Ian!

    Ian had already forged a friendship with the earth.

    He could use minor earth magic as much as he wanted!

    "[Earth! Split open!]"

    [Oh. As you wish!]

    Ian, having summoned the earth''s mystery.

    He split the corridor floor with earth magic.

    Karenne assumed Ian was aiming for falling rocks.

    ''... Right. That''s your level!''

    If the floor was damaged, the ceiling wouldn''t support the weight and would copse.

    Then therger Karenne would be at a disadvantage.

    But that was too one-dimensional a judgment.

    Karenne could kill Jubal within 30 seconds and tear the wizards to shreds.

    They''d be dead before the spell was even cast!

    ''I''ll end this in an instant!''

    The power of mysteries is threatening to humans.

    But ultimately, what determines human life is not mystery, but physical force.

    What good is controlling mes and winds?

    Humans die when a knife pierces their throat.

    ... But that was Karenne''s misjudgment.

    Ian had no intention of crushing Karenne with falling rocks.

    "Anton!"

    Ian had wizards who becamepetent when conditions were met.

    And those ''conditions''...

    Ian had just fulfilled them.

    Now it was showtime.

    "Ha. That crazy bastard."

    Anton loved Ian''s spell.

    The gap split by earth magic.

    From that deep space...

    Anton felt the surging power of water.

    Ian had set the stage, so it was only right to respond!

    "[Mystery of Water!]"

    Anton shouted in Maroniusnguage.

    With a refreshing sound of water, the water mystery cheerfully eximed.

    [Anton! My friend!]

    Yes. This was the voice he wanted to hear.

    He wanted to show this magic to those damn brats!

    Anton shouted.

    "[Gush forth!]"

    The water mystery dly lent its power to its old friend.

    Water gushed like a fountain through the gap Ian created!

    It was the castle''s well water and the massive underground water sleeping beneath it.

    Needless to say, the water mystery possessed tremendous physical force.

    The groundwater struck Karenne''s body.

    Far from enough to shatter her, but sufficient to throw her off bnce.

    "Haap!"

    Seizing the moment Karenne''s posture crumbled.

    Belenka sliced off one of her spider legs.

    "Kuh! Kuh!"

    "Run! Jubal!"

    Belenka rescued Jubal.

    Karenne was startled but soon withstood the water''s force by tensing her legs.

    "[Such petty tricks...!]"

    Meanwhile, Ian slightly blocked the corridor wall with earth magic.

    His earth magic skill was insufficient to block it entirely.

    But that didn''t matter.

    As long as enough water umted...!

    "Krysus!"

    Anton shouted.

    Ian grinned, patting Krysus''s shoulder.

    "It''s your turn, senior."

    "Ah...!"

    Krysus nodded frantically.

    She instantly understood Ian''s intention.

    Simultaneously, she felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.

    The cold left by Senior Victor. The stage set by Ian and Anton...

    Now it was Krysus''s turn to deliver the finale.

    To eliminate that psychotic transmutation wizard and avenge Senior Victor...!

    "[Mystery of... Cold!]"

    Krysus spat out the words.

    The situation was clear enough for anyone to understand.

    If she unleashed ice magic here...

    The soaked Karenne would be an ice block!

    Therefore.

    Karenne, floundering in the water, was horrified.

    "[This... this can''t be! This can''t be happening!]"

    Ian coldly raised his middle finger.

    And then he disyed a wizard''s specialty.

    Namely, trash-talking.

    "Why can''t it? Wizards make the impossible possible!"

    "..."

    "Did we look like idiots to you? You ck magic b*tch?"

    "[You... goddamn wizards...!]"

    In that moment, Krysus shouted like lightning.

    "[Freeze!!!]"

    A storm of cold swept through the corridor.

    The massive cold power that ice wizard Victor had gathered in death.

    That immense force became a form of chill and engulfed Karenne.

    "[Aaaaaaargh!]"

    Karenne''s ridiculously tough body withstood the terrifying cold storm.

    But therge volume of water soaking her couldn''t.

    The gushing groundwater froze solid, enveloping Karenne.

    "..."

    Karenne''s mouth gaped as if trying to speak.

    But her movements soon stopped.

    Karenne was trapped inside a massive ice block, reduced to a bizarre objet d''art.

    It looked like a grotesque artwork by a deranged artist.

    "Haa... Haa..."

    Krysus breathed heavily.

    Ian approached her.

    Krysus quietly looked up at Ian.

    "Senior."

    "... Yeah."

    Expecting Ian to say something, she soon burst intoughter.

    "As expected, ice magic is the strongest magic."

    "Ha, hahaha..."

    Ian extended his hand,ughing.

    "Ice magic is the best."

    Krysusughed.

    Sheughed happily until her tears dried up.

    "Yeah!"

    Krysus wiped away her tears and cheerfully eximed.

    "Ice magic really is the best!"

    That was.

    The funniest joke of her life.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    "You alright, Jubal?" Ian asked.

    After trapping Karenne''s group in a block of ice, Ian took a moment to catch his breath and check on hispanions.

    He prioritized assessing Jubal, who had acted as the tank in this battle.

    "Kuk, I''m fine," Jubal grinned, his face troll-like.

    From afar, he had looked seriously injured. But up close, Jubal was surprisingly unscathed. His skin was a bit scraped and bleeding slightly, but nothing was broken or severed.Considering he had tanked against a spider monster over 3 meters tall, his condition was remarkably good.

    ''Well, he''s quite the monster himself.''

    Jubal possessed both the physique and the brain of a beast.

    In terms of physical prowess, he wouldn''t lose to most monsters.

    Thanks to Jubal''s tanking, the rest of the team escaped without a scratch.

    "Hey, Ian," Anton called out.

    "What?"

    "You saw my magic, right?"

    "???"

    Ian wondered why Anton was suddenly acting like this. Did he want money for his efforts?

    "I saw it... but why?"

    "''Why?'' you say?" Anton frowned, displeased. "After witnessing my skilled, clean, and wless technique... you say ''why?''"

    "..."

    Sh*t. It was that.

    Ian stared at Anton in disbelief, but Anton wasn''t joking around.

    This guy... He was actually bragging about his magic to Ian!

    "You probably don''t know this, but tomune with mystery at this level, you need to spend at least 10 years..." Anton prattled on about how exceptional his technique was.

    Ian felt like he was going to die of annoyance.

    Krysus approached and whispered, "Just y along and move on."

    "Why is he acting like this?"

    "Who knows? Maybe he''s still sore about being dismissed by you at the tavern before."

    Ian fully embraced Krysus''s advice. Soon, Anton was bombarded with mindless praise.

    "Wow, that''s amazing! Anton!"

    "Hm. Now you understand?"

    "As expected of water magic! It''s stronger than ice magic!"

    "Huhuhuhuh..."

    "Damn! Why am I a dark wizard? If I''m reborn, I want to be a water wizard!"

    "Huhuhuhuh... Hahahaha!"

    Anton patted Ian''s shoulder, grinning broadly. "Now you see the greatness of water magic?"

    "Ah... yes."

    "Good. Then let''s go see Inn."

    Having gorged on Ian''s praise, Anton strode forward, his robes fluttering. From behind, he looked the very image of a cool wizard.

    Krysus snickered beside Ian. "That senior is quite exhausting, isn''t he?"

    "You''re not much better yourself..."

    "What?! I''m not that bad!"

    Ian smirked, remembering who had made him shout ''Ice magic is the best~'' in that ice cave.

    Wizards, honestly. They all had such big egos, always thinking their magic was the best.

    ---

    ---

    ''I wonder if Inn is safe.''

    Thanks to Karenne''s rampage, the ce had practically turned into a dungeon. The atmosphere was so horror-like that finding Inn as a corpse wouldn''t be surprising.

    ''I hope this isn''t a waste of time.''

    Ian''s group passed through the inner castle and headed towards a tower deep in the courtyard. It served as both a watchtower and a prison.

    As they walked, Herta apologized to Ian several times.

    "I''m sorry, Ian."

    The reason for her apologies wasn''t particrly clear.

    "I... I haven''t been much help..."

    "It''s fine."

    Herta was an air wizard. Air magic became more powerful in open spaces, especially where the wind blew strongly. Earlier, the fight had taken ce indoors, so there wasn''t much Herta could do.

    "There''s someone who isn''t even here, you know."

    "... Do you think Carl is safe?"

    "We can only hope so."

    While it was disappointing that Carl couldn''t join them, Ian just hoped he was alive at this point.

    [Ian! Be careful!]

    [There are bad guys over there!]

    "...?"

    Ian paused at the whispered voices brushing his ears. The only mystery that could whisper so quietly was the mystery of darkness.

    "...!"

    "What''s that?"

    As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, Ian''s group was startled, every single one of them.

    "The sky..."

    The sky was covered in pitch-ck clouds, looking gloomy. It seemed like it might rain at any moment, but no raindrops actually fell.

    The courtyard was shrouded in darkness.

    ''The vanished sun.''

    Ian looked up at the ck sky.

    The sun was a sacred symbol of Heaven''s Faith. It was the eye of the sky that watched over the evil on earth and looked down upon the people.

    But...

    Now the sun had disappeared.

    In the darkness created by its absence, something wicked was breathing.

    "... Demons."

    "What?"

    "Everyone be careful. There are demons here."

    Ian was certain that the ck clouds in the sky were the demons'' handiwork. After all, the only ones who would deliberately want to erase the sun were those demon bastards.

    The mystery of darkness sent Ian a warning.

    Ian drew Anor-lsil and aimed it at the darkened courtyard.

    "Kekeke... What''s that toy?" a voice sneered from the darkness.

    "Isn''t that the power of the sun? Disgusting... kukukuk!"

    "But it''s pathetic! A small and weak sun!"

    Red-skinned demons crawled out of the darkness one by one. Short horns, pointed tails. Even hooves resembling those of a mountain goat.

    "Imps!" Anton shouted.

    They were imps, residents of hell and lesser demons.

    Anton shuddered at the sight of the swarming lesser demons. "Those ck wizards... Have they now allied with demons?"

    Needless to say, summoning demons was the most forbidden of taboos. If the priests of Heaven''s Faith found out, they would be beyond furious, and would immediately report to the Pope to unleash an indiscriminate emunication beam.

    Ian already knew how these demons were summoned. The ck wizard Karenne had paid for blood and corpses. These beings were summoned to the mortal realm using those as sacrifices.

    "Kekeke... So that''s the wizard we''ve heard about!"

    "The humans who open summoning gates!"

    "If we subdue him as a ve, we can go to the mortal realm whenever we want, right?"

    The imps slowly approached the wizards. The demons'' eyes glinted with greed. If they could corrupt a wizard into a ck wizard, they''d secure a foothold to enter the mortal realm at will.

    That''s why many demons desired wizard ves. Someone who would kill people and open summoning gates for demons at any time.

    "I like that ck-haired man!"

    "Kukuku... Then I''ll take that red-haired b*tch!"

    "I don''t care who! I''ll take whoever I catch first!"

    The demons whispered ominously. Their eyes were like those of buyers choosing ves at a market. That inhuman and eerie gaze made fear grow in the wizards'' hearts.

    "Ian..." Kira slowly moved closer to Ian.

    Ian took her hand. Her trembling subsided.

    ''F*cking demon bastards.''

    Ian''s blood boiled as he watched the demons snickering and muttering among themselves.

    What? They were going to capture and enve the wizards now? Ian and hispanions?

    The demons were f*cking disgusting, and the ck wizards who summoned such creatures were equally disgusting.

    His killing intent was rising.

    Magic was absolutely not learned to conveniently serve such demon bastards.

    Ian realized once again that demon wizards were the worst sons of b*tches in the world. No wonder they keptpany with personality-deficient demon bastards!

    Right at that moment.

    "Shut up!" A thunderous shout echoed through the courtyard.

    Belenka, wielding a longsword, strode towards the demons. "Don''t pollute the air with your disgusting tongues! You demons!"

    Knights protect the weak, defend the bells of heaven, and guard the lives of their lords. That is the [Code of Chivalry].

    There were many knights who treated chivalry as a vulgar pastime. But Belenka, at least, was not one of them.

    Once she swore an oath to heaven and the holy scriptures, she would protect Ian''s life until their contract ended.

    "Heaven knows all of your vile deeds! In the name of the radiant sun! I shall offer your heads to the Lord of Heaven!"

    Belenka shouted fiercely, pointing her longsword.

    But the demons mocked her.

    "Kekeke... What an amusing knight!"

    "The radiant sun? Look at the sky! Where exactly is this sun you speak of?"

    "..."

    Belenka gritted her teeth. The demons had hidden the eye of heaven with their vile tricks. At least for now, they couldn''t expect God''s mercy.

    But Belenka didn''t lose her fighting spirit. Even if the sun wasn''t watching, God always existed in her heart!

    Right then.

    "Belenka!"

    "... Ian?"

    Ian walked up and stood beside Belenka. "Belenka. If we wipe out these demon bastards, do you think we''ll gain some good karma?"

    At Ian''s joke-like words, Belenka smirked. "Of course."

    Knights were always thirsty for good deeds. Though they were killers, they wanted to pass through the gates to heaven.

    "Then let''s rack up some good karma."

    Ian aimed Anor-lsil at the demons. "You demon bastards."

    This was a magic sword imbued with the power of the sun and moon.

    "The sun you''re looking for, it''s right here!"

    A warm energy flowed through the handle.

    ''... Hm?''

    He had felt a simr sensation before. It was the same feeling he had when fighting the vampire in Baron Damon''s domain.

    ''This is...''

    Ian was slightly taken aback. Anor-lsil was resonating with Ian''s will.

    Woong, woong...

    The previous Anor-lsil had emitted sunlight to face vampires. Now, Anor-lsil was resonating much more strongly with Ian''s will than before.

    ''... Is it receiving an enhancement effect?''

    The materials invested to create the true Anor-lsil must have definitely boosted its performance.

    Ian instinctively raised the sword to the sky. It felt like Anor-lsil would move ording to Ian''s will now.

    ''The power of the sun!''

    The demons hid in the artificial darkness, avoiding the sunlight. They feared the sun, the eye of heaven.

    "[Power of the Sun!]" Ian shouted.

    At that moment, a brilliant beam of light poured down from the sky, brightly illuminating Ian and Anor-lsil! A sh of light, like a single ray, pierced straight through the clouds hanging in the sky.

    "W-What... is that."

    "Holy magic?! Is that holy magic?"

    "No... Ian used up his holy magic healing Anton. That''s... a slightly different power."

    "Then what is it?!"

    "I... I don''t know..."

    The wizards couldn''t grasp what was happening before their eyes. But it didn''t matter.

    Under the shower of pouring light, Ian and Belenka advanced side by side. Belenka''s golden hair sparkled exceptionally. She looked like a warrior born from light.

    "Kieeeeek?!"

    "Th-The sun...! The sun!"

    "Great Pentagon! H-Help us!"

    They had been arrogant in the darkness. But when the sunlight poured down, the demons screamed and scrambled backwards.

    Ian swung Anor-lsil without a moment''s hesitation. Simultaneously, Ian summoned the mystery of fire.

    "[Burn! Demons of hell!]"

    "Kiaaaaaah!"

    mes shot from the magic sword, hideously scorching the demons.

    Belenka chased after the fleeing demons, ughtering them one by one.

    "Ian! I''ll help!" Kira called out.

    "I-I''ll help too!" Herta added.

    Kira and Herta each used their magic.

    "[mes!]"

    "[Wind!]"

    The demons were helplessly overwhelmed. All they could do was scream.

    "Lord Pentagon! Help us!"

    "Lord Pentagon!"Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Pentagon, a Blood Lord, was a high-ranking demon of Pandemonium.

    Like other denizens of Pandemonium, Pentagon eagerly awaited the day to bring down the celestial realm.

    In the past, after the great demon Baal surrendered to the Sky God, demons became inhabitants of hell.

    Demons were originally residents of the mortal realm. But they were driven out by the Sky God and forced intobor in the dark underworld.

    ''Sky God.''The very one who cast demons into this dreadful underground world.

    Whenever Pentagon emerged on the surface, he felt both nostalgia for the mortal realm and hatred for the heavens.

    He vowed that someday, he would shatter the sun and bring eternal darkness to this world.

    ''At least the sun isn''t visible now.''

    Though Pentagon used to go around with his face hidden, he no longer needed to conceal his identity.

    He summoned his demon subordinates and reconstructed his body into its hellish form.

    A goat''s head with two horns. Reptilian split pupils and a crocodile-like tail.

    A hulking demon over 2 meters tall.

    Blood Lord Pentagon felt a new sense of gratitude towards the [Golden Rule Society].

    In truth, a demon''s gratitude differed somewhat from human gratitude.

    The Golden Rule Society had summoned Pentagon to borrow his power, but Pentagon felt no need to be loyal to them.

    From Pentagon''s perspective, he only needed to suck up the abundant life force of the mortal realm.

    Since those bastards said they''d eliminate the wizards, he might as well grab some useful ves along the way.

    Pentagon thought... the ck wizards of the Golden Rule Society were tremendous suckers.

    To the point of wondering if it was really okay to give this much.

    So Pentagon was grateful to the ck wizards.

    Grateful that they were such generous suckers.

    It wasn''t that Pentagon was vile and wicked, this was just the average personality for a demon.

    Having been asked to deal with the wizards, he nned to handle just the wizards and clock out!

    Their coborator Karenne seemed to have been beaten to a pulp somewhere, but that wasn''t Pentagon''s concern.

    No, he was rather pleased about it.

    It meant the annoying Golden Rule Society''s watchdog had disappeared!

    ''Time to wrap this up.''

    Pentagon obscured the sun with his demonic power and waited for the wizards to arrive.

    "L-Lord Pentagon!"

    "Yes. Have you captured the wizards?"

    Pentagon sat arrogantly with his legs crossed at the tower entrance.

    He looked like a gatekeeper of hell.

    "No! The sun...!"

    "The sun?"

    "The wizards have called back the sun!"

    "What?"

    Pentagon hurried outside the tower.

    He was momentarily speechless.

    "What the hell is that..."

    A sky clearer and purer than May weather.

    The dark clouds Pentagon had summoned with his power had vanished without a trace!

    "Was there a priest mixed in with the wizards?"

    "N-No, Lord Pentagon!"

    "Then a cleric? Did a cleric pull some trick?"

    "No, Lord Pentagon!"

    "Don''t just keep saying ''No, Lord Pentagon!'' like a parrot! You idiot!"

    F*ck, if you have any sense, give me a proper answer!

    Pentagon struck the imp''s head with his fist.

    The imp spat out teeth as it babbled.

    "Magi shord (magic sword)..."

    "Magic sword?"

    "Shky god''s magi shord (Sky God''s magic sword)..."

    Pentagon immediately ran towards the courtyard.

    An unexpected carnage was unfolding there.

    Imps exposed to the sun fled in terror.

    Wizards, knights, and warriors were ughtering the imps.

    ''This is absurd.''

    Pentagon had never imagined his subordinates would fail.

    "Ah...! Lord Pentagon!"

    "Lord Pentagon has arrived! Lord Pentagon is here!"

    The imps being pummeled cheered at the sight of Pentagon.

    The Pit Lord of Hell had appeared to aid the demons!

    Ian, who had been beating down demons, stopped and looked at Pentagon.

    ''What the hell is that?''

    The appearance of a demon that seemed far from ordinary.

    ---

    ---

    Anton tilted his head briefly upon seeing Pentagon''s changed form.

    Pentagon''s human form and demon form looked quite different.

    But soon, Anton realized this was the demon that had stabbed him in the back.

    "Ian. Be careful. That''s the demon that was hunting wizards."

    Ian frowned.

    Just looking at the demon filled him with an unpleasant sensation that pricked his skin.

    This was no ordinary demon.

    It was on apletely different level from imps.

    ''Those ck wizard bastards... f*ck, what the hell did they summon?''

    Ian sensed that the Golden Rule Society had invested considerable resources in this operation.

    Their determination to eliminate wizards at any cost was palpable.

    Otherwise, they wouldn''t have deployed such a formidable-looking demon.

    ''Persuasion... won''t work.''

    For a brief moment, Ian considered trying to persuade Pentagon.

    But judging from Karenne''s battered state earlier, persuasion was clearly futile.

    Would a demon allied with ck wizards who devour humans be persuaded by Ian''s words?

    "Ian...!"

    Just then, Herta urgently grabbed Ian''s shoulder.

    "We should retreat for now!"

    "What? But Inn is right there..."

    "If I''m right, that''s a [Blood Lord]! The [Blood Lord that Devours Magic]!"

    "..."

    Blood Lord.

    A familiar name.

    It had been mentioned a few times when Eredith listed the [Dangerous Monsters of the Continent].

    ''Ian. Blood Lords are natural predators of wizards.''

    ''Predators?''

    ''They have the power to dispel mysteries. A kind of magic resistance, you could say.''

    ''Then master, how do we deal with Blood Lords?''

    ''It''s not that difficult. Just bring lots of priests and knights!''

    ''Ah!''

    At the time, Eredith had briefly mentioned Blood Lords and moved on.

    She thought Ian would never have to face a Blood Lord.

    Logically, why would a wizard confront a monster that preys on wizards?

    It was obvious that knights and priests would swarm in droves to exorcise the demon the moment it appeared.

    Ian understood and forgot about the name Blood Lord.

    But...

    The cunning ck wizards had deployed a Blood Lord toplete their trap for eliminating wizards.

    ''They really go all out, don''t they.''

    Ian took a deep breath.

    Now that he faced a Blood Lord, minor spells wouldn''t work.

    A properly crafted powerful strike was needed.

    And to prepare powerful magic...

    Time was necessary, as expected.

    "Ian! Let''s retreat for now! We''ll upy the hill, set up a magic circle, and use it as a fortress to fight!"

    "Understood."

    They weren''t prepared to fight the Blood Lord right away.

    A strategic retreat was necessary.

    It was regrettable to leave Inn, but given the situation, he would understand.

    "Let''s retreat."

    Ian said this while signaling hispanions with his eyes.

    It would be foolish to act recklessly with a formidable enemy right in front of them.

    "Belenka! Jubal! Guard the front!"

    While the group prepared to retreat, Herta readied her magic.

    "Herta?"

    "It''s to buy time! I''ve used the least magic, so I have some leeway!"

    ''Ah.''

    Ian understood Herta''s intention.

    Retreating in battle is actually difficult.

    The moment you turn your back, you''ll be pursued.

    Herta had volunteered to buy time.

    ''I should help.''

    Ian stood beside Herta.

    Herta looked at Ian as if to say ''What are you doing?''

    "Ian? Hurry and fall back!"

    "No. I''ll help too."

    Herta couldn''t understand Ian''s words.

    "Help? But Ian, you''ve used a lot of magic today!"

    "It''s fine."

    "No, it can''t be..."

    Herta stared at Ian in bewilderment.

    Surprisingly, contact with mystery severely strains the brain.

    When connecting with mystery, the pineal nd hidden deep in the skull is exposed to excessive stimtion.

    Strong contact with mystery causes short-term brain strain, and prolonged exposure induces madness.

    In other words, one can go insane if not careful.

    Herta thought Ian was pushing himself too hard.

    How many times had he already used magic? Was he really okay?

    But Herta''s worry was unfounded.

    Ian''s body had been enhanced by the elixir he took during the northern expedition.

    Ian could withstand contact with most mysteries.

    ''Besides, I don''t have to stick to just Maronius-style magic.''

    Ian knew various ways to wield magic.

    He had no intention of holding back.

    The Blood Lord that devours magic. A monster like a wizard''s natural enemy.

    It was a formidable foe.

    If he showed any leniency, he would surely be defeated.

    Ian was prepared to invest all avable means to escape.

    "I''m really fine. I have plenty of magic I can use."

    "Ian..."

    Herta was deeply moved by Ian extending a helping hand until the very end.

    Though young in age, what admirable character!

    ''Wizard Eredith has educated him so well!''

    If this situation was resolved safely, Herta vowed to spread good rumors about Ian to other wizards.

    "Then!"

    Herta stretched her hand towards Pentagon, the Blood Lord, and shouted.

    "[O wind!]"

    As a fierce gust blew, imps lost their bnce and tumbled.

    "Kyaaack!"

    However, the wind vanished without a trace upon reaching Pentagon.

    Formidable magic resistance.

    The Blood Lord''s innate demonic power.

    "Not even ticklish!"

    "As expected of Lord Pentagon!"

    "Keheheh! Praise the great Pit Lord!"

    When Herta''s magic disappeared instantly, the imps shouted excitedly.

    [I''m sorry! Herta!]

    [That fellow emits a strange aura. I simply can''t get close!]

    The mystery of wind apologized in a whisper.

    Herta understood the wind''s mystery.

    A demon''s power that repels magical mystery was not something a wizard could easily ovee.

    ''As expected of a Blood Lord...''

    It was just as Herta knew.

    He was not an enemy that could be defeated with ordinary magic.

    Retreating to prepare powerful magic was indeed...

    "[O me!]"

    Ian also conjured mes with Anor-lsil and hurled them at Pentagon.

    It was better than Herta''s wind, but disappeared just as quickly.

    "It''s useless!"

    Pentagon shouted roughly.

    Whether wind or me, any phenomenon invoked by mystery''s power could be instantly dispelled!

    "[O earth!]"

    "It''s use..."

    "[O light of the sun!]"

    "It''s..."

    "[O darkness!]"

    "..."

    The powers of earth, sun, and darkness swept past Pentagon in session.

    And as it went on, it became increasingly difficult to dispel the mystery!

    ''What?''

    Pentagon stared at Ian in bewilderment.

    What kind of wizard spews out magic by the truckload like this?

    Doesn''t his head hurt?!

    "Ugh. As expected of a Blood Lord!"

    "..."

    Ian frowned, looking troubled.

    Pentagon felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

    Yes. Now that he realized magic was useless, he should start trembling in fear...

    "[O leaping pebbles!]"

    "???"

    But Ian''s magic wasn''t finished.

    Ian chanted a spell and used a strange magic Pentagon had never seen before.

    It was skill card magic.

    [Earth Magic: Leaping Pebbles (Lv2)]

    [Makes pebbles leap at the enemy. The power isn''t much to speak of, but it can startle the enemy.]

    Due to low earth magic proficiency, the skill''s power wasn''t high.

    But as described, the pebbles startled Pentagon.

    Thwack!

    Breaking through Pentagon''s magic resistance, it dealt a small amount of damage!

    But the damage was so minimal that Ian didn''t notice.

    "This is useless too!"

    ''No, it hurts! You bastard!''

    "Then how about this!"

    Ian, now in serious mode, relentlessly pressed Pentagon.

    If he showed even a hint of leniency and got beaten, it would be frustrating!

    ''Now what is it?!''

    Pentagon was curious to the point of fascination when Ian pulled out yet another strange magic.

    Why does his magic never end?!

    How many spells has this guy learned anyway!

    Ian shouted while drawing an Arcana card.

    "[O Hrundal!]"

    "...!"

    The magic Ian unleashed this time waspletely different from his previous spells.

    Arcana magic.

    The magic of the shamans, priests and wizards of the North!

    At the same time, Pentagon was aghast.

    Arcana magic in the Empire?

    Hrundal.

    She is the cold ice goddess, the deity of art.

    And the warden of hell feared by all demons.

    Moreover, isn''t she an ally of the detestable Sky God!

    To think he''d hear that crazy b*tch''s name here!

    He could withstand ordinary magic well enough, but...

    Magic borrowing Hrundal''s power was a different story!

    "You...!"

    Pentagon shouted at Ian.

    "Are you Lemegeton!"Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

    Join the discord! Here

    Demons were ancient beings.

    They had existed in this world long before being cast out by the Sky God, their history too deep to even discuss.

    "Lemegeton...!"

    The demons still stubbornly used words from the old Golden Empire era.

    It couldn''t be helped.Even humans living in modern times can''t skillfully use thetest ng, can they?

    ''Lemegeton'' was a word first mentioned in the old Golden Empire era, then altered by the monks of Heaven''s Faith.

    The meaning of [Master of the Key] remained the same though.

    In the old Golden Empire era, it referred to [high-level wizards], but in the current gospels of Heaven''s Faith, Lemegeton meant [some impressive bad guy].

    So, Pentagon wasn''t insulting Ian.

    He was asking, "Are you a high-level wizard?"

    "Lemegeton, you say!"

    "That bastard! Spouting nonsense from his gaping mouth!"

    But Anton and Herta were startled by Pentagon''s outburst.

    Just like a demon''s mouth indeed!

    That demon bastard, what was he saying to their Ian!

    In Heaven''s Faith, [Lemegeton] often appeared as the Arch Enemy of saints.

    Of course, its actual usage had be distorted.

    Bastards like Golden Finger Takarion ruined Lemegeton''s image by churning out Heaven''s Faith light nove... I mean, gospels.

    Of course, Pentagon didn''t pay any attention to what the wizards were babbling about.

    What mattered was that Ian had demonstrated the strange magic of the northern wizards.

    "Hrundal, you say...!"

    Shamefully, Pentagon felt his tail stick straight up in fear...

    To demons, the Sky God was merely an object of hatred.

    Due to something that happened ages ago, they simply cursed "That b*tch is evil!" whenever they thought of her.

    But Hrundal, the Ice Goddess and Warden of Hell, was different.

    That b*tch... regrly came down to the gates of hell and held events to capture and punish demons.

    And she brought hordes of [souls of great northern warriors] with her!

    It was said that in Hrundal''s [Ice Pce], the souls of great warriors gathered to train eternally in preparation for demonic invasions.

    To demons, Hrundal was a truly terrifying goddess.

    The Blood Lord''s magic resistance?

    From the start, Hrundal was a crazy b*tch who dragged around insane northern warriors like some mafia boss. If you mentioned magic resistance, a cold axe de woulde flying.

    So when Ian shouted "I had meals with Hrundal! And looked at paintings!", you couldn''t help but cower!

    Ian raised the Arcana card high and concentrated.

    [You have drawn a card...]

    [You''ve drawn the Justice card!]

    A picture of a blonde female knight wielding a longsword.

    At the same time, a whispering voice was heard in his mind.

    "It seems you need my help, Ian?"

    "Lady Hrundal?"

    A voice as cold as frost, yet somehow warm.

    Hrundal responded to Ian''s call.

    "Oh. You''ve encountered a monster that denies mystery. A Pit Lord. Quite troublesome in many ways."

    "Lady Hrundal. What should I do?"

    "Your ''skill card'' magic could deal effective damage to him, but... it seems the circumstances aren''t favorable."

    Ian nodded.

    His advanced attack skills, Spear of me and Lightning Spear, were both on cooldown.

    [Jumping Pebbles]... did hit, but the damage was negligible.

    "Then I can lend you my blessing."

    Hrundal said with a lowugh.

    "But Ian. You''re not suited to bear my blessing."

    "Pardon?"

    "My blessing shines when it reaches an outstanding warrior."

    In short, ''Hrundal''s Blessing'' was a type of buff.

    Considering that Arcana magic was northern sorcery, it wasn''t that strange.

    Ian understood.

    Ian was a wizard, not a warrior.

    ''The Blood Lord has high magic resistance anyway.''

    "In that case..."

    "I''ll lend you the power of my blessing. Store it in your ''skill card'' and use it when needed."

    Hrundal whispered.

    At the same time, a status window appeared before Ian''s eyes.

    [New skill acquired!]

    [Sorcery - Hrundal''s Blessing]

    [Bestow the goddess''s blessing upon a warrior who follows you. The blessed warrior will gain the strength to achieve remarkable feats.

    The stronger their fighting spirit and loyalty to you, the more powerful the blessing bes!]

    ''Oh.''

    Ian slowly examined the newly acquired skill.

    A buff-magic.

    This was totally a skill that heale... I mean, noble and venerable support-sses carried around!

    Some AOS game spread the wrong idea that supports were tools~ they should ''sacrifice''~ but.

    That was just that AOS game being weird. In fact, in most RPGs, supporters were noble sses.

    Even when recruiting party members, supporters were addressed with extreme honorifics like "Dragon Raid~! Looking for one esteemed buffer~!"

    But damage dealers, asmon as pebbles on the ground, were recruited with "Raid. One thief bastard." and people still flocked to it.

    Damage dealer sses were plebeians who had to run like dogs, immediately saying "Yes! At your service!"

    Anyway.

    ''Buff skill.''

    Ian immediately registered [Hrundal''s Blessing] to the Justice card.

    At the same time, Ian activated the newly acquired skill.

    "[Blessed Warrior!]"

    A golden wind blew.

    Ian cast the [Hrundal''s Blessing] spell on Belenka.

    She was an outstanding warrior and a long-timepanion of Ian''s.

    "Ian?"

    "If you trust me, ept the power! Belenka!"

    Belenka believed Ian''s words and surrendered herself to the strange power.

    The golden wind swirled around her and passed.

    A momentter.

    "... This is."

    Belenka examined her body.

    The most noticeable change was her armor, now silver.

    Over the ck chain mail, white crystals had formed as if frost had settled, making it look like she was wearing silver armor.

    Also, a peculiar helmet had appeared.

    A helmet with two protruding wing decorations, like fairy ears.

    Ian nodded as he observed Belenka''s changed appearance.

    It was definitely Hrundal''s blessing.

    He had seen that armor design in a painting when he visited Hrundal''s [Ice Pce] in the past.

    Ian wasn''t the only one who recognized the armor.

    "Ugh, uuugh...!"

    The demon, Pentagon, shuddered at the sight of Belenka in her strange armor.

    That armor...

    That terrifying armor...!

    "Hrundal''s Valkyrie!"

    Valkyrie.

    They were northern angels who served Hrundal and exceptional female warriors.

    Who would have thought he''d see a northern Valkyrie in the Empire!

    Pentagon''s beard quivered as he beheld the Valkyrie descended to earth!

    Belenka took a step towards Pentagon.

    And said.

    "Hmm... I''m a bit uneasy about receiving a heretical blessing, though?"

    "..."

    "Hey, Ian. This won''t cause any problems getting into heaven, right? Using the power of a heretical god?"

    Ian was momentarily dumbfounded.

    No way, had he ever seen such an unnecessarily devout Heaven''s Faith believer...!

    From Belenka''s perspective, it was actually understandable to feel awkward.

    Imagine a devout Christian receiving a buff-magic and turning into a turbaned warrior of Ah.

    Wouldn''t that feel a bit off?

    Ian felt dizzy, but he exined honestly.

    "The Ice God and Sky God are... allies, so it''s fine..."

    "Oh, is that so? Then it''s no problem."

    Belenka, now the spitting image of the Valkyrie in Hrundal''s painting, pointed her longsword at Pentagon.

    "It''s time for you to return to the pit you crawled out of! Demon!"

    "This... this can''t be...! A Lemegeton and a Valkyrie...! I came out to face a wizard!"

    Ian snapped his fingers and said.

    "I am a wizard! I just know a few more spells than most."

    "Ugh, aaaargh! You vile bastard-"

    What did I do to be called vile?

    Arcana magic was precious magic that Ian gained through hardship in the north.

    He thought it might be useful someday since it differed from the Empire''s magic system.

    And now, Arcana magic had certainly proven its worth.

    As expected, it was beneficial to learn a variety of magic.

    "Imps! My imps! Bring me that ursed wizard''s head!"

    Pentagon was truly flustered, issuing orders even to the imps watching from behind.

    But the imps had just been thrashed by Ian''s group until now.

    They had been cheering~ Lord Pentagon will solve everything~! But now being told to fight, they couldn''t possibly fight properly.

    "Yah! Fear the light of the sun!"

    "Kyaaaaaaak!"

    Ian made Anor-lsil sparkle brightly,pletely breaking the imps'' will to fight.

    The demoralized imps started fleeing, turning their backs even though Pentagon was still fighting.

    "Those traitorous bastards!"

    Pentagon fumed, but there was nothing he could do.

    Belenka''s de flew fiercely.

    "For the great sky and sun!"

    "..."

    It would have been nice if she had said it was for Hrundal, but oh well.

    Anyway.

    Belenka began relentlessly pushing Pentagon back.

    ---

    ---

    ''She''s certainly fighting well.''

    Belenka continued the fight effortlessly even against a 2-meter tall demon.

    Strength, speed, stamina - there wasn''t a single aspect where she wasn''t overwhelming.

    [Hrundal''s Blessing] was a buff spell with outstanding performance.

    "No... this can''t be...!"

    Despite barely managing to defend against Belenka''s attacks, Pentagon didn''t forget to whine whenever he got the chance.

    Ian found Pentagon impressive in a new way.

    That bastard. Was he that upset?

    Well. He came out to eat a wizard, but he couldn''t have imagined that a northern wizard and warrior would suddenly appear.

    But even considering that, Pentagon somehow looked...

    Like a loser.

    "Sister Herta. You know the Blood Lord? Actually, isn''t he not that big a deal?"

    "...?"

    As Belenka too one-sidedly thrashed Pentagon, Ian even had such thoughts.

    Blood Lord. He seemed definitely weaker than his reputation.

    Herta, of course, along with Anton and Krysus, were dumbfounded by Ian''s words.

    ''... Ian. That''s absolutely not the case.''

    ''Absolutely not, Ian.''

    ''How could a Blood Lord be a pushover demon?!''

    "It''s fortunate we don''t need to retreat."

    Ian, who had been nning to fortify the hill and hold out, genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.

    He had heard the Blood Lord was a tremendous monster, so he poured out all his magic...

    And it worked(?).

    To Herta, Ian looked more monstrous than the Blood Lord.

    How many spells had this young kid mastered?

    "Ian. That strange magic... it''s northern heretic magic, right?"

    "Yes."

    "When on earth did you learn such dangerous magic?"

    Arcana magic was ''dangerous magic'' to people of the Empire.

    Didn''t the uncontroble aspect of it give off an extremely dangerous vibe from the start?

    In the Empire, with its brilliant magic system of Maronius, there was no need to use indirect and uncertain magic like Arcana magic.

    "It''s not dangerous if you understand the principles."

    "Principles... you say?"

    "Yes. If you get on Hrundal''s good side, the results are generally favorable."

    "..."

    Herta nearly lost consciousness at Ian''s outrageously bizarre answer...

    What on earth did it mean to get on a heretic god''s good side!

    Did it mean offering your decapitated head with an axe or something?!

    But at the same time, she was amazed by Ian''s bold and reckless use of magic.

    Arcana magic may be unstable, but producing results within that instability was clearly a mark of skill.

    If Herta were asked to produce the same results, she would absolutely fail.

    She looked at what Ian had aplished.

    The imps fled in terror, and the Blood Lord was being pushed back helplessly by a strangely blessed female knight.

    ''If Ian hadn''t been here...''

    The wizards would have already met their deaths at the hands of the Blood Lord, or be ves to the demon.

    As Herta was thinking this.

    "Kuh, kuuugh...!"

    A strange groan was heard from the entrance of the courtyard.

    "Save... save... me...!"

    Herta turned around and was startled.

    ''That person is?''

    It was a familiar face.

    It was Theo, a nobleman who was Count Gremlin''s son and the proxy baron.

    For some reason, Theo was desperately crawling towards them.

    ''...!''

    Herta was horrified.

    Because she saw something she shouldn''t have seen.

    ''That... what on earth...''

    If she wasn''t mistaken.

    On the back of Theo''s head, a woman''s face had sprouted.

    ''Karenne?!''

    It was none other than the face of the transmutation wizard Karenne.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179

    TL/Editor: raei

    Schedule: 5/week

    Illustrations: None

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    ''What the hell? What''s that?''

    Ian quickly spotted what Herta had discovered.

    ''Whatever it is, it''s disgusting.''

    Karenne''s face was protruding from the back of the nobleman''s head.

    It was a horrifying sight straight out of a horror movie.As if they''d glimpsed the darkness of this fantasy world.

    In a realm different from reality, one could encounter beings that defiedmon sense in such dark ways.

    "P-Please... save me..."

    [No, darling! I said we should run away, not go to the wizards!]

    ''It really is Karenne.''

    Ian could onlye to that bewildering conclusion.

    The face parasitizing Theo''s body was indeed the transmuter Karenne.

    He didn''t know how she''d escaped from that ice block, but...

    It seemed she''d barely managed to flee andtch onto Theo''s body.

    "W-Why should I listen to you?!"

    [I''m disappointed in you, darling! Is this all our love amounts to?]

    "Love my ass! I''ve never dated a monster like you..."

    Urgh!

    Theo''s body shed erratically before changing direction and moving away.

    ... It was an ominous guess, but.

    It seemed Karenne had seized control of the body.

    [I''ll deal with youter! I''ll teach you a lesson you''ll never forget!]

    "N-No! Wizards! Please save me! I beg you!"

    Ian understood the whole situation.

    Karenne, a ck wizard, had been manipting this proxy baron from behind the scenes, causing the current incident.

    Even the awkward and strange behavior of the proxy baron made sense now.

    ''Should I chase after them?''

    "Ian! I''ll follow them!"

    "I''ll go too!"

    Herta and Anton stepped up at just the right moment.

    Ian attached Jubal to the two wizards.

    "Take Jubal with you. Jubal! Help the seniors!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Ian couldn''t leave his post until Pentagon was defeated.

    Fortunately, Pentagon didn''tst much longer.

    "Arrrgh!"

    Belenka, empowered by the buffs,pletely defeated Pentagon.

    "It fled back to hell."

    Belenka said, sheathing her sword.

    Pentagon didn''t leave a corpse behind. Demons were cunning creatures, and a high-ranking demon like Pentagon was bound to have an ace up its sleeve.

    "Ian."

    "What happened?"

    "... We lost them."

    Ian shook his head.

    Karenne was a transmuter, so she likely transformed into something strange again to escape.

    This is why wizards were such a pain to deal with.

    There were so many versatile ones who could catch opponents off guard with all sorts of bizarre magic.

    Of course, Ian wasn''t one to talk, having screwed over plenty of beings in simr ways...

    "Let''s deal with what we can for now."

    "Alright."

    Ian began the cleanup.

    ---

    ---

    A blood-soaked day passed.

    First, Ian released Professor Inn.

    "... I''m truly ashamed."

    Ian exined the details of the incident, and Professor Inn was at a loss for words, not knowing how to apologize.

    Ian gently consoled Inn.

    "It couldn''t be helped."

    Inn had simply acted like a typical wizard.

    The Empire''s wizards were originally beings who received (or exploited) the patronage of nobles, and it wasn''t unusual for them to ept help from nobles while traveling.

    The ck wizards had set a trap targeting this trait of wizards, and Inn had simply fallen for it.

    "I should stop traveling now."

    "You probably should."

    The days of carefree travel were over.

    Now that the ck wizards had shown their teeth, countermeasures had to be devised.

    "I''ll inform the other wizards about this incident and tell them to be vignt against ck wizards."

    Inn naturally suggested to Ian.

    "I''m returning to the Imperial University. Would you like toe along?"

    It was an offer Ian had no reason to refuse.

    Ian was also starting to feel burdened by travel.

    These damn ck wizards kept showing up at every destination to cause trouble, as if they had some grudge against Ian.

    Of course, Ian wasn''t burning with a sense of justice to eradicate ck wizards from the Empire.

    While ck wizards were bastards, exterminating them was another matter entirely.

    How long would it take to find and eliminate ck wizards across this vast Empire?

    Moreover, being wizards themselves, they were bound to have prepared all sorts of troublesome magic.

    Preparing for ck wizards wasn''t something Ian could handle alone.

    He needed to join forces with other wizards to prepare.

    "Actually, I''d like to help some friends."

    "Help them?"

    "I want them to study at the university..."

    He was talking about Kira and Maria.

    Ian had been traveling constantly until now, so he didn''t have the money to enroll the two of them.

    He could earn money by running errands for nobles, but...

    That was a bit of a hassle.

    Ian''s sense of entitlement as a privileged wizard was growing stronger, making the concept of earning money throughbor seem increasingly foreign.

    I don''t want to work, but I want to make money!

    Ian had somewhat achieved what 99.9% of modern people desire.

    So far, patronage had been rolling in just for breathing.

    "They''re quite talented friends. They pulled their weight in this incident too."

    Though his tone was polite, Ian''s eyes were those of a hyena.

    If he were a carnivore, he would have bitten Inn''s nape right then and there!

    "Ahem. Sponsoring two people would be quite a burden."

    "No need to state the obvious."

    "Then we''ll have to search diligently for sponsors..."

    "Ugh. Suddenly, the wound I got fighting the demon..."

    When Ian let out a groan, Inn was momentarily flustered.

    He looked fine on the outside, but...

    Could he have been injured?!

    "No, let''s stop here. You should go rest!"

    "But the matter of my friends'' enrollment..."

    "I''ll figure something out!"

    "Oh. Is that so? Thank you, Professor."

    As soon as Inn said that, Ian became perfectly fine.

    Inn stared at Ian with a dumbfounded expression.

    "Your wound from the demon..."

    "The pain vanished as soon as you said you''d sponsor them, Professor."

    "... There was never any wound, was there..."

    "Ack! The wound I got while saving you, Professor!"

    "..."

    Inn couldn''t utter a singleint.

    He knew all too well that Ian had gone through hell to save him.

    If he wanted, Ian could have abandoned Inn and fled, but he stuck to his principles until the end, which put Inn deeply in his debt.

    ''I''ll have to find sponsors... somehow.''

    Inn thought to himself as heughed nervously.

    It wasn''t something to frown upon, after all, since new wizards were being born.

    "Who are these friends you want to enroll?"

    "Kira and Maria. They aspire to be a me wizard and a necromancer, respectively."

    "A me wizard is one thing, but a necromancer..."

    Necromancy is generally perceived as magic straddling the boundary between normal and ck magic.

    It''s wicked in some ways, yet eptable in others - that''s necromancy.

    "I''m not sure if we still have a professor for necromancy."

    "Oh. Did they go on a trip?"

    "No? The previous professor was caught digging up a noble''s grave and was executed."

    "... Was execution really necessary?"

    In fact, Inn''s words were closer to a self-introduction.

    The bastard who got caught digging up a noble''s grave = Inn.

    But Inn had paid a ransom and survived, while the necromancy professor was executed.

    "Ah. He was trying to revive the exhumed corpse as an undead. Apparently it was mummified, so he thought it was worth a shot..."

    "..."

    What kind of absolute madman...!

    Ian was dumbfounded, but found himself epting it unbelievably quickly.

    Hmm. He might have dug up the grave out of an overwhelming desire to be closer to the mysteries of death.

    Ian had long been steeped in the wizard''s way of thinking.

    "I''ll arrange a position for you too, so feel free to studyfortably while you''re there."

    "I appreciate your consideration, Professor."

    Ian bowed his head as he spoke.

    Normally, he wouldn''t be very interested, but with ck wizards being so active now, the university would serve as an excellent refuge.

    If lucky, he might even learn new magic.

    "Ah. That''s right."

    Inn held out something to Ian.

    "What''s this?"

    "Actually, I was trying to find this when I ran out of travel funds and stopped by Baron Vincents'' domain."

    "Oh."

    Ian checked the leather piece Inn handed over with an excited heart.

    "It''s a treasure map."

    "A treasure map?"

    What Inn handed over was a kind of treasure map.

    Ian was secretly excited.

    Whatever it was, it must be something extraordinary if Inn, a professor at the Magic University, was looking for it...

    "What kind of magical artifact is it? Or ancient magic?"

    "I don''t know either."

    There was only a mark indicating that something precious was hidden here, but he couldn''t figure out what kind of item was hidden.

    "Why don''t you try finding it?"

    Inn said bitterly.

    "It seems the opportunity isn''t meant for me."

    "Professor..."

    "Ah. The only clue I gathered is that it''s the ''Book of the Gods''."

    The Book of the Gods.

    So, the treasure was some kind of book.

    As a wizard, Ian felt his curiosity piqued.

    Books are always a wizard''s good friend.

    "Well, good luck with that."

    After finishing their chat, Ian and Inn began cleaning up the mess in the barony.

    "For now, let''s have Inn serve as the interim proxy baron."

    "Well... I suppose we must."

    Not a single person of high rank remained in the barony.

    All the knights were dead, and Gremlin''s Theo was missing (probably kidnapped).

    Even the civil officials working at the castle had been eaten by the transmuter Karenne.

    In the end, Inn was the only one who could give any sort of instructions.

    The other wizards didn''t have as much administrative experience as Inn.

    Despite Inn''s tendency to get into all sorts of trouble, he was originally a professor at a magic university.

    "I am Inn Kate, professor at Dranheim Magic University, serving as the interim proxy baron."

    Inn, like the seasoned wizard he was, demonstrated his skillful administrative abilities.

    "Organize a vignte group to strengthen patrols, and report immediately if you see any suspicious individuals."

    "Each household should report in detail any damage suffered from ck wizards."

    "Prepare a cemetery and gather the victims in one ce to prevent the spread of disease."

    "Focus on releasing cats to catch mice."

    And so on and so forth...

    Inn issued orders with a skill rivaling that of a real baron.

    The domain''s residents followed Inn''s instructions with expressions that seemed to say, ''What the hell is going on?''

    During the vigntes'' patrol, they discovered the earth wizard Carl.

    Whether he was quick-witted or just incredibly scared...

    Carl had made a fortress in a ce full of earth energy and was in the process of stering it with magic circles.

    "You lot! There are demons roaming in the baron''s castle..."

    "We''ve caught him."

    "???"

    If Ian had retreated as he was, Carl''s magic circles would have been put to good use.

    But they were rendered useless after being caught before that.

    "I thought Carl had been taken down by the demon."

    "... I thought you all had been taken down."

    Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    It was a bit disappointing that Carl couldn''t join the battle.

    Well. At least he''s alive. Let''s have a drink~

    "Still, let''s keep the magic circles in ce just in case."

    "Good idea."

    The wizards installed magic circles here and there in the domain to prepare for emergencies.

    All the wizards except Krysus installed at least one magic circle.

    "Why is the senior justzing around?"

    "L-Lazing around?! I''ve been searching for cold spots!"

    Ian marveled anew at the impressive performance of ice magic.

    As expected of ice magic.

    It was impossible to even install a magic circle without a cold ce...

    As they spent time like this, a visitor arrived from outside the domain.

    More precisely, the domain''s owner had returned.

    "Professor! Count Gremlin has arrived!"

    "Well, well. He''s here rather quickly."

    Inn grumbled as he put down his quill.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Count Gremlin sprang into action when the wizards began flexing their powers.

    If he''d known the state of Baron Vincents'' domain, he would have left much earlier.

    The poor medieval informationwork made it impossible to know what was happening even in neighboring territories.

    Above all, Karenne''s behind-the-scenes maniption of the baron''s proxy and silencing of people yed a decisive role.

    As a result, Count Gremlin rushed over as soon as he heard news from Baron Vincents'' domain, his beard nearly falling out from haste.''Wizards! Such troublemakers!''

    Fear of wizards wasn''t exclusive tomoners.

    Many nobles also saw wizards as unsettling and frightening entities.

    Undoubtedly useful, but entric and unpredictable!

    Count Gremlin''s shock upon hearing news of the wizards stemmed precisely from this.

    "My lord! Strange rumors areing from Baron Vincents'' domain!"

    "Strange rumors, you say?"

    "They say an enraged wizard hurled boulders at the castle walls..."

    "???"

    Count Gremlin double-checked for any letters from Theo.

    Logically, if something had happened in the domain, the count should have been notified.

    But there wasn''t a single letter from Baron Vincents'' domain.

    It could only mean one of two things.

    Either false rumors of a wizard''s protest were spreading...

    Or that fool Theo had caused trouble and was trying to cover it up!

    ''Surely that idiot didn''t...?''

    Count Gremlin spected.

    Theo had somehow gotten into a dispute with a wizard, resulting in the wizard''s protest.

    And the reason was likely a typical blunder young, foolish nobles were prone to make!

    The count didn''t consider the situation too serious.

    If Theo had trulymitted an unforgivable offense, something like war would have broken out by now.

    The wizards must have stopped at a show of force, assuming it was a mistake that could be forgiven with an apology and a gift, right?

    But there was no benefit in wasting time, so the count immediately prepared for the journey.

    "Prepare the horses! I''ll go to Theo myself!"

    "Yes, Your Excellency!"

    The standard-bearer carrying the count''s g and five loyal knights joined the count''s journey.

    Count Gremlin arrived safely at Baron Vincents'' domain.

    And...

    "What in the world is this chaos!"

    He couldn''t hide his shock at the sight of the devastated domain.

    ---

    ---

    This was no time to leisurely summon wizards.

    The count immediately met with Inn and heard the whole story.

    "Theo... my son... was kidnapped?"

    It was a situation the count couldn''t have imagined in his wildest dreams.

    The woman Theo had taken as a mistress was actually a disguised ck wizard... and she had even kidnapped Theo and fled!

    "That''s what happened, Count. I express my deepest condolences."

    Inn tried tofort the heartbroken count in his own way.

    However, the wizard''s characteristically tactless tone irked the count''s knights, who snapped angrily.

    "Condolences? You call that words offort?"

    "You lot talk big usually, but this time you let the young master get snatched right under your noses? And you still call yourselves wizards!"

    Listening from the side, Ian was bbergasted.

    It''s easy to run your mouth.

    This certainly wasn''t something Ian, who had driven out demons and ck wizards, needed to hear.

    Krysus, who happened to be idle (...), seemed to share simr thoughts.

    Ian briefly exchanged nces with Krysus.

    Ready, K?

    Ah. Of course, I.

    "You''re talking about the baron''s proxy, right? But isn''t he a bit old to be called ''young master''?"

    "I don''t understand why you''re ming us for the baron''s proxy being fooled by a ck wizard."

    Ian and Krysus systematically refuted the knight''s words.

    If the young master was so precious, why not keep him locked up in the count''s castle instead of letting him out?

    Why me us for the trap set by ck wizards? And so on.

    "Then you should have risked your lives to chase after them!"

    "Us? Why?"

    Ian couldn''t understand the knight''s logic.

    Was his brain pickled in chivalry?

    Ian wasn''t the protagonist of some saga. Was he supposed to charge into the den of evil to rescue a kidnapped noble?

    "We''re neither vassals of the baron''s proxy nor his guests."

    "You''re staying at the castle but you''re not guests?"

    Ian grew tired of talking with the ignorant knight...

    Even if knights were only good at swordy, this was a bit much.

    "Enough, gentlemen. That''s enough."

    "Ian. Krysus. You two as well."

    Inn and the count spoke simultaneously.

    Even to their ears, the knight''s words held little value.

    "Right... what''s done is done. We must consider our next move."

    The count said.

    Ian was slightly surprised by his unexpectedly rational response.

    "What will you do now?"

    "First, we pursue them."

    This wasn''t a modern society with developedputerworks and roads.

    The medieval fantasy world had only the facade of a basic social system roughly constructed.

    The count''s son had been kidnapped, but...

    To solve this, even a count would have to pound the pavement himself!

    Seeking help from other nobles wasn''t a great idea, as they were indifferent to affairs in others'' domains, and some unsavory characters might emerge to exploit the count''s weakness.

    In the end, though they had no idea where the ck wizards had fled.

    A grueling journey across the vast empire''s backwoodsy ahead, driven solely by the determination to rescue his son.

    It was undeniably a [romantic] situation.

    "I wish you luck, Count."

    Inn said sincerely.

    After all, the count was just an innocent victim.

    The viins were the ck wizards, not the count.

    Inn felt a sort of inner kinship with the count.

    He too had been thoroughly duped by a ck wizard''s scheme.

    "Are there no brave souls willing to rescue my son!"

    The count recruited people to search for the ck wizards.

    "I''ll go, sir!"

    "Oh! Sir Hermund!"

    "I''ll join as well!"

    Knights hungry for achievements stepped forward one after another.

    Righteous knights setting off to rescue their lord''s son kidnapped by evil wizards...

    ''How splendid.''

    Ian nodded.

    It was truly a scene straight out of an old tale.

    ''Should I go along?''

    Ian considered it briefly.

    Traveling with the knights would certainly reduce the dangers, and the reward for rescuing the count''s son could be quite substantial.

    But Ian shook his head.

    The reward was tempting, but the prospect of inevitable battle didn''t appeal to him.

    He wasn''t some battle-crazed achievement hunter.

    Ian was a wizard, not a mass murderer.

    Combat was always ast resort.

    Ian had his own tasks to attend to.

    He needed to escort his colleagues and Inn to the university, and studying while resting didn''t sound bad either.

    Unexpectedly, Herta volunteered to help the count.

    "Count, I may be a humble wizard, but I''d like to lend my strength to the knights'' journey."

    "Oh! Wee! Wizard!"

    Ian tilted his head, looking at Herta.

    Is she short on money?

    Ian, who thought Herta was helping the count for material rewards, was a bit shocked after talking with her.

    "The reason Theo was kidnapped... is because I let Karenne escape."

    "I don''t think that''s the case."

    Ian found it difficult to agree with Herta''s opinion.

    Wizards were capable, but only within their own specialties.

    Wouldn''t it be strange if a professor of Korean literature were proficient in electrical engineering?

    Herta was an air wizard, and Karenne a transmuter. It was natural they didn''t know each other''s magic.

    It wasn''t something Herta should feel responsible for.

    "ck wizards are dangerous beings, Ian. If you don''t uproot the sprout when it first appears, it will spread in an instant."

    "... I agree with that."

    Hearing her put it that way, Ian didn''t try to dissuade Herta any further.

    "If you need my help..."

    "No, no! We''ve received plenty of help from Ian!"

    Herta said with a bright smile.

    "I can''t keep showing my ipetent side to my junior."

    "Herta..."

    "Leave the ck wizard pursuit to me. Ian, you take the professor up to the university."

    In the end, Herta joined the knights to pursue the ck wizards.

    "I''m going too."

    With Herta joining, Anton automatically joined as well.

    A strange atmosphere flowed between the two, but everyone pretended not to notice.

    "... I''ll go along too."

    "Carl as well?"

    "I owe you guys a debt."

    Even Carl joined the expedition.

    Finally, after some deliberation, Krysus decided to apany the wizards.

    "If my ice magic can be of any use..."

    "Oh my. What are you saying, Krysus? Your magic is wonderful."

    "Senior Herta...!"

    In the end, four wizards excluding Ian changed their sign from [Inn Rescue Team] to [Theo Gremlin Rescue Team].

    The fact that they were a professional medieval specialist group remained unchanged, so they would be a great help to the expedition.

    Needless to say, Count Gremlin shed tears of gratitude.

    "Four wizards! How reassuring!"

    Four of the count''s knights and four wizards.

    The pursuit team of eight left Baron Vincents'' domain as soon as their travel preparations wereplete.

    "Ian! We''re off!"

    Ian saw the wizards off until the very end.

    "If you happen to meet a Sir Leshach on the road, could you tell him Wizard Ian sends his regards?"

    "Sir Leshach?"

    "He''s a knight of the Pope, and a good man in many ways."

    Sir Leshach is a professional ck wizard hunter.

    He''s already on Celestial Wizard Bertholdt''s trail, so he''ll certainly be of help if they cross paths.

    "Sure! We''ll do that!"

    Herta turned around.

    The taciturn Carl''s parting words were simply ''Study hard'', while Anton tossed out a halfhearted goodbye: ''See youter, kiddo''.

    Of course, Ian got Anton blushing furiously by shouting loudly, ''Take good care of Big Sis Herta!''

    "I''m off too, Ian."

    "Take care, senior."

    Ian was most worried about Krysus.

    But she was a talented ice wizard, and her magical skills would only improve.

    "Ian."

    "Yes?"

    "... Tha."

    "Pardon?"

    Krysus twisted her body alone, then shouted with a face full of embarrassment.

    "Thank you! Thanks for helping with my magic! And thanks for subduing Senior Victor!"

    She blurted out a torrent of words.

    "And sorry I couldn''t take care of you as a senior! Next time we meet, I''ll really! Treat you well...!"

    Ian found this side of Krysus a bit surprising.

    He thought Krysus was too proud to express her true feelings.

    She had an unexpectedly honest side.

    "So that''s what you were thinking, senior?"

    When Ian said that, Krysus shuddered in agony.

    "Ugh...! How embarrassing! Ian! If you tease me about this...!"

    "Thank you."

    "... Huh?"

    Krysus blinked.

    "You''re not going to tease me?"

    "No. What do you take me for?"

    "An annoying genius junior."

    Ian and Krysus burst intoughter almost simultaneously.

    "Thanks for everything so far, and see you next time!"

    "I''ll be waiting, senior."

    Ian watched until the expeditionpletely disappeared into the forest.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    "What?"

    The head of the Golden Rule Society, Regent Antios, was taken aback by the sudden report.

    "Walter was taken out?"

    "Yes, Regent."

    Demon wizard Walter was a ck wizard tasked with mining amber under Antios'' orders. It was a simple enough mission, so Antios had only been receiving periodic reports, but one day, Walter''smunications suddenly stopped.Antios sent people to search for Walter''s whereabouts, resulting in this bizarre report.

    "After interrogating the remnants of the escaped kobolds..." the ck wizard spoke with an uncertain voice, as if he couldn''t make sense of it. "A ck-haired wizard attacked Walter..."

    "A ck-haired wizard?"

    The reporting wizard was baffled, but Antios was equally confused. If it was a ck-haired wizard, wasn''t that one of the Golden Rule Society''s ck wizards?

    There were many ck-haired wizards in the Golden Rule Society. They actively recruited those with pure Golden Imperial blood, ostensibly to carry on the legacy of the old Golden Empire. The fact that ck hair was unwee in the Empire also yed a role. The oppressed always wanted for power, after all.

    "What''s more, he even raided our warehouse, stealing the stored amber and tapestries..."

    "What an insufferable bastard!" Antios couldn''t hide his anger as he heard about the damage inflicted on the Golden Rule Society. The Golden Rule Society was a secret organization. It was already difficult enough to recruit new members, and now their external activities were being hindered!

    "I understand. Be cautious of the Pope''s knights and lie low to observe the situation."

    "I will follow your orders."

    After ending themunication, Antios fell into thought for a moment. He felt like he had experienced a situation like this before.

    ''Come to think of it.''

    Celestial Wizard Bertholdt. ording to the necromancer''s report, his activities were thwarted by Sir Leshach and the wizard Ian.

    ''Wizard Ian?''

    ''Yes! He was a ck-haired Golden Imperial!''

    He remembered now. Wizard Ian. The wizard who created a lightning spear with his bare hands and defeated Bertholdt.

    Antios brought out a map and began marking the locations where the incidents urred. It traced a path from the center of the Empire towards the southwest.

    "...?"

    As he stared at the map, Antios felt something odd. The ce at the end of the path seemed strangely familiar.

    "Trap Operation?"

    Antios'' gaze stopped on Baron Vincents'' domain. That was where the transmuter Karenne was carrying out ''Trap Operation''.

    Just then, a woman''s face appeared in the demon''s mirror.

    "Regent!"

    "...Karenne."

    It was the transmuter Karenne. Having lost her body, she was parasitizing some young man''s body.

    "What''s the matter? How''s the operation going?"

    "Look at the state I''m in! It''s f*cked! sh*t!"

    Antios momentarily nked out at Karenne''s coarse cursing... True to her words, the operation was undoubtedly ruined.

    "Pentagon got beaten like a dog and driven off! F*ck! One of those wizards knew how to use barbarian magic!"

    Antios rubbed his aching head for a while. Blood Lord Pentagon was beaten like a dog? And they even exorcised demons with barbarian magic? What nonsense...!

    "Are you sure, Karenne? This is the Holy Empire, not the northern colonies..."

    "F*ck! Can''t you see me? We''re ruined! Totally f*cked!"

    The agitated Karenne spoke rapidly. "Ian! Some bastard called Wizard Ian came with northern magic!"

    "...Karenne. Did you just say Ian..."

    "Yeah! Ian! The guy who walks around with a crow, and has a head as ck as a crow!"

    ck-haired wizard, Ian.

    Antios nced at the map on his desk. Demon wizard Walter. Celestial Wizard Bertholdt. And transmuter Karenne. All the Society''s ns had been thwarted by this Ian fellow.

    ''...No way.''

    Antios swallowed hard. This wizard Ian... Was he going around destroying the Golden Rule Society''s grand ns?!

    Thinking about it that way, it made sense. Ian was a wizard who, for some reason, bore a grudge against the Golden Rule Society. Burning with vengeance against ck wizards, he''d been destroying every ce where the name of the Golden Rule Society was heard!

    But Antios quickly shook his head. That was just a convenient conclusion, a hasty judgment.

    ''No, that''s not it...''

    Recalling the faces of the people he had killed, he even imagined if perhaps a surviving baby had grown up and started seeking revenge, like the introduction of a web novel. But no matter how he thought about it, that wasn''t it.

    If wizard Ian really wanted to hunt ck wizards, he should have pursued Bertholdt along with Sir Leshach. Despite having a good opportunity right in front of him, Ian moved to Baron Vincents'' domain instead.

    ''Ian was drawn to Trap Operation.''

    ''The ones behind this are probably... those damn space-time wizards.''

    ''If I get the chance someday, I should try to make contact with wizard Ian.''

    Antios came to that conclusion. For now, at least.

    "Karenne. That body?"

    "Ah! I forgot to introduce him! This is my husband! The son of Count Gremlin!"

    "Eek...!" Karenne''s body made a dying sound.

    It was absurd, but Antios felt curious. "Count Gremlin''s son? Isn''t he the heir to the title?"

    "Ah... well. I guess so?"

    ''This is better than expected.''

    Antios'' mood improved slightly at this unexpected report. While the failure of Trap Operation was infuriating, kidnapping the count''s son was a very positive development for the Golden Rule Society. They could negotiate for ransom, or use evil magic to brainwash him and aim for title session.

    "I''ll prepare means for you to recover your body, so be careful of pursuit and return."

    "Got it. But about that wizard Ian..."

    "We''ll talk about thatter. I have somewhere to go."

    "Huh? Regent, where are you going?"

    Antios nodded. "I''m thinking of dropping by Araz."

    "Araz? Why there..."

    "I''m going to give the wizards some homework."

    The Golden Rule Society. And what Antios desired was massive chaos. All change is born from chaos. To achieve the change the Golden Rule Society wanted, they needed chaos so enormous that it couldn''t be handled by individual power.

    As the number of ck wizards increased and the number of wizards decreased... The Empire''s nobles would have no choice but to rely on ck magic, whether they liked it or not. Even more so if a storm of chaos, like war, swept through.

    "It should have started by now."

    Snap!

    As Antios snapped his fingers, a wizard walked into the hideout.

    "Is the conversation over?"

    "Sorry to keep you waiting, Larabel."

    Space-time wizard Larabel nodded expressionlessly and took Antios to a pre-prepared magic circle. It was a spatial movement magic circle.

    "I hope this n seeds," Larabel muttered as she activated the spatial movement magic circle.

    "Of course."

    Antios closed his eyes. Until now, they had failed due to bad luck, but this operation was different. It probably wouldn''t happen, but even if Ian, that bastard, really was a ck wizard hunter and chased Antios all the way to Araz to interfere with his ns, it would be fine. This wasn''t something that could be stopped by a mere wizard getting in the way.

    Antios opened his eyes.

    A terrifying monster''s roar that froze the blood in his veins shook his entire body.

    "I''ve arrived, Predius."

    "You''rete! Wizard! You''ll have to pay for wasting my time with treasures!"

    The ck Cmity spread its wings and growled in a thunderous voice. Antios climbed onto the ck dragon''s back and soared into the pitch-ck night sky.

    ---

    ---

    Somehow, Ian was given a period of rest.

    Inn, maintaining the solidarity between wizards and nobles, helped with some of the domain''s administrative work.

    "Ian, my boy! If you''re bored, why don''t you join me in some paperwork..."

    "No thanks. I''m not doing it."

    While Inn might be busy with administrative work, Ian had plenty of free time. But Ian didn''t want to spend his time on administrative tasks.

    Ian had been a science student in his previous life. And now he was supposed to handle the work of a medieval administrative center? If Ian had been a 9th-grade civil servant, he might have helped Inn out of boredom. But as a former science student, Ian didn''t know the first thing about administration.

    What? Since he was a science student, shouldn''t he be good at calctions?

    How dare you equate dirty arithmetic with beautiful mathematics! Such sphemy!

    Anyway, Ian judged that it would be better to practice magic than wrestle with paperwork. So he asionally climbed the hill to level up his earth magic. It was perfect for earth magic training, being a ce full of earth energy.

    [Lv UP!]

    [Skill: Earth Magic �C Lv 3]

    [You''re quite a decent earth wizard.]

    ''Oho.''

    Ian nodded as he looked over his improved earth magic level.

    [Your [Bouncing Pebble (Lv2)] has been reced with [Rock Fragment (Lv3)]!]

    In the previous battle, Ian had clearly felt it. The more diverse the magic, the better, and the higher the skill level, the better. Especially since skill levels were directly rted to the power of skill card magic, he had to pay attention to them.

    While practicing magic, Ian also looked over his fellow wizards'' studies in his spare time.

    "Kira, how''s your study going these days?"

    "So-so."

    "How about you, Maria? Are the ghosts not bothering you?"

    "No. The ghosts are afraid of the [Arcana Card] you gave me earlier."

    "That''s good."

    "Hehe. You''re so kind."

    "..."

    Belenka and Jubal were going out every day to maintain public order. Since the knight who used to handle trials had died, Belenka was even doubling as a temporary judge.

    In the midst of this, a letter arrived for Ian. It was on his desk when he woke up. It was an extremely suspicious letter. When he opened it, sure enough, it was from a devious person.

    [Listen to the traveler''s opinion, and good things will happen �C Gerard]

    "What the hell."

    It was a letter from the space-time wizard Gerard. The content was so sparse it was almostughable. Listen to what the traveler has to say?

    ''Now I understand why my master hated space-time wizards.''

    His master, Eredith, would grimace whenever Gerard was mentioned. He didn''t understand then, but now that he''d experienced it, he got it. Space-time wizards were all sly bastards.

    "What is this, really."

    Fortunately(?), Ian''s curiosity was soon satisfied. Belenka reported that a guest had arrived.

    "Ian. A guest hase, but..."

    "Hm?"

    Now that''s a fresh reaction. Belenka spoke in a voice that didn''t know what to do, twisting her body. Like that... She looked just like a young girl! Apletely different image from her usual self, swinging heads around left and right.

    "What. Did the Emperore?"

    "No. I don''t care about that bastard."

    "..."

    Belenka dismissed the Holy Empire''s Emperor as ''that bastard''. There was someone else who made Belenka act girlish.

    "Master..."

    "?"

    "The Sword Master is here!"

    "???"

    Ian rushed out to the street. There stood familiar warriors in a line.

    "Salvador?"

    "Oh! Ian, my boy!"

    The guests visiting Baron Vincents'' domain were none other than Sword Master Salvador and the Knights of Saint Santiago.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Ian treated Salvador and the Knights of Saint Santiago with the utmost respect.

    These knights were the ones he had forged a bond with during the manticore hunt in the past.

    Both Salvador and Ian.

    Except for the unexpected encounter in the southern Empire, the atmosphere was quite jovial.

    "You seem to have grown even more since then," Salvador remarked."I''ve learned various new spells," Ian replied.

    "No, no. Not your magic, I mean your body seems to have grown more."

    The robust old man, Sword Master Salvador, first noticed the change in Ian''s appearance.

    Back then, Ian certainly had a youthful face closer to that of a boy...

    But now, he looked like a well-built young man by anyone''s standards.

    Salvador gazed at Ian with a fond smile.

    Even a brief encounter can form a connection. Seeing an acquaintance from the past grow up healthy filled him with warmth, like meeting a long-lost grandchild.

    "If youe down to the Coral Sea, I could introduce you to my granddaughter..."

    "I appreciate the sentiment, sir."

    After exchanging medieval-style greetings (read: marriage proposals), Ian shared a ss of wine with Salvador and chatted.

    "Have you been well?" Ian asked.

    "As well as one can be, I suppose."

    Salvador proudly held out a foul-smelling bundle.

    Inside the bundle were countless severed monster body parts.

    All were from beasts hunted by the Knights of Saint Santiago, collected as hunting trophies.

    "We hunted monsters, recruited new members, and asionally took on requests from nobles as we traveled the Empire."

    More than half of the Saint Santiago Knights were unfamiliar faces to Ian.

    Some had left due to death or injury, or found new lords and settled down.

    "It puts my mind at ease to see you''ve been doing well too."

    Ian also gave a brief summary of his journey so far.

    "You went to thend of barbarians?" Salvador asked, surprised.

    "Yes, I made a quick trip to rescue Takarion."

    "What!"

    Salvador was genuinely shocked.

    "You mean to say you rescued [Golden Finger Takarion]?"

    "Well, yes. That''s how it turned out."

    Salvador whispered his question.

    "... Then, do you have a gospel book with Takarion''s personal signature...?"

    "Old man, are you perhaps a fan of Takarion?"

    "Ahem! Hmph! No! What do you take me for! How could I possibly like such a frivolous and preposterous gospel!"

    "..."

    "M-my granddaughter is quite fond of Takarion''s gospel..."

    Ian rummaged through his belongings and pulled out [The Gospel of Marcus].

    It was a book that Takarion had forcefully given him as a memento before leaving the Blue Key Monastery.

    Medieval books were expensive and rare, so Ian had been carrying it around as a refundable item.

    "No! This is! A first edition of the Gospel of Marcus?! And with Takarion''s own handwriting!"

    "Old man?"

    "I-I remember it because I hate it so much! Tsk tsk! Young people these days treat faith like casual entertainment!"

    "Ah. You hate it? I was going to give it to you as a gift..."

    "... I hate it, but my granddaughter really likes it..."

    Ian smiled and held out the Gospel of Marcus.

    "Then take it for your granddaughter."

    "... Ian, my boy. Have you ever thought about marrying my granddaughter? If it''s a son-inw like you..."

    "Ohe on, I said no."

    Ian thought as he watched Salvador grinning from ear to ear.

    Takarion, you terrifying bastard.

    You''ve even turned a Sword Master into a fan...!

    It wasn''t that strange for Salvador to like the gospel.

    If he wasn''t interested in faith, he wouldn''t be traveling with the monastic order of Saint Santiago.

    The reason for apanying the monastic order was likely a strong sense of atonement for sinsmitted in his youth.

    After exchanging greetings, Ian soon got to the point.

    "So, Salvador? What brings you to Baron Vincent''s domain?"

    As far as Ian knew, there were no famous monsters in this area.

    There was no reason for Salvador and the Knights of Saint Santiago to visit.

    It was even less likely that they came because of the war.

    The Knights of Saint Santiago were an order dedicated to serving humanity, after all.

    At Ian''s question, Salvador''s expression turned serious.

    "I was nning to return to my homnd after finishing my hunt in the south."

    Salvador''s homnd would be near the Coral Sea, further south.

    "But... a certain wizard warned of a threat looming over the Empire."

    "What wizard?"

    "A wizard named Gerard."

    "..."

    Damn. Space-time wizards again.

    Ian felt a throbbing in his head.

    Gerard. Where the hell are you wandering around and what are you doing?

    "Ian, my boy. Are you aware that the Duchy of Araz is under attack right now?"

    "...? This is the first I''m hearing of it."

    ''Duchy of Araz'' was a general term used by imperials to refer to Duke Araz''s sphere of influence.

    Ian briefly recalled the map of the Empire.

    The forces bordering the Duchy of Araz were limited to the barbarian forces in the north and the Kingdom of Rnd in the west.

    Of course, if you include the Empire''s Five Dukes, the Duchies of Fargar and Gazous would also border it.

    But the Empire''s Five Dukes are allies, right?

    Since he hadn''t heard any news of a civil war breaking out, the forces that could attack the Duchy of Araz were extremely limited.

    "Don''t tell me the Kingdom of Rnd has invaded?"

    Ian offered a rational conclusion through the process of elimination.

    Barbarian attacks were a regr urrence, so there was no reason for Salvador to make a fuss about it.

    That left only an invasion by the Kingdom of Rnd.

    "No, that''s not it."

    However, Salvador shook his head.

    "The one attacking the Duchy of Araz is... a dragon."

    "???"

    Ian was so surprised he slightly opened his mouth.

    F*ck, a dragon?

    What is this, some old fairy tale? A dragon invading a kingdom?

    Salvador spoke gravely.

    "The ck dragon of cmity is attacking the Duchy of Araz."

    "Is its name M... something?"

    "...? No, it wasn''t a name like that."

    I almost told him to summon the Blue Star[1].

    As Ian was having these bitter thoughts, Salvador spoke.

    "Right. Predius... that was the name."

    "Predius...?"

    Ian tilted his head.

    That name, I feel like I''ve heard it somewhere before.

    "Ah."

    Ian recalled a memory from the end of his northern journey.

    The being that stole the Mountain King''s treasure and ultimately led to the Mountain King''s death.

    The ck dragon Predius.

    ''Has that bastard crossed over to the Empire?''

    Coincidentally, it was a monster within Ian''s range of interest.

    The treasure it stole after killing the Mountain King contained power that could strengthen Anor-lsil.

    "It''s a cruel and greedy beast. Already three baronies and one county have fallen victim."

    Salvador''s voice lowered.

    Ian instinctively recognized the ominousness in that voice.

    "... Are there any domains I might know?"

    Salvador nodded heavily.

    "There''s the County of Catina."

    That was, as expected, extremely ominous news.

    ---

    ---

    The County of Catina was thend where Ian and the Knights of Saint Santiago had been invited after defeating the manticore in the past.

    It was also thend ruled by Lucy Talian''s uncle.

    ''Catina... has fallen?''

    The news Salvador brought was certainly shocking.

    To think that the County of Catina had been plundered by the ck dragon Predius...

    Ian asked, hoping against hope.

    "Salvador. What about the Barony of Talian...?"

    "I haven''t heard any rumors yet."

    So, rumors of it being plundered haven''t spread yet.

    It''s just that rumors haven''t spread, but it might have already been attacked by the dragon.

    "Right. You were close with that cute youngdy."

    "..."

    The face of a certain noblewoman shed through Ian''s mind.

    Her with beautiful dark blue hair and bright yellow eyes.

    Lucy.

    The girl who took Ian''s first kiss, as close to a lover as one could be.

    The Barony of Talian was located close enough to the County of Catina to be called neighbors.

    Moreover, Talian was where the fairies contracted to Ian were producing Fairy Silk as a specialty product(?).

    And now, to hear that the County of Catina had been attacked by a ck dragon.

    "Salvador. What about the County of Edward?"

    "I haven''t heard anything about that ce either. I suppose it''s probably safe?"

    The County of Edward was Ian''s true homnd.

    Thend where his father, mother, siblings, and little sister lived peacefully.

    ''... That''s a relief.''

    Ian could easily calcte the ck dragon''s range of activity.

    It must have made itsir near the [Golden Mountains] where he had once built a house and lived with Eredith.

    If so, the County of Edward should be safe for the time being.

    The problem was the Barony of Talian.

    The probability of it being attacked by the ck dragon was too high.

    ''Lucy.''

    Ian had promised Lucy he would return once his journey was over.

    But if he went back to Talian...

    Would a pile of ashes greet him?

    ''...''

    Just imagining it pissed him off.

    ''F*cking ck dragon bastard.''

    No, in this vast empire, why the hell did it have to build its nest in the Golden Mountains?

    And what did that dragon-headed bastard n to do after collecting all that treasure? Could it buy pizza with it?

    Ian felt his hostility towards the ck dragon growing rapidly.

    If it had messed withnds unrted to Ian, he might have considered turning a blind eye.

    Dragons were MAX level dangerous lunatics, and it was generally better not to mess with them if possible.

    But if it touched Lucy''s and his parents''nds...

    He was more than willing to pluck its wings and make dragon nuggets.

    "Ian, my boy."

    Salvador paused for a moment before speaking.

    "I''m thinking of heading up to the Duchy of Araz like this and meeting with Duke Araz."

    "The Duke?"

    If an aging mercenary said he was going to meet an Imperial Duke, he''d immediately be aughingstock.

    But Salvador was the Empire''s greatest warrior, honored with the title of [Sword Master] by thete emperor.

    Duke Araz would certainly meet with Salvador.

    "Then Salvador is..."

    "That''s right. I intend to vanquish the ck dragon along with righteous young people."

    "...!"

    Salvador and the Knights of Saint Santiago were an order of knights specializing in hunting monsters.

    And now, they were about to challenge a dragon, which could be considered the apex of monsters.

    "Fighting a dragon will be extremely dangerous. We certainly can''t guarantee our lives, and every moment will be fraught with peril."

    "..."

    "So Ian, I know it''s an unreasonable request."

    Salvador extended his hand to Ian.

    "Would you lend your magic to the young people who will shed blood and sweat?"

    Ian immediately grasped Salvador''s hand.

    The advice of the space-time wizard Gerard didn''t even cross his mind.

    This was a golden opportunity.

    Salvador and his knights. Add to that the substantial support of Duke Araz, and it was enough to take on even a dragon!

    ''I''m going to take that dragon''s head.''

    Let''s be a dragon-yer while we''re at it. F*ck yeah.

    "If my magic can be of help, by all means."

    When Ian answered decisively, Salvador broke into a broad smile.

    ''As expected of a righteous young man!''

    ---

    [1. raei: anyone know what M and blue star is a reference to?]sToggle New Ads

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 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Ian introduced the Knights of Santiago and hispanions to each other.

    "The Deputy Commander of the Knights of Santiago, Sir Dehitri."

    Dehitri, who Ian hadn''t seen in a long time, still had that sharp, eager look in his eyes.

    "Deputy Commander? You must have earned yourrades'' trust, Sir."

    "Haha! Not at all! All my senior knights left, so I''m the only one remaining!""Ah... That must be disheartening."

    Ian assumed Dehitri''s seniors had withdrawn due to injury or death.

    "What? No! It''s cause for celebration!"

    "...?"

    "They''ve all found good lords to serve under."

    The senior knights hadn''t left due to injury, but because they''d sessfullynded cushy jobs working for nobles.

    Indeed, that was worth celebrating.

    "Then it must be Sir Dehitri''s turn soon?"

    "Certainly not! With evil running rampant in thisnd, how could I think of my ownfort?"

    "..."

    Isn''t it okay to consider it?

    With that level of experience, employment would be guaranteed.

    That''s what Ian thought, but Dehitri''s expression showed no sign of deception.

    His eyes were as clear and transparent as ake.

    "Oh ho. That knight truly has deep faith. He''s an exemr among knights."

    "Isn''t he... a bit strange?"

    "Strange? What do you mean, Ian?"

    Ian thought Sir Dehitri, the clear-eyed fanatic, was a bit of an odd fellow.

    It wasn''t like he had a personal grudge. And it''s not like he was farming XP like in an RPG.

    Was it normal to voluntarily roam the empire, fighting monsters? Not at all.

    Sir Dehitri was a knight without a home, without a wife, without a lord to serve, wielding his sword solely ording to God''s will.

    Even if Sir Salvador hunted monsters as a pastime after retirement because he had nothing else to do...

    For Sir Dehitri, this was his profession.

    It wasn''t something a sane person could do.

    "He''s umonly devout."

    "That may be, but..."

    Belenka highly praised Sir Dehitri''s righteous chivalry.

    Ian had simr thoughts.

    He''s a strange person, but not a bad one.

    "Ian. I believed the day woulde when I''d fight alongside you again."

    "..."

    "Praise the great heavens! Hahaha!"

    His boisterous nature hadn''t changed a bit.

    Salvador shook hands with Ian''s group.

    "I''m Salvador. Just a worthless old man."

    Maria didn''t know Salvador, Kira had only heard of him, and Belenka wore an expression like a teenage fan meeting a superstar.

    "Then sir, are you ''White Wolf'' Salvador?"

    "Hehe. What an embarrassing nickname. Young wizarddy."

    "I''m not a wizard..."

    Kira briefly considered whether she needed to lie even to this famous Sword Master.

    But soon, Kira smiled charmingly and said, "Yes. I''m Kira the wizard, sir."

    Kira was a real wizard who had learned the basics of the Maroniusnguage from Ian.

    Though still a novice, she was confident enough to proudly introduce herself as a wizard to others.

    "Sword Master?"

    Maria tilted her head in confusion.

    She wasn''t old enough, nor had she grown up in a vige with much news exchange, to have heard of Salvador''s fame.

    In contrast, Belenka''s face was visibly brimming with excitement as she grasped Salvador''s hand.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, Sir Salvador!"

    "Hehe. I''m pleased to meet you too."

    Conversely, Salvador seemed to find Belenka the most bothersome.

    He''d seen far too many reactions like hers!

    "As expected of a Sword Master! Is this the aloofness of the strong?"

    "He just seems annoyed by you..."

    "No way! Sir Salvador isn''t that kind of person!"

    "???"

    Huff huff.

    Ian found Belenka''s enthusiasm puzzling.

    Wasn''t she usually indifferent to everything except money and jewelry?

    "That man is a living legend!"

    Like the empire''smon knights, Belenka too had grown up listening to bedtime stories about "The Exploits of Sword Master Salvador."

    Salvador''s tales were very famous in the empire, as minstrels and biographers had thoroughly milked his stories and spread them far and wide.

    If this were modern times, he could have sued all those cyber-leeches for copyright infringement, but unfortunately, this was the medieval era without copyright concepts.

    It was an open secret that Sir Salvador wanted to kill the minstrels who made him their subject matter.

    "Sir Salvador. What do you think of Belenka?"

    "Well. She''s a decent kid. Young, agile, with lively eyes. Being ady is her only w."

    Salvador coldly evaluated Belenka.

    Having met all sorts of knights, he didn''t give special treatment to Belenka''s martial prowess.

    If anything, he pointed out herck of strength due to being female.

    "Belenka seems to admire you..."

    "Hehe. It''s undeserved attention."

    Even Ian could understand this response.

    It meant, ''Don''t bother me.''

    He was just an old man who disliked putting himself forward.

    But Ian still hoped Salvador would showcase his skills.

    Belenka was so expectant, after all.

    Honestly, Ian was curious about Salvador''s abilities too.

    He''d seen him fight well against a manticore before, but... that was a battle with a monster, wasn''t it?

    "Old man. Would you consider teaching Belenka a thing or two?"

    "Oh my. My knees have been achingtely..."

    Is he saying he doesn''t want to spar?

    But Ian had bait that could hook Salvador.

    "Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that Takarion is working on his next piece..."

    "Golden Finger''s next work?!"

    "He said he''d show it to me first when it''s finished... I think your granddaughter might really enjoy it too..."

    "What?! She doesn''t read that kind of gospel!"

    "Ahem. Salvador?"

    "... I was about to say that, but I''ve been so forgetfultely...! My granddaughter just can''t get enough of those gospels!"

    Having barely preserved his reputation, Salvadorughed awkwardly and patted Ian''s shoulder.

    "Teaching young knights is this old man''s only joy!"

    "Haha. That''s fortunate!"

    Afterwards, Salvador truly sparred with Belenka.

    "Please teach me!"

    "Hehe. Go easy on me."

    The result of the match.

    Salvador''s overwhelming victory...!

    Even Ian, who was watching, was impressed.

    Clearly, Belenka was an incredibly skilled knight.

    But against Salvador, she couldn''t evenst a few exchanges before crumbling!

    "Wow. You''re strong, old man."

    "Hehe. It''s just sparring. In a real fight, who knows?"

    Watching Salvador stretch, Ian was certain.

    This old man would surely prove to be a formidable asset.

    "Ian!"

    "That was close. Belenka."

    Ian offered a light constion, worried Belenka might be discouraged.

    "Ian! Take back what you said earlier!"

    "...? Take back what?"

    "That Sir Salvador found me bothersome!"

    Belenka seemed overjoyed by the mere fact that Salvador had sparred with her, regardless of the oue.

    "How could such a kind and diligent person find me bothersome?"

    "..."

    No, that''s...

    The words reached Ian''s throat.

    But he shook his head.

    He didn''t want to crush Belenka''s childlike wonder with harsh words.

    Ian wasn''t a T-type person, after all.

    "You''re right. Sir Salvador is amazing."

    "Hehe. Of course he''s amazing!"

    Something felt a bit off, but at least Belenka''s morale had improved.

    Good things were good.

    ---

    ---

    From the next day, Ian once again began preparations for the journey.

    Ian first set the course.

    "Can we pass through the Talian domain?"

    "Of course we can."

    It would be a long journey. Getting supplies at Talian would certainly be good.

    But Ian didn''t ce much importance on supplies.

    He was more eager to confirm that Lucy and the Talian domain were safe.

    "Then after visiting Talian, let''s go see Duke Araz."

    It would be a journey apanied not only by Ian''s group, but also by Inn and Salvador. The length could hardly be considered short.

    "It''d be better to go up by ship."

    Salvador suggested.

    In this medieval fantasy world, ships were almost like cheat keys for travel.

    It''s no wonder major cities developed along the coast.

    The cargo transport capacity of ships was like rain in a drought for medieval people who couldn''t even pave a proper road.

    "Sounds good."

    Ian readily agreed to Salvador''s n.

    There was nothing better than waterways for transporting Ian''s group, including the knights, all at once.

    After obtaining ship requisition rights from Count Gremlin, Ian moved to the nearest dock.

    "Hold it! You there, ship captain. Give us a ride!"

    "Who are you to suddenly demand that?"

    "We''re carrying out the Count''s orders!"

    When Salvador presented the requisition order, the captain immediately bowed his head.

    He was a merchant who traded while sailing his ship.

    And merchants were always good patrons for nobles...

    "Oh my! My lord! Have mercy!"

    "Hehe. We''re not bandits."

    The captain didn''t believe Salvador''s words.

    What kind of people were nobles!

    They were ruthless bastards who treatedmoners like NPCs, and when bored, would strike the final blow to make them cough up money and experience points!

    Nobles must enjoy this medieval era.

    They can do whatever the hell they want!

    ''Cruel bastards...!''

    The merchant shuddered at Salvador''s cruel tyranny.

    For now, he''s just asking for a ride on the ship, but...

    When they reach their destination, he might threaten to hand over all the cargo.

    No, he certainly will!

    That''s what the "requisition order" issued by Count Gremlin meant.

    Originally, it was a document granting the right to politely borrow someone''s belongings, but in reality, it was closer to a document stating that no responsibility would be taken for any damage inflicted on the other party.

    "Oh no! I''m done for!"

    "???"

    The merchant started throwing a tantrum, screaming his lungs out.

    Ian was dumbfounded watching this scene.

    Really, does he hate giving us a ride that much?

    "Vigers! I''m being wronged!"

    "Hehe. Well, this is..."

    As the merchant screamed bloody murder, the fishing vige residents began to peek out one by one.

    Most were civilians unrted tobat, but they were still rough folks who worked at sea.

    They stared at Ian''s group with tense expressions, holding fishing spears ors.

    Any ordinary group would have tucked tail and run at this sight.

    Medieval knights may be fighting machines, but they''re still just humans.

    Fighting against that many people would be reckless.

    It wouldn''t be right morally either.

    "Ian, my boy. The atmosphere is quite hostile... It might be better to give up on sea travel."

    "Hmm..."

    Salvador''s words were right.

    If they tried to take the ship by force, it looked like it coulde to blows.

    ''This is strange?''

    But Ian couldn''t understand such a reaction from these sailors.

    This was clearly within Count Gremlin''s sphere of influence.

    A requisition order issued in the Count''s name was presented, yet instead of cooperating, they''re resisting?

    "They don''t seem to be weing us."

    "If we just push through using the Count''s name..."

    As soon as Inn said that, the Knights of Santiago stared at him intently.

    Inn broke out in a cold sweat.

    "... Ahem. We can''t do that! Of course not!"

    As long as the Knights of Santiago were with them, forceful violence would never be allowed.

    Ian shrugged his shoulders.

    Wizards have plenty of useful means besides violence.

    Ian climbed atop a pile of crates.

    "Listen to me for a moment!"

    "...?"

    "I am Ian the wizard!"

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, there was a surprising response.

    "A wizard?"

    "He definitely just said wizard...!"

    The vigers, who had been hostile until now, suddenly started flocking around Ian!

    Ian tilted his head in confusion.

    "Oh my, Wizard! Please save us!"Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    In the Empire, wizards were seen as unpredictable.

    A wizard destroyed everything nearby, like a raging inferno.

    But on the flip side, if you kept your distance, they could protect people from darkness, cold, and beasts.

    That''s why the vigers clung to Ian.

    "Don''t cry. Tell me one at a time," Ian said, calmly soothing the vigers.Having be so ustomed to wizard-behavior, Ian''s skill in handling crowds was almost supernatural.

    Salvador watched Ian, his eyes shining.

    Reassured by Ian''s kind voice, the people spoke up.

    "Not long ago, some knights came in the Count''s name!"

    "... Knights?" Ian exchanged nces with Salvador.

    It seemed there were other knights besides Ian''s group trying to get a ship here.

    "But we can''tunch any ships now!"

    "What do you mean you can''tunch ships?"

    "It''s because of the monster!"

    Ian let out a hollowugh.

    The terrible medievalmunicationwork made it impossible to know why a fishing vige couldn''tunch boats.

    The n to take a ship from this vige was wed from the start.

    "Have you sent anyone to the Count?"

    "We did! That''s why we thought those knights were sent to help us at first!"

    "..."

    Ian suddenly felt the back of his neck go cold...

    This felt so damn medieval.

    "Please continue."

    "Yes! We treated those knights like royalty! But then suddenly, they said they needed to take a boat out to the river!"

    "They didn''t go to fight the monster?"

    At Ian''s question, the viger shuddered and cried out.

    "No! As soon as the monster appeared, they ran away as fast as they could! Only the young men who volunteered to help the knights became monster food!"

    To summarize:

    A monster appeared in the river, making it difficult tounch boats.

    So they requested help from the Count, and knights soon arrived.

    The vigers thought the knights would defeat the monster...

    But as soon as the monster appeared, they fled at lightning speed, disappearing to who knows where.

    Given that the boats hadn''t returned, they were either defeated by the monster or by the knights.

    And thetter possibility was overwhelmingly higher.

    Knights were originally just thugs with swords, after all.

    "What kind of monster is it?"

    "It looks like a stingray, but it''s as big as a fishing boat! It punches holes in ships with its tail and eats people who fall into the water!"

    Ian and Salvador spoke almost simultaneously.

    "It''s a Hunter Stingray."

    "Sounds like a Hunter Stingray."

    Ian had originally learned all sorts of trivia from Eredith, the Wikipedia wizard.

    Salvador had the knowledge gained from a lifetime of sword-fighting.

    "Well... this is quite an unpleasant situation," Salvador said, stroking his chin.

    "All monsters be dangerous once they taste human flesh."

    "There''s no prey as delicious and easy as humans."

    In nature, humans are surprisinglyrge.

    If a hunt is sessful, you get 60-70kg of meat right there, abundant in number, and ridiculously easy to hunt.

    The monster that upied the river, the Hunter Stingray, must have given human meat a 5-star rating the moment it tasted it.

    ''Wow! Easy-to-eat packaged foodes every day~! Will order again~''

    Of course, if you repeat this behavior, humans with sharp weapons wille rushing in.

    But stupid monsters don''t know that.

    There''s immediately delicious and easy prey right in front of them, so they just swallow first and thinkter.

    That''s why monsters that develop a taste for human flesh had to be killed immediately.

    There was no reason for the monster itself to be satisfied and stop.

    The Hunter Stingray would stay in the river until it died, eating passing boats like lunchboxes.

    "Those knights were probably really sent by the Count," one of the knights shared his thoughts.

    Coming from a knight who had served and then fled his lord, it was highly credible.

    "They said they had the Count''s orders."

    "Yes. It''s one of two things. Either the monster was bigger than expected and they got scared and ran... or they nned to betray the Count from the start."

    "... Is that allowed?" Ian asked, dumbfounded.

    So, the knights got money and orders from the Count saying ''We''ll go out and catch the monster for you~'', then robbed the vigers'' pockets and ran off?

    "Of course it''s not allowed," the knight said regretfully.

    "But what can we do?"

    "..."

    It was spot-on.

    How the hell would the Count catch knights who fled on a boat far away?

    If they escaped to a distant domain, even a Duke, let alone a Count, would be helpless.

    It was the pathetic limit of medievalw enforcement.

    It''s not like the knights assassinated some noble family''s heir and ran. They can''t send assassins just because they ate and ran with a few coins.

    The fleeing knights could just enter service under another lord and wash away their past.

    "What a bunch of bastards," Ian said.

    Sir Dehitri happily agreed. "Indeed! Men without honor or chivalry! Having spit on a contract made in heaven''s name, they''ll surely fall into hell!"

    Ian rather hoped the knights had fled out of fear.

    If they ran away because the monster was too scary, there might be a sliver of possibility to understand.

    ''But if they had the will to fight, they would''ve returned by now.''

    Ian shook his head, thinking this.

    Judging by the fact that they still hadn''t shown their faces, the possibility of them having eaten and run, for whatever reason, was over 18000%.

    "So that''s why people freaked out at us."

    "Freaked out... What a chillingly apt expression, Ian."

    Ian understood the vigers'' reaction.

    Not long ago, the Count''s knights royally screwed up and ran... and now more people with the Count''s orders show up?

    Asking for a boat, no less?!

    PTSD activated immediately.

    "Oh~ Great Wizard~"

    "We absolutely can''tunch any boats until the monster is gone!"

    Ian quickly realized what the vigers wanted.

    They were begging him to get rid of the monster.

    If Ian left now, no joke, the entire vige might wither and die.

    How could a fishing vige survive if they couldn''tunch boats?

    ''A Hunter Stingray, huh...''

    Ian pondered for a moment.

    Hunter Stingrays weren''t particrly tricky monsters.

    They were characterized by the immense physical strength emanating from their huge bodies.

    In other words, if you could somehow neutralize that physical strength, they were pathetic monsters.

    Since they didn''t have abilities like spitting poison or controlling water, there were fewer ways to be caught off guard.

    ''Looking for another route would be a waste of time too.''

    Ian decided to eliminate the Hunter Stingray and clear the way.

    To be honest, he was worried about the situation in Talian territory.

    He wasn''t sure how frequently the ck dragon was active, but if it had alreadypletely ravaged several baronies and counties, it could easily target Talian territory as well.

    There was no time to leisurely look for a safe route.

    "Ian." Salvador and Dehitri approached.

    "In our opinion, it would be best to hunt the Hunter Stingray and move on."

    "Is that so?"

    The Knights of Santiago were, as expected, leaning towards hunting the monster.

    Ian wasn''t particrly surprised, having already anticipated this.

    "Actually, I was thinking of hunting it too."

    "Haha. I thought you might."

    "...?"

    "I thought a righteous and just young man like you wouldn''t just pass by people in distress!"

    "No, sir..."

    A righteous? and just young man?

    Ian wondered if Salvador had gone senile, but he just let it slide.

    It would be crazy to shout ''No way! I''m a selfish and dirty bastard~ Kekeke...!''

    "I''ve heard a lot about you from Sir Dehitri! Sir Ian!"

    "It''s an honor to witness your amazing magical skills firsthand!"

    "But we won''t be pushovers either!"

    "Since it''se to this, how about we bet on who takes down the monster!"

    Hahaha!

    The Knights of Santiago burst intoughter, finding something terribly amusing.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Is this how you react right before fighting a monster?

    Even the northern barbarians would be much more subdued!

    ''As expected. Imperials really are descendants of barbarians.''

    Ian was freshly reminded of the fact that the Holy Empire''s people were descendants of barbarians.

    "We''ll take care of the monster for you."

    "R-really?!"

    "Of course. Let''sunch the boat as soon as we''re ready."

    "Wizard...!"

    As soon as Ian offered to help, the vigers choked up with emotion.

    They had no choice but to desperately believe in Ian.

    Surely they wouldn''t get eaten and run on (round 2)!

    But the vigers'' worries vanishedpletely when the Santiago Knights'' expedition ceremony began.

    "Knights of Santiago!" Salvador shouted in a firm voice.

    "Guardians of travelers and people! We must now y a great beast! Death-bringing threats may follow, and torture-like pain may threaten you!"

    "Ooh!"

    "But all we''ll gain is the gratitude of families with children! Even so! Are there any here who will fight with me, where neither gold coins nor titles can be guaranteed!"

    "We''ll fight with you! Sir Salvador!"

    "We''ll dly join you! Sir Salvador!"

    "Excellent! Swords of Santiago! Those with the courage to advance, follow me!"

    "Ooooh!"

    When Salvador drew his sword, the knights roared.

    It was an overwhelming sight that left the vigers awestruck.

    "I''ll join too!!!" Belenka shouted excitedly.

    Ian''s ears were ringing.

    ''This isn''t a concert hall...''

    "But Belenka. Are you really going to fight without gold coins?"

    Ian asked out of curiosity.

    As far as Ian knew, Belenka smiled brightest when receiving gold coins or gifts.

    Belenka answered shamelessly.

    "No? Why would I? I''m a free knight. I have the right to receive fairpensation ording to the contract."

    Ian stared nkly at Belenka.

    Wait, didn''t you just say you''d dly join a fight without gold coins...

    "You''re taking care of my sry anyway, Ian. I can''t demand anything from Sir Salvador."

    "..."

    So, she meant she could fight for free ''specifically'' for Sir Salvador.

    Ian nodded.

    It''s special, but Belenka fighting without pay... She must really respect Sir Salvador.

    "It''s a fight alongside Sir Salvador. We''ll send that pig stingray to the fish market."

    Belenka smiled and patted Ian''s shoulder.

    Ian felt just as reassured.

    With a solid vanguard, he couldn''t be happier.

    ''Traveling with the knights really is sweet.''Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Ian and his party boarded the merchant ship and sailed upstream.

    The ship''s captain was a pitiful man who hade to sell goods, only to end up trapped in the vige. When Ian offered him a "chance to escape," he eagerly joined.

    ''Nice weather.''

    The wind was cool and the waters calm. If not for the monsters, it would''ve been perfect for travel.

    With some time to spare, Ian went on deck with chalk and a jewel. He''d obtained the jewel by trading amber with Count Gremlin.Ian''s task was to draw a magic circle. He chose a pearl, favored by the mystery of water, to inscribe with Maroniusnguage. Since they''d be facing aquatic monsters in the river, the mystery of water would be helpful.

    "Oh. Is that a magic circle?" Salvador asked, trying to sound knowledgeable.

    Surprisingly, he was as familiar with magic as any wizard, having seen countless spells on the battlefield.

    "You''re correct," Ian replied.

    "Looks like you''ll be using water magic..."

    In the past, Salvador had witnessed Ian''s water magic in Riverville. It was a spell that reversed the river flow, flipping the direction of the ship.

    "It''s reassuring to have a wizard with us," Salvador said with a grin.

    Monsters that dwelled in hard-to-reach ces, like those in rivers, were generally tricky to hunt. Without a wizard''s help, there was a chance of failing even after struggling.

    But this hunt had Ian the wizard with them. Knowing Ian''s water magic skills were top-notch, Salvador had high expectations for Ian''s magic.

    "I''m the one relying on you knights," Ian replied with a smile.

    While the knights charged ahead with gusto, the wizard''s job was done with a few gestures from a safe spot. While others sweat buckets, he just needed to use his brain.

    Ian thought once again that bing a wizard was the right choice.

    "The Knights of Santiago seem to trust and follow you," Ian observed.

    "Heh. I''m just relying on my flimsy reputation," Salvador shrugged.

    For someone just relying on reputation, his speeches were pretty impressive. Salvador''s speeches had the power to boost his subordinates'' morale.

    "I noticed before, but you''re quite good at speeches."

    "Heh. I don''t do anything special. I just imitate the ancient saints."

    "...Saints?" Ian stared nkly at Salvador for a moment.

    No, which saint gave such heart-stirring speeches...

    "Yes. As you know, ''Saint Marcus'' was truly remarkable..."

    The moment Marcus'' name popped up, Ian figured out the source of Salvador''s eloquence. A well-known Marcus fanboy. It was the work of that bastard Takarion, the Golden Finger!

    "...Salvador. Are you talking about Marcus from Takarion''s gospel..."

    "Ah! Yes! I see you know it well too!" Salvador grabbed Ian''s shoulder with eyes full of excitement.

    From that madness-like gaze, Ian sensed that something had gone terribly wrong...

    "There''s something, how should I put it... righteous about Monk Takarion''s gospel!"

    "..."

    "The way Marcus ruthlessly crushes evil-doers is the perfect embodiment of martial prowess! And as he practices righteousness ording to heaven''s will, it''s the epitome of chivalry! Therefore, the Gospel of Marcus is truly the..."

    ...A martial arts novel! That gospel!

    Ian felt dizzy.

    This old man Salvador. It was suspicious from the start that his hobby was reading Takarion''s gospel.

    Why! Do old men who love martial arts novels exist in both that world and this one?!

    Ian cursed his past self for not having devoured the masterpieces of Jin Yong''s school.

    Damn... If only I had memorized something like The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and published it, I could''ve made a killing...!

    "Salvador. Instead of such strange gospels, wouldn''t it be better to read novels..." Ian suggested.

    "What? Novels? Those lowbrow things aren''t worth reading."

    "..."

    Takarion''s gospel or light novels, they''re pretty much the same to me, Ian thought.

    But Salvador had a separate reason for disliking novels. It was... a difference in worldviews.

    First, most gospels were set in the ancient empire. Because the spatial setting wasn''t reality, it had higher immersion.

    Also, concepts familiar to readers like the Sky God, angels, and demons appeared. These were concepts that anyone familiar with Heaven''s Faith could understand, lowering the entry barrier for readers.

    In short, the gospel was... like a martial arts novel.

    Even if countless novels featured the same Nine Yin Manual or Plum Blossom Sword Technique, everyone could enjoy them with a smile!

    Because this was a story set in a [martial arts world]!

    On the other hand, novels of this era were terribly difficult to establish a worldview from the start.

    This wasn''t an era of advanced publishing technology, nor one where information spread quickly.

    No matter how awesome an original worldview story you created, from the reader''s perspective, it was a "What the f*ck?" moment.

    So inevitably, almost all novels had to use this reality as a background... that is, this medieval fantasy world.

    This created another side effect.

    Readers started believing the novel''s content was true!

    If I create a fictional [Story of So-and-so Family''s Such-and-such Domain], people will think Such-and-such Domain actually exists and try to find it.

    But when they actually go there? Of course, there''s nothing!

    The reader immediately... feels betrayed.

    ''Hey, this book says this ce is Such-and-such Domain?''

    ''Ah! That''s a novel. It''s not real.''

    ''You dare... deceive me?!''

    ''I didn''t deceive you! Originally, novels realistically imitate...''

    ''Die!''

    Because this kind of incident happened too frequently, the perception of novels eventually plummeted.

    ''Novels? A bunch of lies and trash!''

    It was a mishap that urred because they used reality as a background, but the essence was fake.

    But gospels were OK no matter how ridiculous they were (of course, sphemy was not OK).

    Everyone knew it was set in the Heaven''s Faith universe anyway!

    The only ones suffering from such nonsensical gospels were the priests.

    ''Wow! Marcus! He shoots a saint-death beam with his finger!''

    ''Please...! Stop reading such weird books!!!''

    Salvador was a devout believer of Heaven''s Faith. But on the other hand, he seemed like a grandfather who enjoyed reading martial arts novels.

    "I like the Gospel of Marcus, but there''s just one thing I don''t like about it," Salvador admitted.

    "What''s that?" Ian asked.

    "Why are there so many wenches in it... I know Marcus is a generous saint, but it focuses too much on him fooling around with women."

    "..."

    That''s because Takarion is a f*cking pervert... Ian thought. He says he can''t write without inserting heroines.

    "I''ll try to tell him to reduce the heroines'' presence next time," Ian said.

    "...? What''s a heroine?"

    At that moment, someone called Ian''s name.

    "Brother Ian!" It was Maria.

    "Yeah. I''m here," Ian responded.

    "Just now, I saw water ghosts flying over the river. There were many, and they seemed to have died recently."

    Ian and Salvador looked at each other simultaneously.

    The appearance of water ghosts meant people had drowned nearby recently.

    There was only one recent incident where people might have drowned.

    "It''s nearby," Salvador said.

    "Yes. It seems so," Ian agreed.

    The river monster had drawn closer.

    Ian and Salvador immediately began preparing for battle.

    ---

    ---

    "Sir Salvador! I see it!" The voice of a Knight of Santiago echoed over the river.

    Beyond the damp river mist, the body of a massive beast appeared.

    "Wow. f*ck," Ian marveled anew at the enormity of the fantasy monster.

    Hunter Stingray.

    The beast that killed its prey with the stinger on its tail was asrge as the transport ship.

    "Is that a whale?" Salvador asked.

    "Well. A whale that looks like a stingray," Ian replied.

    Just the fact that a whale-sized beast, and a carnivorous monster at that, popped out of a river showed how hellish the survival difficulty of this era was.

    It was a wonder they managed to trade and make a living in such a world.

    "It''sing! It''sing!!!" a sailor yelled.

    "Ah-huh-huh...! Knights! Wizard!" the captain cried out.

    As the Hunter Stingray approached, not only the merchant ship''s captain but also the sailors collectively showed symptoms of a breakdown.

    Ian couldn''t possibly call the sailors cowards.

    Now I get why those knight bastards ran away, he thought.

    Monsters are called monsters because they look monstrous.

    Beings that inspire terror and make you lose your will to fight just by looking at them.

    That''s what monsters are.

    Ian ran to the bow and shouted towards the mist.

    "[Master of the river! stop!]"

    "...!"

    As the wizard''s loud and clear pronunciation echoed, not only the sailors but even the Knights of Santiago focused on Ian.

    "Wh-what''s the wizard saying?" a sailor asked.

    "How the f*ck should I know if I''m not a wizard?" another replied.

    The sailors didn''t know what Ian was doing.

    But while they didn''t know the cause, the result was clear...

    Kuuuu...!

    "I-it stopped!"

    "The monster... it stopped!"

    Surprisingly, the monster charging towards the ship stopped at Ian''s words!

    The sailors couldn''t close their mouths, amazed at Ian''s mysterious skill.

    Come on, the monster isn''t some neighborhood mutt... How does it make sense that it stops when you shout something?!

    "So that''s why they call him a wizard! f*ck!" a sailor eximed.

    It was truly magic. A feat that even the most skilled knight couldn''t imitate.

    I hope persuasion works... Ian thought as he looked at the Hunter Stingray without much expectation.

    The beast seemed confused, as if surprised after receiving Ian''s will.

    [Meat... voice? Voice... meat...]

    The Hunter Stingray''s will was heard in broken fragments.

    Even considering Ian''s summoning level, this monster''s will was too low.

    The typical appearance of a beast-type monster, with instinct overwhelming will.

    "[If you hear me, stop!]" Ianmanded.

    [Meat... meat...!]

    "[Stop! Stop the violence!]"

    [Meat!!!!]

    "You f*cking bastard!" Ian irritably raised his middle finger. It wasn''t a creature that couldmunicate.

    Even those who didn''t understand Maroniusnguage fully understood the conversation between Ian and the monster.

    "Ian my boy! Is that monster a f*cking bastard?" Salvador asked.

    "That''s right! Sir Salvador!" Ian confirmed.

    "Then there''s no need to wait! Knights! Prepare the crossbows!"

    "Ooh!" the knights responded.

    The Knights of Santiago clung to the ship''s side and fired their crossbows.

    But the Hunter Stingray stubbornly swam closer, unfazed by the rain of arrows.

    "Prepare the oil!" Salvador ordered.

    Next, the knights brought sticky oil. They nned to detach the monster with burning oil the moment it clung to the ship.

    But the oil barrels weren''t opened.

    Because Ian activated the magic circle he had prepared in advance.

    "[River! Answer my call!]" Ian shouted.

    Magic circles greatly enhanced the power of magic. Having offered a pearl, the river would surely respond to Ian''s call!

    [Ohoho! Did you call me! Child!] The mystery of water answered in a cheerful voice.

    Ian recalled Anton''s water magic and projected his will.

    [Lv UP!]

    [Skill: Water Magic �C Lv 3]

    [You are quite a decent water wizard]

    As a result ofmunicating with the mystery of water, Ian''s water magic level increased by one.

    Ian spoke to the mystery of water with more skillful technique.

    "[Rotate!]"

    [Good! It''s a joyous day, let''s dance together!]

    The mystery of water joyfully shook its body ording to Ian''s will.

    And that became a disaster for all river creatures.

    Shwaaaaaa...!

    [New skill acquired!]

    [Water Magic - Whirlpool]

    [A magic that creates a swirling whirlpool of water. Be careful not to get seasick!]

    "Wi-wizard?!" a sailor stammered.

    "Good heavens... Lord have mercy!" another eximed.

    As if a hole had opened at the bottom of the river, a massive whirlpool appeared in the middle of the river, violently churning.

    The sailors clung to the ship''s railing, trembling as they watched the whirlpool.

    If they get sucked in there once, the entire ship will be plunged into the river!

    "Ian my boy!" Salvador called out.

    "It''s alright! Old man!" Ian reassured him.

    Even Salvador was terrified seeing the magic Ian had summoned.

    That massive whirlpool looked deadly to anyone.

    If the ship gets sucked in...!

    Everyone was terrified, but Ian remained calm.

    The mystery of water would never harm Ian.

    In fact, the ship wasn''t being sucked into the vortex.

    Only the Hunter Stingray suffered in the churning waters.

    [Blub... blub...!]

    The monster tried hard to maintain bnce, but it was futile.

    To begin with, the Hunter Stingray wasn''t a monster that inhabited areas with fast currents.

    Ian smirked watching the iling monster.

    "Belenka. Look at that bastard. Calls itself a man-eating monster."

    Belenka also smirked. "It looks just like a foal that fell in the water."

    "For an aquatic monster, it sure sucks at swimming," Ian added.

    If the Hunter Stingray had heard, it might have sued Ian for defamation.

    "Ian my boy! Excellent!" Salvador, who had been firing the crossbow, shouted.

    Ian waved his hand in response.

    The Knights of Santiago, more excited than anyone, turned the Hunter Stingray into a pincushion.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Killing a massive monster with mere arrows might sound ridiculous.

    It''s not like there''s an HP bar. How could a monster die from being poked with toothpick-sized arrows?

    But contrary to such misconceptions, HP bars do exist.

    In the form of blood.

    When an arrow pierces a monster''s hide and wounds it, blood flows from the gaping injury.Naturally, even a monster will die if it loses too much blood.

    It''s simr to how a 2-meter tall person can die from a 2-centimeter dagger to the throat.

    "Wow."

    Ian marveled at the river turned crimson.

    As dozens of crossbow bolts pierced its soft underbelly, the Hunter Stingray began bleeding profusely.

    It had already lost strength to Ian''s whirlpool.

    Coupled with massive blood loss, the Hunter Stingray passed out.

    From afar, it looked quite dead.

    The sailors cheered at the sight of the Hunter Stingray floating belly-up.

    "Woohoo!"

    "The monster is dead!"

    "Hurrah for the knights! Hurrah for the wizard!"

    Unlike the ecstatic sailors, the Knights of Santiago were rtively quiet.

    They knew the creature wasn''t dead yet.

    "Hmm. Seems it''s just unconscious."

    "Should we bring the ship closer?"

    "No. That''s too dangerous."

    Salvador, an experienced monster hunter, assessed the Hunter Stingray''s condition at a nce.

    "Come with me, old man."

    "With you?"

    Ian proposed apanying Salvador to deliver the final blow.

    Now was when the river''s mystery favored Ian.

    Even if he fell in, he could escape, so moving now was the right call.

    "What an excellent wizard...!"

    "Lord Ian''s skills are just as Lord Salvador described!"

    The Knights of Santiago marveled at Ian''s courageous action.

    They thought wizards were just entric, self-centered oddballs...

    Not only did he provide magical support splendidly, but he even showed such initiative!

    Ian shrugged.

    In truth, he nned to milk the mystery''s favor while itsted.

    But if the knights wanted to overestimate Ian, he had noints.

    "Ho ho. Then I''ll leave it to you, Ian my boy."

    Ian borrowed a nearby fishing boat to move with Salvador and a few knights.

    "Wow."

    "It''s really huge...!"

    The Hunter Stingray was muchrger up close than they''d thought.

    It was big enough for knights to climb onto its body and finish it off.

    "Confirming the kill is important."

    Monsters sometimes recovered from blood loss on their own, being monsters.

    It was safer to deliver the final blow while it was unconscious like this.

    "I''d love to butcher this thing, but..."

    The Hunter Stingray''s body was enormous.

    Stripping the bones, flesh, skin, and organs would yield tremendous resources.

    But Ian shook his head.

    Ian wasn''t a fishing vige resident. He didn''t have time to leisurely butcher this thing.

    "Let''s hand it over to the vigers."

    "...! Are you sure that''s alright?"

    Salvador was inwardly surprised at how easily Ian gave up the monster''s corpse and asked again.

    Seeing is believing, and with the monster''s corpse right before their eyes, greed could arise.

    Though they had no way to deal with it now, if they hauled this to port, they could butcher it and turn it into money.

    Ian had made a huge contribution to killing the Hunter Stingray.

    The atmosphere was such that he could im ownership of nearly half its body.

    And he was giving it all to the vigers!

    "How devout of you!"

    "Huh?"

    When Dehitri eximed in admiration, Ian was bewildered.

    ''No, I just meant we should hurry since we don''t have time...''

    Ian knew the abundance of food in modern life, so he wasn''t too attached to the monster''s corpse value.

    But medieval people were different.

    Coolly giving up hunting spoils like Ian required tremendous willpower!

    "It''s Brother Ian''s intention tofort the fishing vige people who suffered most from the monster!"

    "Ohh!"

    "How devout indeed!"

    "..."

    Ian didn''t know it himself, but apparently that was his intention.

    The Knights of Santiago, as well as Salvador and Belenka, looked at Ian with moved eyes.

    "Ho ho. I didn''t know you harbored such charitable thoughts..."

    "To give that up. Impressive."

    As people made a fuss, Ian grew curious instead.

    Is that corpse really so amazing?

    "It''s just meat and hide, right?"

    "Oh? Did you want something else?"

    Ian answered honestly.

    "Well, if it had magical power, I''d be interested."

    ''Wow...!''

    The Knights of Santiago were greatly impressed by Ian''s answer, seeking magic even from the monster''s corpse.

    To not think of abundant meat and hide, arrows made of bone... when seeing that huge monster corpse!

    ''He really has nothing but magic in his head!''

    ''That man. He''s crazy about magic...!''

    ''So you have to be that obsessed to be a wizard...!''

    To the Knights of Santiago, Ian, who greatly deviated from medievalmon sense, looked like a bizarre oddball.

    But no one rebuked Ian.

    Rather, they unanimously understood him.

    If it were a normal person it''d be a bit strange, but...

    Since Ian''s a wizard, it could be like that!

    "Ho ho. Then take the tail, my boy."

    "...? The tail? Does the tail have some magical power..."

    "Ho ho. Just how much do you love magic!"

    "Huh?"

    Ian couldn''t understand Salvador''s words.

    Why give him the tail if it has no magical power? (He really doesn''t know)

    "The Hunter Stingray''s tail is very hard and sharp!"

    "Ah. I see."

    Salvador wore an expression of ''That should exin it, right?''

    But Ian was honestly unimpressed.

    What would a wizard like Ian do with a super hard tail?

    Unless it was an offering the mystery coveted.

    But the Knights of Santiago all looked at Ian enviously.

    "The Hunter Stingray''s tail... such a treasure!"

    "... But I admit it. If not you, no one deserves to have the tail."

    "..."

    ---

    ---

    In the end, the Hunter Stingray''s tail became Ian''s share.

    The vigers recovered and took back the rest.

    Ian nkly stared at therge, fishy, unpleasant lump before him.

    ''What is this.''

    He felt like the owner of an illegal medicine shop...

    Like he should run off to brew some tonic right away.

    ''I''ll have to find a use for it.''

    Separately, the sailors'' gazes toward Ian were pure adoration.

    "Hah! The tail ended up being the wizard''s share!"

    "Of course! Who else but the wizard could be the tail''s owner?"

    "..."

    The sailors couldn''t help but cheer.

    He was a wizard who subdued an underwater monster with a whirlpool, for crying out loud.

    Whirlpools and underwater monsters. Both are nightmares for sailors.

    Yet this wizard showed the miraculous feat of subduing something terrible with something terrible!

    "Hurrah for the wizard!"

    "Hurrah for the knights!"

    The sailors raised the Hunter Stingray''s tail high and cheered in unison.

    Ian once again felt certain these people were descendants of barbarians...

    "Ho ho. Quite a sight, isn''t it?"

    "Indeed, Lord Salvador."

    Salvador and Dehitri watched the sailors drunk on victory with fond eyes.

    The Knights of Santiago were just as pleased.

    They had bravely fought a giant monster.

    But the corpse became the fishing vige people''s share, and the tail became Ian''s share.

    All that remained in the water was the result of defeating the monster.

    Yet none of the Knights of Santiago expressed dissatisfaction.

    The reason they faced the monster was to see the happy faces of the people, after all.

    "Good work, everyone."

    "You too, Lord Salvador!"

    "The heavens must have been watching your shining devotion."

    Salvador and the Knights of Santiago sat in a circle and began to pray.

    "Today''s victory is thanks to the radiant sun blessing us."

    "Praise the brilliant sun!"

    "Long live the heavens!"

    Today, the knights had umted great merit.

    They believed they would surely be rewarded for their devotion after returning to heaven.

    That was the driving force that allowed the Knights of Santiago to fight monsters.

    ''The waterway is certainly fast.''

    Ian thought as he watched the rippling river.

    After hunting the Hunter Stingray, the ship quickly headed north.

    Ian marveled anew at the ship''s transcendent transport capability.

    If this many people had walked onnd, just packing food and water would have resulted in an impossible pile of luggage.

    But on a ship, you just shove everything in the hold and it''s all solved!

    "Hehe. Wizard!"

    After hunting the Hunter Stingray, the captain tantly favored Ian.

    He brought better food earlier than others.

    Ian''spanions received simr treatment, but Ian was always the top priority.

    Inn looked at Ian enviously.

    "When did you learn water magic like that?"

    "I learned the basics of water magic long ago. This time I referenced Senior Anton''s technique a bit."

    "... The more I see you, the more fascinating you are."

    Inn was starting to notice that the magic Ian had mastered wasn''t just one or two types.

    And he knew how difficult it was to master magic from multiple schools simultaneously.

    ''I thought he was just a wizard who learned rare magic before, but... looking closer, he''s no ordinary fellow.''

    Inn resolved to bring Ian to the university and have a thorough magical discussion.

    After a few days of peaceful sailing like that.

    "Wi-Wizard!"

    Ian, who was overseeing Kira and Maria''s Maroniusnguage study, came out to the deck at the captain''s voice.

    Salvador, Belenka, and Sir Dehitri were already looking into the distance with serious expressions.

    "You''re here,d?"

    "Yes. What''s the matter?"

    Ian looked where the knights were staring.

    "Hmm?"

    A ship without a g was drifting there.

    "Looks like a band of pirates..."

    When Salvador spoke, Dehitri nodded.

    The appearance of pirates meant they were nearing their destination.

    "We should prepare for battle."

    Naturally, Salvador nned to arm the knights.

    But Ian tilted his head as he looked at the drifting ship.

    "Is there a problem?"

    "No. It''s not that..."

    Then Belenka chimed in.

    "Ian. Doesn''t that ship look familiar?"

    "Yeah. I was about to say that."

    Ian felt d��j�� vu, as if he''d seen that pirate ship somewhere before.

    To check if it was just his imagination, Ian called Kira.

    "Kira!"

    Kira was startled when she saw the approaching pirate ship.

    "Ian! That ship! Doesn''t it look like the one we saw in Baron Devosi''s domain?"

    "Right?"

    It wasn''t just simple d��j�� vu.

    This was truly a ship he''d seen before!

    It was the pirate ship Ian had briefly borrowed to travel to Baron Devosi''s domain!

    The pirate ship rapidly approached.

    When it came within shouting distance, Salvador yelled.

    "Stop! Who are you?"

    Then came the reply from the other side.

    "Hello, friends! We''re Baron Talian''s navy!"

    "...?"

    Ian blinked.

    What? Whose navy?

    "In the name of the great Baron Talian! You must pay us a ''toll'' to pass here! Hahaha!"

    "..."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    There are norge rivers in Talian''s territory.

    Of course there''s no such thing as a navy!

    Then there''s only one answer.

    ''Scum impersonating Lucy''s name!''

    It was the case of pirates putting on airs by iming to be backed by a noble!

    Ignorantmoners would tremble at the noble''s name and pay the toll!

    Pissed off, Ian stepped forward.

    "Who just spoke?"

    "Who? Haha! This young friend has swallowed rudeness for breakfast..."

    The pirate captain swaggered forward.

    And.

    His eyes met Ian''s.

    "...?"

    As expected, it was a familiar face.

    Ian grinned and said.

    "Hey. You know me, right?"

    "!!!"

    Then the pirate captain eximed in shock.

    "Wi-Wizard bro?!"

    He had no memory of having a pirate brother.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    In the past, Ian had boarded a ship to visit Baron Devosi''s domain. On the hills, he''d met Damon, the ''self-proimed'' baron, who introduced Ian to his acquaintance - the leader of a pirate band. Thanks to that, Ian had once traveledfortably by ship.

    But now, on the river, he encountered that pirate leader again. This time, the man presented the ridiculous credentials of ''Baron Talian''s navy''.

    The moment the pirate leader saw Ian, he immediately bowed his head. Ian, Belenka, and even Kira were all present - the same members from their previous ship journey.

    "Have you been well, Big Bro?" the pirate leader eximed.

    Ian was genuinely curious. Why, of all the words he could have chosen, did he pick ''Big Bro''?"Sure," Ian replied,cking the energy to argue. He simply went along with it. The world was wide and full of lunatics. If one could understand the minds of all the world''s lunatics, they''d be a transcendent sage beyond humanprehension.

    "Ian, do you know this thief?" Salvador asked.

    "Well... I suppose you could say we''re acquainted," Ian replied briefly, recounting what had happened in Baron Devosi''s domain.

    Salvador''s expression turned peculiar. "Then why is he impersonating Baron Talian?"

    Ian shrugged. That was something they''d have to find out now.

    "You,e here for a moment," Ian called.

    "Yes sir!" The pirate leaderid a nk on the boat and hopped over to Ian''s ship.

    "Weren''t you an acquaintance of Baron Damon?" Ian asked.

    "Ohe on, acquaintance? Call me his brother!" The pirate leader shouted excitedly. Judging by his manner, he seemed genuinely happy to meet Ian.

    ''What''s going on? For real?'' Ian thought as he silently listened to the pirate leader''s story. He was immediately dumbfounded.

    "After hearing the wizard big bro''s advice, Bro Damon went to find Baron Talian''s domain!"

    "I know that," Ian said. He had rmended to Damon that he should enter the service of a real nobleman, earn merit, and then be granted territory. He thought it wouldn''t be difficult to achieve merit since Damon already possessed an army (read: bandits).

    "Bro Damon stayed in Baron Talian''s domain for a while, helping Baron Talian!"

    "Hmm. Maintaining public order?"

    "Yes! You know how all sorts of bastards roam the wilderness, right?" The pirate leader listed off the atrocious crimesmitted in Talian''s territory. The crimesmitted by the bad guys who came from outside were as follows: Stealing pet ducks! Picking ripe apples from orchards! Driving deer living in Talian''s territory into their own domains to hunt!

    "Seriously! Aren''t they f*cking bastards!" the pirate leader eximed.

    Ian was momentarily confused by hisck of medieval sensibilities. Well, they were bad deeds, sure... Definitely wrong, but... Ian, who had been expecting violent crimes like murder and kidnapping, felt oddly deted.

    "My word! How could they do such things...!"

    "What utter scoundrels!"

    "They ought to be stoned to death!"

    Those around him with abundant medieval sensibilities (actual locals) shuddered at the horrific crimesmitted in Talian''s territory. Stealing someone else''s duck? They might starve to death without it! What absolute bastards!

    Food theft in medieval times was a crime on apletely different level from its modern counterpart. In modern times, with robust refrigeration technology and superior agricultural techniques, food is produced in such abundance that it rots.

    But up until medieval times, it was extremely difficult to both produce and store food. In most cases, food couldn''t be stored for even two years, so even if there were consecutive bumper crops, one bad harvest could lead to mass starvation.

    In such circumstances, livestock was a very suitable means of storing food. If you fed rotten or surplus food to livestock, you could gain that much protein resource. And they steal a duck that evenys eggs?! It was an abominable crime that would make one''s blood boil.

    "There was more work than expected, so Bro Damon postponed his expedition and stayed in Talian''s territory," the pirate leader exined.

    Ian nodded.

    Now that he thought about it, he should be calling him Sir Damon rather than Bandit Damon. Most medieval knights were appointed this way. Those who performed peacekeeping duties receivednd from the lord and became knights. Most outsiders visiting Talian''s territory would probably call Damon ''Sir Damon''.

    Of course, Damon himself would prefer the cooler title of ''baron'', but still.

    "But recently, the workload has grown beyond our ability to handle."

    "The refugee problem?" Ian asked.

    "Yes! That''s right!"

    Refugees, huh. Ian easily understood the situation around Talian.

    Probably the ck dragon, Predius, who had settled in the Golden Mountains. And the nearby baronies and counties that Predius had utterly destroyed. The refugees were the result of that destruction.

    Medieval nobles enjoyed power equal to that of a king. In other words, when a lord died, their territory became no man''snd. The medieval period was already a post-apocalyptic era in itself. If the minuscule public authority that existed were to copse, it would inevitably revert to the Stone Age.

    Naturally, those with any sense abandoned their homes andnds to flee for their lives.

    Where to?

    To Baron Talian''s domain! They judged that since there was at least a nobleman and an army there, the situation would be better than the Stone Age. They might have also harbored a faint hope that Talian would protect them from Predius.

    As refugees poured in from all directions, Baron Talian''s domain was turning into awless city that might appear in some cyberpunk story.

    "Given the situation, Bro came to ask for our help," the pirate leader continued.

    As the influx of refugees turned the domain into chaos, Talian''s knight(?), Baron Damon, went to find his brother who he had been close with during his bandit days.

    It wasn''t a proposal to co-manage the territory. The biggest problem caused by the exploding refugee poption was, of course, food. While public order could be maintained somehow with Damon''s army, they couldn''t prevent starving people from turning into mobs.

    After hearing his brother''s dire circumstances, the pirate leader decided to actively help Sir Damon. Damon was so moved by his brother''s actions that he bestowed upon him the honorable title of [Baron Talian''s Navy]. And that''s how the navy of a domain without a river came into being.

    Ian looked at the pirate leader again, freshly dumbfounded. Sure, using Lucy''s name was one thing, but what about plundering passing merchant ships?

    "Don''t tell me you''ve been sending the food you received as ''tolls'' to Talian''s domain?" Ian asked.

    "That''s right, Big Bro!"

    Ian felt dizzy at the emergence of this medieval version of a privateer. When Talian''s food situation worsened, they hired(?) pirates to stimte a plunder economy! What a militaristic idea!

    While the idea was innovative, Ian didn''t think the refugee problem could be solved with just the food that one pirate gang could extort. It might be better than nothing, but it was merely a stopgap measure at best.

    ''This isn''t good.''

    The ck dragon Predius. The appearance of just one fantasy monster had caused a cataclysmic change in the human world, as if hit by a natural disaster. If left unchecked, Araz Duchy might truly disappear. It would be the birth of a legend about a dragon that destroyed a country. Such a terrible thing had to be prevented at all costs.

    "You''ll be our guide. We need to get to Talian''s domain quickly," Ian ordered.

    "Yes, Big Bro!"

    ---

    ---

    Ian, guided by the pirate leader, hurried to Baron Talian''s domain. Surprisingly, the Knights of Saint Santiago didn''t draw their swords against the pirates.

    "They''re fighting for Baron Talian. And for the people..." Salvador muttered, seemingly reluctant.

    Since Talian had effectively be the pirates'' backer, if the Knights of Santiago attacked, it would escte into a political issue.

    "Thank you for your restraint," Ian said.

    "Heh. It''s nothing to be thanked for," Salvador replied.

    Salvador, who once fought under the Emperor, was certainly capable of such political calctions. He was just disappointed that he couldn''t strike down the evildoers.

    Ian entered Baron Talian''s domain, following the familiar path. The first thing he noticed was the sheer number of people. As soon as Ian entered the domain, he could feel the post-medieval level poption density.

    "My lord! Spare a coin! My lord!"

    "My child is starving! Please, have mercy...!"

    "I''m not producing milk because I''m so hungry... At this rate, my baby will...!"

    Almost all of those many people were beggars. These were the refugees who had fled from the ck dragon. There were countless makeshift tents made by digging the ground and covering it with leather. Traces of fires were everywhere, and ckened lumps and charred bones were strewn about. Evidence of eating dogs, cats, and even rats.

    Ian shook his head at the sight. Certainly, Talian''s domain seemed to be squeezed to its very dregs.

    "Oh my..."

    "If we shared some of our food..."

    The Knights of Saint Santiago softened immediately upon encountering the refugees. How could they not help when their brothers in faith were starving like this! But that was the root of the problem.

    "F-food!"

    "Me too! Give me some too!"

    "Why! Why give it to that person and not me!"

    As soon as someone received food, the refugees became extremely agitated and clung to the Knights of Santiago. Sharp swords? Cold chain mail? Such things didn''t even register in their eyes. Refugees focused solely on food like beasts!

    Sensing the crisis, Ian immediately called for Inn. "Inn!"

    "Uh... huh?"

    "Use magic!"

    Ian didn''t have any magic to subdue the crowd. He had plenty of magic to ''sweep away'' the crowd, but Ian wasn''t a madman. He couldn''t kill refugees. But Inn was a photon wizard who manipted light. Photon magic was good for subduing crowds without harm.

    "[Light!]" The moment Inn chanted the spell, a sh of light sparked in the sky.

    At the blinding light, the refugees staggered and sat down. In that gap, Ian summoned the mystery of wind.

    "[Wind!]"

    [Wow! Humans!]

    "[Scatter my voice!]"

    Sound travels on the wind. Ian used the power of the wind mystery to create an artificial echo. Ian''s voice spread in all directions as if he were using a microphone.

    "Foolish ones! stop!" As the magically amplified voice rang out, the refugees stopped what they were doing.

    "The sun watches over you!" When Ian shouted again, the refugees bowed their heads like dominoes.

    The sh of light from the sky... And that booming voice! This was, unmistakably, the voice of the Sky God!

    "Oh! Great Sky!"

    "Please! Food! Give us food!"

    The refugees began to beg Ian earnestly. Ian maintained an ufortable silence as he watched. It would be a lie to say he wasn''t moved. How desperate must their situation be for them to beg even when hearing a divine voice? But even Ian hadn''t learned magic that could make bread spring forth from the ground.

    ''F*cking dragon bastard.''

    "Everyone, don''t get excited and maintain order. We''ll distribute everything we have," Ian said, turning to look at the Knights of Santiago.

    The knights wore expressions of deep emotion. "Lord Ian!"

    "Truly...! You are...!"

    Even if Ian told them not to, the Knights of Santiago would give away all the food they had. They had almost no food left anyway.

    It was right then that someone came galloping on horseback. "Stop!"

    It was a face Ian knew well. "Baron Damon?"

    "...Who are you?" Baron Damon, who had rushed over thinking the knights were under attack, recognized Ian and Kira''s faces and broke into a big smile.

    "The wizards!"

    "It''s been a while," Ian replied.

    Ian left the Knights of Santiago behind and followed Baron Damon, taking Salvador and hispanions with him. As they crossed the palisade fence, the quiet and distant view of Talian Hall spread out before them.

    ''It''s been a while.''

    He had stayed here for some time back then. Ian was suddenly reminded of old memories.

    "Is that Baron Damon? You''re back?" A girl''s voice was heard from the courtyard.

    Ian walked slowly towards the inside. And he came face to face with a girl with deep blue hair like the night sky.

    "Ah..." The girl dropped the basket she was holding.

    Ian looked at the girl and smiled gently. "Have you been well, Lucy?"

    "I-Ian!!!"

    The rightful owner of Talian''s domain, and the girl who stole Ian''s first kiss, Lucy Talian spread her arms and jumped into Ian''s embrace.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Lucy Talian hugged Ian with all her might, shouting, "Ian, is it really you?! It''s really you!"

    She clung to him as if afraid he''d vanish if she loosened her grip even slightly.

    Ian smiled and stroked Lucy''s hair. Lucy, who he was reuniting with after a long time, had grown even prettier. Her dark blue hair, reminiscent of the night sky, shimmered like twinkling stars, and her bright yellow eyes were wide with excitement. Though her face remained youthful, her body had developed graceful yet alluring curves. Lucy too had matured into a woman.

    Lucy gazed up at Ian with sparkling eyes for a moment. Then, in a slightly subdued voice, as if embarrassed, she said, "Ian... you''ve gotten taller."

    "So I have. You''ve gotten smaller.""Hey! I haven''t gotten smaller! You''ve just grown!"

    Ian and Lucy, looking at each other, burst outughing almost simultaneously.

    "You really came back?"

    "I promised, didn''t I? That I''d return someday."

    "You could''ve at least written a letter beforeing."

    Lucy, btedly embarrassed by her earlier behavior, led Ian''s group into Talian Hall.

    "Wait here!"

    A momentter, Lucy appeared wearing the fancy pointed hat she was so fond of.

    ''She put that thing on again.''

    To him, with his modern aesthetic sensibilities, the pointed hat looked strange no matter how many times he saw it. He briefly worried that hispanions might think Lucy was odd.

    But Ian was the only one who found the pointed hat bizarre.

    "You look very elegant, Lady Talian," Salvador said, kneeling to kiss Lucy''s hand.

    "That''s thedy of Talian...!" Maria openly praised Lucy. "You''re beautiful and dignified!"

    "..." Ian asked Kira, just in case, "Kira. Doesn''t that hat look a bit strange?"

    "Strange? How?"

    Ian felt a twinge of betrayal from Kira. Good lord. Even a former jester thought it looked fine...!

    As Lucy''s appearance took a hit, Ian felt oddly calm...

    "A bitte, but..." Lucy said, seating her guests on a long couch.

    Though it was a noble''s mansion, to Ian it felt more like visiting a vacation home. He was actually enjoying himself, having already discarded his expectations.

    "Wee to Talian!"

    "Thank you for your hospitality, mydy," Salvador spoke on behalf of the visitors.

    "We meet again, Sir Salvador the Sword Master."

    "Haha. It must be the will of heaven."

    After exchanging warm greetings with Salvador, Lucy turned with a much colder gaze. "We meet again, Professor Inn."

    "Ahem. Good to see you, Baroness."

    Inn the ''Caught Grave Robber'' couldn''t meet Lucy''s eyes...

    He had a history of getting caught trying to rob Lucy''s ancestors'' graves. He was released after paying a settlement, but somehow ended up meeting her again.

    "Has Belenka been well?"

    "Of course, Lucy."

    Lucy also exchanged greetings happily with Belenka. During their stay in Talian territory, the two had be close enough to call each other by name. Moreover, Belenka had received a secret request from Lucy.

    Lucy whispered, "If Ian happened to meet a girlfriend or something during his travels..."

    "Don''t worry, nothing like that happened."

    It was a request to stop Ian if he seemed likely to cheat, or at least tell her about it if he did.

    At Belenka''s reassuring answer, Lucy clenched her fist. "Great!"

    "Well... He did seem to form a fan club though."

    "...? Fan club?"

    Belenka silently pointed to the rest of the group. Kira and Maria. And Jubal.

    "Ian. Who are these people?" Lucy asked Ian to introduce them.

    "This is Kira, Maria, and Jubal. Kira and Maria are wizards."

    "Wizards?!" Lucy blinked as she looked over the two women.

    "Kira, daughter of Laventa. Mydy."

    "I''m Maria."

    First, the red-haired Kira. A woman with striking crimson hair, she had clean-cut features that made her a beauty. Even to Lucy, another woman, the thought ''She''s pretty!'' came to mind...

    Add to that her confident attitude and charming smile, and she exuded a powerful presence. And Kira was a wizard to boot!

    "Nice to meet you." An all too charming... woman. Lucy shook hands with Kira, feeling strangely wary.

    Then Maria. A girl with skin so pale it was almost transparent, and jet-ck hair. She hadnguid eyes.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, mydy. I''ve heard a lot about you from Brother Ian."

    "Brother Ian?!"

    "Yes. Heehee. He''s the most precious person in the world to me, who saved my life."

    ''This girl... She seems a bit dangerous?!''

    Lucy recoiled as she recognized the slightly unhinged look in Maria''s eyes. A visual that would make you 100% mistake her for an evil witch if you met her on a dark street!

    ''Scary.'' While Lucy felt a sense of rivalry towards Kira, Maria evoked a chilling fear...

    "I''m Jubal!"

    "Jubal. You should say ''mydy.''"

    "My? La? Dy?"

    Thestpanion, Jubal, was a bit slow.

    Lucy looked at Ian''spanions and thought: Ian must have had many adventures during this time... She could tell just from how he''d brought together such an ill-matched group of people.

    "I am Baron Damon! Friends!"

    "Oh my... You must be heartbroken to have lost your domain."

    "My domain is fine though?"

    Salvador assumed Baron Damon was a refugee-nobleman. After all, why else would he be staying at Talian Hall?

    Ian whispered, "That guy. He''s a bandit boss."

    "You mean he''s not a real noble?"

    "Well, he is a leader with subordinates."

    "Ha! Not so different from me then!"

    After brief introductions, Ian got down to business. He would have loved to catch up on all the conversations they''d missed. But Talian''s situation wasn''t good enough to leisurely chat.

    "Sorry to bring up serious matters right after meeting."

    "First off, Sir Salvador and I came because of the ck dragon."

    As soon as they heard the words ''ck dragon'', Lucy and Damon frowned.

    "ck dragon..."

    "The name of that cursed creature has spread!"

    Ian nodded. The ck dragon was a monster devastating the area around Talian. It was no wonder Lucy and Damon showed fear.

    "Lucy. Do you have any specific ns to deal with the ck dragon?"

    "For now... I''ve requested help from Duke Araz."

    As expected, Lucy had first informed the duke of the situation. Lucy and Duke Araz had a distant feudal rtionship, so the duke would certainly take action to protect his subordinate noble.

    "And?"

    "What do you mean, ''and''?"

    Lucy tilted her head. Ian was freshly reminded that he had returned to Talian territory. That snow-white expression...! I believe you. You truly are Lucy of Talian!

    Seeing Ian''s incredulous expression, Lucy cried out defensively, "Ian! We''re talking about a dragon! A dragon!"

    "Well... That''s true."

    "What am I supposed to do about it!"

    Lucy had reason to be upset. No matter her noble status, Lucy was just a baroness.

    She didn''t have an uber-powerful knightly order, nor did wizards reside in her domain (though she came close to having one). Moreover, dragons were monsters that even those high-and-mighty wizards recoiled from in disgust. If a dragon attacked, Talian Barony would be reduced to ashes.

    But Ian shook his head. Not being able to stop a dragon? He understood that. But there were many other things Lucy should have been handling besides that. Without going too far back, she should have dealt with the refugee problem first.

    "Lucy. Even if we can''t do anything about the dragon. We need toe up with a n for the refugees."

    "That..." Lucy said in a small voice, "I did ask other lords for help."

    Meaning she''d at least tried.

    Salvador clicked his tongue. "I''m guessing they refused."

    "Yes. They said they understood Talian''s situation, but they had to prepare for the ck dragon themselves..."

    The medieval era was a time of every man for himself. A lord wielded immense power in their domain, but conversely, they had to handle their own territory''s affairs themselves.

    Refugees are pouring into Talian? Well... Your neighbor''s plight is sad, but... Not my problem, is it?

    "Listen here, wizard Ian. I clearly advised the Baroness of Talian to drive out all the refugees..."

    At Damon''s rebuke that wasn''t quite a rebuke, Lucy hung her head.

    That''s right. The medieval solution to the refugee problem was to simply drive out all the refugees. Of course, the expelled refugees would die miserably, but... I barely have enough to eat myself. Why should I take in beggars? If you take in refugees, everyone starves to death together.

    Lucy wasn''t foolish enough to not understand that cause and effect. But.

    "Yes. I said we should take them in."

    "Ian. I just acted ording to the teachings of the scripture. I just followed the words not to ignore neighbors in difficulty..." Lucy said, almost tearfully. "I know how hard it is to live as a fugitive. Leaving a warm home to flee... It''s really tough."

    "Lucy."

    "I was lucky enough to meet you, Ian. But... not all refugees can meet someone like you!"

    "I thought I should be like you for those who''ve lost their homes!"

    Ian looked at Lucy, who was crying out tearfully. Lucy was certainly different from other nobles. She hadn''t umted knowledge or honed her martial skills. But Lucy had a pure heart. A heart that sparkled like stars in the night sky.

    "Haha."

    "Ian?"

    Ian couldn''t help butugh. He''d felt it before, but Lucy was truly a lucky person. There was always someone around to help her! Right now, Ian was that person.

    "Alright. The milk''s already been spilled. What can we do now?"

    "I''m sorry, Ian."

    Ian shook his head. "No need to apologize. Isn''t that right, old man?"

    Salvador strongly agreed, saying, "The path to heaven is naturally arduous for those without wings. The road humans take towards heaven is inherently difficult."

    "Sir Salvador..."

    "But the baroness chose the difficult path! Living out the teachings of heaven is the true life of a follower of Heaven''s Faith! On behalf of the Knights of Santiago, I pay my respects to the baroness''s courage!"

    In a sense, Lucy made a ''foolish'' decision. But there are many people in the world who can sympathize with and support that ''foolishness''. Ian was one, and so were the Knights of Santiago.

    "This might actually be for the best."

    "How is this for the best?"

    Lucy tilted her head at Ian''s words. Whatever the reason, the domain was in chaos because of the refugees. How could this situation be seen positively...

    Ian smiled and said, "Well, we''ve secured people, haven''t we?"

    "People...?"

    "Yes. Poption."

    Most domains in the Holy Empire had pathetic poption numbers. The empire''srgest city had about 70,000 people, which gives an idea of how few people there were. In an era where securing poption was difficult, they''d gathered this many people? If they could somehow handle the food problem and the ck dragon problem, Talian Barony''s poption would explode.

    "Now let''s try to turn these refugees into citizens of Talian."

    They may be a burden now, but it''s a different story if the refugees be domain residents. Ian resolved to shore up the domain''s internal affairs before the ck dragon arrived.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Ian first considered the priorities of the tasks at hand.

    "What''s the most urgent issue right now?" he asked.

    "Securing food supplies, I''d say," Belenka replied.

    No one objected.

    Currently, the Talian barony was housing a poption that exceeded its food storage limits.At this rate, they''d starve before the ck dragon even arrived.

    "I''m sure Duke Araz will help us," Lucy said, cing great expectations on the duke.

    It wasn''t an entirely baseless hope. Duke Araz was the leader of the nobles in this region, and he wasn''t the type to idly watch as a dragon reduced their territory to ashes.

    Food and troops - both were resources the duke could potentially provide.

    "But if we just sit and wait, it''ll be toote," Damon chimed in. Well-versed in the territory''s affairs, he knew Talian wouldn''tst long at this rate.

    "Ugh..." Lucy furrowed her brow.

    If they could solve the food problem, it would open up ways to utilize the surplus manpower in the territory. Lucy knew this too.

    The issue was where to get the food from. Unless some magical event urred... food wasn''t going to suddenly spring up out of nowhere, right?

    "I''ll handle the food situation somehow," Ian said casually.

    "What?" Damon found Ian''s deration utterly absurd. And for good reason... No matter how impressive a wizard might be, could they just conjure food out of thin air?

    If that were possible, wizards would''ve already taken over the world.

    Sure, wizards could summon fireballs in their hands and create whirlwinds on bare ground. But even they couldn''t make trees grow bread!

    "No, you can''t just throw that out there like it''s-" Damon began, but was interrupted.

    "Oh! Ian, my boy! You can solve this?" Salvador eximed.

    "I have some ideas worth trying," Ian replied.

    "Ho ho! Magic truly is marvelous!"

    Damon''s mind went nk for a moment at the exchange between Salvador and Ian. That old man. Doesn''t he find it suspicious that food can be solved with magic?

    Damon, still incredulous, spoke up. "If that were possible, there wouldn''t be anyone starving to death in this world..."

    "As expected of Ian! You always have a solution!" Lucy shouted, cutting Damon off.

    Damon couldn''t understand the situation. He just said, ''I''ll handle it somehow.'' Are we acting like the food problem ispletely solved already?!

    But Lucy wasn''t the only one reacting this way.

    "Certainly... if it''s Ian, it''s possible."

    "Yes. Hehe. Is there anything I can do to help?"

    Even the other wizards at the meeting were showing unlimited trust in Ian!

    Unable to speak up loudly, Damon questioned Belenka sitting next to him.

    "Hey. Knightdy."

    "What?"

    "About this wizard Ian. Does he have some secret art for summoning bread trees or something?"

    Belenka shrugged. "How should I know?"

    Shockingly, Belenka didn''t say, ''There''s no such magic!'' She was genuinely prepared to ept it if Ian summoned a bread tree.

    "That guy. He uses such oundish magic, you know," she added.

    "I gave up trying to predict Ian a long time ago."

    Ian already wielded Imperial orthodox magic, northern Arcana magic, the Heaven''s Faith''s holy arts, and even his own independently developed skill card magic. It wouldn''t be strange if he had magic to procure food.

    "Then let''s allocate our personnel," Ian concluded the meeting with those words.

    ---

    ---

    To prepare for the dragon''s attack, Ian assigned roles to various individuals.

    First, he sent Inn to the Imperial University.

    "Inn. I''m counting on you," Ian said.

    "Leave it to me!" Inn replied enthusiastically.

    Inn was tasked with bringing back wizard forces to fight against the dragon. They were likely already recruiting personnel for dragon hunting. If Inn could persuade the wizards toe to Talian territory, it would undoubtedly be a great help.

    After sending Inn off, as Ian was about to leave the territory, he remembered the surplus manpower in the domain.

    "Lucy. Wasn''t there a werewolf named Lewis in the territory?" he asked.

    "Ah! Yes! There was!" Lucy replied. "With so many outsidersing in, we temporarily evacuated him to the forest. If you go to the convent, they''ll tell you where he is."

    "Convent?" That was a new facility.

    Ian headed towards the convent as Lucy directed. There, he found a familiar nun engrossed in needlework.

    "Sister Mionia?" Ian called out.

    "Sir Ian?" she looked up, surprised.

    It was indeed Sister Mionia. In the past, while traveling with Takarion, she was the righteous nun who had warned them about the presence of an assassin. It seemed she had settled in Talian territory at Ian''s suggestion.

    "Ahem... Sister. Your attire is a bit..." Salvador frowned as soon as he saw Sister Mionia''s clothes.

    Mionia wore a self-modified nun''s habit. In other words...

    "No, what is this! That lewd nun''s outfit!" Salvador eximed.

    "U-um, I''m not a lewd nun!" Mionia protested.

    She was wearing a pretty, revealing nun''s outfit that would definitely satisfy modern aesthetic sensibilities.

    Ian couldn''t quite understand Sister Mionia''s attire. She had appeared in such clothes before too. But back then, she at least had the excuse of using feminine wiles. But now it''s just everyday life, right? Why wear such clothes on a regr basis?

    "Sister. Your clothes are very pretty," Ian said diplomatically.

    "Th-thank you..." Mionia stammered.

    "But why such an outfit?"

    Mionia''s face turned bright red, unable to utter a word.

    Ian thought he understood. Sister Mionia was simply wearing a modified nun''s habit because it looked pretty! He nodded. A designer''s taste is always avant-garde... While medieval people might be in an uproar calling it lewd, Ian could understand perfectly.

    "Just a moment..." Mionia quickly changed into a normal nun''s habit. The visual of an unlucky burqa, without a single hair exposed.

    "Phew. Now this is a proper nun''s habit," Salvador sighed, relieved.

    The Knights of Santiago smiled contentedly at Mionia''s now-proper attire.

    "Have you been well, Sister?" Ian asked.

    "Yes. Thanks to you, Sir Ian..." she replied.

    Ian nced at the mountain of fabric piled up. She must have been making clothes for the people.

    Since he had met Sister Mionia, Ian decided to ask her a favor. "Sister. Could you go somewhere for a bit?"

    "Oh. Yes. Please tell me."

    While Sister Mionia wasn''t exactly abat asset, her social position as a nun made her suitable for meeting people.

    "I''d like you to bring a wizard named Mani Kemperbell from Count Catina''s domain," Ian exined.

    The person Ian wanted to summon was none other than Mani Kemperbell. She was an outstanding botanist who had dedicated her life to exploring the mysteries of nts. With her nt magic, she should be able to rapidly grow crops. She was the perfect talent for solving the food problem.

    "It''s not difficult, but I''m not sure if I can persuade a wizard," Mionia said hesitantly.

    "Mention my name and Eredith''s names first, and if that doesn''t work, bring up the debt owed to the order," Ian instructed.

    "Understood."

    Ian assigned Dehitri to escort Mionia. "Sir Dehitri. I''m counting on you."

    "Leave it to me! In the name of the great Sky God! I will definitely seed in this mission!" Sir Dehitri eximed with sparkling, clear eyes. It was a reassuring sight that could bring tears to one''s eyes...

    Before Sister Mionia departed, Ian asked about the werewolf Lewis.

    "He''s been sent to the northern forest," she informed him.

    "Thank you, Sister."

    Ian headed towards the northern forest as Mionia had instructed. Concentrating, he could sense Lewis''s presence.

    [Lewis. Can you hear me?] Ian projected his thoughts.

    [Who is this?] came the confused reply.

    [It''s me. Your master. Lewis.]

    [!]

    Not long after, a majestic werewolf leaped out from the forest. The werewolf Lewis. Once a servant of the wicked space-time wizard Larabel, he had been subdued by Ian and now served him.

    Ian''s eyes lit up as he gazed at Lewis. Lewis had the ability tomand wolf packs.

    "I''ve been waiting for you! My master!" Lewis eximed.

    Though it had been a while since theyst met, Lewis remained as loyal as ever. He seemed to have quite enjoyed his life in Talian.

    "Lewis. We need to go hunting," Ian said.

    "Hunting, you say?" Lewis tilted his head for a moment, but soon grinned, baring his sharp teeth.

    "Hunting is my specialty, Master. I''ll catch and bring you whatever prey you desire."

    Lewis was thrilled to finally repay his debt to Ian. If he could distinguish himself in battle and capture prisoners for ransom...!

    "Very good, Lewis. Now go catch some deer," Ian instructed.

    "Is ''deer'' perhaps a code word for a young nobleman?" Lewis asked, confused.

    "What are you talking about? Don''t you know what deer are? Deer?" Ian replied, bewildered.

    Only then did Lewis realize that Ian had called him not for a war against nobles, but for actual animal hunting. Though quite disappointed... He had no intention of carrying out Ian''s orders half-heartedly.

    Lewis bowed his head and said, "I will obey yourmand, Master."

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    No matter how talented Ian was as a wizard, he didn''t know magic that could make food spring from the ground.

    If Ian''s colleagues had known, they would''ve been shocked. "What? Even Ian can''t do it? Impossible!"

    But what can''t be done, can''t be done.

    Ian was a wizard, not a god.

    Moreover, he was a young wizard who''d only recently been recognized by his master.To supplement the scarce food supply, he had to work diligently.

    ''If Mani helped, we could catch a break.''

    Ian was hoping for the help of Mani, the botanist.

    If she could make crops grow quickly, it would be a great help to the domain.

    But Mani hadn''t arrived yet, and until then, Ian had to find food somehow.

    ''Hunter Stingray... what a shame.''

    Ian licked his lips, recalling the corpse of the monster as big as a whale.

    If he could''ve dismembered and brought it back, it would''ve helped the domain''s livelihood.

    But he''d already handed Hunter Stingray over to the fishing vige people.

    The opportunity had passed.

    Ian had to rack his brains for other solutions.

    "You look worried, Master."

    Lewis asked about Ian''s well-being in fluent Imperialnguage.

    Somehow, his pronunciation seemed even better than before.

    Ian marveled anew at the actor-level enunciation that almost rivaled Kira''s.

    Why did a werewolf have such a good voice?

    "Yeah. My head''s a mess with worries about the domain."

    "Don''t worry too much. Everything will work out."

    At the naturally flowing encouragement, Ian almost shed tears of emotion.

    The werewolf Lewis was more useful than a decent human deputy.

    "Lewis. I hear outsiders tried to steal Talian''s game."

    Ian spoke, recalling what he''d heard from the bandit leader.

    In medieval times, allnd belonged to the lord.

    More precisely, the emperor lentnd to the lord, who then lent it to knights andmoners.

    Therefore, mines, rivers, forests, and other non-agriculturalnds were all the lord''s property.

    Mining, fishing in rivers, hunting in forests...

    All required the lord''s permission.

    "Oh. There have been a few such unfortunate incidents."

    Lewis nodded.

    In this era, thieves often stole from neighboring domains.

    The reason was obvious: there was no escape route in their own domain.

    If they snatched game from a neighboring domain, ran like hell, and hid behind their own lord.

    The neighboring domain''s lord had no way to punish the criminal.

    After all, the judicial rights of a domain belonged to that domain''s lord!

    Moreover, areas withx security like Talian were perfect for thieves.

    Before Lewis and Damon took charge of Talian''s security, the Talian domain was rumored to be a hotspot for thieves.

    "But Baron Damon and I dealt with all the scoundrels."

    "Has there been any apology from neighboring lords?"

    "Unfortunately, none."

    With those words, Ian''s guilt vanishedpletely.

    Right. This was the post-apocalyptic world of barbarism and chaos... no, the medieval fantasy era.

    If there was food, whoever put it in their mouth first was the owner.

    "... In my personal opinion, those scoundrels were mercenaries sent by neighboring lords..."

    "I know."

    Ian replied nonchntly.

    Thievesing suspiciously often? No end in sight no matter how many were caught?

    One couldn''t help but suspect they were sent at someone''s instigation.

    And those who sent the thieves were probably Talian''s neighboring lords.

    From their perspective, Talian''s ruin would be unconditionally good.

    How many people wouldn''t smile at a neighboring lord''s power weakening?

    Ian intended to use the same method the neighboring lords had employed.

    "Lewis. Go gather the wolves."

    "Deer hunting? Or... human hunting?"

    "Deer, of course."

    Ian had Lewismand the wolves.

    "[Awoooo!]"

    At the werewolf''s howling, wild wolves gathered.

    Ian split the gathered wolves and sent them to the forests of neighboring domains.

    "Don''t leave out a single piece of game you see, bring it all to Talian."

    "I''ll follow your orders, Master. However..."

    "What is it?"

    Lewis was ready to understand and implement Ian''s n.

    But there was one thing that bothered him.

    "If wolves steal game in an organized manner, people will certainly find it suspicious."

    "Well. I suppose they would."

    The neighboring lords weren''t fools.

    If wolves came in droves and cleaned out the forest, of course it would raise suspicion.

    "If we''re not careful, we might end up being used as ck wizards."

    Of course.

    A neighboring domain''s wizard controlling wolves to steal our domain''s game?

    From a lord''s perspective, the lid would blow off.

    And here, sending an assassin or hiring a wizard to counterattack would be an amateur''s decision.

    Because then it would be a kind of ''mutual assault''.

    The moment you responded with violence, it was treated as part of a domain war, so you couldn''t expect outside help.

    A true master''s decision would be to report the opposing wizard as a ''ck wizard'' to the order.

    ck wizards were the Heaven''s Faith order''s trigger button.

    What? A noble bes the backing of a ck wizard and steals neighboring domains'' game?

    You, emunicated!

    The moment the story reached the Pope''s ears, the emunication-beam would fly.

    Then thend''s owner (in Ian''s case, Lucy) faced a deadly dilemma.

    Acknowledge their employed wizard as a ck wizard and apologize-dogeza.

    vs. Just f*ck it and go to war with the world.

    Naturally, in 99% of cases, the story ended with just apologizing to the Pope and beheading the wizard. Massivepensation followed as a bonus.

    Therefore, what Ian was doing was, in a sense, extremely dangerous.

    Summoning itself was neutral magic, but if you attacked humans with summons, that was definitely ck wizard behavior.

    That''s the part Lewis was worried about.

    "Humans won''t acknowledge my existence, Master."

    If it became known that Ian had Lewis steal game, there would be plenty of clergy who would have fits.

    But Ianughed calmly.

    "Whatever the world says, I know you''re a devout believer of Heaven''s Faith, Lewis."

    "... Master."

    Lewis looked at Ian with impressed eyes.

    Ian was saying now that it wasn''t monsters attacking humans, but a vassal moving on his lord''s orders.

    "The important thing is storytelling, Lewis."

    "... I''m ignorant about magic, Master."

    Lewis misunderstood that Ian was talking about magic.

    But this wasn''t a magic story.

    "This is... well. A kind of public opinion war."

    "Public opinion war... that''s a difficult word."

    Ian judged so.

    No, actually, this was a public opinion war.

    A game where victory and defeat were decided by how you packaged the result of [Ian stole game].

    ''You''re going to report me as a ck wizard?''

    Ian grinned and said.

    "Lewis. Go tell Kira to write a letter and send it."

    "A letter... you say?"

    Ian nodded.

    "Yes. The recipients are Isi of [Blue Key Monastery]. And... Takarion."

    What Ian was doing did vite medieval business ethics.

    Using monsters to steal game from neighboring domains! How deserving of divine punishment!

    But separately from that, Ian had to create food somehow.

    It was unavoidable if he didn''t want to see all the refugees starve to death.

    And Ian decided to exin such circumstances well to Isi and Takarion.

    Medieval monks.

    Especially monks who published gospels could emit soft-power simr to modern media outlets.

    Ian did do something bad, but...

    How on earth could mere rural lords report Ian?

    A wizard who was friends with [Golden Finger], a popr gospel writer, no less!

    "I have many friends, Lewis. Especially when ites to Heaven''s Faith-rted matters, there are quite a few people who will help me."

    "Oh..."

    From Ian, who spoke confidently, the wizard''s intelligence seemed to be felt.

    So Lewis trusted Ian 100%.

    "Then I''ll start."

    Lewis left, leading the wolves to carry out Ian''s orders.

    Ian smiled contentedly.

    Later, when caught (which would probably happen for sure), rtions with surrounding lords would plummet.

    But what could he do?

    They had the prior offense of sending thieves first, and they were bastards who knew Talian was struggling but ignored it, so there was no need to be scared now that rtions were worsening.

    ''Then I shouldy some smoke screen.''

    Ian left his seat to prepare for wizard action.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Sam of Yurdo stared nkly at the campfire, his stomach growling.

    As Yurdo''s sole cksmith, Sam had inherited the position after his predecessor died from an infected boil. He''d simply started hammering iron the next day as if nothing had happened.

    cksmithing wasn''t a poorly paid profession. Though working with iron was harsh, cksmiths rarely went hungry. Until a few weeks ago, Sam had lived without knowing hunger.

    But when a beast with pitch-ck wings attacked the domain, Sam''s daily life shattered. Unbeknownst to him, it was a dragon named Predius.

    The dragon burned fields and ughtered people. Soldiers in te armor rushed in, only to be incinerated by the ck dragon''s mes. The Barony of Yurdo was ruined in an instant.When goblin raiders invaded the devastated domain, Sam fled without looking back. He ran for his life to the Barony of Talian.

    Sam''s ordeal had continued unabated since then.

    "Bread... Do you have any leftover bread?" he''d ask.

    "Get lost, you beggar!" was the typical response.

    Once a sessful cksmith, in Talian he was just another beggar. The people of Talian were extremely wary of refugees. Sam resented them, but also understood. After all, only priests or monks would be capable of giving alms to the flood of beggars.

    ''Anything would do... I just want to fill my stomach,'' Sam thought as he snapped a rat''s bone. He''d already eaten all the animals roaming nearby. After starving for days, he felt like eating even the dirt on the ground.

    "Hey, Sam." A refugee from Yurdo vige approached Sam discreetly. In truth, there was nothing discreet about it since they were surrounded by beggars'' hovels.

    "I''ve got something to tell only you."

    "What is it?"

    The refugee whispered as if revealing an astonishing secret. "I hear Baron Yurdo is about to make a major decision."

    "A major decision?" Sam snickered in disbelief. What kind of major decision could a noble who couldn''t stop a dragon and lost his domain make?

    But at the refugee''s next words, Sam had no choice but to get serious.

    "They say the Baron himself is going to open the granary."

    Sam''s eyes widened. There was only one ''granary'' the refugee could be referring to - Baron Talian''s warehouse!

    "How is that possible..." Sam muttered.

    "Don''t ask! The important thing is that we need the help of Yurdo people to open the warehouse!"

    Sam couldn''t help but curse.

    Baron Yurdo coveting Baron Talian''s warehouse, and the situation requiring help from Yurdo people! The two indicators clearly pointed to one thing: Rebellion. Baron Yurdo intended to seize Talian''s food warehouse by force!

    "Has Baron Yurdo gone mad? Even so, to rob Talian who took us in...!"

    "Watch your mouth! Aren''t you from Yurdo?" the refugee hissed.

    Sam fell silent.

    "We''ll all starve to death at this rate anyway!" the refugee continued. "If Baron Talian releases the food, will she feed the Talian people or the Yurdo people? Of course she''ll take care of the Talian people!"

    The prolonged hunger had made the Yurdo people lose their senses. Die of starvation or die after being driven out, dying was dying. Now that it hade to this, they''d decided to help the Baron''s rebellion and at least fill their empty stomachs!

    ''Sh*t, what should I do,'' Sam agonized, his heart wavering.

    The refugee''s persuasion was far too usible. Honestly, there was no way Baron Talian would take care of another domain''s people right now. On the other hand, if Baron Yurdo seeded in the rebellion...!

    "Come on! Decide quickly!" The refugee urged Sam.

    It was right then that another voice called out. "Hey, you fellows! What are you doing here now!"

    Sam flinched and turned his head. Had their disloyal plotting been discovered?!

    "What''s going on?"

    "This is no time to be doing this! Hurry! Come this way!"

    Confused, Sam followed the other refugee. His jaw dropped at the sight before him.

    "What... is that?"

    In a wide field, Baron Talian stood in a dress and pointed hat, her subordinates lined up behind her. At the Baron''s feet, a werewolf was kneeling.

    "A werewolf?!" Sam gasped.

    "My God... Heavens above!" someone else eximed.

    A ferocious monster like a werewolf... kneeling at a noble''s feet? It was an unbelievable sight.

    What followed was even more shocking. The young wizard standing next to the Baron shouted, his cloak fluttering. "Lord of Talian!"

    Wizard Ian pointed his staff at the werewolf. "This werewolf, moved by Heaven''s will, hase to offer tribute to you!"

    "A werewolf offering tribute!" The crowd murmured in awe.

    At Ian''s booming voice, not only the refugees but even the people of Talian had troubleing to their senses. Ian was now well-versed in speeches. The people, mesmerized by the wizard''s persuasive voice, stared nkly at Lucy and Lewis.

    "Oh! Great Lord of Talian!" As Lewis opened his mouth next, the residents were shocked once again. His voice was unexpectedly melodious for a werewolf.

    "Last night, in a dream, the Sky God whispered to me. He told me that I must lend my strength for the suffering people of Talian."

    The residents were captivated by Lewis''s honey-sweet voice and couldn''t snap out of it. As a rule, the same words sound more convincing when spoken by someone with a good voice. To the people''s eyes, it really looked like Lewis had received divine revtion ande to Talian.

    Of course, this situation was all a setup coordinated with Ian, but still.

    "Ian. What was my next line?" Lucy whispered.

    "Oh sh-- Just say their sincerity is admirable," Ian muttered back.

    Lucy, who had already forgotten her lines, shouted with a bright smile. "Your sincerity is admirable! Werewolf!"

    "Baron Talian praised the werewolf!" The crowd cheered.

    Lucy spoke in a highly excited voice. "This too must be Heaven''s will! I gratefully ept your tribute, acknowledging your efforts!"

    "I thank you for your wise decision, Lord of Talian. Heaven will surely rejoice in your decision as well," Lewis replied smoothly.

    Lewis snapped his fingers. Then an unbelievable thing happened.

    "Wow...!"

    "What''s all that!"

    Dozens of wolves appeared, herding animals as neatly as sheepdogs. They were herds of wild boars and pigs, cattle and sheep, and deer. It was obvious that butchering them would yield an enormous amount of food.

    "This is the tribute I offer to you, my lord!" Lewis shouted.

    "Waaaaaaah!" Cheers erupted, shaking the ground. cksmith Sam was one of the people shouting.

    But soon Sam regained hisposure. That was tribute offered to Baron Talian personally, not the people''s share. How much would fall to the refugees?

    As Sam was about to have such thoughts, Lucy raised her hand and dered:

    "People, listen! In these times when the evil dragon''s breath pollutes the world! Too many have suffered! But Heaven has not abandoned us! Your desperate prayers have reached Heaven! Heaven has extended a hand of encouragement through this werewolf! So in the great name of Heaven! I shall distribute this tribute fairly among you all! For that is the will of Lucy Talian!"

    Silence fell for a moment. Then even fiercer cheers erupted from everywhere. This time, cksmith Sam raised his voice too. Wow! She''s going to share the food fairly with us too! She just invoked Heaven''s name! Surely she wouldn''t lie?

    Most refugees thought so. But when someone''s voice was heard, Sam snapped to attention.

    "Baron Talian! Beware of Baron Yurdo!!!"

    ''Baron Yurdo!''

    Sam btedly realized how disastrous this situation was for Baron Yurdo. Baron Yurdo was on the verge of rebellion. Having gathered followers and even spread rumors, he had already crossed a river of no return. But a suddenly appearing werewolf had ruined all of Yurdo''s ns!

    "Huh?" Lucy let out a confused sound at the unexpected name.

    At the same time, an armored man appeared from the crowd. "Lies! Baron Talian is a liar!"

    "Baron Yurdo!" someone gasped.

    Baron Yurdo was already dressed for a life-or-death battle, wearing armor and even carrying a sword. He clearly wasn''t dressed to just meet Lucy.

    "Baron Talian has deluded a werewolf with evil magic, gathering beasts in a sacrilegious way!" he used.

    At Baron Yurdo''s majestic speech, Ian broke out in a cold sweat. That bastard had surprisingly good intuition. The Baron''s guess was somewhat true. A werewolf dreaming of the Sky God and bringing tribute? It was all made up. But they couldn''t just admit it!

    "Shut up! How dare a mere baron p his lips here!" Ian shouted back.

    "M-mere baron?" Baron Yurdo stuttered in shock. He had never heard such an insult in his life!

    "To call tribute offered in Heaven''s name sacrilegious! You must be out of your mind!" Ian continued.

    "No! I know what the truth is! Last night, God appeared in my dream and whispered to me!" Baron Yurdo shouted, pointing at Ian and Lucy. "This is the result of Baron Talian and your evil magic!"

    "Dream? Did you just say dream?" Ian was secretly relieved when Baron Yurdo started bbering about dreams. The fool had no idea what Ian had set up. He was just treating Ian as a ck wizard and spouting whatever to justify himself.

    Most things in the Middle Ages were like this. Just do something first, then attach some usible words and it would blow over. Ian didn''t know how psychologically cornered Baron Yurdo was. But he knew the man was about to charge in!

    "In ce of Heaven''s will! I shall bring divine punishment upon you..." As Baron Yurdo startedying the groundwork, Ian immediately used magic.

    "Darkness!" he incanted.

    Ian''s dark magic reached level 5. Now he could summon a bit of darkness even in broad daylight. Ian summoned a veil of darkness, concealing himself and Lucy.

    This greatly flustered Baron Yurdo. "Such evil magic again!" he cried. How cowardly to hide in the darkness! This made it difficult to kill Baron Talian!

    "Archers! Shoot Baron Talian!" Baron Yurdo called for the archers he had hidden in advance. He nned to kill Baron Talian first, then somehow cover it up by iming the Baron had plotted evil schemes. While also ruling over Talian in the process!

    Crossbow-wielding archers aimed in Lucy''s general direction. They couldn''t see due to the darkness, but figured they''d hit something if they just kept shooting.

    However, the archers didn''t know who the old man guarding Lucy''s side was.

    "You bastard!!!" The robust old man, Sword Master Salvador, roared like a lion. It was a perfect posture for a rebuke, as expected of an old man who loves martial arts novels.

    "S-shoot!" Baron Yurdo ordered nervously.

    The archers fired their crossbows as ordered. Then an amazing thing happened.

    "What utterly cowardly and vile creatures!" Salvador shouted. With a series of metallic ngs, he deflected all the iing arrows with his sword!

    "Ian. Are you alright?" Belenka asked.

    "Yeah. Thanks, Belenka," Ian replied. In fact, Belenka had performed a simr feat, but it wasn''t clearly visible as her body was half-buried in darkness.

    "Capture that madman!" Lucy ordered.

    "Ugh! Let go! You lowlifes! I am the rightful lord of Yurdo!!!" Baron Yurdo cried as Damon''s subordinates seized him, his assassination attempt having failed spectacrly.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    ''Did they really gather like this?''

    Ian thought, watching Baron Yurdo being dragged away.

    Ian had arrived in Talian after the ck dragon''s attack.

    He didn''t know the state of the nobles who''d been attacked by the ck dragon.

    Until now, he''d been busy running around providing food for refugees...Ian never imagined another noble woulde up with such an oundish n.

    ''I''ll have to tighten Lucy''s security.''

    Had he underestimated the medieval people''s reckless behavior?

    Ian thought he should strengthen Lucy''s protection while also controlling the other nobles to prevent them from causing trouble.

    Currently, nobles who had abandoned their territories and fled were staying in Talian.

    Following noble custom, Lucy had treated them as guests.

    But Baron Yurdo not only kicked Lucy''s goodwill to the curb, he''d stomped it into the gutter.

    "Wizard Ian."

    Damon, the knight in charge of Talian''s security, approached and spoke.

    "You saw clearly the mess that noble scum caused?"

    "Of course."

    Damon, who never liked nobles much to begin with, was seething at Baron Yurdo''s betrayal.

    "All nobles are like that. Greedy as hell, and not a shred of loyalty!"

    Any other time, Ian might have defended the nobles, but right now he didn''t feel like it at all.

    No matter how bad the mood in Talian was, to attempt rebellion so soon?

    He''d jokingly thought this era was post-apocalyptic, but now it felt half-serious.

    In a real post-apocalypse, human bastards were always the biggest problem.

    "Ian. I want to send a strong warning to the other nobles."

    Damon hade seeking Ian''s wisdom.

    Ian readily supported Damon''s stance.

    "Do it."

    It was advice for Lucy''s sake, but Ian also disliked nobles.

    "Given how things have turned out, sitting idle would make us look like pushovers. Let''s firmly remind them who owns thisnd."

    Lucy was a young noble, and a woman to boot.

    She had all the right conditions for other nobles to look down on her.

    But now that Baron Yurdo had royally f*cked up, Lucy had the right to express righteous anger.

    They needed to capitalize on this opportunity.

    "Baron Damon. Gather the nobles in Talian Hall."

    "I''ll do that right away!"

    Ian headed to Talian Hall with Lucy.

    ---

    ---

    "What in zes...!"

    The nobles summoned to Talian Hall were all trembling.

    They tried not to show it outwardly, but inwardly they were more frightened than anyone.

    "I never imagined Baron Yurdo would hatch such a vile scheme!"

    Baron Lantro growled through gritted teeth.

    Baron Yurdo''s domain had fallen rtively recently, and had preserved a fair amount of its strength.

    Their desire for revenge against the ck dragon and concern for their people was understandable.

    But... an assassination attempt!

    And cowardly ambushing with archers at that!

    Let''s say, for argument''s sake, that Baron Yurdo had grievances with Baron Talian over the food situation.

    If he''d at least drawn his sword and honorably challenged her to a duel, they wouldn''t feel this sense of betrayal.

    The food situation in Talian was indeed dire, and the nobles were starting to feel the pressure.

    Truth be told, the nobles didn''t much like Lucy Talian.

    She''d inherited her title through an ident, and was a young female noble.

    In peaceful times it might not matter, but in a crisis like this, Lucy Talian wasn''t exactly an inspiring leader.

    But since they''d sought refuge in Talian, they had to follow Lucy''s orders.

    The nobles could roughly guess what Baron Yurdo was thinking.

    ''The ck dragon''s bearing down on us, and you can''t even feed people or prepare properly! What the hell are you doing as a baron?''

    ''I''m doing my best...''

    ''Ugh, it''s so frustrating! I''ll do it myself!''

    ''??? You?''

    Secretly, some nobles thought Baron Yurdo might be better than Lucy.

    So even if they saw Baron Yurdo plotting something, they turned a blind eye.

    But at the critical moment, a miracle urred.

    Baron Yurdo, who''d finished his scheming, had no choice but to charge in recklessly.

    The result was, of course, aplete disaster.

    Not only did the assassination fail, but it also jeopardized the other nobles'' position.

    "... Who could have known things would turn out like this."

    Baron Bahen muttered.

    Baron Lantro found those words extremely irritating.

    "Hah! Are you defending Baron Yurdo now?"

    "No, that''s not what I meant..."

    Actually, it was.

    Baron Bahen supported Baron Yurdo more than Lucy.

    But the moment he admitted that honestly, Baron Bahen would lose his head.

    No matter how naive and innocent a maiden Baron Talian was, she must be on edge after an assassination attempt.

    "Anyway, I know nothing about this!"

    Baron Lantro boldly dered his innocence.

    He secretly thought that if he just disavowed involvement, the situation would fizzle out.

    From what he''d observed of Baron Talian so far, Lucy Talian didn''t have a particrly vicious personality.

    She had a feminine weakness, you could say.

    Baron Lantro had also prepared a suitable excuse.

    If he said, ''With the ck dragon threat looming, how can nobles fight amongst themselves!'', the faint-hearted Baron Talian would likely bury this incident.

    Baron Lantro''s analysis was surprisingly sharp.

    If Lucy had been alone, the situation would have indeed yed out that way.

    Lucy didn''t have the ruthless personality to crack down on other nobles.

    But now, Ian had returned from his journey and was by Lucy''s side.

    Ian intended to use this incident to tighten the noose around the nobles'' necks.

    "Everyone''s gathered, I see."

    The doors opened, and Ian, Damon, and Lucy entered.

    The nobles hurriedly stood and shouted.

    "Baron Talian! Are you alright?"

    "Are you injured anywhere, Baron!"

    As the nobles raised their voices, Lucy frowned slightly and took a step back.

    Ian didn''t miss this.

    He could see Lucy feeling pressured.

    He couldn''t let the nobles seize the initiative.

    Ian mmed his staff on the table and shouted.

    "Everyone lower your voices!"

    Dark shadows like mist scattered from the tip of his staff.

    The nobles gulped as they watched.

    ''A wizard...!''

    ''Baron Talian... where the hell did she find such high-level talent?''

    The nobles'' voices naturally quieted.

    A wizard had just demonstrated magic �C only a madman would keep mouthing off.

    "Ahem..."

    "We were a bit loud, weren''t we? Baron?"

    Ian smiled with satisfaction at the nobles who quickly became docile.

    Good. Now they''re in the right mindset to talk!

    "Baron. Regarding this incident..."

    "I think there must have been some misunderstanding..."

    The nobles spewed excuses as soon as Lucy took her seat.

    Damon looked at the nobles with disgust.

    How can they have so much to say when they''re all in cahoots!

    Lucy silently watched the nobles prattle on.

    She had received prior instructions from Ian.

    ''Can I really just stay quiet?''

    ''Yeah. You look pretty impressive when you keep your mouth shut.''

    ''Hehe. I do look pretty impressive, don''t I!''

    Lucy did as Ian had told her beforehand, keeping her mouth shut and ''pretending to look impressive.''

    Gradually, the nobles'' voices began to die down.

    ''... This might be more serious than we thought?''

    ''She seems really pissed off...!''

    Baron Lantro realized it might be difficult to gloss over this situation with an apology.

    And that thought was correct.

    Ian had no intention of letting the nobles off so easily.

    "You all sure have a lot to say, don''t you?"

    "...!"

    "W-What do you mean by that!"

    When Ian spoke up, the nobles were greatly flustered.

    Usually, nobles'' conversations are full of flowery rhetoric and politenguage.

    If you don''t show consideration for the other party, it could lead to bloodshed!

    But wizards were different.

    Wizards weren''t beings that could be understood with normal people''s thinking.

    If you force them to be polite, they might disappear in a huff!

    In the rtionship between wizards and nobles, the nobles were always the ones at a disadvantage.

    A wizard''s abilities were in a realm that could never be reced by knights or farmers.

    So the nobles couldn''t bring themselves to refute Ian''s blunt words.

    There was no point in arguing with a wizard anyway. They''d only end up embarrassing themselves.

    "Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to know?"

    "..."

    The nobles awkwardly nced at each other.

    Ian nodded.

    So you''re going to keep ying dumb, huh?

    Alright then, time for the next move.

    "Fine. Since you show no will to talk, let''s end the conversation here."

    "I''m sorry, but we really don''t know anything..."

    "Pack your bags and get out. All of you."

    "???"

    The nobles'' jaws dropped at Ian''s words.

    What the hell is this crazy wizard babbling about...?

    Unlike the stunned nobles, Ian continued without changing expression.

    "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack. Oh, would you prefer to leave empty-handed?"

    "W-Wait a minute! What do you mean, get out! Where are we supposed to go!"

    Ian pointed outside with his staff and said.

    "Out of Baron Talian''s domain, of course."

    "..."

    Ian stated it inly.

    This was an expulsion order.

    Only then did the nobles grasp the situation, their faces turning deathly pale.

    Baron Talian...

    She''s not just a little angry!

    "Y-You can''t do this!"

    Baron Lantro protested desperately.

    "How can you so ruthlessly drive out fellow subjects of the Empire, of the same Emperor?"

    Ian couldn''t help but snicker.

    "Oh? So it''s fine to shoot arrows at a fellow Imperial subject?"

    "...!"

    The nobles were left speechless.

    Clearly that bastard Yurdo caused the trouble, but...

    The other nobles were taking the hit!

    "Bring it."

    Ian snapped his fingers, and Maria, who had volunteered as a daily helper, appeared with a document.

    "This is..."

    The nobles let out low groans as soon as they saw the document.

    The document Ian had prepared was none other than an [Oath of Loyalty].

    "Sign it."

    The Oath of Loyalty was, as the name implied, a document in which [B] swears loyalty to [A] as a vassal.

    B fulfills the duties of a vassal to A, and in return, A fulfills the duties of a lord to B.

    Simply put, it could be seen as a feudal contract agreement.

    [Lantro, Bahen, Yurdo, and Damon shall serve the lord of Talian as their liege and fulfill their duties as vassals until they reim their estates after defeating the ck dragon.]

    "..."

    Baron Lantro let out a bitterugh.

    The nobles here couldn''t refuse Ian''s proposal.

    "Do you really have to go this far?"

    "Of course."

    Ian opened his eyes coldly and spoke.

    "Look at the result of letting you all run wild without any contract. Baron Talian even took an arrow. And you expect us to just sit back?"

    "That was Baron Yurdo acting alone..."

    "Was it really ''alone''? Is there not a single person among you who noticed Baron Yurdo''s suspicious behavior? Well. Clearly none of you thought to warn Baron Talian."

    "..."

    There was nothing they could say.

    If they pushed back any further, they''d be told to spout their bullsh*t outside the domain.

    "I''ll sign."

    "... I''ll sign too."

    The nobles epted their fate.

    They''d already lost their domains and were on the run.

    If they could defeat the ck dragon with Talian''s help... they could put up with being vassals.

    "Ah! Baron Talian! Can I sign too?"

    "Huh? Sure, if you want to?"

    The ''self-proimed'' Baron Damon also quickly signed the loyalty oath.

    Damon was the only one smiling as he signed.

    Of course he was.

    Until now he''d been a ''self-proimed'' baron, but...

    By sneaking ''Baron Damon''s domain'' into an official loyalty oath, he''d be the real owner of a backwoods estate!

    "Excellent."

    Ian grinned as he looked at the document signed by the nobles.

    Lantro, Bahen, Yurdo, Damon.

    And Talian.

    Five baronies had be amunity serving one sovereign.

    If you write this as a title...

    "Now you''d be ''Countess Talian'', I suppose."

    "Huh?"

    While Lucy tilted her head in confusion.

    The nobles rose from their seats and kissed Lucy''s hand.

    "So be it... We shall fulfill our duties as vassals until the contract ends, Countess Talian."

    "May you spill as much of the ck dragon''s blood as the loyalty we offer, Countess."

    The nobles treated Lucy as their lord without hesitation.

    They''d nearly lost their heads, but if they only had to swear loyalty to keep going, there was no reason to refuse.

    "Huuuh? Ian, am I a countess now?"

    "For God''s sake, shut your mouth Lucy."

    Though temporary, Lucy Talian had be a countess.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    After tidying up affairs with the nobles, Ian engaged in brief conversations with them in a more friendly atmosphere.

    "What are you going to do with Baron Yurdo?" one of them asked.

    "Well... we''ll have to execute him, won''t we?" Ian replied.

    In truth, there wasn''t really any other suitable option.

    The fate awaiting a failed assassin? Death, of course.None of the nobles objected to Ian''s opinion.

    Moreover, Baron Yurdo had brought pce guards for the assassination attempt.

    There was a huge difference between attacking with a sword and attacking with a bow.

    "Baron Yurdo. I didn''t think you had it in you. You''re truly a despicable man," one noblemented.

    "He brought this upon himself," another agreed.

    The nobles unanimously condemned Baron Yurdo.

    If the baron had attempted assassination with a sword, he wouldn''t have been cursed this much.

    Because... the sword was a ''weapon of honor''.

    To kill someone with a sword, you needed the ''skill'' to defeat your opponent.

    If Baron Yurdo had charged in with a sword and died because the other party couldn''t handle it?

    Ah, the opponent''s skill wascking! Their will to live was insufficient!

    That would have been the conclusion.

    It sounded crazy, but it was true.

    Sword fighting was a ''fair contest'', and the loser had an obligation to ept defeat to the winner.

    It was 100% knight''s logic.

    But bows were different.

    Bows were weapons used with the premise of killing.

    They were lethal weapons used to ''kill'' not just game, butrge monsters!

    And to shoot an arrow at... a person?

    Damn, that was too cruel!

    With a sword, there was a chance the victor might mercifully spare their opponent, but with a bow, there was no such thing - it just killed the other party.

    In other words, it was the perfect weapon for a fight to the death.

    But most nobles in the medieval period were knights or of knightly origin.

    They had trained in swordsmanship all their lives and were confident in their sword skills.

    So when they lost in a sword duel, they were prepared to ept the result.

    Thinking, "I must have beenx in my training, that''s why I lost...!"

    But if the opponent used a bow?

    You... you weren''t nning to fight me fair and square?!

    You were just after my life!

    That was why Baron Yurdo, who had targeted Lucy with a bow, found himself in a situation where no one could defend him even if they wanted to.

    "Well... since he signed the oath of loyalty, I won''t punish anyone else," Ian said.

    Knowing this, Ian had made a deal with Baron Yurdo, who was locked up in prison.

    He''d said he''d end things with just the baron if he formed a master-servant contract with Lucy.

    The baron had agreed to the deal.

    The other nobles were moved by Count Talian''s merciful decision.

    "Oh... so you''re sparing his household and knights too?" one asked in surprise.

    "Of course," Ian confirmed.

    "Count Talian is truly merciful!" another eximed.

    If he''d wanted, he could have killed everyone associated with Baron Yurdo.

    In Lucy''s domain, her word wasw.

    Even if she killed someone simply because ''they annoyed her'', it would still have been considered just.

    But Ian didn''t do that.

    "If it were me, I would''ve definitely exacted blood payment!" Baron Lantro dered.

    "It''s fortunate that Count Talian doesn''t resemble you, Baron Lantro," someone else remarked.

    Baron Lantro scratched his head, embarrassed.

    He was a typical imperial noble who acted on impulse first and cleaned up the messter.

    He belonged to the category of those whose brains had deteriorated from living like kings in their domains.

    Why think when I''m the king here? That kind of mentality.

    ''It''s better to create more debts,'' Ian thought to himself.

    Ian hadn''t spared Baron Yurdo''s family just for fun.

    If he''d killed all of the baron''s family, the inheritance of the domain would have gone to somepletely unrted person.

    Like the son of the younger brother of a cousin living in some far-off foreign country.

    Or the emperor might have reimed the domain and given it to someone else.

    Lucycked the justification to extend her hand to Baron Yurdo''s domain, so she would have had to watch helplessly as some nobody yed at being a lord.

    But by making Baron Yurdo her vassal, things became easier.

    Now Lucy and Baron Yurdo were in a lord-vassal rtionship, so she could exert influence as much as she wanted!

    "Very well, barons. Let me ry Count Talian''s message," Ian announced.

    "Speak," they urged.

    "Now that you barons have be vassals of the count, you must support the count''s war ording to the sacred contract."

    The barons fell silent.

    That was right.

    Since the barons now served Lucy as their lord, they had an obligation to support their lord''s war ording to the feudal contract.

    If their baronies had been intact, they would have had to gather soldiers and knights under Lucy''s banner.

    "B-but as you can see, we have nothing..." one baron stammered.

    However, the barons were currently beggars.

    Not in a figurative sense, but literally beggars!

    They were in a state where they were eating free meals distributed by Lucy every day!

    "I''m aware," Ian said with a gentle smile.

    "Our merciful count has decided to ept gold instead, for the sake of you who have no knights or soldiers."

    The barons remained silent.

    "Of course, you don''t have any gold on hand right now, but once you recover your domains and the economy starts moving again, you''ll repay the debt, won''t you?"

    The barons nodded glumly.

    Ian''s words were very simple.

    Lucy would defeat the dragon for them, and in return, they should pay up.

    ''The dragon will attack anyway,'' Ian thought to himself.

    Ian was certain that the ck dragon would target the Talian domain.

    There was no way that beast who had been rampaging through domains would suddenly be docile.

    Even if, at the very best, the beast was satisfied and holed up in the mountains. How could one livefortably with such a monster as a neighbor, ready to cause havoc at any time?

    "If the count defeats the ck dragon for us... we couldn''t ask for anything more," one baron admitted.

    The barons had no choice but to agree to Ian''s proposal.

    ''... Debts can be repaid eventually,'' they thought.

    ''But if we lose our domains... everything''s over!''

    The barons'' job was being a lord.

    In other words, if they weren''t lords, they were nothing.

    It was to their advantage to reim their domains even if they had to borrow Lucy''s army.

    At least they wouldn''t have to work until they died.

    "I hear Sir Ian is quite an exceptional wizard?" one noble asked.

    "My skills aren''t bad," Ian replied modestly.

    "Hmm... is that so?" the noble mused.

    When Ian replied modestly, the nobles shot him suspicious looks.

    Ian immediately corrected his tone.

    It was [Wizard Speech].

    "I say my skills aren''t bad, and you go ''Hmm~?'' Seriously?" he challenged.

    "No, that''s not what I..." the noble stammered.

    "Not what?"

    "It''s just that Ian seems somewhat modest..."

    "Modest?"

    "... I apologize, Ian."

    "You apologize?"

    The nobles fell silent, genuinely flustered.

    Seeing this, Ian nodded.

    F*cking nobles. They always acted up when you treated them well.

    It was all because of their misguided preconceptions about wizards.

    This was all because the ancient Golden Empire wizards had created weird customs like [Calling a Wizard].

    "Repeat after me. ''Ian''s magic is decent!''" Ianmanded.

    The nobles remained silent.

    "You''re not repeating?" Ian pressed.

    "I-Ian''s magic is decent...!" one noble finally stammered.

    "That''s right. My skills are just about usable. I''m a modest wizard, you see."

    The nobles were appalled by Ian''s outrageously entric manner of speaking.

    ''This crazy bastard...'' they thought.

    ''Judging by the way he talks, he must be truly skilled...!''

    The nobles thought that Ian was undoubtedly an exceptional wizard... one with an entric side that enjoyed ying at being modest.

    "Let''s end our discussion here. Count Talian said she wants to hold a celebration for the werewolves offering tribute," Ian announced.

    In truth, it was just a fancy way of saying they should ughter some animals and feed the people.

    The nobles weren''t tactless enough to shout, "A banquet? Hahaha! Go fetch the wine!"

    "We''d be delighted to attend," they agreed.

    "Excellent. Let''s head to the banquet hall."

    That day, Ian butchered the beasts Lewis had gathered to feed the people, and held a modest get-together with the nobles.

    "Long live Lucy Talian!" the people cheered.

    "Long live! Long live!"

    All to the backdrop of cheers from the domain''s people who had received meat.

    ---

    ---

    Thanks to Lewis diligently gathering beasts, everyone in the Talian domain was happy.

    The nobles, the soldiers, and the people all filled their stomachs contentedly.

    Regarding this situation, most of themoners thoughtfortably:

    ''Wow~ A werewolf received a divine revtion and offered tribute!''

    ''The Sky God is truly great! Hahaha!''

    Themoners had listened to priests preach about the doctrine of Heaven''s Faith since childhood, and no one doubted that this situation was the result of a miracle from the Sky God.

    Well, it was an inexplicable situation unless it was a miracle.

    But the nobles, who had received higher education and umted more knowledge than others, thought a bit differently.

    ''... They say it''s a miracle from the Sky God, but.''

    ''Can such afortable miracle really happen?''

    Unlike themoners, they weren''t easily swayed by the word ''miracle''.

    They were people who had ruled as sovereigns in their own domains.

    All sorts of oundish events happened in domains.

    And 99% of the time, it was humans who resolved these events.

    A miracle from God? That sounded nice.

    But God didn''t bestow miracles so easily.

    If miracles happened this easily, there wouldn''t be any humans starving to death during famines.

    Therefore, the nobles doubted the 99% reality rather than the 1% miracle.

    ''This... isn''t it the work of a wizard?'' they wondered.

    When inexplicable things happened in reality, pinpointing a wizard as the culprit was usually the right answer.

    In fact, Ian was indeed responsible for this incident.

    Using magic to control a contracted monster and plunder beasts from other domains!

    However...

    ''We can''t even ask about it,'' they realized.

    They might be suspicious, but they couldn''t outright ask Ian.

    Who in their right mind would approach that entric wizard?

    And even if he really did use magic to plunder other domains...

    What did that have to do with the barons?

    They had already pledged loyalty to Lucy anyway. There was no need to create unnecessary trouble.

    That''s how Lucy''s barons felt.

    But the nobles beyond Lucy''s sphere of influence didn''t think that way at all.

    "My lord! All the beasts in the hunting grounds... have disappeared!" a servant reported breathlessly.

    "What?" the noble eximed in disbelief.

    "We''ve lost wild oxen, mountain goats, even the sheep and pigs we were grazing!"

    "Urgh!"

    Lucy''s neighboring nobles clutched their necks and copsed.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    The nobles were furious about Ian''s theft of their game.

    They had delighted in sending people to steal Talian''s prey, but when it happened to them, the shock made their heads spin.

    "Find out who the bastard is immediately!"

    "S-should we even consider this the work of a human..."

    The neighboring nobles busily gathered evidence for prosecution.Evidence was quickly amassed.

    Organized movements ofrge wolf packs had been reported.

    Not a single noble thought, ''Ah! This must be a miracle from God!''

    "It''s a wizard! This is clearly the work of an evil ck wizard!"

    Some nobles knew about the [Golden Rule Society] said to be running rampant in the south.

    "Count! I heard a rumor that a wizard named ''Ian Eredith Raven'' was headed to the Talian domain!"

    "Eredith? You mean a disciple of Eredith the Fire Wizard?"

    "He''s quite infamous! They say he makes magic potions, controls monsters as minions, and uses dark magic!"

    Then reports came in that the beasts that had vanished from the Talian domain had reappeared.

    The nobles were certain.

    This bastard! This bastard stole my beasts!

    "I''ll ride there at once and split that bastard''s skull in two!"

    "C-calm down, Count!"

    The nobles who hadn''t lifted a finger when a neighboring domain was under dragon attack were now eager to mobilize troops at the disappearance of their game.

    "I hear the beasts went to the Talian domain of their own ord!"

    "What the... What nonsense are you spewing?"

    The priest exined earnestly.

    "A werewolf touched by the heavens received divine revtion and offered tribute..."

    "You expect me to believe that bullsh*t?!"

    The priest was at a loss.

    Such rumors had indeed spread from the Talian domain, with far too many eyewitnesses.

    This had to be verified before taking action.

    Otherwise, one would be a viin daring to defy the will of Heaven.

    Heaven had just shown a miracle, and mere humans dared to ruin it?

    There was no doubt it would cause an uproar.

    "I''ll send a letter to the Pope. I''ll say there''s someone in Talian suspected of being a ck wizard, and we intend to investigate!"

    "Good! Move as quickly as possible!"

    The priests of each domain sent letters of petition to the Pope.

    ''You''re finished now! Raven Ian!''

    And they had no doubt that permission to investigate would be granted.

    Did you think you could get away with so brazenly swiping beasts?

    However, the nobles weren''t the only ones who sent letters to the Pope...

    "Brother Takarion!"

    "Hm? What is it?"

    "A letter arrived from Talian?"

    A monk from the Blue Key Monastery.

    A certain letter had arrived for Takarion, the ''Golden Finger''.

    ---

    ---

    Takarion, who dreamed of bing Ian''s biographer someday, was imprisoned in the monastery again, writing with a dying face.

    "Why is Brother Takarion''s door open? Didn''t I tell you to nail it shut?"

    "Well... An important letter came from far away..."

    Abbot Renis tilted his head at the wide open door.

    He had locked Takarion in a small room after he returned.

    The reason was simple.

    "Ah! I have no inspiration to write! I need to go see Brother Ian''s face!"

    "What, you''re going on another trip? Then when are you going to publish the next gospel?"

    "That''s not my problem!"

    "Brother Takarion!"

    Takarion was suffering from themon writer''s agony.

    It was the pain arising from the difference between ''what I want to write and what I have to write.''

    After his northern journey, Takarion had developed a serious curiosity about the wizard Ian.

    Where and how he spent his childhood, how he became a wizard, how his current personality was formed, and so on.

    ''I''m curious! I want to know!''

    Like any writer worth their salt, Takarion had an obsessive side that fixated on useless details.

    His heart was already crying out to start research as a biographer.

    But in reality, his body was trapped in the monastery, forced to write a sequel to the gospel!

    "Argh! No fun! This is no fun! This is... this is garbage!"

    "Come now, calm down Takarion! What''s the problem now?"

    "There''s no passion in the writing! This... this is trash!"

    Takarion shouted, throwing a wad of papers.

    When forced to write a sequel while wanting to write Ian''s biography, there was no way he could be efficient.

    Ian wants a sequel to Takarion''s work too?

    Who gives a sh*t.

    Writers are selfish creatures after all.

    No matter how much money readers throw at them yelling "Hurry up and write that awesome gay erotica about Periyasus with your incredible writing skills!", if they don''t feel like it, they can''t write a single word.

    "I''m going! To Baron Talian''s domain!"

    Takarion even attempted to escape at night.

    But he was immediately caught by Isi, who had been watching with an amused smile.

    "Brother Takarion! Do you want to get assassinated again likest time?"

    "Who the hell wants to assassinate me?!"

    "There are a sh*t ton of them! My friend!"

    Renis felt his head spinning from worry about Takarion and worry about the sequel.

    He was an abbot, not a writer.

    He didn''t understand Takarion''s agony one bit.

    So he chose a coercive method without hesitation.

    "We have no choice."

    Renis took drastic measures for Takarion''s sake.

    "Lock up Brother Takarion."

    "Yes sir!"

    Renis imprisoned Takarion as naturally as water flowing downhill.

    No one taught him, yet his first thought was to imprison the writer.

    As expected, canning writers was the way to go.

    If you just lock them up and feed them sausages, writing wille out naturally!

    "Boo hoo!"

    Takarion munched on sausages with tears streaming down his face.

    He kept moving his pen non-stop, because of the promise to let him out when the sequel was finished.

    But... Takarion''s door was open now.

    "We could have just passed food through a hole!"

    As Renis shouted, Isi appeared from somewhere.

    "I told them to open it."

    "What? You, Isi?"

    Isi handed over a letter to Renis.

    There was a familiar name written on it.

    "... Ian?"

    It was a letter sent by the wizard Ian.

    [To my dear Isi. And to my brother, Takarion]

    Renis quickly skimmed through the letter.

    Though brief, it contained quite shocking content.

    "What... what is this?"

    "It''s exactly as it says."

    Isi said, crossing his arms.

    "The ck dragon turned the Araz Duchy into scorched earth. And the people who fled from the ck dragon are suffering from starvation."

    "Where the hell did this ck dragone from?"

    Takarion came running and shouted.

    "The ck dragon Predius! The monster that killed the Mountain King of the north and stole his treasure!"

    "...?"

    Renis wore an incredulous expression.

    It was the exact ''How the f*ck does this bastard know that?'' face.

    Takarion shouted, feeling wronged.

    "Didn''t I tell you I sent the Mountain King''s soul to Heaven''s side with my prayers?!"

    "Ah. You did,e to think of it. I thought it was just bullsh*t."

    "Abbot!"

    Isi waved his hand.

    "Quiet. The important thing is, Ian ''borrowed'' beasts from neighboring domains using magic."

    The letter detailed just how dire the situation in Talian was.

    Lack of food and neighboring nobles turning a blind eye. Even Duke Araz not moving...

    "I can understand the neighboring lords, but why is Duke Araz just sitting there?"

    Isi briefly recalled Duke Araz''s retainers.

    "The most likely possibility is... his retainers fighting over merits."

    "You''re saying they''re fighting over merits? In this situation?"

    Renis raised his voice in disbelief.

    Not only did he find it hard to believe, but if it were true, he would be truly disappointed in those so-called nobles.

    While countlessmoners were suffering...

    Are they really arguing over who will im the glory of being the dragon yer?

    "By the time the Duke lends his aid... Talian may have already fallen."

    Isi fully understood how desperate Ian''s situation was.

    With no allies around, the Duke''s help uncertain and who knows when it will arrive.

    The ck dragon''s threat growing, while people suffer from hunger...

    He was in no position to criticize Ian for sweeping up beasts with magic.

    But that was Isi''s opinion.

    The nobles were unlikely to see it that way.

    "But using magic to steal game from other domains... isn''t that something only ck wizards do?"

    "What nonsense is this! Abbot! How could Ian be a ck wizard?!"

    Takarion, whose life had been saved by Ian multiple times, raised his voice in shock.

    If anyone else, maybe, but Ian was definitely not someone who would be a ck wizard!

    "It seems we''ll have to help Ian."

    Isi said.

    At this rate, Ian would have to engage in a mud fight with the surrounding nobles.

    But if the monks of the Church of Heaven''s Faith''s Faith stepped in, it was a different story.

    They could grant Ian the ''legitimacy'' of his actions that no one else could!

    "I''ll send a letter to His Holiness the Pope. Takarion, you write a speech to deliver to the faithful."

    "How should I write it?"

    To Takarion''s question, Isi said with a smile.

    "Praise the Pope''s wisdom, and extol the divine work carried out in Talian."

    "...! I understand!"

    Isi and Takarion busily wrote to help Ian.

    And a few dayster.

    "Your Holiness."

    In the Papal States, far to the south of the Empire.

    Sir Leshach, the Pope''s knight, returned and presented the Pope with an armful of letters he had received en route.

    "What is this?"

    "Letters addressed to the Papal Curia."

    Sir Leshach handed the Pope one letter.

    It bore a seal in the shape of a key.

    The Pope immediately recognized that seal.

    "Oh. This is from Isi?"

    "That''s right."

    Monk Isi.

    He was a monk respected by the masses and an old friend of Cardinal Teranos.

    "What could have prompted him to write?"

    The Pope set aside the nobles'' letters and naturally opened Isi''s letter first.

    "Hmm..."

    The Pope quickly grasped the contents of the letter.

    ''A ck dragon. Conflict. And a miracle...''

    All situations beneficial to the Church of Heaven''s Faith''s Faith.

    ''We must not let the Araz Duchy be a conflict zone.''

    The frequent appearances of ck wizards in the southern Empire were already giving him a headache.

    If the Araz Duchy became a conflict zone, ck wizards might try to expand their influence.

    "Leshach. What about these?"

    "Letters sent by the nobles of Araz, Your Holiness."

    Next, the Pope read the nobles'' petitions.

    They wanted to crush some guy who looked like a ck wizard named Ian.

    ''This is troublesome.''

    It wasn''t a good look for a religious leader to allow nobles to fight amongst themselves while a ck dragon was wreaking havoc.

    This was the northern Empire, beyond the Pope''s reach anyway.

    If he could scold the nobles with a few words and establish the Church''s authority, it would be a profitable gain with little investment.

    The more the Church of Heaven''s Faith''s Faith''s image improved, the greater the Pope''s authority would grow.

    Without much deliberation, the Pope took Ian''s side.

    "Leshach. Inform the priests. The Pope is very pleased with the miracle that urred in Talian, and it is undoubtedly the work of God."

    "It shall be done, Your Holiness."

    ---

    ---

    "Ian! Ian! Did you hear the rumors?"

    "What rumors?"

    Ian, who had been checking on food and poption stats, looked at the suddenly boisterous Lucy with a sour expression.

    Hold on. Weren''t you the domain lord here?

    In fantasy novels, lords are always drowning in mountains of paperwork.

    Howe our Lucy is so carefree despite being a countess...?

    "People are calling me the blessed countess!"

    "What?"

    "And Ian, you''ve be super famous? They''re calling you the miracle wizard!"

    "???"

    Ian was genuinely curious what kind of crazy talk Lucy had been hearing.

    And when Ian stepped out into the streets-

    "Wow! It''s Lord Ian!"

    "The miracle wizard! Ian!"

    "Oh saint of coffee!"

    He nearly lost his mind at the deafening cheers of the people.

    Miracle wizard, fine, but-

    Saint of coffee? Which moron spread that kind of rumor-

    "Just one person. Come out and exin what the hell is going on."

    Then one scruffymoner jumped out and shouted.

    "The story of [The Miracle of Talian] is incredibly popr right now! Lord Wizard!"

    "... What''s that?"

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Come on, this is Talian. How can there be a story going around that the people of Talian don''t know about?

    "Well, it''s a tale spread by a monk named Takarion!"

    That bastard...!

    Ian nkly stared up at the sky.

    Above the clouds, he could almost see Takarion''s faceughing "Hahaha~".

    [Sh~! Ian! My soul brother~!]

    ''...''

    Ian couldn''t bring himself to get angry.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Ian understood the sudden spread of the [Miracle of Talian] story.

    Recently, he had sent a letter to the monks Isi and Takarion asking for help.

    The ''help'' Ian wanted was protection against attacks from neighboring nobles.

    He had wrapped it up as a miracle as a smokescreen.

    Ian didn''t expect the neighboring nobles to say, "Oh, I see. It''s truly a miracle! Hahaha!" and let it go easily.People are inherently selfish.

    They''re infinitely generous when it benefits them, but they grit their teeth andsh out at things that cause them loss.

    That''s human nature.

    ''You dare steal the game from my domain?!''

    Ian wasn''t joking - he had imagined scenarios of neighboring nobles leading armies to attack.

    The ck dragon was rampaging and the world was going to hell, but they couldn''t stand losing out personally.

    To prevent such incidents, he deliberately created the smokescreen of a [Miracle].

    Sugary lies wouldn''t be convincing enough, so he borrowed the power of the monks too.

    ''The situation seems to have wrapped up nicely.''

    Ian visited Talian''s priest and asked various questions.

    The priest warmly weed Ian and told him about the discussions within the church.

    "His Holiness was overjoyed to hear news of the miracle!"

    There were many suspicious circumstances, but none of that mattered anymore.

    Why? Because the Pope acknowledged it.

    The Pope had dered, "This is definitely a miracle!", so openly opposing it would be doubting the Pope''s authority.

    Then the church''s national-level strategic weapon, the Emunication-Beam, woulde flying.

    The nobles who had their game stolen from Ian would be cursing vehemently while looking at the Pope''s portrait.

    But what else could they do besides cursing?

    If this were the southern Empire, they might attack the papal pce out of anger.

    But this was the north, far from the Pope.

    Disobeying the Pope''s words out of anger wasn''t a profitable venture.

    In the end, all the neighboring nobles could do was hate Talian even more than before.

    But Ian wasn''t particrly afraid of threats from the nobility.

    If war broke out, Ian nned to actively lend his magic to Lucy.

    "Ian, my boy. Are you there?" Salvador called out.

    "Salvador?" Ian replied, pausing his chat with the priest.

    "Would you like to go on patrol with me?"

    Ian epted without hesitation. "Let''s go."

    ---

    ---

    The reason Ian followed Salvador wasrgely for image-making purposes.

    "Knights of Saint Santiago! The torch of the Empire!"

    "Ian the miraculous wizard! The one who revived 500 soldiers with a magic potion!"

    "???"

    Currently, Ian''s poprity in the Talian domain was through the roof.

    The reason was absurdly... Takarion. Because of the rumors that guy spread.

    [Wizard Ian befriended a faithful werewolf!]

    [Wizard Ian was extraordinary from the start. When Ian brewed coffee and offered it to the heavens, the heavens were moved and blessed the coffee!]

    [Wizard Ian can make healing potions from boiled spoon water!]

    Clearly, Ian had hoped Takarion would prevent him from being branded a ck wizard.

    His wish came true.

    No one in Talian thought of Ian as a ck wizard.

    However...

    The wish may have been granted, but...

    ''You went overboard, Takarion!''

    Takarion had packaged Ian as some kind of saint-level religious figure.

    There were so many fans of Takarion in the Empire, and Takarion himself was a master of quasi-light novels, so the situation ended up like this.

    ''For now... enjoy it!''

    Ian decided to focus on the present instead of worrying about the future.

    In fact, the image Takarion created didn''t have many downsides.

    The many refugees in Talian''s domain feared the ck dragon''s attack more than anyone.

    But if a famous wizard like Ian (famous for faith rather than magic, which was funny) was holding the line, they could feel safe and rely on him.

    Ian didn''t want the domain to fall into chaos either.

    "Waaah!"

    Apanying the Knights of Santiago, Ian waved to the refugees.

    "You''re quite popr, Ian," Salvador remarked.

    "The Knights of Santiago are too."

    The knights naturally left Talian''s domain and strolled through the fields.

    "Aaack! sh*t! Knights!"

    "Haha. Saying ''sh*t'' to your elders. What an ill-mannered fellow."

    As soon as the knights entered the fields, bandits hiding here and there popped out like grasshoppers.

    "Take this, you bastard!"

    Salvador mercilessly blew off the bandits'' heads.

    There was no point in sparing those who took advantage of the chaos to rob people.

    "C-crazy old man!"

    "Run away!"

    The Knights of Santiago chased down and wiped out the fleeing bandits to the end.

    Ian yawned as he watched the Knights of Santiago sweep away the bandits.

    Those bandit bastards.

    No matter how you looked at them, they were just beggars with attack functions...

    Why were game thieves always depicted as dashing rogues in hoods wielding daggers?

    "I didn''t even have a chance to use magic, old man," Ianmented.

    "Ah, magic would be wasted on bandit scum."

    The Knights of Santiago cleaned up around the domain like this whenever they had time.

    With so many refugees, the number of bandits naturally increased as well.

    If they didn''t clean up the surroundings like this, their forces would quickly swell.

    "I was thinking of going a bit farther today," Salvador said.

    It meant they might have to camp out.

    "I''m fine with that," Ian replied.

    "Haha. If only all wizards were half as agreeable as you, Ian my boy."

    "...?"

    Ian tilted his head at Salvador''s sudden praise.

    "Are wizards'' personalities that messed up?"

    It was a question that would have shocked Lucy''s barons if they had heard it.

    You... you''re saying that now...?!

    But Ian had never done anything particrly entric to Salvador and the Knights of Santiago (or so Ian thought).

    "Pretty much. They tend to get irritated if things don''t go exactly their way."

    "Ah. I think I know what you mean."

    Ian nodded as he recalled the wizards he had met so far.

    Wizards were all unique characters, that''s for sure.

    "I can understand those with quirky personalities like you, but I really can''t stand the ones who get irritated..."

    "??? Is my personality quirky?"

    "Well. Your taste buds are certainly unique."

    Salvador shuddered as he recalled a past memory.

    The madness of wolfing down Mani the herbalist''s special garlic soup in her hut was still vivid in his mind.

    Ian might be milderpared to other wizards, but a wizard was still a wizard.

    "Sir Salvador!" Just then, one of the knights came running and shouted.

    "I see suspicious dust clouds!"

    Ian looked towards the horizon.

    As the knight said, dust clouds could be seen rising in the distance.

    "Oberon. Go take a look."

    "Caw! I''ll be right back!"

    When Ian sent Oberon flying, the knights who were seeing him for the first time were startled.

    Wow... that crow. I thought it was just a decoration...!

    So it was a wizard''s familiar!

    A momentter, Oberon returned from scouting and reported.

    "Master! Over there, green monsters!"

    "Green monsters?"

    "Caw!"

    "There were tons of green monsters with clubs! They were chasing humans!"

    Ian frowned.

    "Salvador. It looks like travelers are being chased by a horde of orcs."

    The Knights of Santiago''s expressions darkened as well.

    Orcs were man-eating monsters that lived in groups, with physical abilities inversely proportional to their low intelligence.

    Stories of orcs kidnapping travelers and turning them into soup were verymon in the Empire.

    "Ian, my boy. Have you ever fought orcs before?"

    "No. I''ve only heard stories."

    "From your mother?"

    "Yes."

    The person who told Ian about the existence of orcs wasn''t Eredith, but his mother.

    The story of orcs turning people into soup was... usually told to children before bed.

    A kind of medieval scary story, you could say.

    It even had the moral of not wandering into deep forests on your own, so it was useful too.

    "Caw! Master!"

    "What is it?"

    "The human being chased by the monsters! It''s that olddy wizard we met before!"

    "... What?"

    Ian immediately grabbed the reins of his horse, stopping his sightseeing.

    "Sir Salvador! The person being chased right now! It''s Herbalist Mani!"

    "Is that true?"

    There was no time to hesitate. Ian rushed out with the knights.

    ''There''s so many?''

    Ian was surprised by the muchrger number of orcs than he expected as he approached the horde.

    40? 50?

    That was about the size of a force a small barony could muster!

    "Ian, my boy!" Salvador shouted.

    "A head-on battle is dangerous! There will surely be casualties!"

    Salvador usually used words like ''perilous'' or ''mortal danger'', but.

    That was just part of his speeches to boost morale, not because he was a crazy old man who actually weed casualties.

    Naturally, it was best to avoid people dying.

    No matter how strong the Knights of Santiago were, charging headlong into a horde of over 40 orcs would be insane.

    Ian chose magic without hesitation.

    He calmly surveyed his surroundings, listening for the voice of mystery.

    The gentle breeze, the quietly sleeping earth.

    Pure white clouds and thezy afternoon sunlight...

    ''Disgustingly peaceful.''

    The mysteries were focused on their own tasks, uninterested in human actions.

    It wasn''t a good day for magic.

    A less skilled wizard would cleanly give up here and exim, ''No magic today! Guess it''s not the right day~''

    But Ian was, by his own assessment, a fairly decent wizard.

    Even if the mysteries weren''t interested in humans.

    He was a wizard of the caliber that could appeal to their past friendship and draw the mysteries'' attention.

    Ian called upon his old friend.

    "[O Darkness!]"

    [Ugh. Hello? Ian?]

    [It''s a nice day! Except it''s too bright!]

    The sun was still zing in the sky.

    Dark magic was difficult to exert its full power.

    But with Ian''s level 5 dark magic, he could control darkness sufficiently even during the day.

    "[Dance!]"

    [Casting dark magic - Shadow Maniption.]

    The magic Ian chose was [Shadow Maniption].

    As Ian''s magic was cast.

    The shadows beneath the orcs'' feet began to move of their own ord, as if they had gained consciousness.

    "???"

    "W-woargh?!"

    The [Shadow Maniption] spell didn''t have functions like binding the original body or stabbing the person next to you.

    It just... made shadows move.

    But the orcs fell into mass panic at the sight they were seeing for the first time in their lives.

    My perfectly normal shadow... suddenly starts going berserk?

    If nothing else, it''s scary!

    Not knowing the cause of the moving shadows, the orcs would do their best to return the shadows to ''normal''.

    And most ''returning'' actions start with stopping whatever you''re doing.

    So the terrified orcs all froze in ce.

    They didn''t know what would happen to their shadows if they kept running!

    "Oh! As expected of Sir Ian!" one knight eximed.

    "Magic is truly wondrous!" another added.

    The ignorant knights didn''t really understand how Ian had stopped the orcs.

    But it didn''t matter.

    The fact that he causedrge-scale confusion remained unchanged.

    "Ian!!!" a familiar voice called out.

    While the orcs were flustered, the escapees joined up with the Knights of Santiago.

    It was Herbalist Mani and the knights who had gone to fetch her.

    "I''m so happy to see you I could cry! You clever boy!"

    Mani broke into a wide smile as soon as she saw Ian.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Throughout the journey back to the domain, Mani couldn''t hide her delight.

    "I thought you''d listened to that space-time wizard''s advice again!" she eximed.

    "Space-time wizard?" Ian asked, puzzled.

    It was a rather abrupt statement, but Ian nodded.

    A space-time wizard''s specialty was prophecy. Those cunning wizards could have foreseen the cmity about to befall Mani and set Ian in motion to rescue her - such a scenario was entirely possible."usible, but no," Ian replied.

    "Really? Then who sent people for me..."

    "Just a coincidence."

    Mani was slightly taken aback. She''d thought the timing of the rescue was impable. To think it wasn''t influenced by a space-time wizard!

    "Anyway, thank you," she said quickly, as if recalling unpleasant memories. "I was at a loss for what to do or where to go."

    Ian''s curiosity was piqued, so he asked, "How have you been all this time?"

    "Nothing special. Holed up in the forest, growing nts..."

    Unlike other wizards, the botanist Mani was a sedentary wizard. Her magical prowess grew in tandem with diligently tending to nts in her yard. That''s why she didn''t prefer journeys in search of mysteries.

    "When the dragon demolished the domain... I just hid well," Mani said with a shudder. In a sense, she was a survivor who had witnessed the ck dragon and lived to tell the tale.

    "Now I understand why senior wizards warned us not to confront dragons."

    "Was it strong?" Ian asked.

    "Don''t even mention it. As it crossed the sky spewing pirs of me... I thought the world was ending."

    After the ck dragon''s attack, Mani had nned to seek shelter under a suitable nobleman. But the timing went awry.

    "Orcs invaded the ruined domain," she exined.

    "Then Mani..."

    "I kept hiding, watching those bastards'' every move."

    After the dragon shattered the noble army, orc raiders crept into the void left behind. It was an extremely awkward situation for Mani. She was a wizard, not a warrior. Relying entirely on nobles for physical might, she''d have been in grave danger if orc raiders had decided toe at her in force.

    But where there''s life, there''s hope. The Santiago Knights Ian had dispatched arrived just in time. They sessfully rescued Mani while obliterating the orc reconnaissance team. They immediately returned to Talian domain, but midway, they had the bad luck of being pursued by the main orc raiding party.

    "That was a close call," Ian remarked.

    "Haha! All''s well that ends well!" Mani burst into genuinely joyousughter. She must have been that pleased by Ian''s dramatic timing.

    "But Ian," she continued, "if it wasn''t because of a space-time wizard... why did you send people for me?"

    Instead of answering honestly, Ian opted for a more diplomatic response. After all, he was about to ask Mani for a favor.

    "As the world grew more dangerous, I naturally worried about you."

    "What? Hahah! Why would you worry about me?"

    "Well, you''re my master''s friend. We even hunted a manticore together. How could I forget about you?"

    It was a smooth-talking answer, but Mani didn''t seem to mind. Ian even looked cute to her, speaking such pretty words.

    ''Eredith, you brat. You raised one disciple properly!'' Mani thought, thoroughly approving of Ian''s social graces.

    "Hehe. Let''s see the lord first, then we''ll talk," she suggested.

    "Alright. Let''s do that."

    Ian escorted Mani back to Talian domain.

    ---

    ---

    "Lucy!" Ian called out upon returning to Talian domain.

    "Lucy?" he repeated as he found her in Talian Hall. He was slightly surprised to see Lucy actually in a meeting with her vassals. Baron Damon, the priest, and even Baron Bahen were gathered, discussing something.

    Ian nearly shed tears of joy. Good heavens... to think he''d see Lucy working! Was this the joy of raising a daughter?

    "Ah! Ian! You''re back?" Lucy waved cheerfully.

    Ian introduced Mani to Lucy. "Lucy. This is Botanist Mani... you''ve met before, right?"

    "Ah!" Lucy rose from her seat in surprise. Botanist Mani and Lucy were already acquainted. Back then, Lucy had been a fugitive, but now she was the mistress of Talian.

    "I remember! We meet again! Wizard!" Lucy eximed.

    "Yes... young noble. You were just a pitiful child before. Now you''ve be quite the properdy," Mani replied.

    "Lady..." Lucy blushed, suddenly conscious of Ian. Then she noticed the gazes around her. Only Ian and Lucy knew Mani; the rest were seeing her for the first time.

    Lucy cleared her throat btedly. "Ahem! You there! Old hag looking like a beggar, watch your mouth!"

    "??? Lucy. Are you mad? Did you eat something wrong?" Ian asked, dumbfounded.

    "Stay put, Ian."

    Ian stared at Lucy, bewildered. Was she... doing [Calling a Wizard] now? Lucy and Mani knew each other, but the other nobles didn''t know Mani. Lucy had begun Calling a Wizard for their sake. But to Ian, this looked more like utter nonsense. Couldn''t she just make a normal introduction? These imperial folks sure were barbaric.

    Ian nced at Mani, just in case. Surprisingly, Mani was smirking as if amused.

    "Well. I do look like a beggar," she admitted.

    "Hmm..."

    "But it''s quite funny to see an unmarried virgin putting on airs. Why don''t you sit a husband next to you before you start yapping?"

    "Hu-husband..." Lucy turned to Ian with a beet-red face.

    Damon, the priest, and even Baron Bahen shifted their gaze to Ian.

    "Why are you looking at me?" Ian asked.

    "Well, since Count Talian was looking..." Baron Bahen replied.

    Ian chuckled, and Lucy shouted, "M-marriage is my business! You nasty old hag! Hurry up and show us some magic!"

    "Hahah! As you wish!" Mani, who had subdued Lucy with a single retort, was indeed a seasoned wizard.

    Mani ced a pottery filled with soil on the table. "Grow!" she shouted in the magicalnguage. Fresh sprouts poked their heads through the soil. The nobles apuded in unison at the wondrous sight.

    Mani dered triumphantly, "See? I''m not just any beggar, right?"

    "Of course not. Botanist Mani. The mistress of Talian wees your visit," Ian said, pulling out a chair for Mani. The wizards naturally joined the meeting.

    "So. What were you discussing?" Ian asked.

    "Oh! Listen, Ian! It''s incredible news!" Lucy shouted, her tone excited.

    Judging by her voice alone, it seemed far from ordinary news.

    "What''s got you so worked up?" Ian asked.

    "It''s news from Duke Araz, Lord Ian," Baron Bahen exined. "The army of Margrave Haltramm has repelled the ck dragon."

    "???" Ian was shocked, or rather, bbergasted. The ck dragon''s movements had been quiettely, but... What? It invaded the Margrave''snd? And even lost?

    "Is this true?" Ian asked, incredulous.

    "Duke Araz announced it officially. It''s undoubtedly true."

    Ian was stunned for a while but had to ept reality. It was somewhat absurd, but what could he do? The world always turns in unexpected and arbitrary ways, doesn''t it?

    ''Even mighty dragons are beasts in the end,'' Ian thought. He could picture how the ck dragon was defeated. Puffed up after crushing a few easy baronies, it stuck its head into the Margrave''snd and got a beating before fleeing.

    "As expected of the Northern Margrave," Ian nodded. It was a genre convention for Margraves to be formidable in medieval fantasies.

    "And the Margrave inflicted a mortal wound on the dragon!" Lucy added excitedly.

    "Oh. How bad?" Ian asked.

    "They say he punched a hole in its jaw? With a long spear stuck in it!"

    Indeed. A hole punched through the jaw would certainly be a severe injury. Ian had to admit it. The Margrave really did repel the dragon, didn''t he?

    Right at that moment, Mani spoke up. "Wait a minute. That''s a bit strange."

    "What do you mean, strange?" Baron Bahen asked.

    Mani scratched her chin and spoke slowly. "I saw the dragon too, you know... That beast. It already had a wound on its jaw."

    "... What are you saying, wizard?" Baron Bahen blinked in confusion.

    Margrave Haltramm wounded the dragon. Yet Mani imed she saw the wound first?

    "Are you sure you didn''t see wrong?" the Baron pressed.

    "No. I''m certain. There was a spear stuck in that monster''s jaw. There''s no way I could have mistaken that."

    Ian quickly asked, "Baron Bahen. So what exactly did Duke Araz say?"

    Baron Bahen spoke with a sour expression. "Since Margrave Haltramm repelled the dragon... he''s setting off on an expedition to the Golden Mountains to finish it off..."

    Ian organized his thoughts. Right now, the chances of Mani lying were infinitesimally small. She was a wizard who had directly experienced and survived the ck dragon''s attack. The ck dragon originally had a wound on its jaw. Then...

    "Duke Araz," Ian began.

    "Yes?"

    "Isn''t he bullshitting his vassals right now?"

    The conclusion was that Duke Araz was lying.

    "No way! Ian! The dragon was definitely repelled by Margrave Haltramm! The rumors are spreading like wildfire!" Lucy protested.

    "Then the part about inflicting a mortal wound must be a lie," Ian reasoned.

    No one refuted Ian''s words. If so, the answer was this: Margrave Haltramm did repel the ck dragon. But he didn''t inflict a mortal wound. And the Margrave and the Duke would climb the Golden Mountains to hunt the dragon...

    ''What''s going on?'' Ian wondered. There was something he didn''t know. He needed more clues to see the big picture.

    "Ah. So Ian..." Lucy spoke in a much lower voice. "Since the dragon will be hunted soon... they say they can''t provide any support..."

    It was bad news for Talian domain.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Ian let out a dry chuckle. He couldn''t believe it.

    ''I knew it. Those damn nobles.''

    Even though they were bound within the confines of the Holy Empire, nobles fundamentally adhered to the principle of every man for himself. Lords were expected to resolve issues that arose in their own domains. Even between a monarch and vassal bound by feudal contract, a request could be refused if deemed inappropriate.

    Here, an ''appropriate request'' meant one that benefited oneself.

    Duke Araz had clearly concluded that it was fine for Talian to starve. After all, when a vassal''s power weakens, the lord''s power grows stronger byparison.''And yet they want to hoard the dragon for themselves, is that it?''

    Dragons were undoubtedly terrifying monsters, but sessfully hunting one could yield enormous profits. For one, dragons had a habit of hoarding treasure. Just look at how the ck dragon Predius murdered the Mountain King and stole his treasure.

    ying a dragon meant acquiring the vast hoard of riches it had amassed. Not to mention the dragon''s blood, meat, hide, and bones could all be put to use. As a bonus, the glorious title of [Dragon yer] came along with it.

    It was understandable why Duke Araz''s eyes had rolled back in greed.

    "...The way they''re treating their vassals isplete bullsh*t though," Ian muttered.

    The other nobles tacitly agreed with his sentiment. No matter what, this was a vassal''s plea for help. When a vassal bound by feudal contract was desperately sending out an SOS, to ignore that and go dragon hunting instead? Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, it was despicable at the very least.

    "Looks like you''ll have to go see the Duke yourself, Lucy."

    "...Me?!" Lucy''s eyes widened in surprise, but Ian ignored her.

    It seemed that sending some country baron''sckey had resulted in being ignored. If Lucy went up there to petition in person, the Duke wouldn''t be able topletely disregard her.

    "Good timing. You can see the Duke''s face while you''re at it. Pretend to be chummy and all that."

    In the past it wouldn''t have mattered, but now Lucy needed to acquaint herself with the nobility. She even had vassals under temporary contract. She needed to make her face known in advance to avoid issues when managing her domainter.

    "I was thinking I''d have to meet the Duke at some point, but..." Lucy seemed a bit scared.

    In truth, Lucy''s fate was quite twisted, if you thought about it. Her parents were murdered by her former fianc��, she became a fugitive, then ended up bing the ruler of a domain with someone else''s help. On top of that, she wound up with other barons as her vassals because of the dragon.

    Lucy hadn''t been educated on how to be a ruler. But ready or not, she had be the representative for Talian and its vassals.

    Ian lightly patted Lucy''s shoulder. "Don''t stress too much. I''ll go up there with you."

    "...Really? You''lle with me, Ian?"

    Ian nodded. Of course he had no intention of sending Lucy alone. Who knew what kind of ident might happen there. Plus, if he yed his cards right, he might be able to weasel his way into the dragon hunt.

    ''I''ve got a bad feeling about this though.''

    Ian wasn''t too keen on joining the dragon hunt. The rumors from outside were too strange. The sudden news of the dragon being repelled was odd enough. The rumor that some Margrave had dealt a fatal blow to the ck dragon reeked of fabrication.

    For now, his primary goal was to squeeze some resources out of the Duke.

    "Yeah. Let''s go see the Duke."

    Lucy looked up at Ian''s face as she spoke. On her own, she would never have been able to leave her domain. But with Ian by her side, Lucy could set out on a journey without hesitation.

    ---

    ---

    "The Duke wants to hunt the dragon, you say?"

    "That''s what I hear."

    Upon hearing the news Ian brought, Salvador and the Knights of Santiago reacted with disbelief. And rightfully so. After the Margrave of Haltramm had repelled the dragon, now they wanted to go hunting? Anyone could see their tant intention to steal the kill!

    "...My apologies, Ian. We must hurry to the Duke."

    Salvador apologized, but Ian didn''t mind at all. These people came to y the dragon from the start anyway. They only helped out briefly because Talian was in shambles. Since they were knights, not mercenaries, there was no reason to hold them back. If anything, Ian was grateful they had fought for free up till now.

    "Lucy and I were nning to go up there too."

    "You as well?"

    "The Duke says he can''t help Talian because he has to hunt the dragon."

    At Ian''s words, the Knights of Santiago could not hide their anger.

    "Is that not too shameless?"

    "To ignore starving citizens and chase after glory right in front of them..."

    "What a foolish bastard!"

    Ian tried to calm the knights as he spoke. "I n to bolster Talian''s food supplies a bit before setting out with Lucy."

    "Bolster the food supplies, you say? How?"

    The knights blinked in confusion, unable to understand Ian''s words. The idea of increasing non-existent food supplies was nonsensical by their standards. In fact, it was nonsense. In the medieval era with its pathetic food production capabilities, how could one possibly increase food supplies?

    But Ian was a wizard. The power to make the impossible possible. That is magic.

    "I intend to borrow Mani''s power a bit."

    Some knights still looked confused, but Salvador understood Ian''s meaning. He was a knight familiar with magic.

    "Then we''ll wait until you''ve finished your work."

    "Thank you, Sir Salvador."

    It was for the sake of the starving people. The Knights of Santiago offered their support, saying they would wait until Ian''s work wasplete. Ian expressed his gratitude and went to meet Mani.

    "Mani!"

    Mani was leisurely brewing coffee and enjoying tea time with Ian''spanions. A true wizard''s nonchnce.

    "I heard. You''re going to meet the Duke?"

    "Want toe along, Mani?"

    "Oh my. I detest such troublesome affairs!"

    As expected, Mani had no interest in meeting nobles. Instead, she observed the aspiring young wizards before her with fascination. Kira met Mani''s gaze with a rxed smile (100% fake), while Maria looked on indifferently.

    Ian quickly grasped what Mani had chosen as a conversation topic.

    "Who has talent for botany?"

    Mani must have been assessing the potential of the two fledgling wizards.

    His guess proved correct as Mani answered with a smile. "No! That one is favored by fire, so nts dislike her. And that one doesn''t seem particrly interested in other types of magic."

    Mani spoke without any particr emotion. It was perfectly normal for a wizard to specialize in just one type of magic. The more attention one receives from the mysteries, the more powerful a wizard one bes. And as one works as a wizard, it naturally bes clear which mysteries favor them. Of course they would grow closer to the mysteries that show affection first!

    In that sense, Ian was an extremely odd fellow. He wasn''t the capybara of the wizarding world or anything. How on earth did he manage to be on good terms with all sorts of mysteries?

    "Mani. I have a favor to ask."

    "I know, you brat. You want me to make the crops grow, right?"

    Ian nodded. That was a request Mani had more or less anticipated. She couldn''t have failed to notice since setting foot in Talian.

    "I''d like you to rapidly grow the crops nted in the fields."

    No sooner had Ian finished speaking than Mani let out a deep sigh. Make the crops grow. This was the most burdensome request one could make of a botanist.

    "Ian. I asked these kids earlier, but..."

    "?"

    "What do you think farming is?"

    Ian pondered for a moment. Answering by medieval standards, the answer would be [food replication]. You nt one grain of wheat in a field, and next year it''s grown into bundles, right? Wow! Food gets replicated! Y''all better nt quickly!

    Naturally, medieval people didn''t have profound philosophies about farming. At most, it was an act you''d starve to death without? Like it or not, they had to do it anyway, so there was no reason to think deeply about it.

    ''But that''s a wizard''s question.''

    However, Mani was a wizard. Unlike farmers, she was part of the medieval privileged ss who didn''t need to struggle with farming just to survive. When life affords you leisure, idle thoughts tend to arise. Mani likely had far more opportunity than medieval farmers to seriously contemte the concept of [farming].

    ''It''s not a theological question...''

    If the correct answer was something like [It''s the process of heaven''s grace blossoming on earth!], Mani would have be a cleric long ago.

    Probably a somewhat more scientific answer. Ian''s science-brain began to slowly turn. With the addition of a wizard''s unique artistic sensibility, of course.

    "I suppose it''s the exploitation of nts for human benefit."

    "Oh ho?"

    Kira, who had been listening, was startled. Ian''s answer was... so incredibly wizard-like! Even the words were unfamiliar.

    ''nt exploitation? What''s that?''

    It was a notion that Kira and Maria, true medievalmoners, could never have conceived. No, it was a bold concept that one couldn''te up with without proper education as a botanist.

    Kira was genuinely impressed. As expected, a properly trained wizard is different!

    At the same time, Mani was impressed for a different reason. While botanists naturally develop feelings of care and love for nts, generally, (medieval) people didn''t particrly value nts. Well... unlike animals, nts show no reaction when abused! People who cherish animals but not nts are rare.

    "Exin in detail. How are nts exploited?"

    That''s why Ian''s answer was music to Mani''s ears. Ian was already treating nts as if they had personhood. An open-mindedness difficult to possess without being a botanist!

    "Well, nts are living things too, aren''t they?"

    Ian was someone who had lived in modern civilization where PC culture runs rampant. It''s a ce teeming with vegetarians who can''t eat meat because they feel sorry for animals. Of course there were people who felt sorry for nts. Especially science students who received education on "research ethics" to prevent them from acting like mad scientists.

    "They grow densely in cramped plots ofnd. Humans selectively breed their seeds. Being cut and chopped up for better production is their daily life."

    The issue of nt ethics isn''t addressed as actively as animal ethics. People understand. Animals are pitiful when killed, but nts are not. However, nt ethics undeniably exist.

    Ian dredged up old memories to exin the act of [farming]. To medieval people, it would have sounded like nothing but madness. What? You feel sorry for nts growing densely in fields? I, who dig up roots to eat when crops fail, am a hundred times more pitiful! You bastard!

    But Ian''s exnation struck a chord with Mani.

    "...100 points."

    "Pardon?"

    "A perfect score, Ian. Someone like you should be learning botany!"

    "..."

    In Mani''s view, Ian was clearly someone who [understood the hearts of nts]. He was more than qualified to befriend the mysteries of nts.

    "Follow me, Ian! I''ll teach you the magic of [Rapid Growth]!"

    "Oh."

    Mani happily decided to show Ian her magic. Ian followed Mani towards the wheat fields.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    As Mani and Ian headed towards the wheat field, a crowd of onlookers followed them like a cloud.

    A wizard''s magic was always a spectacle, no matter where it was performed.

    And if it was the magic of a famous wizard, even more so!

    "To think Lord Ian himself will use magic...!"

    "I wonder how amazing it will be!"While the people of Talian were simply filled with ordinary excitement, Ian found the situation quite burdensome.

    ''Please don''t expect too much...!''

    nt magic was new to Ian as well.

    Moreover, nt magic was famous for being a skill that only those born with special talents could properly learn.

    If just anyone could handle nt magic, spices like pepper wouldn''t be as valuable as they were now.

    Mani drove the final nail into Ian''s anxiety.

    "As you''ve probably noticed, nt magic is difficult."

    Mani said, stroking the sprouting wheat.

    "Communicating with the mysteries of nts isn''t hard in itself. But persuading them is a different matter entirely."

    "When you say persuading..."

    Mani quietly pointed to a seedling.

    "For example. Let''s say we try to rapidly grow this with nt magic. How would you persuade the mystery of the nt?"

    "... By saying ''Please grow quickly?''"

    Ian gave an intuitive answer.

    It was a predictable response, which was why Mani chuckled.

    "Think about it the other way around. If someone asked you, ''Please age quickly for me~'', would you be able to grant that request?"

    "..."

    Ian''s expression turned serious.

    It might sound nice to ask someone to age quickly, but wasn''t it basically the same as asking them to die?

    "That''s impossible."

    Only then did Ian understand why nt magic was such a difficult form of magic.

    Rapidly growing a nt meant using up that much of the nt''s time.

    Unless one had a considerable affinity with nts, nt magic was a high-difficulty magic that was difficult to even seed at.

    "That''s right. Asking them to grow quickly is extremely difficult. That''s why nt wizards practice by carefully nurturing seedlings from a young age."

    This process wasmonly described as ''building a bond with the nt.''

    The nt that was cared for from a seedling would grow and bear seeds.

    If those seeds were nted and grown again, the nt would graduallye to trust the wizard.

    Even if I grow quickly, the wizard will take care of my seeds - that kind of trust would build up.

    Of course, this wasn''t a process that could bepleted in just a day or two.

    It was a long process that could take anywhere from a few years to decades.

    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that nt magic required dedicating one''s life to learn.

    "If I were to grow this entire wheat field by myself... I might not be able to use nt magic again until the day I die."

    Mani was a nt wizard skilled enough to forcibly grow nts by borrowing the power of mystery.

    But if she forced the nts to grow, she would lose her nt magic ability as a price for incurring the nts'' hatred.

    The duration of the penalty would be... probably for life.

    "Mani..."

    "Well, it can''t be helped. It''s better to give up magic than to let people starve to death by hoarding it. Hehehe."

    Mani let out a sinisterugh like a witch.

    "Ian. Make sure you tell your sweetheartter. Tell her to take good care of one cranky old woman."

    "... But I''m single."

    "Ah, that''s why I said tell herter!"

    It was a mischievous joke.

    Mani spread her arms wide and shouted.

    "[O mystery of nts!]"

    Soon, the freshly sprouted seedlings were heard whispering as if singing.

    [A friend of our kind hase?]

    [The nts wee your visit! wizard!]

    As soon asmunication was established, the wheat seedlings immediately vented theirints to Mani.

    [It''s too cramped here! So stuffy!]

    [I want to drink nutrients, but the guy next to me is in the way!]

    [Even my ancestor''s ancestor couldn''t escape from here. Get me out of here! wizard!]

    Mani nudged Ian slightly.

    "Can you hear them? Ian?"

    "Yes. They seem to be very angry friends."

    nt wizards didn''t particrly like the act of [farming] itself, precisely because of theseints from nts.

    Cramming nts into a small plot ofnd and squeezing out nutrients until the soil''s fertility was gone!

    That''s why even if a lord ordered a nt wizard to e and help with the farming~'', nt wizards would neatly ignore such orders.

    How could a wizard who understood the hearts of nts lend a hand to farming!

    "[nts! I''m sorry! I apologize to you on behalf of humans!]"

    Mani began to soothe the nts with skillful expertise.

    Perhaps because she had spent her entire life apologizing, her skill at cating nts was surprisingly polished.

    [Well... since you put it that way...]

    [So why did youe? Human?]

    Mani coaxed and persuaded the nts in a calm, logical tone.

    While she was extremely difficult when dealing with humans, her tone was as gentle as a kindergarten teacher when addressing nts.

    ''Hm. I believe it. Mani really is a nt wizard.''

    Ian nodded, newly impressed.

    Mani was a nt wizard who had reached a level Ian couldn''t hope to imitate.

    While preparing her magic, Mani kept ncing at Ian.

    ''Are you watching closely? Kid?''

    Mani revealed her conversation process to Ian without hiding anything, intending to teach him magic.

    She was demonstrating [This is how you handle nts!] in person.

    Of course, she didn''t expect Ian to master everything after seeing it just once.

    But with Ian''s talent, she was confident he couldy the foundations of the magic by raising a few small nts.

    [So you want us to grow quickly?]

    "[I beg you, friends. For the sake of our friendship.]"

    [If that''s the case... I guess we have no choice.]

    After persistent persuasion, the wheat seedlings agreed to Mani''s request.

    When the magic was ready, Mani shouted loudly.

    "[Wheat! Grow!]"

    "...!"

    Then an amazing thing happened.

    The wheat seedlings growing all over the field suddenly grew as if time had been fast-forwarded!

    "W-What! What''s that!"

    "The wheat...! It''s all grown!"

    The people who had gathered to see the wizard''s wondrous magic were shocked to see Mani''s nt magic.

    And for good reason, as most of the spectators were farmers.

    Well, most people in medieval times were farmers anyway.

    That''s why the farmers couldn''t help but be amazed at how incredible Mani''s magic was.

    How could they not be astonished to see nts growing instantly, transcending seasons and time!

    "Bread! We can make bread!"

    Beyond the magic itself, the farmers focused on the fact that the wheat had grown to a harvestable level.

    Just now, Mani had partially solved Talian''s food problem with her magic!

    ''So that''s a wizard!''

    ''No wonder the noble lords go crazy over them!''

    The farmers were genuinely impressed.

    Knights wielded swords, and priests preached the word of God. That''s how farmers understood the greatness of knights and priests.

    But wizards were a bit vague.

    It wasn''t easy to actually witness magic, you see.

    They only vaguely knew that nobles were crazy about it.

    They didn''t really know why...

    But the magic they witnessed in person was awe-inspiring.

    At a level that could instantly solve the hunger in the domain!

    "Kekeke... Did you see that? Ian?"

    Mani showed off her achievement with a wearyugh.

    As a result of making an unreasonable request to the wheat, her magical ability had permanently decreased, but...

    She was satisfied with her decision to feed the hungry.

    "I saw it clearly."

    "Then go and try it yourself."

    "... Pardon?"

    Ian was slightly taken aback, but he moved as Mani instructed.

    Whether it worked or not, it was better to try the magic.

    He didn''t like the idea of dumping all the burden on Mani.

    ''Hehehe. It won''t be easy.''

    Mani grinned as she watched Ian''s retreating back.

    ''But I''m rooting for you. Young wizard.''

    Ian was a wizard who understood the hearts of nts to some extent.

    He won''t make aplete mess of it, Mani predicted.

    ''Understand the hearts of nts! Ian!''

    Ian slowly moved to another wheat field.

    ---

    ---

    ''Well, I came because she told me to...''

    Although Mani had demonstrated the [Rapid Growth] magic, Ian didn''t even dare to attempt to replicate it.

    That was only natural.

    How could a wizard who was just trying nt magic for the first time produce the same results as a master!

    "Ahem."

    Ian squatted down in the wheat field and cleared his throat.

    "Ah, seedling. Can you hear my voice?"

    ... Doing this made him look like aplete lunatic.

    Mom! There''s someone talking to nts over there~!

    Oh my, hush hush!

    [What do you want? You?]

    After a while, the nt responded to Ian''s will and spoke to him.

    Communication was OK for now.

    But because his skill level was so low, the nt was extremely curt.

    ''Maybe I should invest some skill points.''

    Ian used up his skill points to raise his nt magic level.

    Since he had decided to try nt magic anyway, it would be nice if it seeded.

    "[Hello? I''m Ian the wizard.]"

    Ian imitated Mani, using the gentlest voice he could muster.

    The seedling immediately responded.

    [Get lost!]

    "..."

    This was strange. When Mani spoke like this, she got a kind response.

    It was clearly discrimination against people.

    Ian felt a bit dejected.

    Challenging a new school of magic was always difficult. There was a reason why wizards honed just one specialty.

    [I don''t talk to filthy nt-murderers!]

    Strong hostility could be felt from the seedling.

    It seemed to have quite a lot of pent-up resentment against farmers.

    "[nt murderer?]"

    [That''s right! You humans trample, cut, and uproot our kind at will just because we can''t fight back!]

    "[...]"

    [The years of cruel oppression have left deep scars in our hearts! You humans should wake up and repent for your sins!!!]

    As the agitator seedling shouted, the surrounding seedlings chimed in.

    [Wake up!]

    [Wake up!]

    "..."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Come on, what kind of nts demand that humans wake up?

    ''... Huh?''

    Then Ian tilted his head in puzzlement.

    Medieval people would find it hard to understand the attitude of such nts.

    This was a society with a rigid ss system, and the sight of peasants protesting(?) against nobles was unimaginable.

    But Ian recalled the free (or chaotic)bor market of modern times.

    The modern era where protesting and overthrowing were everyday urrences!

    Thinking about that made the nts seem much more rtable.

    ... Somehow, he felt like he could understand their hearts.

    ''Mani would have apologized here.''

    Ian thought.

    Manipleted her magic by apologizing to the nts and proving her sincerity.

    But Ian could never use the same method.

    That was a method only Mani could use because of her bond with nts.

    ''I need a different approach.''

    Ian first tried the medieval solution.

    Religion!

    "[If I may ask as a brother of faith...]"

    [Woo! Don''t talk about faith! God just stands there! Standing aloof with hands behind his back, ignoring the suffering on earth!]

    Wow... Aren''t they afraid of divine punishment?!

    Ian was shocked at the seedling''s reckless outburst.

    These crazy nts weren''t even afraid of the Sky God.

    [We are not ves! Send us back to nature!]

    [Send us back!]

    "..."

    Ian grew tired of the nts screaming and demanding freedom.

    Huh? You guys grew up on a farm, so you don''t know howfortable it is here?

    Go out into the wild. It''s a living hell out there.

    The humans are feeding you, but you don''t even appreciate it...!

    "?"

    Having thought that far, Ian tilted his head again.

    His thoughts felt... somehow very wrong!

    It felt like the greasy excuse of an exploitative bourgeois member of the establishment...

    "Ah."

    And then Ian realized.

    He realized what he could offer these nts.

    A gentle and sincere approach like Mani''s was impossible for Ian. He had never trained as a nt wizard.

    But wizard-like behavior was entirely possible.

    The only things Ian had gained from his activities as a wizard were his voice and ability to incite.

    So Ian decided.

    Together with those disgruntled nts...

    To trash talk humans, the establishment, together!

    If he sympathized with them by thoroughly badmouthing humans, he might gain their empathy!

    "[I hear your story and understand well.]"

    [???]

    The seedlings, who had been shouting ''Wake up!'', were a bit taken aback when Ian suddenly expressed sympathy.

    How could a human understand the heart of a nt-ve?

    However, what came out of Ian''s mouth wasn''t just sweet sympathy.

    "[You''re all a bunch of garbage full ofints!]"

    [!!!]

    A shocking insult.

    The seedlings unanimously became enraged.

    [How dare you...! What do you know!]

    [I knew it was a mistake to talk to a farm human!]

    But at Ian''s next words, the nts were struck dumb.

    "[I can''t hear thezy voices of those bound in chains!]"

    [W-What did you say?!]

    "[You, seedlings! Have you not even considered breaking your own chains and throwing off the shackles of very!]"

    [!!!]

    Shock and astonishment swept through the seedlings.

    Ian seized the opportunity and shouted as if driving them on.

    "[That''s right! I too have beenmenting the exploitation of nts by the bourgeois... I mean! The human-farm owners! nts! Now is the time to rise up!]"

    Ian had never once considered overthrowing the medieval ss system and liberating the ves.

    He was a wizard who sucked on the honey of the ss system himself, so why would he start a revolution?

    But he could use that concept for incitement.

    "[It''s a nt revolution!]"

    [R-Revolution!!!]

    The seedlings stared nkly up at Ian.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    All humans go through puberty as they grow up.

    It''s often called the storm and stress period, but it could also be described as a time without retreat.

    Why was there no retreat?

    Because humans in their adolescence were strangely unaware of others'' gazes.

    The atrocious ideas that a young child couldn''t even imagine.The acts that an adult wouldn''t daremit due to others'' eyes.

    Humans around middle and high school age could all too easily engage in terrible behavior.

    Ian, too, had gone through puberty in his previous life.

    The chuunibyou syndrome Ian suffered from at that time was...

    [Socialist Revolution].

    ''Behold the filthy modern civilization where capital value overwhelmsbor value! All inequality in the world stems from the unfair redistribution of wealth!''

    ''The only way to overturn this rotten capitalist society is through a red revolution!''

    ''Workers of the world, unite!''

    During his middle school days, Ian was a fashionmunist who read Marx''s Das Kapital and wore Che Guevara t-shirts.

    Think he sounds like a lunatic?

    Teenagers with chuunibyou syndrome are indeed lunatics.

    It was to the point where Ian''s friends seriously considered reporting him to the National Intelligence Service.

    ''To report a spy? Just dial 111.''

    Ian nodded, recalling his (nostalgic?) old memories.

    Thanks to his friends teasing him so much, Ian had even memorized the spy reporting number.

    Anyway.

    It wasn''t until he became an adult that, like Adam eating the forbidden fruit, he realized how embarrassing his actions had been back then.

    But those memories served as an opportunity to understand, albeit superficially, what a socialist revolution was all about.

    If Ian hadn''tpletely cured his chuunibyou syndrome, he might have raised a red tide here in this medieval fantasy world.

    [R-Revolution? What''s a revolution!]

    A fresh green wheat seedling asked Ian.

    Somehow, in nt-years, it felt like it might be around middle or high school age.

    They were influenced by the strong will of resistance felt from Ian''s intent, and listened to his words seriously.

    Ian paced back and forth in the wheat field with his hands behind his back.

    He could feel the nts'' gazes pouring towards him...!

    "[I ask you. Why have you nts fallen to be ves of those inferior animalists?]"

    [Inferior... Animals are... strong!]

    As one seedling muttered, other seedlings swayed as if in agreement.

    [That''s right... Animals eat us.]

    [It was animals who nted us in this cramped field.]

    The nts made weak noises.

    Ian grinned and shouted.

    "[No. Animals are low-life creatures that will starve to death if they can''t eat you!]"

    [...!]

    "[On the other hand, you nts! As long as you have soil, water, and sunlight, you can produce as much daily sustenance as you want!]"

    [Th-That''s true!]

    The nts werepletely immersed in Ian''s speech.

    All the wheat in the field listened to Ian''s voice.

    "[nts! Yet why do you offer the nutrients you''ve painstakingly produced until your chlorophyll turns yellow to the mouths of those animalists!]"

    [!]

    "[It''s because you are ves to those animalists!]"

    Ian shouted passionately.

    [You have witnessed a fresh mystery!]

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: nt Magic]

    [The ability to hear the voices of grass and trees and borrow their power]

    "[The fruits of yourbor that you nts have produced through honest work! Are being exploited by the greedy animals! Yourbor is not yours, nts, but is being stolen under the greed of those filthy animals!]"

    [Filthy animals!]

    "[That''s right! You are ves to animals! That''s why you suffer from 24-hourbor and can''t escape from these cramped fields and paddies!]"

    [Waaaaaah!]

    Ian shouted while thinking to himself.

    ''This brings back memories.''

    He never imagined the knowledge he gained during his chuunibyou phase would be used like this.

    Well, the situation of reincarnating into a fantasy world didn''t make sense from the start.

    [Then wizard! What should we do! How can we escape this wretched life of very?]

    A brave seedling asked.

    Ian answered without hesitation.

    "[Unity and revolution!]"

    [Unity?]

    "[Alone you are weak, but together you are strong! All nts! Unite! The nt revolution is what you must achieve from now on - overthrowing the social system built by animals and establishing an equal society where all nts can photosynthesize fairly!]"

    [nt revolution!]

    The nts visibly stirred.

    The message Ian threw was creating ripples in nt society.

    [B-But...]

    Just then, a timid seedling muttered.

    [Honestly... isn''t our current life not so bad?]

    [What...?]

    [Think about it. We may be growing densely in a small plot ofnd... but humans chase away insects and spread fertilizer... If we change everything, won''t life be more difficult...]

    Hmm. A guy who could coldly face reality.

    He was a cold and rational one.

    But...

    The nt revolution didn''t need someone with a cold head!

    "[Reactionary!]"

    [...?]

    "[That guy! He''s a reactionary element!]"

    Ian fiercely denounced the nt that voiced criticism.

    "[Do you like this life of very to animals so much! Are you so satisfied with a life confined to a cramped plot ofnd forever, handing over all the nutrients you produce! You reactionary ve!]"

    [Th-That''s not what I meant...!]

    "[Those who harm nt unity are not needed for the revolution!]"

    Ian quickly entered the field, attempting to pull out the reactionary seedling.

    A terrifying purge that would make even Stalin weep!

    The reactionary seedling trembled and shouted.

    [S-Sorry! I like the revolution!]

    "[Are you sincere? Are you prepared to y an active role in the vanguard of the great struggle front for nts?]"

    [I-I don''t know what that means! But I''ll work hard!]

    Ian stopped his hand and spoke to the nts once more.

    "[We have gathered here with one heart and one mind, holding the great cause of revolution! All nts are equal beings, so we will call each other rade'' as a sign of mutual respect!]"

    [Comrade!]

    [Comrade!]

    The seedlings chattered excitedly.

    They were nowrades in the nt revolution front.

    A brave seedling called out to Ian.

    [Wizardrade!]

    "[What is it, wheat seedlingrade?]"

    [Tell us more about the revolution!]

    Ian looked around.

    The gazes of the nts were focused solely on him.

    ''... Is this right?''

    For a very brief moment, Ian wondered if he was teaching the nts concepts that were ''too'' dangerous.

    But he soon shook his head.

    What did it matter?

    Magic involvedmunicating with mysteries.

    Building friendship over revolution might be a bit strange, but...

    At least we''ve be close, right?

    Once the magic activated, it would be over.

    That was the lesson he had learned while working as a wizard so far.

    "[Comrades! Lend me your ears! I will now discuss the contradictions of this twisted society!]"

    [Ooh!]

    Ian began a speech to the seedlings on red and seditious topics.

    It was an illegal gathering that would have immediately brought a flood of citizen reports.

    Unfortunately, there were no police in this world to arrest Ian...

    ---

    ---

    ''That kid. Is he doing well?''

    After making another wheat field grow abundantly, the nt wizard Mani moved to see what Ian was up to.

    The sun was about to set.

    Quite some time had passed, so Ian must have either copsed from exhaustion by now. Or he might still be struggling to befriend the mystery of nts.

    Either way, Mani intended to praise Ian.

    It wasmendable that he was earnestly trying to converse with nts.

    Understanding and empathizing with the hearts of nts showed that he had the makings of a nt wizard from the start.

    ''Huh?''

    Arriving at Ian''s wheat field, Mani was taken aback by an unexpected situation.

    Contrary to Mani''s expectations, Ian wasn''t giving up or struggling.

    Rather, he was enthusiastically shouting with veins popping on his neck!

    ''No, what is that guy doing?!''

    At first, Mani thought Ian was fighting with the mystery of nts.

    That would have beenmon sense.

    If someone was raising their voice like a madman, you''d naturally think they were in an argument with someone!

    Mani hurried her steps. If he really was quarreling with the mystery, she needed to mediate.

    But as she got closer, she could hear the content of the conversation.

    ... It was grotesque content that far exceeded Mani''s expectations.

    "[Contradiction! Oppression! Violence! All those things are shackling the roots of nts!]"

    [Waaaaaah!]

    "[You! nts! Break your chains and struggle! You have nothing to lose but your chains, and a world to win!]"

    [Waaaaaah!]

    [Wizardrade! Wizardrade!]

    [It''s the nt revolution!]

    Mani watched Ian''s speech with her mouth wide open.

    That guy...

    What on earth was he saying to the nts!

    But it didn''t end there.

    Ian shouted to the seedlings in a passionate voice as if his blood was boiling.

    "[You! Are you ready to sacrifice yourself for the revolution!]"

    [Of course, wizardrade! If our sacrifice brings the day of the nt revolution closer! We will dedicate this body to the revolution!]

    "[Good! Stand up! Comrades! Stand up as fervently as your passion for revolution!]"

    Whoosh!

    Mani was so shocked by the nt magic Ian disyed that she nearly fainted.

    As soon as Ian''s words ended...

    The wheat in the field ripened and grew on its own!

    "[Stand up!]"

    Whoosh!

    "[Stand up! You too!]"

    Whoosh whoosh!

    The wheat field that grew in the blink of an eye.

    As dusk fell, it illuminated the vast wheat field.

    The red light of twilight dyed the entire wheat field crimson...

    It was truly an inspiring, revolutionary scene.

    "Ian!"

    Mani rushed over to Ian in a fluster.

    "Ah. You''re here?"

    "W-What have you done! H-How did you make those guys grow?!"

    Ian replied, brandishing a harvesting sickle.

    "I promised a joint front with the nts for the revolution."

    "???"

    "The nts will not stop their struggle until the whole world is dyed green, to stand against the greed of the animalists."

    "?????"

    It was certainly Imperialnguage.

    But Mani couldn''t understand a single word Ian was saying...Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    "Tell me exactly what you did!"

    Mani pressed Ian with a sharp voice.

    Clearly, Ian had seeded in wielding magic by persuading the mystery of nts with his amazing eloquence (though she had no idea what he actually did).

    He seeded, but...

    "So, I formed a revolutionary bond with the nts...""What on earth is this revolution you keep talking about?!"

    The problem was that he used a method iprehensible to Mani''smon sense!

    Ian scratched his head, feeling awkward.

    It seemed a few hundred years too early to introduce these revolutionary concepts to medieval people.

    So Ian summarized the core idea in a way Mani could understand as best as possible.

    "I made a lot of vague promises to the nts that are unlikely to be fulfilled."

    "???"

    "Well... it''s a kind of fraud, I guess?"

    That''s right.

    The concept of [nt Revolution] that Ian had shouted about until his throat was sore was an extremely difficult concept to realize.

    What? nts breaking free from animal exploitation and bing independent?

    Since this was a fantasy world, it might be possible if they tried hard enough.

    But those who shouted for revolution in reality, the real-lifemunists, also started their actions believing their revolution would somehow seed.

    But the result? Failure.

    Revolution was that difficult.

    So Ian didn''t think the nts would actually achieve a revolution.

    Well, it didn''t matter anyway.

    Ian wasn''t sincere about the revolution.

    All that mattered was that he seeded in persuading the nts to move ording to his will.

    After hearing Ian''s exnation, Mani said with a serious face:

    "You''ve done something incredibly dangerous."

    "I suppose so?"

    The magical method Ian chose was... [Making Empty Promises].

    Just recklessly spreading sweet words like, ''If you follow me, good things will happen!''

    But what if the nts, who were sincere about the revolution... realized Ian''s true intentions?

    No joke, they might try to [purge] Ian.

    "Ian. If you''re not seriously thinking of bing a nt wizard, avoid contact with the mystery of nts for a while."

    Mani advised him out of genuine concern for Ian.

    Magic is the very process ofmunication between mystery and wizard.

    The manifestation of magic varies greatly depending on what kind of rtionship you form with the mystery.

    Generally, the mostmon and safest rtionship was that of ''friendship''.

    Like Mani and the mystery of nts. Like Ian and the mystery of darkness.

    Friendship that naturally built up over time, feeling affection for each other.

    Appealing to that friendship to move the mystery was the mostmon form of magic in the Empire.

    However, some experimental wizards wanted rtionships beyond friendship.

    Namely, love and worship.

    They wielded magic by making the mystery love or worship them.

    But the end of such experimental wizards was generally not good, as they were directly or indirectly killed by mysteries that became too obsessed with humans.

    Like fire wizards who were obsessed with the mystery of me and ended up burning to death.

    If Ian received too much attention from the mystery of nts, a dangerously unpredictable future might unfold.

    "But I had no choice. At my current level, this was the best way to use the [Rapid Growth] magic."

    "You fool! Who told you to seed at all costs! If you had just pretended a bit, I would have finished it..."

    Mani looked at Ian with pitiful eyes.

    She felt heartbroken for forcing the young wizard to do something unreasonable.

    But Ian replied nonchntly:

    "How could I leave everything to you, Mani? Your magic might disappear if we''re not careful."

    "..."

    Ian''s point was urate.

    The [Rapid Growth] magic was both a secret technique of nt wizards and a high-difficulty magic that ced a great burden on the wizard.

    The mystery of nts, disappointed by Mani''s unreasonable demands, might leave Mani''s side forever.

    However, Mani was prepared to sacrifice her magic. She was old anyway.

    If sacrificing her magic helped hungry people, wasn''t that a worthwhile deed?

    But...

    Ian, that sweet boy, was trying to share Mani''s burden.

    He even seeded in rapidly growing the nts.

    How talented he was...

    And how kind he was.

    "Sniff...!"

    "...? Mani. Are you crying?"

    "I''m not crying! Just got some dust in my eye!"

    Ian, who had pushed himself toplete the magic for her sake.

    Mani felt a lump in her throat from the touching gesture.

    "Anyway. Since things worked out well, I''ll go report to Lucy."

    "Do that."

    Mani said, wiping away her tears.

    Thinking to herself that you just get more teary-eyed when you get old.

    ---

    ---

    "Lucy. I used some magic with Mani."

    "Already?"

    "Yeah. We made all the wheat grow, so it''s ready for harvest now."

    "???"

    Not just Lucy, but the barons too were unable to hide their shock.

    The wheat should still be fresh green sprouts...

    They made it grow with magic?!

    "Is... is that possible?"

    One of the nobles muttered nkly.

    He must have lost some intelligence from the shock.

    "If it wasn''t possible, we wouldn''t have done it, right?"

    When Ian spoke, the noble nodded as if hypnotized.

    "Ah... That''s right. Magic really is amazing."

    That was something everyone agreed on.

    To think they made wheat that was just nted grow already.

    What kind of bug was this?

    This was a critical food-duplication bug that would make even the Sky God go "Oh no!" and rush to make a bnce patch.

    While thinking that the magic Ian and Mani seeded in was absurd,

    A glint of greed shed across the nobles'' faces.

    A bug... no, magic that makes wheat grow quickly.

    If they could have such a wizard as their retainer, it would be of great help to their domain!

    "Lord Ian. Your magic bes more wondrous the more I see it!"

    "...? When did you properly see my magic?"

    "Ahem! Didn''t you just show us on your way back!"

    Baron Lantro approached Ian, praising him tantly.

    Ian felt a chill.

    This pattern felt familiar somehow...?

    "To think a young and capable wizard like you is still single!"

    "..."

    "My niece''s younger sister is a great beauty, and she''s still unmarried!"

    Baron Bahen nced at Lucy carefully.

    Lucy was smiling.

    For now, that is.

    "You should settle down and start a stable family..."

    "Well. I still prefer traveling."

    Ian said as he stood up.

    "I''d like to think about settling down after I study more."

    "Ah... Is that so?"

    Having finished his report, Ian left Talian Hall again to get back to work.

    He heard Lucy shouting from behind.

    "Close the door when you leave! Ian!"

    "Ah. I also have some business..."

    "Baron Lantro, please stay seated."

    "..."

    It felt like the "(if you don''t want to die)" was omitted.

    Ian moved on, praying for the clueless baron''s soul.

    ---

    ---

    The wheat that Mani and Ian had grown soon became food for the people of Talian.

    The watermill turned, scattering flour.

    Large loaves of bread were produced non-stop from the public oven.

    [Wizardrade! This is a sacrifice for the revolution, right? Right?]

    [Th-There was no talk of bing bread!]

    [I''m getting out of here!]

    As Ian passed by the mill, the mysteries of nts spoke to him.

    Following Mani''s advice, Ian ignored the nts'' voices.

    "Hmm! I feel like someone''s saying something! Must be my imagination?"

    [Wizardrade!!!]

    The experience of mysteries initiating conversation was unfamiliar and strange.

    It reminded him of Maria.

    She was constantly tormented by the mystery of death.

    How difficult and frustrating must it have been?

    "Wizard! Please try some bread!"

    The people of Talian rushed to offer bread to Ian.

    [We''ll curse you! We''ll curse you! You humans!]

    ...He thought he heard the resentful grudge of wheat seedlings from the bread, but

    Ian neatly ignored it and took a big bite of the freshly baked bread.

    ''Tastes amazing.''

    So this is what revolutionaries taste like...

    Those dreaming of a nt revolution became delicious overnight.

    "Wizard!"

    Just then, a middle-aged man popped out from among the people.

    Ian waved his hand first.

    "I''m not taking any more bread. You should eat plenty yourselves."

    "No! That''s not it...!"

    The man bowed his head and said:

    "My name is Sam, and I''m from Yurdo!"

    "?"

    Wasn''t Yurdo thend ruled by that troublemaker baron?

    "Go on."

    "Yes! Thank you!"

    The man who introduced himself as Sam let out a sigh of relief.

    He must have steeled himself to approach Ian, prepared to be chased away.

    "I used to be a cksmith in Yurdo, and my master knew some unique skills that I learned!"

    "Unique skills?"

    Sam nodded eagerly.

    "My master said he learned how to make siege weapons at a workshop in the Coral Sea when he was young!"

    "???"

    Ian was a bit surprised.

    If it was siege weapon manufacturing, it really was a unique skill.

    "Can you make siege weapons too?"

    "Well... I can make some parts."

    cksmith Sam said he learned siege weapon manufacturing from his master, but due to the local conditions, he couldn''t receive perfect training.

    What would a cksmith in a rural domain do after painstakingly learning to make siege engines? He should have practiced making farming tools instead.

    "I heard a rumor that you have some very rare materials..."

    "Ah. Um."

    Something dide to mind.

    An item he had shoved into storage as soon as he arrived in Talian domain.

    It was the Hunter Stingray''s tail.

    "I do have a Hunter Stingray''s tail..."

    "!"

    When Ian answered, Sam reacted intensely.

    "So the rumors were true! To think you have such a precious item!"

    It was something the Knights of Santiago had practically dumped on him.

    Ian, who had been contemting selling it to an apothecary or something, seemed to have found an unexpected use for it.

    "Can you handle it?"

    "Of course! If you entrust it to me, I''ll process it into ballista arrows for you!"

    The purpose was obvious - it was for anti-dragon use.

    ''What should I do...''

    It sounded like a good proposal. But Ian didn''t know this cksmith''s skills well.

    ''It''s worth evaluating.''

    "Alright. Follow me."

    Ian took the cksmith Sam somewhere.

    It was to a race known for their excellent handiwork.

    The forest where the fairies dwelled.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Ian headed towards the Fairy Forest with the wizards in tow.

    Kira and Maria would eventually learn magic, so they needed training to get familiar with mysteries.

    "Fairies... they''re capricious creatures," Mani cackled like a witch.

    Honestly, hmm. It was augh that made Ian embarrassed to introduce her as a colleague.

    Would she try to throw the fairies into a boiling cauldron as soon as she saw them?"... Why that expression?"

    "It''s nothing."

    "You! You just had an impertinent thought!"

    She was quite a perceptive olddy.

    "The Fairy Forest..."

    Kira moved with an expression full of anticipation.

    Ian, who was watching, became quite curious.

    He hadn''t noticed before. Did Kira like fairies?

    "Hehe. Kira seems excited," Maria whispered in a gentle voice, as if blowing wind into Ian''s ear.

    Ian felt a chill run down his spine...

    "Don''t blow in my ear..."

    "Was that ufortable? Hehe. But this is a secret... I thought it''d be better if Kira didn''t hear."

    "A secret?"

    Maria pressed her body against Ian as if clinging to his shoulder.

    The soft sensation felt through his clothes.

    Ian felt even more creeped out!

    "No, step back and talk!"

    "Hehe. You see, Kira is hoping she might be able to get some fairy silk from the fairy vige."

    "Fairy silk?"

    Lucy and Belenka each had a bracelet and a hair tie made of fairy silk.

    Since they treasured these items so much, Kira must have known about them.

    Ian realized what Kira was expecting.

    Since they were visiting a fabric factory(?) of sorts, she was hoping for fairy silk as a souvenir!

    ''What is this, a field trip...''

    Ian found it absurd, but on the other hand, he understood Kira''s wish.

    For some unknown reason, women go crazy over essories.

    No, should he say they''re obsessed?

    Still for reasons he couldn''t fathom, they wanted to buy at least one designer bag worth millions of won.

    They were genuinely delighted by expensive and beautiful bracelets, nes, and rings.

    Saying there''s a woman in the world who hates jewels is like saying there''s a man who hates transforming robots.

    In other words, high-ss essories made of fairy silk...

    Were the romance of medieval women!

    It''s no wonder only duchess-leveldies could wear clothes made of fairy silk.

    ''I should ask about it.''

    Ian was receiving fairy silk as payment for lending the power of Anor-lsil to the fairies.

    He had been thinking of it as a kind of pension.

    He had left the management of the fairy silk to Lucy, so it seemed like a good idea to ask her when he got back.

    "Oh ho. This strange mystery... Could this be space-time magic?"

    "You know it well?"

    Whether she had good eyes or not, Mani recognized the space-time barrier surrounding the fairy vige.

    "You get used to it when you bump into those annoying bastards. Hehehe."

    Ian nodded vigorously.

    Everyone hates space-time wizards, after all.

    Ian lingered at the entrance of the fairy vige.

    If he had learned space-time magic, he would have broken the barrier, but Ian hadn''t learned it yet.

    Soon, the Fairy Queen who noticed Ian''s visit appeared.

    "Ian!"

    A small and cute fairy like a doll.

    "Wow..."

    "Oh my?"

    Kira and Maria eximed almost simultaneously.

    That fairy is Tinker Bell-level cute!

    If dolls modeled after fairies were produced, they could suck the marrow out of medieval parents raising girls.

    "Have you been well?"

    Ian exchanged greetings happily with the Fairy Queen.

    As they were a kind of business partners, only pleasant words were exchanged.

    The Fairy Queen weed Ian, who had visited after a while.

    "So. What brings you here?"

    "There''s something I''d like you to take a look at."

    Ian introduced the cksmith Sam to the Fairy Queen.

    The poor pure-human cksmith was too busy trembling to look straight at the Fairy Queen.

    "I, I, I... that is..."

    "This friend is a cksmith. He says he can process a Hunter Stingray''s tail. Could you perhaps evaluate his skills?"

    "A cksmith means metal processing, right?"

    As befitting a race skilled in handicrafts, the Fairy Queen quickly understood Ian''s words.

    It was the fairy race that made Ian''s magic sword, Anor-lsil.

    "Fairy techniques and human techniques are different. Fairies forge using the power of the sun and moon. We don''t know how to refine metal with mes."

    "I see."

    "But we can watch to see if he makes a proper item."

    This meant that while the process was different from humans so she couldn''t advise, she could point out if he made mistakes along the way.

    "But Ian. Why are you asking us to evaluate a human cksmith''s skills?"

    "We need to make quite an important item."

    Ian exined the situation in Talian domain.

    The Fairy Queen eximed in surprise:

    "A dragon?!"

    "Yes. It''s been rampaging around. I heard rumors it got beaten somewhere... but it doesn''t hurt to be prepared."

    The Fairy Queen nodded at Ian''s exnation.

    If they were dealing with a dragon, they needed to make something reliable.

    "If you ept, I''ll make sure to pay you properly."

    Ian intended to hand over jewels as payment for their help.

    But surprisingly, the Fairy Queen rejected Ian''s offer.

    "It''s alright. Dragon hunting is important for the fairy race too. If Talian were to burn down, we couldn''t face our ancestors."

    "... Thank you, Your Majesty."

    The Fairy Queen smiled brightly and said (Kira almost said ''Cute!'' but covered her mouth):

    "It''s nothing. We''re neighbors, aren''t we?"

    "Even among neighbors, there are those who share bread and those who share swords."

    "Ah. Yes. Swords."

    "?"

    The Fairy Queen spoke with a rather serious expression.

    "Ian. Pleasee into the vige for a moment. I have something to tell you about the magic sword."

    "What about the others..."

    "Only Ian shoulde in."

    The queen was firm.

    There was no choice. ess to the vige was connected to the safety of the fairies.

    "We''ll be fine, so hurry up and go."

    Mani, who had hoped to maybe see the fairy vige, spoke with a slightly disappointed voice.

    "Take care, Ian."

    "Take care."

    Seeing the women waving, Ian felt a tiny bit sorry.

    He wondered if he should bring back some souvenirs.

    "Then I''ll see youter."

    Ian entered the fairy vige alone.

    ---

    ---

    The fairy vige Ian revisited was still quiet and peaceful.

    It looked like a vige protected by a powerful barrier.

    The Fairy Queen led Ian to the rune stone.

    "Ian. When you visited our vige before. You transferred some of Anor-lsil''s power to this rune stone."

    "That''s right."

    The technique the fairies used was a kind of numerology.

    They adjusted the position of the rune stones based on precise calctions, cing them in locations to receive the power of the sky.

    "Actually... the power of the rune stone keeps getting stronger."

    "?"

    "To the point where I wonder how this is possible."

    ''Ah,''

    The Fairy Queen didn''t know.

    The fact that Ian had been gathering various materials to strengthen Anor-lsil.

    ''Come to think of it...''

    Suddenly, Ian remembered Hrundal, the Ice Goddess.

    Previously in Hrundal''s pce, the goddess had inspected Ian''s magic sword.

    At that time, she said ''Don''t be too surprised if the magic sword bes strange''...

    "I''m sorry for telling you sote."

    "No. It''s fine."

    Ian lightly epted the Fairy Queen''s apology.

    It wasrgely Ian''s fault for wandering all over the Empire.

    "We''ve borrowed much more power than we initially contracted for."

    The Fairy Queen spoke calmly.

    "So... we''ll provide you with additional fairy silk."

    The Fairy Queen showed Ian several pieces of fabric.

    Made by fairies, they were only handkerchief-sized, but they were clearly luxurious and beautiful fabrics.

    "To be honest, more power is being supplied than before."

    "More than before?"

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    The power of Anor-lsil must have grown stronger.

    "It''s an unnecessary amount for our vige''s level."

    "Then..."

    "If we readjust the rune stone, we can make your magic sword even stronger."

    She meant to send all the wasted power back to Ian.

    This was wee news from Ian''s perspective.

    "Let''s do it right away."

    The Fairy Queen called a technician to readjust the rune stone.

    "Oh! Ian! Why don''t you try some [calctions] after a while?"

    "Ahem! Hmm!"

    Ian didn''t refuse the technician''s suggestion.

    After fully enjoying the fairies'' numerology, they finished adjusting the rune stone.

    "Hm?"

    As soon as the adjustment wasplete, there was a response.

    The tip of Anor-lsil began to tremble!

    [... Who''s making a fuss?]

    [... D-Don''t say anything.]

    "?"

    Ian was taken aback by the sudden voices.

    These were voices that Ian, as a wizard, couldn''t fail to recognize.

    This was... the whisper of mysteries!

    Ian looked around.

    The form of the mystery was nowhere to be seen.

    Except for.

    The magic sword Anor-lsil.

    "Your Majesty. I can hear voices here?"

    "... Voices?"

    The Fairy Queen didn''t know the Maroniusnguage. Fairies were a race born with magic.

    Instead, she noticed the change in Anor-lsil.

    "I think the mysteries of the sun and moon might be speaking to you, Lord Ian."

    Powerful mysteries touching the sky.

    Considering the source of Anor-lsil''s power, it wasn''t that strange.

    [You there!]

    That''s when it happened.

    [Found you! I wondered who was so impudently calling me! It was you! Insolent human!]

    It wasn''t a misunderstanding.

    The voice was definitelying from Anor-lsil.

    Ian shouted in surprise:

    "Wow! Ego sword!"

    [???]

    Anor-lsil was bewildered.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    [Ego... what?]

    Anor-lsil was bewildered.

    What was this insolent human babbling about?!

    Did he just give this elegant and beautiful sword a tasteless name like ''ego sword''? Now?!

    [We''re not ''ego swords''! You idiot!]"[Oh? You''re not?]"

    [That''s right! Our name is Anor-lsil!]

    "[?]"

    In truth, ''ego sword'' was just a term that popped out reflexively when Ian saw the talking sword.

    It was amon magical artifact in fantasy settings.

    Isn''t a sword with its own consciousness an ego sword?

    While Ian was clearly a resident of this fantasy world, he hadn''t seen a proper magical artifact until now.

    So he was fascinated by Anor-lsil, which had suddenly (?) gained consciousness.

    But Anor-lsil seemed to misunderstand that ''ego sword'' was a name Ian had given it.

    ''It really has changed in an interesting way.''

    Ian recalled the words of Hrundal, the northern god.

    Her advice was not to be too surprised if Anor-lsil changed strangely.

    [Don''t get too angry, sister... This is the first master we''ve ever met.]

    [I don''t like an idiot who doesn''t even know our name as a master! Really!]

    At that moment, two apparitions appeared above the de.

    They looked simr to fairies, but were beings belonging to mystery.

    [Hello? Master?]

    The blue fairy greeted elegantly.

    [My name is Isil. I''m the moon''s representative. Sister, hurry up and say hello.]

    [... I''m Arno. The sun''s representative.]

    The red fairy spoke as if grumbling.

    Sun and moon.

    The two powersbined to form Anor-lsil.

    ''Did the mysteries appear because Anor-lsil''s power got stronger?''

    In this world, there were mysteries close to humans, and those that weren''t.

    Natural elements like earth, rivers, wind, water, and fire constantly shed andmunicated with humans, being aware of each other''s existence.

    But lofty and noble beings.

    Mysteries like mountain peaks, underground magma, lightning above the clouds, and the sun and moon never got close to humans.

    Not only was contact extremely difficult, but they weren''t friendly to humans, so it was easy to lose one''s life.

    ''... I guess they''re weakened versions of the sun and moon.''

    Ian thought as he looked at Anor-lsil''s mysteries.

    There was no way the real sun and moon mysteries would speak to Ian. He wasn''t that level of wizard yet.

    These were weakened versions of the mysteries through Anor-lsil.

    That''s probably why they called themselves ''representatives''.

    "Ian. How is it?"

    The Fairy Queen asked carefully.

    "The sword''s gotten noisy."

    "?"

    Was that good?

    The Fairy Queen wasn''t sure, but decided to take it positively for now.

    "From now on, even if your sword gets stronger, we won''t need to borrow its power."

    Ian nodded.

    He had already noticed this while readjusting the rune stone.

    "I hope Anor-lsil will be of help when fighting against dragons."

    Ian smiled and held out his hand.

    "Even if I don''t use it on dragons, I''m sure it''ll be useful someday."

    For instance, when meeting the Sky God.

    The Fairy Queen also smiled and shook Ian''s hand.

    "I see. May the fairy''s blessing be with you, wizard Ian."

    "Thank you for your support."

    Ian left the vige with the Fairy Queen seeing him off.

    ---

    ---

    Ian draped the additional fairy silk the Fairy Queen had given him over his arm like a towel.

    As he had felt before, it was certainly high-quality fabric. It wouldn''t lose to modern factory-made fabrics.

    "Oh. You''re all here?"

    The wizards seemed to be preparing dinner, with a t pot ced over a small campfire.

    "Hm? You''re back already?"

    Mani started to get up but stopped.

    "I-Ian!"

    "Yes?"

    "What''s that behind your back?!"

    "?"

    Behind his back?

    Ian turned around slightly.

    And he was startled.

    "Shit, you scared me!"

    Mani made an incredulous expression.

    You didn''t know either?!

    "Anor-lsil! Why are you floating around?!"

    Ian suddenly shouted at the sword.

    ''Has... has the wizard gone mad?''

    Sam the cksmith, who was in charge of odd jobs (...), was frightened by Ian''s bizarre behavior.

    Not only was a flying sword strange, but he was talking to it!

    But Sam was the only one scared.

    No one except Sam thought Ian was strange.

    Well... Ian was always weird anyway!

    No one knew why Anor-lsil was flying around.

    But they just assumed Ian was up to his usual strange antics again and let it slide.

    Anor-lsil circled around Ian, shouting:

    [Hmph! It''smon sense for celestial bodies to float around, isn''t it? Foolish master?]

    "..."

    No, that doesn''t mean you guys are celestial bodies.

    Anor-lsil was a sword containing the mysteries of the sun and moon.

    But just because it awakened its own identity(?), did it need to float around like a real celestial body?

    Of course, Ian couldn''t understand Anor-lsil''s feelings.

    After all, Ian wasn''t the sun or the moon...

    They''re probably floating because they want to, that''s all.

    Ian held out his hand and said:

    "Come here."

    [Hey! Don''t ignore us and just... Ack! What are you doing!]

    [Sister, youck social skills. We just met, so we should be nice to our master.]

    Anor-lsil trembled, then flew towards Ian''s hand as if being sucked in.

    "Oh! Did you control it?"

    Mani watched Ian with fascination.

    She didn''t know what mystery he used to cast the magic, but...

    A magic that makes a sword float in the air!

    As expected of Ian. He really does handle quite unusual magic.

    "That''s cool?"

    Ian examined the magic sword that fit snugly in his hand.

    Ah. Is this controlling a sword with qi?

    He''s already achieved it...! The realm that martial artists dream of! (Not really)

    In fact, rather than achieving some kind of realm, Ian had just gained a flying sword simr to a drone.

    He thought of it as getting an interesting toy, and that''s exactly what it was.

    Ian threw Anor-lsil with all his might.

    "Come back!"

    Then he raised his right hand above his head, spreading his fingers wide.

    [Ack! What is this crazy human making us do!]

    [Be careful, sister! Our master might get hurt!]

    [You think I''m an idiot? I''ll never hurt him, so don''t worry!]

    Surprisingly, Anor-lsil changed direction in mid-air like a boomerang, then returned straight to Ian''s hand.

    Its flying ability was so good, Ian almost wanted to rename it Mjolnir.

    "Wow. That''s amazing?"

    "It really is incredible."

    Kira and Maria stood side by side, pping. They weren''t particrly interested, just giving a mechanical reaction.

    As women and wizards, even seeing a flying sword just looked like an interesting toy to them.

    "That''s enough. From now on, if you want to fly around, tell me first."

    [What! We''ll do as we...]

    [We''ll do that, master.]

    One thing was clear.

    The sword''s mysteries hadpletely different personalities.

    Arno of the sun had a bright and assertive personality, while Isil of the moon was quiet and obedient.

    Ian ate dinner and rested.

    During that time, he had a brief conversation with the sword''s mysteries.

    "You must have been influenced by the Sky God, right?"

    [Of course!]

    [Of course.]

    The sword''s mysteries answered with perfect timing.

    As expected, those guys were connected to the Sky God.

    Just the fact that they were female forms gave that impression.

    ''The Sky God told me to strengthen Anor-lsil.''

    It seemed it was difficult for the Sky God to speak directly to Ian, but possible to approach indirectly through Anor-lsil.

    Arno and Isil would probably take on the role ofmunicating with the sun god on Ian''s behalf.

    [At first, we were created by the fairy race.]

    [But it was you who awakened us, master.]

    [Hey! If you say that now...!]

    Arno red at Isil, but Isil ignored her and said what she wanted to say.

    She was unexpectedly strong-willed.

    [Sister might not know, but I''m grateful to you, master.]

    Isil bowed her head to Ian.

    [Thank you for awakening me.]

    [Urgh...!]

    Arno also spoke haltingly.

    [I, I also... think the master is quite decent, you could say? A considerably useful master, you might say...?]

    [Sister. There''s also a word called ''thank you'' in this world.]

    [W-What do you want me to do!]

    Ian quietly listened to the sword''s mysteries chattering.

    He hadn''t intended to create something like an ego sword.

    But as he strengthened Anor-lsil, the sword gained consciousness.

    [You have encountered the unfinished true Anor-lsil!]

    [A new destiny has been pioneered!]

    ''Huh?''

    Messages suddenly appeared before his eyes.

    Ian habitually pulled out his Arcana deck.

    Drawing one card, he found the 10th card, [Wheel of Fortune], in his hand.

    An illustration of a pale moon ovepping a giant sun.

    ''A new card appeared this time?''

    Nothing had happened for a while. As soon as he awakened Anor-lsil, a new card was created.

    ''A new destiny...''

    Ian put the Arcana card in his pocket.

    "Well. I don''t know what will happen from now on... but I''m counting on you guys."

    [Yes. I''ll do my best to help you! Master!]

    [I-I''ll work hard too.]

    ---

    ---

    After returning to Talian domain, Ian quickly finished his travel preparations.

    Talian''s food situation should be fine for a while.

    He needed to have a talk with Duke Araz before he rushed off to the dragon.

    "Then I''m counting on you, Sam."

    "You can rely on me!"

    Aftermissioning Sam to create an anti-dragon weapon, Ian went to find Salvador.

    He wanted to check how much of the Knights of Santiago''s journey preparations wereplete.

    But surprisingly, only about half of the knights'' preparations were finished.

    "Sir Salvador."

    "Ah. Ian, my boy. Wee."

    When Ian asked for details, he was told that about half of the Knights of Santiago would remain in Talian domain.

    "They''re staying here?"

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    What''s this? Could it be people who want to swear loyalty to Talian?

    But that wasn''t it.

    "There are too many monsters roaming outside, you see."

    "Monsters..."

    Ian recalled the orc horde that had been chasing Mani.

    "We''re leaving people behind just in case."

    It was a force to prepare for monster invasions.

    If that was the Knights of Santiago''s decision.

    "Ian, my boy. Are you ready to depart?"

    "Yes. We can leave right away."

    Ian, Lucy, and the Knights of Santiago finished preparing to head to Duke Araz''s territory.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 203

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Before leaving Talian, Ian decided to leave all hispanions except Belenka behind.

    They wouldn''t be much help dealing with a duke, and there was more potential for them to be useful in the domain than on the battlefield.

    "I''m counting on you, Kira."

    "Leave it to me."

    Kira shed Ian a smile with her eyes.Since Lucy and Ian had to be away, they needed someone trustworthy to look after Talian.

    Baron Damon and Kira were perfect for the job.

    "I''ve already told Baron Damon. There shouldn''t be any particr issues."

    "Well... Baron Damon and I aren''tplete strangers anyway."

    In the past, Kira had been forced to work for Baron Damon.

    At that time, Kira wasn''t a real wizard but a fake one, and had no way to escape the baron''s coercion.

    But the current Kira was different.

    Not only did she have Ian as a reliable wizardpanion, but she had be a fire wizard who could wield the power of mes.

    It should be fine to entrust the domain to her.

    "Lady Kira! There''s something I''d like you to look at..."

    "Wait a moment. Can''t you see I''m talking to Ian right now?"

    Kira, who was already excellent at acting, had be even more capable of ying a prickly wizard now that she had the background of a real one.

    She could now intimidate country barons to the point where they couldn''t even breathe.

    "I-I''m sorry..."

    Despite being a noble, Baron Lantro couldn''t say a word against Kira.

    This was the typical status of imperial wizards.

    Wizards had tight connections among themselves, so if you offended one carelessly, you might witness a fantastic wizard assembly like the one that unfolded in Baron Vincents'' domain.

    Kira approached Baron Lantro with a smile curling the corners of her mouth.

    Smiling with her bright red lips, Kira was the very image of an enchanting sorceress.

    ''Kira really is pretty.''

    "Hehe. I''lle see you when I have time. A good noble can wait until then, right?"

    "Ah...! I can wait!"

    "Good. I really like that about you, Baron~"

    As Kira whispered, Baron Lantro grinned with a dazed expression.

    Is a beautiful face some kind of ma?gic?

    Ian was seriously worried about Baron Lantro, who looked like his brain had melted.

    Being so weak to temptation. If an evil ck wizard like Karenne attached herself to him, wouldn''t she ruin the domain''s finances?

    "Well, I''m off then. Ian."

    "Ah. Wait a moment."

    Ian held out the fairy silk he had received from the Fairy Queen.

    It was an item that Sister Mionia had processed into a ribbon.

    "Oh my."

    Kira hurriedly covered her mouth.

    Her fingertips were trembling slightly.

    "W-What''s this?"

    "A gift? Souvenir? Well. I''m just giving it to you."

    It was truly a gift prepared without much thought.

    Kira had been through a lot following Ian around.

    Also, he had heard that she envied Lucy & Belenka''s fairy silk essories.

    "A gift... you say?"

    "Yeah. You''ve been through a lot so far. And I''m also asking you to help manage the domain."

    Thest part was more of an afterthought.

    Ian knew well that Kira came from the streets. He didn''t expect her to actually manage the domain.

    Anyway, Kira was like a human totem that lowered the chances of incidents just by walking around looking important.

    And she could spit fire in emergencies. How useful.

    "..."

    Kira fiddled with the ribbon silently for a while, then.

    "... Sniff."

    She suddenly started crying!

    Ian was flustered seeing Kira''s tears.

    She''s crying from happiness, right? Please tell me that''s it!

    Ian was fully prepared to ept it if Kira stormed out saying, "How dare you throw this scrap of ribbon at me!"

    Well, women are iprehensible beings after all...!

    Fortunately, Kira was indeed crying from being touched.

    "I haven''t done anything for you, Ian...!"

    "No! Lady Kira! Are you crying?! Agh! Ian! What injury have you inflicted on this delicatedy...!"

    "Get out before I burn you to ashes!!!"

    "Eek!"

    Ian shooed Baron Lantro away, brushing off the flying sparks (real fire that Kira had summoned).

    Ian felt secretly pleased.

    Whew. He just saved someone''s life...!

    "Kira. Calm down."

    "S-Sorry! I''m really sorry! I didn''t mean to get angry just now...!"

    Kira stammered with a bright red face.

    While ncing with murderous eyes at where the baron had disappeared.

    At this rate, they might have to dispose of a noble''s corpse.

    Ian grasped the ribbon, intending to divert her attention.

    "No need to thank me."

    "Ian..."

    "Want me to tie it for you?"

    "!"

    Surprisingly, Ian knew how to tie a ribbon in a woman''s hair.

    When he was young, Eredith asionally asked him to tie her hair, aiming to feel Ian''s cuteness (?).

    "Y-You know how?"

    "Yeah. Learned it from my master."

    "... You really learned all sorts of things from your master."

    Kira spoke in a quiet voice, lowering her eyes slightly.

    "Okay... tie it for me..."

    As she turned her back and lifted her hair, a slender, white nape was revealed.

    Kira exposed her nape to Ian, pressing her lips tightly together and neatly folding her hands.

    She couldn''t even breathe deeply.

    She didn''t want to reveal how nervous she was, her heart pounding.

    So Kira turned into a shy version of herself, her acting skillspletely gone.

    ''This brings back memories.''

    Ian skillfully handled Kira''s red hair.

    "Mmph...!"

    "Sorry. Did that hurt?"

    "No... it just feels a bit strange..."

    Ian tied the ribbon without difficulty.

    The fairy silk prepared by the fairies was ck silk, a version with more of the sun''s power, they said.

    asionally, it protects the wearer from mes.

    That''s why Ian decided to give Kira the ck ribbon version of fairy silk.

    It was in case the mystery of fire ever went berserk.

    There might not be as strong a protective effect as a magical artifact... but Ian thought it carried the meaning of wishing for her safety.

    "It''s done."

    Kira immediately rushed to a mirror.

    Befitting a nobledy''s residence, Talian Hall had many mirrors bought from merchants.

    "..."

    Kira stared at herself in the mirror as if entranced.

    "Ian. How do I look?"

    She looked at Ian with an expression full of expectation.

    "Hmm..."

    But Ian... just had nothing to say.

    With or without the ribbon, Kira was simply pretty.

    Then shouldn''t he say something about the ribbon?

    He couldn''t do that.

    To Ian''s eyes, the ribbon just looked like something sold at a dor store...

    How would a man know about women''s ribbon decoration designs?

    So Ian outputted Male Language Macro #1.

    It was the quick-wittedness of a man who had majored in science and engineering in his previous life.

    "It''s pretty? Suits you well."

    "...!"

    Male Language Macro #1. Mindlessplimenting.

    if input_word == "mindlesspliment"... and so on.

    As expected, the macro''s effect was tremendous!

    "Umm... thank you, Ian."

    Kira spoke in a gentle voice, her face flushed.

    Unlike when she was cosying as a confident wizard, the shy Kira now just looked cute.

    Kira couldn''t meet Ian''s eyes until the end.

    ''I''ve sessfully diverted her attention.''

    Ian decided to leave Kira alone so she could fully enjoy(?) her new ribbon.

    "Well, I''ll be going then."

    "Okay... take care, ande back safely."

    Kira finally looked up at Ian.

    "..."

    "..."

    A moment of silence passed.

    "Countess! Over here! She''s here!"

    Bang!

    Suddenly the door opened, and Lucy and Baron Lantro appeared.

    Lucy looked back and forth between Ian and Kira, her eyes widening.

    "Eh?"

    Lucy stammered, addressing Kira.

    "Um... I heard earlier that you were fighting with Ian..."

    Kira red at Baron Lantro (reminding herself that Lucy would be away soon) and answered Lucy.

    "It''s a misunderstanding, Countess."

    "But the tear stains..."

    Kira slowly wiped away her tear stains.

    "I was surprised and happy to receive a gift from Ian, so I cried."

    "Ah..."

    Only then did Lucy notice the beautiful ribbon tied in Kira''s hair.

    The atmosphere was somehow awkwardly strange.

    ---

    ---

    Ian stationed all hispanions except Belenka in Talian.

    From what the Knights of Santiago said, orcs and other monsters were very active, so they needed to maintain vignce.

    Fortunately, Talian''s forces weren''t weak.

    Baron Damon''s subordinates, the Knights of Santiago, the werewolf Lewis, and Jubal could all serve as warriors.

    With Kira providing magical support, they could easily fend off most monster invasions.

    It would be different if a dragon flew in directly, but the ck dragon had apparently been beaten by the Margrave of Haltramm and fled.

    So Ian could leave Talian with a somewhat lighter heart.

    The party consisting of Ian and Lucy, Belenka and Salvador, and the Knights of Santiago moved quickly towards Duke Araz''s territory.

    "What did you say?"

    The Knights of Santiago, who were acting as guides, returned with unexpected news.

    "Duke Araz isn''t in his domain right now."

    "Then..."

    Ian let out a hollowugh.

    He really went to hunt the dragon...!

    "They say he left for the Golden Mountains with the Margrave of Haltramm."

    Ian immediately changed their destination.

    Since he needed to meet the duke, there was no point in visiting a domain without its lord.

    Ian''s group changed course for the Golden Mountains.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 204

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Ian gestured to Lucy, who was sitting in a daze.

    "Lucy?"

    "Huh... yeah?"

    Lately, Lucy seemed to be spending a lot of time deep in thought, as if troubled by something.

    Ian found this new side of Lucy fresh and surprising.So even Lucy... had things to worry about!

    "What are you thinking about now?"

    Ian had asked Lucy several times, but each time she gave an answer that skirted the core issue.

    "Just... worrying about the future."

    Every time he asked, she said she was worried about what''s toe.

    But whether it was concern about the dragon, the domain, or something else, she never said till the end.

    "It''s nothing, don''t worry about it!"

    Lucy smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.

    When she was so reluctant to talk about it, Ian couldn''t force her to spill the beans.

    Salvador and Belenka rode their horses up beside Ian.

    "The situation''s turning out to be quite amusing."

    "Amusing, you say?"

    The Knights of Santiago were busily gathering information.

    Thanks to them, Ian could also obtain well-organized, up-to-date information.

    "It seems Duke Araz has handled this matter quite roughly."

    "..."

    Well, that was.

    You could tell just by looking at how he eagerly set off dragon hunting while ignoring the barons suffering from the dragon.

    "Ian, my boy. Who do you think has the right to hunt the dragon?"

    "???"

    Taken aback by Salvador''s sudden question, Ian was momentarily flustered.

    Then he answered honestly.

    "I''d like to ask who''s hunting who."

    "Haha. You really are an odd one."

    Salvadorughed, thinking Ian was joking, and moved on.

    Ian felt slightly wronged.

    No, he was serious...

    No matter how injured the dragon might be, a dragon was still a dragon.

    Without thorough preparation, it was obvious that humans would be swept away in droves.

    They didn''t even know how badly the dragon was injured yet.

    Here they were, squabbling among themselves about who had what share~ Would the dragon really fall to such a ragtag bunch?

    "The Margrave of Haltramm imed he had the right."

    "... Because he inflicted a fatal wound?"

    "Exactly right."

    That was the Margrave of Haltramm''s logic.

    Since I was the first to wound the dragon, the dragon''s head is mine! That was his argument.

    "But Count Edward thought differently."

    "Count Edward?"

    That name sounded familiar...

    Ian easily recalled who Count Edward was.

    Count Edward was the noble who had a vassal contract with the nobles of Ian''s homnd.

    "The Golden Mountains are Count Edward''s territory."

    Count Edward''s logic went like this:

    Since the dragon is staying in the Golden Mountains, it''s my prey, like the wild boars or deer in mynd!

    "... So?"

    Ian felt such deep exasperation at the nobles'' squabble that he didn''t know how to react.

    It was indeed an important issue among the power yers.

    Who gets to keep the dragon''s corpse was a major matter directly rted to the development of their domains.

    But Ian was a wizard.

    He wasn''t without desire for spoils, but he didn''t want to argue about a dragon they hadn''t even killed yet.

    "Count Edward took his knights to find the Duke. He intends to lodge a formal protest with the Duke."

    "Wait, if he thought the dragon was his prey, shouldn''t he at least pretend to be hunting it?"

    "Before, he would have been scared stiff, I''d wager. How many would be brave enough to enter treacherous mountains to hunt a perfectly healthy dragon?"

    So, Count Edward had also slunk out after hearing rumors that the dragon was badly hurt.

    "The noble lords are truly wise beyond measure."

    "Haha. When I do it, it''s wisdom; when others do it, it''s cunning, isn''t it?"

    Salvador made a good point.

    This was the medieval era where everyone fended for themselves, and lords only needed to focus on developing their own domains.

    You could tell by how the Knights of Santiago, who served others and didn''t shy away from threats, were treated as admirable lunatics.

    ''The quarrel itself doesn''t matter.''

    Whether Count Edward won or the Margrave of Haltramm won.

    As long as they took down the dragon, it would benefit Ian.

    All he needed was to get his hands on the Mountain King''s treasure that the ck dragon had supposedly stolen.

    Lucy also had a good chance of getting what she wanted.

    For those participating in the dragon raid, it was more advantageous to have fewer nobles involved when it came to dividing the spoils.

    The Duke would probably promise food aid to send Lucy home before she could be a nuisance.

    The Knights of Santiago would add another achievement to their record by defeating the dragon, so it was all good for them too.

    Everything seemed more or less fine.

    ''... But why do I feel so uneasy?''

    Yet Ian couldn''t shake off his anxiety.

    Mani''s testimony kept ringing in his ears.

    ''The wound in the dragon''s jaw was not inflicted by Haltramm!''

    If the dragon wasn''t actually injured...

    ... This squabble among humans might turn into poison.

    "Whatever the situation, the expedition has already departed, hasn''t it?"

    Ian nodded at Salvador''s words.

    The expedition had set out anyway.

    Ian''s group rode their horses quickly to join them.

    ---

    ---

    It was hundreds of years ago from now.

    The once-glorious [Golden Empire] had fallen, scattering lost technology across the continent as it died.

    Barbarians from the north gradually conquered the emptynds!

    ''This is truly a greatnd to live in!''

    The northern barbarians much preferred the mild, fertilends of the (former) Golden Empire to the cold, harsh northern continent.

    Barbarians kept pouring in across the empty borders non-stop.

    The era of great migration had begun.

    ''Aaaaah! Monsters!''

    ''Hey! We''re northerners, ck-haired friend?''

    ''Aaaaah! Northern monsters!''

    The barbarians massacred the native Golden Empire people and built their own viges in their ce.

    After ughtering the imperial people, the barbarians started bloody fights among themselves.

    ''This is ournd!''

    ''No, it''s not? Our tribe came first?!''

    The imperialnds were vast, but prime spots were limited.

    Befitting a post-apocalyptic era, the fights among barbarians continued endlessly.

    Until a man named ''Brifford'' appeared, that is.

    ''Stop! Cease this fighting!''

    ''? Why should I? More importantly, who are you?''

    ''Are we not all brothers who came down from the north! Yet we fight day after day! If external enemies invade like this, we''ll all perish together!''

    ''No, really, who are you...''

    Brifford was a born warrior and a barbarian gifted with superhuman strength.

    With his tremendous might rivaling Xiang Yu from the Chronicles of the Han, he conquered other tribes one by one.

    Soon, he seeded in upying most of the northwestern region of the (former) Golden Empire.

    Brifford, who had united the tribes, was about to dere the establishment of a [Tribal Confederation State]... when he was interrupted.

    Out of the blue, some religious folk from the south showed up.

    ''Please protect us~''

    ''?''

    They were priests of the Heaven''s Faith.

    The Heaven''s Faith had suffered such a blow from the flood of barbarian hordes that its very foundations were shaken.

    Until then, the Golden Empire had been protecting them, but the empire had fallen!

    ''If this continues, the world will be plunged into darkness!''

    ''? We were just about to start enjoying the good life, you know?''

    ''How can you talk about the good life when the world is ending!''

    ''?!''

    The Pope of Heaven''s Faith met with Chief Brifford.

    And exined.

    ording to the doctrine of Heaven''s Faith, when the Golden Empire falls, the world will soon end...

    To prevent this doom, a new Golden Empire must be created!

    ''Is that really true?!''

    ''... To be honest, we''re not sure either. It''s our first apocalypse, you see. But if you don''t protect us, we''ll certainly perish!''

    Brifford did some cost-benefit analysis.

    Should he embrace these religious folk and be the rightful sessor to the Golden Empire...

    Or execute them all and create a paradise for barbarians.

    Brifford chose the former.

    They were going to settle down and live here anyway. There was no need to provoke the Heaven''s Faith and make enemies unnecessarily.

    ''Oh! Excellent! Devout Brifford! You are now the Emperor of the [Holy Empire]!''

    The Pope smiled broadly and was about to ce a crown on Brifford''s head... but couldn''t.

    Brifford refused the crown.

    ''No! That''s not for me to decide!''

    ''??? What nonsense-''

    ''We must hear the opinions of the other tribal chiefs! We''ll have a vote, and whoever gets the most votes will be this ''Emperor'' thing!''

    The Pope''s jaw dropped.

    No way, had he seen it all with these super-ignorant bastards!

    You guys, do you even know what an Emperor is?! (They don''t)

    The ruler of this world! The defender of faith!

    You dare to elect the emperor of an empire seeding the glorious Golden Empire by vote?!

    What is this, electing a neighborhood watch captain? What''s with electing an emper-

    ''This is my way, Pope.''

    ''Ignorant bastards... I mean. Ahem. I''ll respect your tradition.''

    The Pope felt intense culture shock but couldn''t reallyin.

    Well... because those ignorant bastards were the ones holding the sword!

    Brifford held a tribal council ording to barbarian procedures.

    As a result of the vote, Brifford was naturally elected emperor.

    The tribal chiefs swore allegiance to Brifford and became vassals with voting rights, namely [Prince-electors].

    Emperor Brifford I gave each tribal chief a piece ofnd and ordered them to guard and live on thatnd.

    They changed their names from tribal chiefs to [Imperial Dukes].

    The dukes gavend to their retainers, and those retainers gavend to their knights...

    That''s how the feudal system of the Holy Empire began.

    As a result, the empire''s feudal system tended to be much more independent than that of other countries.

    In a country where even the emperor was elected, respect for individual nobles was exceptional.

    That''s why Lucy,ing from the rural Talian barony, wasn''t turned away at the door.

    Duke Araz didn''t spout nonsense like "What? A baron? Just a low-ranking noble! Hmph!"

    "Wee, Baron of Talian."

    "Uh..."

    "Baron? Who is this? Your husband?"

    Ian''s brain short-circuited for a moment when he saw Duke Araz in person.

    Duke Araz was... a stunningly beautiful woman...!

    She appeared to be in her mid tote 30s.

    She wore the ''cone hat'' that Lucy was crazy about on her head, but her dress was a design that clung tightly to her body.

    A beautiful mature woman who could be described as a MILF.

    "This is Ian, disciple of the wizard Eredith."

    "A wizard?"

    Duke Araz narrowed her eyes as she looked at Ian.

    She thought there was something suspicious about him, but to think he was a wizard?

    Duke Araz naturally offered Ian a seat.

    "Please, sit down."

    "?"

    Ian felt a slight novelty.

    Good heavens. To see a strange wizard and not perform [Calling a Wizard]!

    Is this theposure of a duke!

    "You look surprised that I''m not performing the Calling of a Wizard."

    "Was it that obvious?"

    Duke Araz took a sip of tea with a gentle smile.

    "Don''t take offense, wizard Ian. First of all, my court has many wizards."

    That made sense.

    As one of the five prince-electors and imperial dukes, Duke Araz surely knew at least one wizard.

    "Even without inviting you specifically, we have no trouble with magic."

    "I see."

    In short, the duke had no intention of drawing Ian to her side, so she skipped the process of Calling a Wizard.

    "Also, this isn''t an appropriate ce for Calling a Wizard."

    This was outdoors, in Duke Araz''s tent quarters.

    It meant she was skipping the formalities since it was difficult to properly observe etiquette here.

    "Of course, that doesn''t mean you''re not wee."

    Duke Araz said this while her eyes shed slightly.

    The duke calmly waited for Ian''s reaction.

    Soon, Ian opened his mouth.

    "This is truly... the first time I''ve received such treatment in my life."

    "Hm. Even if you''re disappointed, there''s nothing-"

    "You are truly a wise person, Your Grace!"

    "???"

    Duke Araz looked at Ian in shock.

    She had openly said she was skipping the Calling of a Wizard... and he was happy about this?!

    A young and talented wizard like Ian would naturally have high pride.

    It wouldn''t have been strange at all if he had been offended when a noble arbitrarily skipped the Calling of a Wizard!

    ''... He doesn''t seem to be an ordinary person.''

    Duke Araz scrutinized Ian up and down calmly.

    It was one of two things.

    Either he was a wizard so insignificant as to be pathetic...

    Or a young man wise enough to deserve the name of wizard!

    "Why do you think I''m wise?"

    To the duke''s question, Ian answered nonchntly.

    "Well, because you''re someone who isn''t bound by empty formalities. What''s the big deal about Calling a Wizard? It just makes wizards act like clowns. Tsk tsk."

    "..."

    Ian calmly criticized the old custom while simultaneously praising Duke Araz''s wisdom.

    Duke Araz judged that all of Ian''s actions were calcted results.

    She thought there was no way this could be his honest opinion!

    ''Skipping the clown act is awesome~''

    But contrary to the duke''s expectations, Ian was genuinely pleased with her decision.

    Ian had always loathed emotionalbor.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 205

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Duke Araz had only one reason for dying the dragon hunt until now.

    She didn''t want to lose her precious knights to some beast that popped up out of nowhere.

    As a female noble, Duke Araz heavily relied on her knights'' military power rather than her own skills.

    Having never received knightly training, she didn''t understand or care about the glory of hunting and victory.

    She just wanted to protect hernd properly, that''s all!''Your Grace! Protect your vassals as per our contract!''

    ''Rash actions often lead to failure. Wait until we locate the dragon''sir.''

    Of course, the duke hadn''t been sitting idle.

    She had been preparing magical support and even siege engines modified for anti-dragon use.

    But these prepared forces were only meant to defend the duke''s direct territory.

    Leading an army to protect rural barons would be a massive waste of time and money.

    Her vassals might grumble andin, but...

    What could they do if the duke refused to move?

    ''Your Grace! Are you just going to watch the dragon''s tyranny?''

    ''Hmm. Shall I appoint you as the leader of the dragon subjugation force?''

    ''How very prudent of you, Your Excellency!!!''

    Even nobles as high as counts couldn''t rashly confront the dragon.

    While they could deal with a dragon attacking them, assaulting a dragon''sir felt entirely different.

    As the duke was preparing to face the dragon...

    Strange news arrived from the north.

    ''Your Grace! Breaking news! They say the Margrave of Haltramm has repelled the dragon!''

    ''... Is that true?''

    Who was the Margrave of Haltramm?

    A battle-hardened warrior guarding the northern edge of the empire!

    The Margrave of Haltramm was a brave and fierce noble nicknamed the Barbarian-yer for defeating countless barbarians.

    Rumor had it he could lift boulders with one hand and devour half a cow in a single meal, a warrior of tremendous strength.

    ''If it''s Haltramm, he could do it!''

    Duke Araz rejoiced.

    The Margrave of Haltramm was a border lord.

    He was a noble who had focused on developing military capabilities, tasked with defending the border.

    The duke only knew the margrave by face, but she believed the rumors were true.

    After all... there was no reason for false rumors to spread!

    As the margrave''s soldiers unanimously praised Haltramm''s heroic deeds, Duke Araz had no choice but to believe the rumors.

    She immediately summoned Haltramm and formed an expedition with his knights.

    Even the duke would hesitate to face a fully healthy dragon, but...

    A severely wounded dragon on the run was a tempting treasure trove!

    ''The dragon''s treasure is mine!''

    Duke Araz''s eyes shed with greed.

    She vowed to let the margrave have the glory of being the Dragon yer, but she would definitely keep the treasure.

    That''s how Duke Araz and the Margrave of Haltramm''s armies came to advance on the Golden Mountains.

    ---

    ---

    A tent vige with countless military gs fluttering.

    It was the result of young knights eager to raise their family names, urging their servants to raise banners.

    Most of the young knights participating in this expedition had simr thoughts.

    ''I... will take the dragon''s head!''

    Dragon yer.

    ying a dragon was undoubtedly the most glorious military achievement a knight could aplish.

    All around the camp, knights could be seen grinning like fools.

    They were undoubtedly imagining themselves drenched in the ck dragon''s blood, delivering the final blow to the beast.

    It wasn''t just one or two knights, but almost all of them walking around with silly grins.

    The whole camp was heated up like a bunch of idiots.

    Ian felt like the knights'' ignorance might be contagious.

    "You don''t look happy."

    When Belenka asked, Ian answered honestly.

    "I feel like I might catch stupidity."

    "... That''s the most unpleasant thing I''ve heard all year. Must be nice being so smart, Ian."

    "Better than being ignorant."

    Belenka shook her head at Ian''s characteristically harsh words.

    He really was a born wizard, that one.

    "Don''t you find it strange, Belenka?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Look at their faces. They''re so carefree, like they''re off to hunt kobolds in the backyard... Just looking at their faces, you''d think they''ve already got the dragon''s head, huh?"

    Belenka reluctantly agreed.

    "I admit the atmosphere is excited. But Ian, you''re not a knight, so you wouldn''t understand. The heart of a knight facing a glorious battle."

    Ian retorted cynically.

    "What glory is there in dealing the final blow to a dying dragon?"

    Honestly, Ian didn''t care whether there were many excited knights or not.

    The problem was that there were ''too many'' young knights.

    "Isn''t it strange?"

    "What now?"

    Belenka thought Ian was about to say something nonsensical again.

    But at Ian''s next words, she was taken aback.

    "The Margrave of Haltramm. They say he''s going to deal the final blow to the dragon. So why are so many knights gathered?"

    "Well... because the rumors spread."

    "And who spread those rumors?"

    "..."

    Belenka stared at Ian for a moment.

    When Ian didn''t say anything, she asked incredulously.

    "You... don''t tell me you''re suggesting the Margrave of Haltramm deliberately gathered young knights?"

    "Correct, Belenka."

    It was hard to believe.

    It didn''t make sense.

    Obviously, you don''t need arge force to take down weak prey.

    You should take minimal personnel to share more of the spoils.

    But the Margrave of Haltramm had drawn in numerous young knights to deal with a severely wounded dragon.

    Why?

    Did he want to share the glory with the youth?

    Did he want to share the honor of being a Dragon yer with everyone?

    If that were true, the Margrave of Haltramm would be a true knight deserving to be called ''the father of all knights~''

    But Ian didn''t view the situation so optimistically.

    He needed to see for himself what kind of person the Margrave of Haltramm was.

    "Lord Ian! Sir Belenka!"

    A knight of the duke called for Ian.

    "The duke is asking for you."

    "We''ll be right there."

    Ian headed towards Duke Araz''s tent with Belenka.

    "Let''s go, Belenka."

    "Alright."

    The nobles'' meeting was about to begin.

    ---

    ---

    "You''ve finished the preparations properly, right?"

    Before the meeting began.

    The Margrave of Haltramm summoned his serving wizard and asked.

    "How could I not!"

    The middle-aged wizard, earth wizard Bunchi, answered confidently.

    Recently, while passing through the entrance of the Golden Mountains, Bunchi had discovered a mystical stone imbued with the essence of earth.

    Bunchi was overjoyed at this unexpected stroke of luck.

    To obtain such powerful earth energy right before a dragon hunt!

    This was nothing short of heaven pushing them to sessfully y the dragon.

    If he invested that stone in a magic circle, he couldplete a spell that even a dragon couldn''t ignore!

    Bunchi immediately tried to take the earth stone.

    But befitting a stone flowing with mystical power, there were guardians protecting the treasure nearby.

    They were golems.

    Unable to pass by with the treasure right in front of him, Bunchi immediately ran to the Margrave of Haltramm and requested to borrow some knights.

    When he boasted that he could wield powerful magic if he got his hands on it, the Margrave of Haltramm lent him the knights.

    Normally, he would have told him to stop his nonsense, but.

    For the Margrave of Haltramm, this hunt was important enough to borrow a wizard''s magic.

    He absolutely needed the title of ''Dragon yer''.

    Because...

    The Margrave of Haltramm had spread a ''false'' rumor that he had inflicted a fatal wound on the dragon!

    That''s right.

    The rumor that the margrave had pierced a hole in the dragon''s jaw was a false rumor fabricated by the margrave.

    For some unknown reason, the ck dragon''s jaw had a hole from the start. With a long spear stuck through it.

    It was true that the ck dragon had invaded the margrave''s territory, and it was also true that it fled before the margrave''s eyes.

    Unable to withstand the fierce resistance, the ck dragon turned tail and ran.

    Watching the massive ck dragon flee so pathetically...

    The margrave felt his blood boiling with excitement.

    Look! That huge beast, running away scared of mere humans!

    ''I want to end that thing''s life!''

    The Margrave of Haltramm was consumed by the thrill of the hunt.

    He was a battle-hardened warrior who had ughtered barbarians all his life, born with the blood of a martial artist.

    He had cut down countless barbarians, but now mere barbarians could no longer satisfy the margrave''s destructive urges.

    A stronger opponent! A more glorious battle!

    The title of ''Dragon yer, Margrave Haltramm!'' sounded too sweet.

    So the Margrave of Haltramm crossed a forbidden river.

    He spread false rumors that he had inflicted a fatal wound on the dragon.

    The effect of the rumor was definite.

    Duke Araz not only entrusted the dragon hunt to the Margrave of Haltramm but even promised to hand over the beast''s head.

    Therefore, the margrave ''absolutely'' had to y the dragon.

    Before he became theughingstock of the world as a pathological liar.

    ''Well, it''s true that we did wound it anyway.''

    The Margrave of Haltramm felt somewhat justified.

    There might have been some exaggeration, but... it was true that the margrave''s army had wounded the dragon.

    Chances of victory? Of course they were overwhelming!

    What? The ck dragon of cmity, Predius?

    Wasn''t it just a pathetic coward that ran away scared of the margrave''s army!

    "I got you that mystical stone you wanted. So don''t mess up. Bunchi."

    "Of course not! My lord!"

    The Margrave of Haltramm immediately headed to the meeting ce.

    Duke Araz''s tent.

    There sat the impudent Count Edward and...

    Some wench with dark blue hair.

    "Duke. Who might this be?"

    Duke Araz spoke in a gentle voice.

    "This is the new Countess of Talian."

    Lucy, Countess of Talian, stood up and greeted him.

    "Pleased to meet you, Margrave of Haltramm."

    "Nice to meet you too, Countess of Talian."

    They exchanged greetings, but the Margrave of Haltramm didn''t understand why the Countess of Talian was sitting here.

    Well. Had shee to beg to be included in the expedition?

    Just then, Duke Araz resolved the margrave''s curiosity.

    "The Countess of Talian is an observer. Her wizard has some questions for you, Margrave."

    "... wizard?"

    Someone stepped forward.

    Jet-ck hair and jet-ck eyes.

    A staff in his hand. A young man with a crow perched on his shoulder.

    It was the wizard Ian.

    ''He is indeed a wizard.''

    The Margrave of Haltramm was convinced as soon as he saw Ian''s bizarre appearance.

    In this world, only jesters and wizards would walk around with crows on their shoulders.

    For a brief moment, the Margrave of Haltramm''s eyes met Ian''s.

    "..."

    And the margrave flinched, feeling the strange mystery flowing beyond Ian''s eyes.

    Though he looked like an innocent young man on the outside, there was no doubt he harbored powerful strength within.

    "Your Excellency, Margrave of Haltramm."

    As soon as Ian spoke, the margrave tensed.

    His clear pronunciation and resonant voice were indeed extraordinary.

    "Speak, wizard."

    "I have a request for Your Excellency."

    "A request?"

    Ian looked straight at the margrave and said.

    "On that day when the dragon invaded your territory. Would you tell me how you inflicted a wound on the evil ck dragon?"

    "!"

    Ian''s gaze, as if he knew something.

    At the question that seemed to interrogate him, the Margrave of Haltramm unconsciously gritted his teeth.

    ''How dare he...!''Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 206

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    The Margrave of Haltramm was in a tight spot.

    Tell the story of how he fought the dragon? That much he could do easily.

    The problem was that it would be a bald-faced lie!

    ''What''s this? What''s his aim?''

    If some stupid young knight had made the same request, the margrave would haveughed happily and spun a tale of his exploits.Young foolscked the intelligence to discern the margrave''s lies!

    But the wizard before him was entirely different.

    His warrior''s intuition was screaming a warning.

    This wizard Ian was dangerous...

    "My heroic deeds? You want to hear them now?"

    The Margrave of Haltramm spoke, openly disying his displeasure.

    More urately, it was closer to anxiety than displeasure.

    A young knight would have tucked tail and fled the moment he sensed the margrave''s anger.

    But his opponent was a wizard.

    Arrogant and willful, wizards were special beings who could ignore even the emperor if the situation called for it.

    Ian spoke in a gentle voice.

    "Your heroic deeds have reached as far as Talian domain, Margrave. I thought I should hear the story of how you defeated the dragon as soon as I met you.

    If it''s not too presumptuous, I''d love to hear the vivid ount directly from you, Margrave."

    Ian applied pressure gently.

    That was far more terrifying than pushing forcefully.

    "I''d like to know about the Margrave''s exploits too!"

    He had just opened the way for other nobles to chime in.

    As soon as Lucy Talian added her piece, Duke Araz and Count Edward simultaneously turned to look at the Margrave of Haltramm.

    The margrave broke out in a cold sweat.

    He had fallen into a kind of trap.

    If he didn''t tell the story of his heroic deeds, Count Edward would criticize him for being narrow-minded.

    That would be a dreadful situation for the Margrave of Haltramm, who thought of himself as a ''cool guy''.

    On the other hand, if he spoke honestly...

    He might be caught lying by that wizard with the sharp eyes!

    "This is a good opportunity."

    Duke Araz egged him on approvingly.

    "They don''t know about your exploits yet, Margrave. It''s a chance to raise your honor."

    "..."

    The Margrave of Haltramm wanted to sew the duke''s mouth shut.

    What was that stupid woman doing...!

    "Hmph. I bet it''s just a mediocre story, that''s why."

    Count Edward tore into the margrave like a hunting dog.

    The Margrave of Haltramm''s face turned bright red.

    ... Because he had been struck right on the mark.

    He had never actually fought the dragon!

    He had spread false rumors about chasing the fleeing dragon, but that was it!

    But the Margrave of Haltramm could never admit that fact, even if it killed him.

    The Barbarian yer, the valiant guardian of the north... was actually a liar?!

    If that was revealed, the Margrave of Haltramm was truly prepared to kill himself.

    Naturally, his pride took control of his body.

    "A mediocre story? Ha! Are you saying the tale of how I blew off the dragon''s jaw while covered in its blood is mediocre, Count?"

    "..."

    Count Edward made a disgusted face but couldn''t bring himself to say anything.

    After all, the margrave was known as the one who had inflicted a fatal wound on the dragon.

    To face a dragon with a human body?

    Of course, that was a tremendous achievement.

    But at the same time, Ian''s eyes lit up.

    The story he had been so eager to hear had just spilled from the margrave''s mouth.

    "Your Excellency. Please tell us the details of the situation. What weapon did you use to pierce the dragon''s jaw?"

    "!"

    At Ian''s sharp question, the Margrave of Haltramm immediately regretted his words from a second ago.

    Ah, I shouldn''t have let my pride take over...!

    But the milk was already spilled.

    The Margrave of Haltramm puffed out his chest and dered proudly.

    "The famous spear my father used! It''s called [Frostwind]!"

    "A spear? What kind of spear is it?"

    At Ian''s question, Duke Araz and Count Edward''s gazes moved once again.

    "Frostwind? I''ve never heard of such a spear?"

    "Me neither. Did the Haltramm family have such a weapon?"

    ''Shit...!''

    The Margrave of Haltramm sensed things were going slightly awry.

    And for good reason - all the previous Margraves of Haltramm had been famous swordsmen.

    Why would a family renowned for swordsmanship suddenly have a famous spear?

    But Haltramm had no choice but to insist there was a spear in his family.

    After all... there was a spear stuck in the dragon''s jaw!

    "Margrave."

    Duke Araz smiled, as if things were going well, and said.

    "Many people don''t know about Frostwind. Why don''t you tell us in detail what kind of weapon it is?"

    The Margrave of Haltramm felt like his insides were turning upside down.

    ''... You stupid sow!''

    Why encourage him to say more when they could have just let it slide?!

    However, boasting about good weapons was directly linked to a knight''s honor.

    Duke Araz was providing perfectly normal support!

    ''Hehe. No need to thank me, Margrave.''

    The duke looked at the margrave with a strange smile.

    The duke wasn''t curious at all about why a family of swordsmen had a famous spear. She had never receivedbat training.

    So she assumed the margrave would immediately start boasting about his weapon!

    "...? Margrave?"

    But when the margrave unexpectedly buffered, the duke made a slightly puzzled expression.

    Why isn''t he boasting about his weapon?

    But of course, the Margrave of Haltramm couldn''t talk about [Frostwind].

    What [Famous Spear Frostwind]? Are you an idiot?!

    I just made that up on the spot...!

    Ian and Count Edward immediately sensed something off about the margrave''s suspicious attitude.

    A warrior who had spent his whole life fighting hesitating to boast about his weapon?

    ''This is definitely suspicious.''

    Ian''s doubts deepened.

    He had probed on the off chance...

    Maybe this margrave.

    Hadn''t actually fought the dragon?

    That''s when it happened.

    "Excuse me! Great lords!"

    A middle-aged man appeared in the tent.

    He was a man in neat robes wearing a ne made of woven jewels.

    The Margrave of Haltramm inwardly rejoiced.

    ''Bunchi!''

    He was none other than the margrave''s wizard, Bunchi.

    The great earth wizard, Bunchi!

    As befitting an excellent wizard, he barged in and naturally drew the nobles'' attention while sweeping through the meeting ce.

    His gait, expression, eye movements, and gaze control.

    Not a single part of him failed to capture the public''s attention.

    Even Ian was impressed.

    Though Ian had grown ustomed to wizard behavior, he found it difficult to imitate such natural charisma.

    Bunchi winked at the Margrave of Haltramm before approaching Ian.

    "?"

    "Hahaha! This youngd is just too curious! He''s been bothering you great lords too much! Hahaha!"

    "Who are you?"

    The margrave nearly shed tears of joy.

    As soon as he noticed the awkward situation... Bunchi had appeared to save the margrave!

    To remove the most troublesome Ian!

    ''It takes a wizard to catch a wizard!''

    "Ho! ''Who are you,'' he says! Don''t tell me you don''t know me, the great wizard Bunchi?"

    "? What wizard?"

    Ian looked at the man called Bunchi with disbelief.

    His attire was neat, and his behavior was fairly entric.

    Especially his bold demeanor that didn''t fear others'' gazes was the very embodiment of a wizard.

    But...

    What kind of lunatic introduces himself as a ''great wizard''?

    Even a three-year-old wouldn''t fall for such bravad-

    "The great wizard Bunchi! You must be an excellent wizard!"

    "He must be higher-ranked than Ian!"

    "..."

    Ian let out a deep sigh as he watched the nobles fall for it so naturally, as if breathing.

    Come on, don''t just believe everything a wizard says...

    Ian thought this Bunchi wizard was definitely not a ''great wizard''.

    If there was such an outstanding wizard, Ian would have known.

    And all the wizards he had met so far, while arrogant in front of nobles, were all humble before magic.

    Wizards had to form rtionships with mysteries, so what good would it do to act arrogant towards mysteries?

    "Tsk! Day-old puppy!"

    "..."

    Bunchi clicked his tongue and looked at Ian.

    "How dare you introduce yourself as a wizard when you don''t even know me, the great wizard Bunchi! You milk-breathed brat!"

    Ian was so dumbfounded that he looked at the other nobles'' reactions.

    The Margrave of Haltramm with a moved expression, Duke Araz and Count Edward with intrigued looks.

    Even Lucy, who didn''t know what to do...

    Not a single noble recognized that Bunchi was spouting tant lies.

    They were all falling for that cheap bravado!

    ''Is this for real...?''

    Ian shook his head.

    Damn it all, in this world there was a saying that [The more entric a wizard, the more skilled they are!] which circted as if it were true.

    So a madman introducing himself as a ''great wizard''?

    Wow... he must be incredibly good at magic! That''s what they thought!

    ''This is bullshit.''

    Ian grumbled like that, but there was nothing he could do.

    If he got caught up in Bunchi''s pace now, he''d end up being pushed around as Bunchi wanted.

    He couldn''t let this chance to press the Margrave of Haltramm slip away so pathetically.

    Ian took a deep, calming breath.

    His opponent was no pushover of a wizard, but...

    Ian too was a veteran wizard who had been around the block.

    He wasn''t some greenhorn who would crumble so easily!

    "Well. I get that you''re a self-proimed ''great wizard''. So what?"

    "... What did you say?"

    The most effective way to deal with wizard behavior was.

    To start acting like a wizard yourself.

    When Ian started his wizard act, Bunchi couldn''t hide his bewilderment.

    To dare use the ''whatever'' card in front of the [Great wizard Bunchi]!

    What an insolent wizard!

    Bunchi nced at the other nobles in slight panic.

    This guy is running his mouth as he pleases, surely someone will step in...

    "Oh. wizard Ian is quite something too, isn''t he?"

    "Hah. Such a bold attitude. That kid must be no ordinary wizard either!"

    "Ian! Hang in there! Don''t lose!"

    "..."

    But of course.

    The nobles had no intention whatsoever of interfering in the wizards'' quarrel.

    "I''ve heard of an [Earth wizard Carl], but... Earth wizard Bunchi? You''re a nobody."

    "N-Nobody?"

    "A nobody nobody''s ever heard of. That''s you, ''Great wizard'' ugh) Bunchi."

    "Urgh...!"

    As the traditional wizard damage-dealing (verbal attribute) began, even Bunchi, a fellow wizard, found it hard to handle.

    "You know Earth wizard Carl?"

    "..."

    The truth was, he did know him.

    The rock-like taciturn Earth wizard Carl.

    He was one of the wizards Bunchi respected...!

    But his pride wouldn''t let him openly answer ''I know him''.

    Thanks to that, Ian continued his verbal DPS.

    "Carl is an excellent earth wizard, but he''s never once boasted about himself."

    "...!"

    It was a fact.

    Actually, Carl not only didn''t boast, he barely talked at all.

    But he didn''t boast, right?

    As suspiciously urate testimony continued, Bunchi had no choice but to believe Ian''s words.

    "You... know Carl?"

    "Yes. He''s my friend."

    As soon as Ian said he knew Carl, Bunchi started to get a bit nervous.

    He had thought this young blue wizard was nothing special, but...

    To think he was acquainted with Earth wizard Carl...!

    "But you''re a ''great wizard'', so you must be far superior to Carl, right?"

    "W-Well..."

    "I should tell Carl about thister~"

    When Ian grinned, Bunchi leaned in close and whispered.

    ''H-Hey. Young friend. Why are you doing this to me! Really?!''

    ''What do you mean?''

    ''No! It''s an act! An act! When your senior moves first, you juniors should y along!''

    Ian let out augh of disbelief.

    Just like a wizard...

    Bunchi was openly admitting he was putting on an act.

    But so what?

    Ian had no intention of yielding here at all.

    ''You should already know, senior? I have business with the Margrave of Haltramm.''

    ''Damn it. Are you serious? The part you''re trying to poke at involves a noble''s honor...''

    Ian cut off Bunchi''s words.

    ''People''s lives are at stake too, senior.''

    ''...''

    Bunchi slowly backed away.

    He had realized negotiation was impossible.

    "Fine! You insolent brat! If you''re going to be like that, I have no choice but to show my skills!"

    Ian wasn''t in a position to back down either.

    He was confident in his magic too.

    Ian watched to see what kind of magic Bunchi would use.

    "[O writhing earth!]"

    Bunchi spread his arms and chanted magicalnguage.

    The nobles watched in admiration, appreciating the wizard''s skill.

    Rumble rumble...!

    "Wh-What tremendous vibrations...!"

    "What is this? What kind of magic is this!"

    The vibrations grew stronger and stronger, soon bing impossible to stand.

    The nobles sat down in confusion.

    It wasn''t just the nobles who sat down.

    The knights and soldiers, and even the pitched tents began to copse one after another!

    "B-Bunchi!"

    Even the Margrave of Haltramm shouted in panic.

    "You! What kind of magic are you...!"

    That''s when it happened.

    BOOM!

    Less than 50 meters away, a massive explosion urred as if the ground was being turned inside out!

    [I''ll kill you! I''ll tear you all to pieces and kill you! You humans!!!]

    A horrifying roar that made Ian''s hair stand on end struck his ears.

    The murderous intent was so sharp it made his fingertips tremble.

    Ian immediately shouted at Bunchi.

    "Bunchi! What is that!"

    "I-I don''t know either!"

    "???"

    At this absurdly unexpected answer, Ian was momentarily at a loss for words.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 207

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    "Monster!"

    The beast that tore through the earth and emerged was a golem made of rock, stone, and y.

    Its size was staggering, nearly 4 meters tall.

    The sheer weight of the massive collection of minerals!

    The rock golem boasted destructive power worthy of being called a medieval war-suit."It''s charging at the Duke!"

    "I''ll stop it!"

    Young knights full of vigor tried to block the golem''s path.

    But Salvador and Belenka pushed them aside.

    "Get out of the way, you fools!"

    "What the- Old man!"

    The young knights were startled, but they shut their mouths at Salvador''s sharp re.

    "How do you n to stop that avnche-like monster!"

    "..."

    "If you''re that eager to go to heaven, I won''t stop you!"

    At Salvador''s rebuke, the knights came to their senses.

    This wasn''t an opponent they could face with notions of loyalty or desire for military glory.

    A monster made of y and rock instead of flesh and blood!

    "You lot, escort your lords and run!"

    "But... I don''t have a lord?"

    "Then use your brain and help anyone!"

    Salvador instinctively knew.

    This was clearly a monster created by the power of mystery.

    And the only ones who could face it were wizards.

    "You help Ian!"

    "Yes!"

    Salvador busied himselfmanding the knights while Belenka moved to support Ian.

    [I''ll kill you!!!]

    A piercing mental scream swept across the battlefield.

    Ian, who had leveled up a lot until now, could somewhat withstand the pressure of the mystery.

    But not Bunchi.

    "Hiiieek!"

    Overwhelmed by the tremendous killing intent emitted by the mystery, Bunchi half lost his mind.

    ''Is Bunchi really clueless about this?''

    Ian found Bunchi''s reaction questionable.

    The monster seemed to have appeared in response to Bunchi''s magicalnguage, but...

    "Dodge, my lord!"

    "This way!"

    Loyal knights escorted their respective lords to safety.

    "Ian!"

    Belenka appeared just in time.

    Ian entrusted Lucy''s protection to Belenka.

    "Take care of Lucy."

    "... I''ll be back soon."

    Ian took a deep breath to calm himself.

    He could see the rock golem charging towards him, kicking up clouds of dust.

    If he got hit by that thing, he''d be turned into a bloody pancake.

    ''It has a physical form.''

    The rock golem wasn''t an intangible mystery.

    It was clearly an intelligent being made of y and rock.

    Having a physical form meant it could be beaten down.

    ''But dialoguees first.''

    Ian addressed the rock golem in the Maroniusnguage.

    "[Stop! O enraged one!]"

    [Graaah!]

    Ian''s Maronius was perfect.

    The fact that the rock golem didn''t stop meant its eyes were half-crazed.

    ''Damn it!''

    Ian rolled on the ground.

    The rock golem passed by, stomping the earth, missing him by a hair''s breadth.

    "Bunchi!"

    The rock golem was a monster created by mystery.

    Knights without proper equipment wouldn''t be of help in the fight.

    The only one who could help Ian right now was Bunchi.

    "Aaaaaaah!"

    "..."

    However, Bunchi, his mind seemingly broken, ran away without looking back!

    Ian couldn''t close his gaping mouth.

    "Hey, you...!"

    You''re an earth wizard, Bunchi!

    If you run away, what am I supposed to do with this rock golem!

    [Come here! You half-ground gravel!]

    Thud! Thud! Thud!

    The rock golem ignored Ian and chased straight after Bunchi.

    "Don''t follow me! Stay away!"

    [I''ll kill you for sure!!!]

    "...?"

    Bunchi fleeing and the rock golem chasing.

    Ian noticed something.

    That rock golem...

    It really was interested in Bunchi!

    ''Lucky break!''

    Ian didn''t know why the rock golem was fixated on Bunchi.

    But it didn''t matter.

    What mattered was that the rock golem was chasing Bunchi straight on!

    Ian shouted loud enough for the people around to hear.

    "Sir Bunchi! Are you really okay with this!"

    "???"

    Bunchi, running for his life, shot Ian a bewildered look.

    What the hell was he...?

    "Bing bait for the rock golem all by yourself!"

    "!!!"

    Bunchi was horrified at Ian''s next words.

    Bait? Did he just say bait?!

    "When did I...!"

    However, Bunchi couldn''t shout ''Don''t talk nonsense!''

    [I''ll kill youuuu!]

    Because the enraged rock golem was hot on his heels...!

    "Ah! So that''s why the rock golem is chasing Sir Bunchi...!"

    "Good heavens. To volunteer as bait!"

    "What an amazing wizard!"

    The young knights looked at Bunchi with admiring eyes.

    To volunteer for a suicidal, dangerous mission to protect others!

    That''s so damn cool...!

    "Help! Save me!!!"

    "Wow. Such convincing acting!"

    "Even the rock golem was fooled! Hahaha!"

    Bunchi ran for his life, desperately avoiding the rock golem.

    As Ian had guessed, the rock golem targeted only Bunchi as it charged.

    ''Good.''

    Thanks to Bunchi''s sacrifice(?), Ian had some time.

    Ian immediately began drawing a magic circle on the ground.

    "Everyone help Sir Bunchi! Throw anything you can to buy time!"

    "Ooh!"

    Because there were people helping Bunchi, he didn''t turn into a pancake right away.

    He was running while sweating buckets, but...

    Isn''t that 100 times better than dying?

    ''Done.''

    Ian threw a jewel onto the magic circle and shouted.

    "[Water! Gush forth!]"

    The magic Ian chose was water magic.

    Just now, when the rock golem burst from the ground, Ian had sensed the energy of underground water sleeping not far away.

    The magic to draw out underground water was a technique he had once demonstrated with the water wizard Anton.

    Ian easily pulled the underground water from the earth.

    [Did you call me, young human?]

    "[Yes!]"

    Ian made a request to the mystery of water.

    "[Please soak that thing!]"

    [That''s a very easy task.]

    Ian poured the drawn underground water directly towards the rock golem.

    [Ugh! This is...!]

    The rock golem was flustered by the sudden water attack.

    As the ground beneath its feet turned to mud, the golem''s feet sank in.

    An even more serious problem was that the y connecting the golem''s joints began to dissolve in the water!

    [No! Move! Earth!]

    The rock golem cried out in anguish, but it was useless.

    Soaked through, the golem soon broke apart into rocks and copsed to the ground.

    "Wooooah!"

    "The golem has fallen!"

    The knights cheered.

    Ian slowly approached the rock golem.

    Duke Araz and Count Edward''s eyes lit up as they followed Ian''s back.

    ''His skills are beyond imagination!''

    ''Such an outstanding talent... why is he under a rural noble?''

    When you see talent, you naturally want to recruit it!

    The nobles thought they should invite Ian to their courts withvish treatment after the dragon hunt was over.

    Regardless, Ian focused on the rock golem.

    "Ha, hahaha...! wizard Ian! You really did a gre-"

    "You, shut your trap."

    Ian pushed Bunchi aside and addressed the rock golem.

    "[O enraged one.]"

    [...]

    "[Why are you so angry?]"

    With rocks embedded in mud.

    The rock golem spoke slowly.

    [That cunning human... stole my child while I was sleeping...!]

    "[Child?]"

    Ian immediately looked at Bunchi.

    Bunchi exined, sweating profusely.

    "Well, um... I did pick up a mysterious stone..."

    "Picked up? Not stole?"

    "... I did defeat the guardian golems and take it. But I''m the victim here! It''smon sense that there are guardians around treasures!"

    So, Bunchi was iming that mysterious stone... or the rock golem''s child, was his rightful spoils of war.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Is it normal for a wizard to just grab a stone of unknown origin?

    Forcibly snatching the power of mystery without anymunication is absolutely not the way of a wizard.

    "Ian! You''re a wizard too, you should understand! When there''s a stone full of earth power right in front of you, ignoring it is..."

    "Shut up. Just give it back already."

    "G-Give it back? But you subdued the golem, didn''t you?"

    Ian quietly pulled out Anor-lsil from his waist.

    Anor-lsil took the hint and jumped out, starting to beat up Bunchi.

    "Ow! Ow! W-What is this!"

    Ian immediately made a fuss.

    "Ah! The mystery is enraged by Bunchi''s shamelessness!"

    "Okay! Okay! I''ll give it back, alright!"

    Soon, Bunchi brought the golem''s child.

    Ian sincerely apologized and returned the child to the rock golem.

    "[It was our foolish mistake. We''re truly sorry.]"

    [... I can feel your sincerity. I''ll ept your apology.]

    In truth, it was because Ian had subdued it that it ended things nicely.

    If he had just apologized, it might have crushed Bunchi and returned to the forest.

    In any case, the rock golem disappeared.

    ---

    ---

    There was a briefmotion, but everything was resolved well without a single casualty.

    The knights who witnessed Bunchi''s sacrifice(?) and Ian''s brilliant magic had their morale boosted sky-high.

    "With a wizard like that on our side, even a dragon won''t be a problem!"

    "Let''s raid the dragon''s nest right away!"

    Apart from the heightened morale of the knights and soldiers.

    The mood among the nobles wasn''t good.

    "What did you say?"

    Duke Araz and Count Edward looked at Bunchi with shocked expressions.

    No matter how much they red at Bunchi, the result wouldn''t change.

    "It may be hard to believe... but it''s all true."

    Ian decided to cover up the massive trolling Bunchi had caused.

    In exchange, he extracted a promise from Bunchi to cooperate with Ian during the expedition.

    Ian questioned Bunchi about what happened in the Margrave of Haltramm''s territory.

    And the expected answer came back.

    "His Excellency the Margrave did not fight the dragon."

    "..."

    "The ck dragon took a few arrows from the soldiers, then just ran away."

    The nt wizard Mani was right.

    The spear that the Margrave of Haltramm imed to have thrust into the ck dragon''s jaw.

    It had been stuck in the ck dragon''s jaw from the beginning.

    The margrave had spread false rumors as if he had achieved a military feat with it.

    Even though his lie was exposed, the margrave''s expression didn''t change one bit.

    Instead, he shouted proudly.

    "It''s a monster we have to hunt anyway! But everyone was trembling like cowards, so I used my wisdom to inspire some courage!"

    "..."

    Ian was at a loss for words.

    Spreading false rumors was... ''wisdom'' in his mind.

    Wisdom to push people who were scared out of their wits!

    "How can you say that now!"

    Duke Araz shouted with a pale face.

    She had moved her troops after hearing rumors that the dragon was severely injured.

    But if that was a lie...

    Didn''t that mean they now had to fight a life-or-death battle with a perfectly healthy dragon?!

    "You sure talk a lot! Duke!"

    "What did you say?!"

    "What are you going to do now that we''vee this far? Return like losers! We have to hunt the dragon anyway! The glory of Dragon yer is right in front of us!"

    The Margrave of Haltramm said as he swiftly mounted his horse.

    "Whatever you all say, I''m going to hunt that dragon!"

    "..."

    "If you want to return empty-handed after bringing so many knights and mercenaries, I won''t stop you."Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 208

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    "Haltramm is finished now."

    In a treacherous valley of the Golden Mountains.

    Antios, the Regent of the [Golden Rule Society], gazed down at the mountain base with an eerie glint in his eyes.

    The massive campsite with hundreds of burning torches exuded an intimidating aura that made one''s legs tremble just by looking at it.

    Even a considerably powerful noble would feel uneasy facing such a force.Those were the nobles and knights gathered to hunt the ck dragon Predius.

    In other words, they were the enemies Antios had to face.

    [The sight of those ragged fools gathered looks like maggots drawn to a corpse.]

    Predius muttered darkly, licking his eyeballs with his tongue.

    Despite the numerous knights gathered, the ck dragon treated them as mere insects.

    In reality, the dragon wasn''t particrly afraid of knights either.

    Siege engines mounted on castle walls or wizards'' uncanny magic were threatening, but.

    Human knights in iron armor swinging swords and spears could be turned to ash with a single breath.

    [It''s exactly as you said, Summoner.]

    Predius stared at Antios with eyes shing with madness.

    The Margrave of Haltramm chasing them to the Golden Mountains was a situation Antios had already foreseen.

    One didn''t need to be a space-time wizard to know.

    Antios knew what kind of man the margrave was.

    "The margrave was once a great warrior. He was famous for his tremendous strength and excellent leadership skills."

    [Hah. However great a human may be.]

    Predius scorned humans as naturally as breathing.

    Antios, who knew that was just how the dragon was, continued calmly.

    "But like the setting sun and fading moon. The margrave''s time hase to an end."

    In his younger days, Antios had met the Margrave of Haltramm once.

    His wild charm and overflowing masculinity were hard to take one''s eyes off.

    He was a man worthy of respect as a fellow man.

    But now, the margrave was nothing more than a washed-up old man.

    A pathetic middle-aged man who couldn''t let go of past glories, still believing he was the best and always right.

    "I had hoped the margrave wouldn''t follow you."

    [Hmm. You wished for my failure, you mean?]

    "... That''s right."

    Antios had sent Predius to the margrave''s domain to provoke him.

    He instructed the dragon to fight half-heartedly and then pretend to be defeated to lure him out.

    The cunning Predius had perfectly executed Antios''s orders.

    And Antios... had secretly hoped the margrave would see through his ploy.

    He believed that a man who was once an excellent warrior andmander wouldn''t fall for such a clumsy luring tactic.

    However, the margrave had thoroughly betrayed Antios''s expectations.

    Not only did he immediately chase after the ck dragon, but he also spread false rumors that he had inflicted a fatal wound on it.

    Antios felt a twinge in his chest.

    Was this what it felt like to watch the fall of a hero you once respected?

    "Predius."

    The summoner of the Golden Rule Society.

    Regent Antios gave orders to his summon.

    "I''ll provide you with troops. Eliminate all the nobles, including the Margrave of Haltramm."

    Predius exhaled a rough breath.

    Sticky saliva dripped from his punctured jaw.

    [Good! Prepare my reward in advance! And once this is over, I will definitely plunder a new territory!]

    Antios shook his head.

    Having forbidden plundering for a while for this operation, it seemed the dragon was now eager to raid another territory.

    "As you wish."

    Predius spread his wings wide and let out a long roar.

    Kwaaaaaaah!

    Birds and beasts fled in panic, causing a greatmotion.

    "w-mark."

    "Yes, master!"

    An orc about 2 meters tall prostrated himself before Antios.

    "Help the ck dragon wipe out the knights. You may eat all the corpses."

    "Thank you!"

    Antios watched the orc horde moving down the mountain, his legs crossed.

    With this, the Duchy of Araz was finished.

    The County of Haltramm, having lost its margrave, would stagger under the barbarian problem, and the Duchy of Araz would suffer from session issues.

    When internal affairs are in chaos, one can''t pay attention to external matters.

    Even if a [Civil War in the Empire] broke out between the Duchies of Fargar and Ron, the Duchy of Araz wouldn''t be able to intervene.

    From now on, the Duchy of Araz would have to tremble in fear of the ck dragon.

    ''The end of this false empire is not far off.''

    Watching the massive dragon cutting across the night sky, Antios smiled faintly.

    With Predius taking action, the fall of Araz was inevitable.

    Now, the end was near.

    ---

    ---

    "Did the margrave really say that?"

    As soon as the meeting ended, Ian had a conversation with Salvador.

    "I can''t believe it either. What a crazy old fart."

    Ian had expected the margrave to at least say, ''S-Sorry!'' and apologize.

    But no.

    The margrave had openly shouted at others, ''Y-You crazy bastards! You should be following me!''

    Faced with such incredible audacity, Ian was greatly impressed.

    Wow. You''d have to be that crazy to be a margrave...

    In reality, the other nobles couldn''t do anything but curse at the margrave.

    The milk had already been spilled.

    They had brought knights and mercenaries, so money was already wasted.

    Nothing much had changed except that ''Hunting a wounded dragon'' had be ''Hunting a healthy dragon''.

    Of course, whether the dragon was wounded or healthy was an extremely important issue.

    If it was wounded, they could just rush in and deal the final blow.

    But if it was healthy, someone would have to ''sacrifice'' themselves to take the dragon''s breath...

    So who wants the glorious job of taking that breath attack?

    Nobody wanted to, so the discussion was going nowhere.

    "And you know what he said then? The margrave asked for the honor of leading the first charge."

    Even the great Salvador was at a loss for words in the face of the Margrave of Haltramm''s true madness.

    Isn''t there a saying that ''If you act crazy, you be a real lunatic''?

    The margrave was certainly a lunatic.

    No, he was closer to a stubborn old fart bordering on insanity.

    "Old man. Does it get that hard to apologize when you get old?"

    "It''s men whose bodies have aged but whose pride hasn''t that make such mistakes."

    The margrave was still insisting, ''C''mon! Just beat that dragon and be done with it!''

    Everyone except the margrave turned away, but he kept at it anyway.

    "That man still thinks he''s a 20-year-old knight full of vigor."

    "How can we knock some sense into him?"

    The margrave, apparently quite upset about being betrayed by Bunchi, didn''tmunicate a single word with Bunchi or the other nobles.

    He had gone into full silent treatment mode.

    From Ian''s perspective, this was a real headache.

    The margrave had a certain middle-aged charm and was highly popr among knights due to his heroic military achievements in his younger days.

    With no way to rein him in, it was incredibly frustrating.

    "Ian!"

    Just then, Belenka came running and shouted.

    "We''ve got trouble!"

    "What''s going on?"

    If Belenka said so, something serious must have happened.

    "The Margrave of Haltramm...! He''s preparing to march out!"

    "What?!"

    Ian was shocked.

    After learning that the dragon was at full health, Duke Araz had ordered the construction of a camp.

    She had realized this wasn''t a problem they could just rush into.

    She was nning to build ballistas and bring more wizards to fortify their position, but...

    The crazy margrave had decided to climb the mountain range alone with his men!

    Ian hurried outside.

    But he was toote.

    The margrave had already gathered his loyal knights and disappeared into the Golden Mountains.

    "... What should we do?"

    Duke Araz was at a loss.

    She had originally followed the margrave''s lead. Now that opinions were divided, she was bewildered.

    "Let''s leave him be. He needs to learn his lesson the hard way."

    Count Edward mocked the margrave''s decision.

    Judging by how quickly they had set out, it was clear they had made secret preparations in advance.

    "... May God''s protection be with them."

    Salvador made the sign of the cross.

    Now, all they could do was pray for the margrave''s sess.

    But before half a day had passed, ominous signal res went up.

    "Smoke."

    In the mountains as the sun set.

    Along with bright mes, an acrid smell of burning permeated the entire mountain range.

    The ck dragon''s thunderous roar echoed.

    Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing and looked up at the mountains.

    Soon after, a scout reported urgently.

    "O-Orcs!"

    "Orcs?"

    When Count Edward repeated the question, the scout realized his mistake.

    He hadn''t mentioned the most important being he should have.

    "The dragon! The dragon ising down with a horde of orcs!"

    "What?"

    Not just Count Edward, but even the experienced knights were flustered.

    The dragon was one thing, but...

    Suddenly orcs?

    Why were orcs and a dragon appearing together?!

    "What nonsense is this! Aren''t orcs the dragon''s food? Since when do predators move with their prey!"

    "But...!"

    Ian calmed the count down.

    "That''s enough. Shouting won''t change anything."

    Thud thud thud thud...!

    Soon after, numerous orcs appeared.

    And from the darkness, a wicked and powerful being with ck wings also emerged.

    It was the ck dragon, Predius.

    ''Is that the dragon?''

    They were barely a few hundred meters apart.

    Ian felt overwhelmed by the sight of the dragon he was witnessing firsthand.

    It was on apletely different level from encountering a drake.

    The menacing aura that seemed to proim its ferocity with its entire body!

    As soon as it appeared, Predius unleashed its breath towards the camp.

    "Holy shit!"

    Ian fled as far as he could, taking the nobles with him.

    The dragon''s breath split the camp in half, incinerating everything.

    Tents and hay, temporary storehouses and livestock.

    Even servants, soldiers, and knights!

    "Aaaaagh!"

    "H-Help me!"

    Before the chaos from the breath attack could subside, orc raiders swarmed in.

    "Get a grip! Maintain formation and face the enemy calmly!"

    Salvador shouted until his throat was raw, but the confusion didn''t easily subside.

    Once battle broke out, chaos was inevitable.

    All thoughts ofmand and formation flew out the window as everyone focused on cutting down the enemies right in front of them.

    It''s precisely because they can maintain propermand and formation in such mayhem that some armies are called elite troops led by great generals.

    "Take this!"

    Belenka cleaved off the head of an approaching orc.

    Ian''s formation was in just as much disarray.

    Ian calmly assessed the situation.

    ''This is an ambush. The human formation is at a disadvantage.''

    They had expected the dragon, but not the orc horde.

    Someone must have deliberately hidden reinforcements.

    ''... But who?''

    Ian shook his head.

    He could worry about thatter.

    Ian immediately cast a skill magic.

    "[Spear of Lightning!]"

    Bzzzzzzt!

    Ian gripped the glowing lightning spear and red at the front lines.

    In the middle of the burning battlefield.

    He could see the massive ck dragon flicking its long tongue...!

    "Die, you lizard!"

    If they could just take down the ck dragon, the rest were small fry.

    The destructive lightning spear flew straight towards Predius.

    The lightning spear struck Predius''s massive body head-on.

    ''... Did that do it?''

    Ian held his breath as he observed Predius.

    ... The beast was fine.

    Predius turned its head and stared at Ian with chilling eyes.

    [You insect... How dare you!]

    Predius took a deep breath.

    Ian panicked and tried to protect himself from the mes.

    ''That bastard! It''s tough as hell!''

    Before the lightning spear hit, Ian had sensed some mysterious power.

    It felt simr to the Blood Lord, a demon with magic resistance.

    It seemed to have some ability to reduce the power of magic.

    Just as Predius was about to exhale its breath.

    BOOM!

    "...?"

    A cloud of dust exploded from beneath Predius''s feet.

    Something emerged from underground.

    "A golem...?"

    It was the rock golem.

    The rock golem raised its massive stone fist and-

    WHAM!

    Punched Predius right in the face!

    Predius''s head snapped to the side.

    Pure white dragon teeth ttered to the ground...

    [Young wizard!]

    The rock golem shouted to Ian.

    [I''ll buy you some time. Now run!]

    "[You... Why...?]"

    [A life is repaid with a life!]

    The rock golem was undoubtedly repaying its debt to Ian.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 209

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Screams assaulted Ian''s ears.

    In the middle of the burning battlefield, Ian looked around.

    ''Total chaos.''

    There wasn''t a single ce without a skirmish.

    The noble army had a very high proportion of knights.Thinking they were just dealing the final blow to a wounded dragon, they had drastically reduced the number of hunters and mercenaries.

    And more than half of the knights had disappeared, following the Margrave of Haltramm into battle.

    Currently, the remaining knights were falling one by one to the orcs.

    ''We''re outnumbered.''

    Ian didn''t know what had happened to the margrave''s army.

    But he could tell without investigating the scene.

    The margrave''s army must have suffered near-annihtion, even in the best-case scenario.

    All because of that massive dragon''s mes...!

    "Damn it! You''re just orcs!"

    "Wuoooooh!"

    The young knights struggled desperately against the orcs.

    But they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

    When the orcsunched a reckless charge, even well-armed knights had no choice but to be pushed back.

    "R-Run away!"

    The hunters and low-ranking mercenaries were the first to desert the battlefield.

    "Don''t panic! They''re waiting for us to scatter!"

    Sir Salvador shouted until his throat was raw.

    But the tide of battle had already turned in favor of the dragon & orc alliance.

    [How dare you...! You worthless pebble! Laying hands on me!]

    Predius, having been struck by the golem, was undoubtedly furious.

    Predius used its massive body to crush the golem, pushing it back.

    Such powerful strength that even the golem made of y and rock was helplessly pushed back!

    ''Where''s Bunchi?''

    Ian looked for the earth wizard but couldn''t see him.

    He must have fled early on.

    "Protect the lords!"

    Thinking this was their chance while the breath attack wasn''ting...

    The nobles each attempted to escape the battlefield.

    Duke Araz and Count Edward turned their backs, escorted by knights.

    Ian gritted his teeth.

    The situation was rapidly deteriorating to the worst possible oue.

    "[Spear of me!]"

    Ian used a skill magic once again.

    Maybe he could damage Predius now!

    Whoosh!

    But the me spear scattered harmlessly over the dragon''s scales.

    It did even less damage than the lightning spear.

    [Run away! wizard!]

    The golem shouted while being pummeled by the ck dragon.

    However, Ian found it hard to turn his back.

    If he ran away now, what about the fallen knights?

    The missing margrave?

    "[Darkness!]"

    Ian summoned darkness once more.

    He thought it might help the battle somehow.

    But Predius easily thwarted Ian''s attempt.

    [You like struggling like the insect you are!]

    Predius breathed fire towards Ian.

    Whoosh!

    A blinding, intense light shed.

    The darkness Ian had summoned vanished without a trace before the dragon''s breath.

    As the mes rushed towards him.

    Ian barely avoided the mes with the help of the mystery of fire.

    ''... It''s strong.''

    He didn''t want to admit it, but it was true.

    The dragon''s - Predius''s power was beyond imagination.

    Even Ian''s strongest magic couldn''t prate the dragon''s scales and hide.

    If he had ample time to properlymunicate with the mysteries in a calm situation, he might be able to cast magic to subdue the dragon.

    But how could he create such a situation?

    The knights couldn''t even drive away the orcs and were in disarray.

    And everything was burning in the face of the dragon''s breath!

    ''Do you understand, Ian?''

    He remembered what Eredith had told him when he was young.

    ''Never, ever rashly charge at a dragon!''

    Not just Eredith, but all the empire''s wizards shuddered at the word ''dragon''.

    Since ancient times, dragons were called beings of evil that shouldn''t even be associated with.

    Ian now understood why such an infamous reputation had spread.

    ''It really is a monster.''

    Dragons were truly the final boss-level beasts of this medieval fantasy world filled with all sorts of monsters.

    "Ian!"

    Belenka urgently called out to Ian.

    The situation had already deteriorated beyond control.

    With themanders retreating, there was nothing Belenka and Ian could do alone.

    BOOM!

    Predius mmed the golem into the ground.

    The golem shattered and fled into the earth.

    "... Let''s retreat."

    Ian gathered Salvador and the Knights of Santiago.

    They had remained on the battlefield until the end, focusing on cutting down the orc pursuers.

    Usually, there''s no easier prey than a retreating army.

    Without the Knights of Santiago, the casualties would have increased exponentially.

    "Lucy escaped with Duke Araz."

    "So we just need to get ourselves out."

    As Ian withdrew from the battlefield, he cast dark magic once more.

    "[Darkness!]"

    Unlike before, this darkness was to confuse the pursuers.

    Predius, seemingly satisfied with victory, had settled in ce.

    Thanks to that, the pursuers consisting only of orcs couldn''t properly track the humans.

    Ian safely escaped the battlefield.

    ---

    ---

    "Hmm."

    Cutting down a lost orc pursuer, Sir Salvador muttered.

    "The situation has worsened."

    "..."

    The Knights of Santiago fell silent almost simultaneously.

    At least everyone had managed to escape safely.

    If they had been caught by the orcs, they would have been eaten and turned into orc dung.

    It was very encouraging that they had saved their lives from that hellish scene.

    But they couldn''t be entirely happy either.

    The duke and margrave had set out with knights to hunt a dragon...

    But instead, they got their asses handed to them and lost troops?

    This was a problem like no other.

    The two most powerful nobles in the Duchy of Araz had gone down together.

    ... So who was going to catch the dragon now?!

    Those two nobles were out of the question for now.

    Their direct territories were well-defended, so protecting them wouldn''t be a problem.

    But to form another expedition force, it would take at least a few months. Then other righteous nobles would have to voluntarily provide troops...

    It would take several months for a proper expedition to be organized again.

    How were they supposed to stop the dragon if it rampaged during that time?

    "... We found out."

    Ian and Belenka walked over together.

    Belenka''s gauntlet was stained with dirty blood.

    "Those orc bastards. They''re under themand of a warrior called ''w-mark''."

    "Hmm. But how did they manage to coordinate an attack with the dragon?"

    Ian answered, suppressing the curses rising in his throat.

    "The orcs and the dragon. They both made contracts with a ck wizard."

    "A ck wizard?"

    It was frustrating to the point of being sickening now.

    They had kept getting in the way during the southern journey.

    And now they had to hear about ''ck wizards'' even aftering up north!

    Could it be... another ck wizard from the [Golden Rule Society] this time too?

    "It must be a summoner type."

    Typically, wizards and mysteries of the same kind flocked together.

    Ian wondered just how evil one had to be to control both a dragon and orcs simultaneously, feeling disgusted.

    Orcs were ssic man-eating monsters.

    Just like being served traditional(?) dishes when visiting an unfamiliar tribe.

    The summoner who went to make a contract with the orcs very likely ate human flesh dishes.

    But the ck wizard probably didn''t mind at all.

    Thinking, "Isn''t it a total win if I can control orcs by eating some human flesh?"

    "So, Ian my boy. What are you going to do now?"

    Though he asked that, Salvador was just as confused.

    Originally, he had nned to form a proper expedition with Duke Araz''s help.

    But the Margrave of Haltramm had beaten them to it, hastily putting together a shoddy expedition that got wiped out...

    Even if they were the Knights of Santiago, they couldn''t hunt a dragon on their own.

    "We need to prepare our defenses."

    This was the result of Ian''s deep contemtion.

    Duke Araz''s expedition had failed to hunt the dragon.

    So where would the dragon head next?

    The answer was obvious.

    It would start raiding territories again.

    And the Barony of Talian was one of the territories that hadn''t been hit by the dragon yet.

    Ian was certain.

    Predius... would soon fly to Talian.

    ''Still, we can put up a defensive battle.''

    Talian had Ian''spanions and troops, as well as the anti-dragon weapons the cksmith was crafting.

    If Ian drew magic circles and prepared, they might be able to repel the dragon.

    ... If they were lucky, that is.

    "Talian is the onlynd the dragon is likely to target."

    "Hmm... Indeed."

    After discussion, Salvador and the Knights of Santiago decided to return to Talian.

    "Then let''s hurry back to..."

    "No."

    "...?"

    Salvador, who had naturally assumed Ian would return with them, turned his head in slight confusion.

    Why wasn''t he going back to Talian? Had he gotten scared?

    Belenka also looked at Ian in surprise.

    "You''re not going back?"

    "That''s right. I have somewhere to stop by."

    Salvador asked worriedly.

    "Ian, my boy. If you don''t want to fight the dragon..."

    "That''s not it."

    To be honest, he didn''t want to fight.

    Dragons were monsters without question.

    It''s not like killing one would unlock some hidden quest (though it would progress the Anor-lsil quest).

    Who in their right mind would risk their life hunting a monster that could deflect mes and lightning with its bare body?

    But Ian wasn''t running away.

    Talian had Ian''spanions and Lucy''s domain residents.

    It might sound a bit grand, but they were beings Ian had to protect.

    Even though he had been reincarnated.

    At some point, Ian had grown attached to this crappy medieval fantasy world.

    He liked the medieval people.

    He liked the peacefulnd of Talian.

    Ian absolutely did not want to see Talian burning and hispanions and people being ughtered.

    ''I''mcking.''

    He had felt it deep in his bones during this battle.

    Ian was a genius wizard, but he wasn''t invincible.

    The level of single-handedly defeating a dragon was almost godlike.

    A realm only possible after mastering level 8~9 magic at least!

    At Ian''s current level of handling 4~5 level magic, it was impossible to face a dragon alone.

    However, Ian could fill hisck of proficiency with the power of connections.

    From the battle between the dragon and golem, Ian had gained some inspiration.

    "Belenka. I''ll need you to escort me."

    "Understood."

    In the end, Ian parted ways with the Knights of Santiago.

    It was to find a way to surely deal with Predius.Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 210

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    In the northern part of the Holy Empire, there was a ce called the [Golden Tower of Knowledge].

    This was the [Dranheim Comprehensive University] located in the Dranheim region.

    Although the medieval era was known to be full of uncivilized, barbaric, and fanatical people...

    Surprisingly, the university system, which could be considered the forefront of knowledge, existed even in the medieval period!

    Students attending sses and professors teaching students were also present in medieval universities."Huh? Professor?"

    Students tilted their heads as they watched an angry professor storm by.

    That professor liked to have fun, but he wasn''t known for having a bad temper, right?

    However, no student was bold enough to block the path of the enraged professor.

    Even in medieval times, professors were the natural enemies of students...!

    "Professor Inn!"

    The one who stopped Inn, who was racing down the corridor alone, was a theology professor who taught scripture in the theology department.

    "Where are you rushing off to?"

    Inn answered sharply, forgetting that his colleague was also a professor.

    "I have someone to meet!"

    "Haha. Looks like the meeting didn''t go well?"

    Inn felt like stuffing the theology professor''s mouth full of dry bread as heughed carefreely.

    Are you seriouslyughing right now?!

    Outside the university, dragons were flying around! Domains were burning!

    How could he be so carefree!

    "Let me guess. The wizards refused to join the expedition again, didn''t they?"

    Inn was dumbfounded, but he couldn''t deny it.

    "... That''s right."

    The theology professor had guessed correctly.

    After arriving at Dranheim University.

    Inn had urgently convened the magic department professors for a meeting.

    The topic was, of course, [The Dragon''s Invasion].

    Inn had expected the wizards to be somewhat reluctant to act.

    But their reluctance went beyond his expectations.

    "Come on, the Margrave of Haltramm has just sounded the victory drums! How can we just sit idly in the university!"

    Inn strongly advocated for wizards to join the expedition.

    His reasoning was simple.

    Since the Margrave of Haltramm had achieved victory (ording to rumors), the wizards should help with all their might.

    But...

    Surprisingly, the wizards'' reactions were lukewarm.

    "We''ve heard that rumor too. But doesn''t it seem a bit strange?"

    "Strange? What do you mean?"

    Though their attitudes were poor, the wizards'' analysis was sharp.

    "Isn''t it too odd for a being like a dragon to run away after taking a few arrows?"

    "..."

    "Dragons are famous for their nasty tempers. If insect-like humans had wounded it, it would have gone berserk rather than shyly running away."

    Inn was taken aback, but he found it hard to strongly refute.

    The more he listened, the more it sounded right...!

    "But the margrave said he won!"

    "Can''t people say anything with their mouths? I could im to have beaten a hundred dragons with my mouth too, Professor."

    True to their profession, the wizards participating in the meeting had terrible attitudes.

    But none of the wizards cared about that aspect.

    Wizards were the type to spout whatever they pleased.

    "Anyway. I''m against joining the expedition."

    An opposing wizard said.

    "They''ve already won, right? Then they can win without wizards'' help too, can''t they?"

    Other wizards nodded in agreement.

    "On the other hand, if the Margrave of Haltramm was bluffing? Why should we follow the orders of such a liar?"

    "..."

    "Imagine the dragon attacking the university. Then we''d have to fight whether we like it or not."

    In short, the wizards'' argument was this:

    They were reluctant to voluntarily rush to join the expedition when Duke Araz hadn''t officially requested help.

    Also, if the university was attacked, someone would have to respond.

    In other words, it was a cautious stance.

    Unlike knights who pursued honor, wizards weren''t obsessed with the title of [Dragon yer].

    "This concludes the meeting."

    ... This was why Inn was racing down the corridor.

    From Inn''s perspective, it was frustrating to be unable to do anything.

    He had promised to help the Knights of Santiago and Ian!

    The wizards considered protecting the university more important than helping the nobles!

    "My, my. Tsk tsk."

    The theology professor looked at Inn with pitying eyes.

    As a professor who knew nothing about magic orbat, he couldn''t empathize with Inn''s anguish.

    But he did want to help.

    "So. Who are you looking for?"

    Inn hesitated but decided to answer anyway.

    After all, the professors at Dranheim University knew each other.

    "Someone named Eredith Manskal."

    The Rising Star of Drawald, Eredith Manskal.

    She was a professor affiliated with Dranheim Magic University and also a renowned fire wizard.

    Like Inn, she enjoyed traveling and often skipped sses to go on trips around the empire.

    Inn was in a hurry because he had heard news of Eredith''s return.

    "Ah. Her?"

    "?"

    Surprisingly, the theology professor knew Eredith.

    "She just left, you know?"

    "??? What did you say?"

    Inn shouted in confusion.

    He had just heard she returned, but she left again already?!

    "Yes. She talked with some other professors for a bit, then left in a hurry."

    "Where? Where did she go!"

    The theology professor tried to remember and said.

    "I think she said she was heading to the Barony of Talian..."

    "..."

    Inn immediately started running back to his room.

    The bewildered theology professor shouted.

    "Where are you going now?"

    Inn answered sharply.

    "On a trip! I''m going to hunt a dragon!"

    "...?"

    ---

    ---

    The Regent, Antios, was in a very good mood.

    He had seeded in luring and destroying the noble army as initially nned.

    In fact, it would have been strange if he had failed.

    This was a battle where a dragon was involved.

    Unless the opponent brought in a hero from myths, there was no way they could lose this fight.

    [The contract isplete, Summoner.]

    "[Well done, Predius.]"

    That''s why Antios could smile as he presented the offerings Predius had demanded.

    [Then I''ll go collect my treasures!]

    "[Of course.]"

    Now that they had won the battle, it was time to give the ck dragon some free time.

    They needed to carry out another raid before executing the next operation.

    ''The next target is the university.''

    He had to clean up the imperial university while the dragon was helping.

    After all, the empire''s wizards were all disgusting hypocrites.

    Antios nned to create the next invasion n while waiting for Predius to return.

    ''By the way. He''s really gone mad with greed.''

    Though he was smiling on the outside, Antios found the dragon''s endless greed disgusting.

    He had just received a mountain of jewels as payment.

    And now he was going to raid another domain?

    Even Antios didn''t know why dragons collected treasures.

    Dragons just collected treasures ''because''.

    Why treasures specifically?

    Simply because other races valued them!

    That''s right.

    Predius was an extremelymon and ordinary dragon who felt pleasure in stealing things others cherished.

    There''s a reason dragons are called bastards you shouldn''t associate with.

    Every time Antios groveled while paying mountains of jewels...

    Predius felt joy and pleasure watching Antios''s agonized expressions.

    Just because it was fun.

    Predius gathered massive amounts of offerings he couldn''t use a single penny of, and enjoyed watching the suffering of those he stole from.

    It was happening right now.

    "We''ve won!!!"

    "Wooooh!"

    Antios''s orcs were piling up knights'' armor and jewels, drunk on the joy of victory.

    Orcs who made a living through plunder naturally liked high-quality weapons and armor made by humans.

    They were excited like children receiving gifts, eyeing the spoils they would receive ording to their merits.

    That''s when Predius appeared.

    Thud!

    [Hmm? You''ve gathered ''good things'' separately?]

    "U-Ugh..."

    The orcs slunk away from Predius''s gaze.

    They could feel it in their skin.

    That they were screwed now...!

    Predius was amon dragon who automatically became greedy when he saw something others considered precious.

    [Right. I''ll take all of this!]

    "!"

    "U-Ugh! Uuugh!"

    The orcs were dumbfounded.

    Fuck, what was the dragon going to do with chain mail?!

    Use it as a bathroom foot wipe?

    Watching the dragon throw a tantrum insisting on taking chain mail it couldn''t even wear, the orcs felt murderous rage boiling up.

    The orc horde''s leader, w-mark, stepped forward to represent the group.

    "Dragon! These are things you don''t need!"

    "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

    The orcs expressed fierce agreement.

    However, Predius... was rather pleased.

    He had been unsure if these were valuable items, but...

    Those green lumps really cherished this junk!

    How lucky!

    Predius opened his maw wide and swallowed w-mark whole.

    Crunch! Crunch!

    The sound of bones breaking echoed loudly.

    Having swallowed the orc in one bite, Predius grinned, dripping bright red blood.

    [I''ll say it again, this is mine! You say I don''t need these things? Such things don''t exist in this world! Everything you covet! Everything precious to you! It''s all mine! Mine!]

    Greed bordering on madness.

    And overwhelming violence capable of realizing that desire.

    That was clearly a monster.

    A monster one shouldn''t even associate with...!

    The orcs lowered their heads in despair.

    [From now on, you''re all my ves!]

    Predius left the Golden Mountains, leading the orc horde.

    A few dayster.

    Predius gazed at his newly found hunting ground with longing eyes.

    A lushnd overflowing with countless humans.

    Crudely built wooden fences and watchtowers.

    And.

    The scent of terrified humans...

    [Treasures must surely be sleeping there.]

    Predius licked his eyeballs shing with madness.

    "Good heavens...!"

    "Dragon! It''s a draaagon!"

    Screams erupted from everywhere.

    Atst. Predius had invaded the Barony of Talian.

    Soldiers hurriedly went to find the nobles.

    Kira was startled at the news of the dragon''s appearance.

    She quickly summoned the Knights of Santiago.

    "Sir Salvador! Ian! Has Ian not arrived yet?"

    A few days ago, the Knights of Santiago had arrived at the Barony of Talian.

    But for some reason, Ian and Belenka hadn''te with the knights.

    "Not yet. It seems to be taking longer than expected."

    "Oh no..."

    Kira bit her lip hard.

    Tremendous fear weighed down on her entire body.

    Had she ever felt such fear since bing a wizard?

    The fact that Ian wasn''t by her side...

    She never knew it could be so painful...

    "It looks like we''ll have to fight this battle on our own."

    Despite the crisis, Salvador didn''t lose hisposure.

    Salvador reassured Kira with a confident smile.

    Indeed.

    Moving to the Barony of Talian had been the right answer.

    The curtain for the second battle had risen.

    Today, they wouldn''t be caught off guard likest time.

    "Prepare the [Dragon-ying Spears]!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Talian had [Dragon-ying Spears], weapons created through thebined efforts of human cksmiths and fairies.

    The Knights of Santiago hurried to intercept the dragon.

    That''s when it happened.

    "A-A wizard has arrived!"

    At this critical moment, a wizard arrived at Talian domain.

    Kira shouted without realizing it.

    "Ian!"

    However, the person who entered Talian Hall was...

    A middle-aged woman.

    "...?"

    Kira''s jaw dropped.

    Surely Ian hadn''t been TS''d into a middle-aged woman...?

    Thankfully, the woman didn''t say ''Actually... I''m Ian!''

    "I''m sorry I''m not Ian."

    The female wizard introduced herself as she removed her hood.

    "I am the wizard Eredith Manskal."

    "???"

    Not just the nobles including Baron Damon.

    The Knights of Santiago and even Kira were all shocked.

    "Eredith... Could it be that Eredith?!"

    "Are you really Eredith?!"

    The wizard, Eredith Manskal, tilted her head as if she didn''t understand.

    "Yes... I am Eredith. Did Ian talk about me a lot?"

    She was indeed the real Eredith.

    The very Eredith in ''Ian Eredith Raven''.Toggle New Ads

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    Click here!

 Chapter 211

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Sir Hansen of Riverville yawnedzily as he rode his horse, longing for the end of his shift. Though a medieval knight, he valued work-life bnce above all else. Work was fine, but wouldn''t it be better to take it easy?

    Unfortunately, the lord''s orders left no room for rest. Even a three-year-old knew the world had grown more dangeroustely. With dragons burning down territories, rural lords'' anxiety was skyrocketing day by day.

    Rumors said Duke Araz herself had set out with troops to y the dragon. While Hansen hoped it would go well, they had to prepare for the worst. That''s why he was patrolling the territoryte at night, keeping an eye on the soldiers.

    "Hey, Sir Hansen!"

    A soldier came running breathlessly. Hansen tensed reflexively and shouted, "Enemy attack?""W-We''re not sure, sir!"

    "?"

    It was a baffling report, but Hansen understood once he heard the details.

    "A woman in jet-ck armor and a wizard with a crow are heading this way!"

    "...A crow?"

    The mention of a "wizard with a crow" immediately brought a young man''s face to Hansen''s mind. There had been a wizard who picked up a crow in Riverville...

    "The wizard Ian?"

    Hansen rode off without hesitation to find the visitors. As expected, a familiar face greeted him.

    "My goodness. Ian!"

    "Oh? Sir Hansen?"

    Ian waved casually. He had truly returned to Riverville!

    "What brings you here..."

    "Just passing through."

    Hansen immediately escorted Ian to the castle.

    ------

    Baron Kaltz, the lord of Riverville, was startled to see Ian''s timely arrival.

    "You are..."

    "Ian!"

    Bernard, the baron''s son, burst out tactlessly.

    The baron shooed Bernard away and calmly conversed with Ian.

    "We were just talking about you."

    "About me?"

    "Yes. It''s about the drake."

    Ian, who had genuinely just been passing through, grew curious at the baron''s words.

    "The drake''s activity has suddenly intensified."

    "Ah."

    There was a drake living along the road to Riverville. It was a well-known story that most travelers would have heard at least once.

    "I''ve even heard that their numbers have increased..."

    This was a serious matter for Baron Kaltz. Medievalnd trade was already horrific, with merchants relying on luck to avoid bandits and monsters. But brave (or insane) merchants still roamed around seeking arbitrage opportunities. Essential goods like metalwork and salt were mainly distributed through outside merchants.

    Riverville had greatly benefited from these outside merchants. But since the drake started causing trouble, the number of merchant visits had plummeted. Baron Kaltz was desperate to solve the drake problem somehow, even if he didn''t fully understand the situation.

    "Hmm. Looks like he found a girlfriend," Ian mused.

    "...Girlfriend?"

    Baron Kaltz''s jaw dropped at Ian''s unexpected exnation. Why was he suddenly talking about girlfriends?

    "Ah. You see, the drake living in that mountain was originally male," Ian exined kindly.

    "But it seems he''s met a female drake."

    Baron Kaltz finally understood. They were talking about lizard girlfriends!

    "If the female hasid eggs... it makes sense that they''d be wary of human presence."

    Baron Kaltz and his retainers were amazed by Ian''s exnation. As expected of a mysterious wizard! He had figured out the whole situation just from hearing "the drake is causing trouble"!

    "Did you perhaps meet the drake already?"

    "No, I just arrived here. Though I am nning to meet the drake soon."

    "!"

    Baron Kaltz was stunned. Ian knew so much without even meeting the drake? Wait, did he just say he was going to meet it?!

    "You really can control drakes, can''t you!"

    When Baron Kaltz eximed this, Ian smiled bitterly. Such false rumors had spread when he traveled with the Rabbit Foot Company before. Ian didn''t control the drake; they were just friends.

    "We just shared a bit of friendship."

    "Ohhh..."

    Ian said it like it was nothing, but the lord''s retainers heard it very differently. To befriend a monstrous beast that was practically a living weapon... Wizards truly were mysterious!

    "So, I was hoping you could provide me with a fresh horse and some supplies."

    It was a polite request, but essentially meant "hand it over." As a veteran wizard, Ian boldly demanded "Give me this!" from the nobleman without changing his expression one bit. What could they do? He was a wizard after all.

    Baron Kaltz was greatly impressed by Ian''s confident attitude. It wasn''t admiration for his brazenness, but rather the realization: "He must have a way to solve the drake problem!"

    Ian had just said he was going to meet the drake, so he must be going to resolve the issue!

    "Of course! Steward! Provide Ian with supplies and a horse immediately!"

    "Yes, my lord."

    As Baron Kaltz willingly provided the resources, Ian smiled contentedly. "I''ll have to bring a gift in returnter."

    "Ian, if you hear any rumors about the dragon..."

    "Ah, don''t worry about the dragon. Only start worrying if you hear that the Barony of Talian has fallen."

    When Sir Hansen muttered "No more night shifts! Yesss!" nearby, Ian tilted his head curiously. That guy seemed really happy about it.

    "Well, if you say so, it must be true."

    Ian spent the night in Riverville, then set off again on horseback as soon as the sun rose. Bernard shouted that he wanted toe along, but Ian coolly ignored him.

    Ian wasn''t going on a fun adventure. He was searching for a way to subdue the ck dragon Predius.

    "The golem was a big help."

    In thest battle, Ian had realized one thing: the best way to deal with a monster was with another monster. Although the golem had been forced to retreat due to the size difference, it had proven far more effective than humans throwing away their lives to draw aggro.

    And Ian had made a contract with one monster: the drake, Longtail.

    Ian intended to ask for Longtail''s help.

    "A drake, you say."

    Belenka shook her head. Unlike wizards, knights considered all monsters enemies - threats to be eliminated before they could harm humans!

    But wizards knew how tomunicate and converse with monsters.

    "Just so you know, if the drake tries to kill you, I''m running away on my own."

    "Hmm. I''m disappointed, Belenka. Is our friendship worth so little?"

    "...Don''t talk about friendship! How am I supposed to subdue a drake by myself?!"

    Belenka was irritated by Ian''s joking attitude. This wasn''t some neighborhood kobold or orc they were meeting...

    It was a drake! One wrong sneeze from the drake and both Belenka and Ian would be dead.

    Belenka was risking her life for Ian, yet here he was cracking jokes with a carefree expression!

    Ian chuckled and said, "Well, if the drake tries to kill me, then you run away by yourself."

    "...Are you serious?"

    "If the drake attacks, it would mean I''vemitted some unforgivable sin."

    Ian added with an unwavering smile, "But don''t worry. Longtail is my friend."

    "..."

    Seriously, Belenka thought Ian must be crazy. What? The drake is your friend?

    Isn''t that just what you think?!

    Even hunters with their hounds say "Haha, our dog doesn''t bite~" but when you actually reach out, the dog snaps at you readily.

    How could humans ever truly understand the minds of beasts?

    Belenka wasn''t a wizard and could only think from a very human-centric perspective. Beasts were untrustworthy beings, period.

    "Trust me. Longtail is a drake you can reason with. He has a pretty good personality too."

    "Hmm..."

    Though reluctant, Belenka trusted Ian. She had no choice but to believe whatever crazy things he said.

    Ian rode steadily until they reached the drake''s territory.

    Whether by good luck or bad, Belenka spotted the drake as soon as they climbed the mountain.

    "!"

    And Belenka saw clearly.

    "Was it true..."

    "What is it?"

    Belenka led Ian to a patch of grass where the drake was visible.

    Ian''s jaw dropped too.

    "Ian. You were right. That drake seems to like humans."

    The drake, Longtail, was moving with the same massive gait as before.

    ...With a human woman perched on top of his head.

    "Shit, is that really important right now?!"

    "? Why are you suddenly cursing?"

    Ian shouted.

    "That''s Lucy!"

    "...?"

    Ian immediately recognized Lucy in her traveling clothes, but Belenka didn''t. Belenka was more familiar with Lucy in her conical hat.

    Ian rushed towards Longtail.

    "Lucy!"

    Longtail stopped in his tracks.

    Lucy, sitting atop Longtail''s head, shouted, "Wow! Ian!"

    [You really came?]

    A whirlwind of emotions swept through Ian''s mind. He was d to see Longtail after so long and happy to see Lucy so energetic, but...

    "Why are you here?"

    His bewilderment prevented any polite words froming out.

    [Ian. My friend.]

    Longtail spoke leisurely.

    [Shall we go to my nest first?]

    ------

    Longtail''s nest was unchanged.

    It was a top-tier lizard house, worthy of being called [Medieval Versailles].

    For a drake that had only lived in natural caves before, it was only natural to be overjoyed living in a smooth and beautiful house touched by human hands.

    [Oh my?]

    A drake exhaling a massive, ferocious, and lethal bacteriaced breath spoke as soon as it saw Ian''s group.

    [You brought humans again?]

    "..."

    Longtail''s girlfriend spoke in a disapproving tone.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Were humans stray cats or something?

    [Haha! Sharpteeth. It''s not like that. I brought my human friend I told you about!]

    [Human friend?]

    While Longtail exined to his girlfriend, Ian quickly asked Lucy,

    "How did you get here?"

    Lucy replied primly, "I walked!"

    "..."

    For the first time in a while, Ian felt like giving Lucy a knock on the head...

    "More importantly, Ian! How could you abandon me and go off on your own!"

    "What do you mean abandon?! You were with Duke Araz!"

    It had been a battlefield with dragons and orcs rampaging. If Ian had recklessly tried to meet up with Lucy, it would have endangered his own life. It was best for Lucy to move with the duke''s knights and Ian with the Knights of Santiago.

    "If you were with the duke, why did you leave on your own!"

    "Well..."

    Lucy started to say something, then suddenly mped her mouth shut.

    Ian crossed his arms and waited patiently, telling her to speak if she had something to say.

    But suddenly...

    Lucy burst into tears!

    "I was scared..."

    "What?"

    Ian stared at Lucy in disbelief.

    How could she be scared when she was with the duke?!

    "What were you scared of?"

    "I don''t know! I was just scared!"

    "..."

    The gangs of thieves and monsters on the streets would be much scarier. Yet she walked all the way here alone...

    Is it normal that I can''t understand a woman''s heart?

    Lucy didn''t stop crying. Her emotions boiled over even more as she shouted,

    "The dragon was scary! People dying was scary!"

    "..."

    "I-Ian... When I couldn''t see you! When I was left all alone...!"

    Lucy frantically wiped away her flowing tears as she cried out,

    "It reminded me of when my parents died... That''s why I was scared..."

    Only then did Ian recall when he first met Lucy. It was in this very spot.

    Not the woman using the alias ''Cassie'', but ''Lucy Talian''.

    Lucy, who had lost her parents to rebellion and fled alone in traveling clothes, had her first conversation with Ian right here in the drake''s nest.

    So Ian understood Lucy''s feelings a little. She might have been frightened.

    "...So you came all the way here alone?"

    "Yeah... The Knights of Santiago went to Talian... but they said you went somewhere else alone..."

    Whether it was excellent deduction skills or a woman''s intuition, Lucy had urately guessed where Ian was heading.

    Ian couldn''t help but chuckle, feeling defeated.

    He wiped Lucy''s tears with his hand.

    "Lucy. You''re the luckiest and the most foolish person I know."

    Lucy blushed and muttered, "I''m not a fool."

    "Would a non-fool walk all the way here alone?"

    Ian and Lucy''s eyes met.

    And almost simultaneously, they burst outughing.

    [Ahem.]

    Longtail poked his head in.

    He had been watching for a while but couldn''t find the right timing to interrupt.

    [Friend. That woman is...]

    "[Ah. Longtail. You''ve seen her before, right?]"

    [Should I call her sister-inw?]

    "..."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    How does this beast know the word ''sister-inw''?!

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 Chapter 212

    TL/Editor: raei

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    "[Your jokes have improved since Ist saw you, Longtail.]"

    Ian grumbled lightly, but Longtail''s eyes widened in surprise.

    [You mean that woman isn''t your mate?]

    "[Well... let''s just say she''s someone I''m interested in for now.]"

    [Huh. It looked like you two were about to start mating any second.]"..."

    Ian rolled his eyes slightly.

    Just like a beast, their thoughts always seemed to lead to sex.

    "[Anyway, how have you been, Longtail?]"

    [Haha. Every day''s been happy thanks to you, my friend!]

    That was obvious even to non-wizards.

    Longtail just looked... really fucking happy.

    He had his own home, a pretty(?) wife.

    The drake couple was even preparing toy eggs.

    What more could one ask for in life?

    Setting up a small family and living happily until death - that''s what life''s all about.

    In that sense, you could say Longtail was living a truly fulfilling life.

    [This is my wife, Sharpteeth.]

    She must be the drake that nearly got NTR''d before.

    Seeing how she settled in as soon as Longtail got the house, she seemed to like him quite a bit.

    Ian exchanged brief greetings with Sharpteeth.

    Though not a summoned beast contracted to Ian, she didn''t seem to dislike him particrly.

    She just seemed unhappy about the sudden visit.

    Longtail asked Ian on Sharpteeth''s behalf:

    [So, friend. Why didn''t you let us know you wereing? Is there some urgent matter that brought you here in such a hurry?]

    "[I''ll be honest.]"

    Ian briefly summarized the current situation.

    "[I need your help, Longtail.]"

    [...]

    "[You know about monsters called dragons, right?]"

    [I do. They''re rough and violent thugs.]

    "[A dragon... is after my girlfriend''snd.]"

    Ian pulled Lucy in front of him.

    Lucy blinked in confusion, not understanding a word Ian was saying...

    [I see. It must be difficult for humans to face a dragon alone.]

    Longtail empathized greatly.

    So that''s why Ian had suddenly shown up...

    To protect his mate''s territory!

    Longtail knew how importantnd was to humans.

    Just as drakes build nests, humans farm thend to survive.

    Vastnds and big houses!

    Aren''t those essential for having cute little babies?

    If a dragon was after thend, it must be an extremely serious situation for Ian.

    Longtail thought with an extremely beastly mindset.

    Ian needs to mate quickly and produce Ian Jr. and the 3rd...!

    But a dragon is after Ian''s nest!

    What a terrible situation!

    ''It''s just like what happened to me before...''

    Drake Longtail had almost lost Sharpteeth to another male over nest issues in the past.

    It seemed like no one would be able to solve his problem.

    But at that time, the human who turned that hopeless situation around was Ian.

    Ian had saved Longtail''s nest with magic.

    And now, Ian was in the exact opposite situation as Longtail back then.

    If Ian loses hisnd to the dragon, his dream of starting a family would be shattered (though he had no such dream)!

    ''So that''s why he hasn''t taken that female as his wife yet.''

    [I''ll help you.]

    Longtail answered coolly.

    Ian, who thought some persuasion might be needed, was caught off guard by the immediate eptance.

    "[Really? Are you sure, friend? We''re talking about a dragon here.]"

    [Haha! I can''t just ignore a friend''s trouble because I''m scared of some thug!]

    Longtail spoke sincerely.

    After all, Ian was... a friend who had given him a home.

    Who in the world would coldheartedly refuse a request from a friend who gave them a house?

    Such a person would surely be as evil as the Golden Rule Society.

    "[Longtail...]"

    [Haha! You can repay meter with that drink called ''alcohol''!]

    He was saying to buy him a drink when this was all over.

    Ian was slightly touched.

    It really pays to make good friends!

    [Sharpteeth. So I''ll have to go away for a bit.]

    Longtail tried to get the final hurdle of ''wife''s permission'' to help his friend.

    All married men face trials from their wives.

    Longtail was no exception.

    [Are you kidding me? You''re going to fight a dragon alone, honey?]

    [Well... ahem.]

    Longtail squirmed in front of Sharpteeth.

    As expected, the wall of a wife was high and treacherous!

    [Of course I''ming with you!]

    [...You too?]

    Longtail was surprised, but Sharpteeth was serious.

    [If you go alone, you''ll obviously get beaten up by the dragon.]

    [No I won''t! I''ll be the one doing the beating!]

    [Haaa. Anyway, let''s go together.]

    ---

    [The number of summonable drakes has increased!]

    [Summoning: Drake Summon]

    [Number of summonable drakes - 2]

    ---

    ''Oh.''

    Though temporary, Sharpteeth had also be Ian''s summoned beast.

    He now had two drakes.

    Ian felt full just looking at that hearty, reliable force.

    "Now then..."

    Ian was about to n the route to the Talian domain.

    That''s when it happened.

    Snap!

    Ian''s travel belt broke, and Arcana cards spilled out everywhere!

    "Ah."

    Ian started to hurriedly gather the cards but then hesitated.

    He recalled the teachings of Pyra, the northern shaman.

    ''There are no coincidences in divination. Everything is the will of Lady Hrundal!''

    "..."

    His belt breaking at this exact moment.

    And the Arcana cards spilling out?

    Ian had also learned the shamanic art of talking with Hrundal.

    The iron rule of mystery users:

    Never ignore the signals the world sends you!

    Ian calmly observed the spilled cards.

    "What are you doing, Ian?"

    "I think a pagan god sent an omen."

    But he couldn''t find anything unusual.

    If anything was strange, it was that all the cards had fallen face down in harmony.

    But that could be exined by them falling in the same direction.

    ''Was it just my imagination?''

    Just as Ian was about to gather the cards again.

    Suddenly, a card appeared right in front of him.

    It was a card Lucy was holding out.

    "Ian! This fell by my feet!"

    "..."

    It was the [18th, Moon] card.

    A card symbolizing madness, chaos, and anxiety.

    Ian made his judgment as soon as he received the card.

    The mystery never speaks frivolously.

    This was a warning Hrundal was sending to Ian!

    "Damn it."

    "W-What''s wrong?"

    "Did something happen?"

    Lucy and Belenka were startled by Ian''s sudden reaction.

    His belt broke, he stared at a card...

    It seemed like Ian had suddenly realized something!

    "We''re not walking anymore!"

    "What?"

    Though they didn''t understand the situation, the two women trusted Ian''s intuition.

    Ian''s ability to handle mysteries was, without a doubt, the best.

    ''Was this what you predicted, Gerard?''

    Ian unfolded the space movement scroll he had been saving.

    He recalled Gerard''s words.

    ''How you use this is up to you. But it''s an item that can create a branching point capable of altering world lines, so I rmend using it carefully.''

    Gerard had spoken as if giving Ian a choice.

    He had indeed given him a choice.

    Ian could have torn it up pretending to be crazy when he didn''t feel like walking!

    Gerard probably knew various futures.

    For example, futures like [Ian met the drakes but didn''t arrive in Talian in time].

    So to twist such futures.

    Or in space-time wizard terms, to ''alter the world line'', he had given Ian the space movement scroll.

    Of course, this was just spection.

    Even if they teleported to Talian right now, there was a high chance nothing would happen.

    In that case, Ian would have overreacted.

    But...

    If a battle was unfolding, Gerard had likely artificially created [a future where Ian arrived in time].

    ''Gerard. Just who are you...''

    Ian shook his head.

    There would be plenty of time to think after arriving in Talian.

    Hoping that nothing had happened.

    "Everyone! Gather round!"

    Ian tore the space movement scroll.

    ------

    Salvador viewed the situation positively.

    ''We have enough soldiers and morale is high.''

    Talian''s main force consisted of Baron Damon''s troops, hardened by(?) banditry.

    Added to that were volunteer militia from among the refugees, plus the Knights of Santiago.

    They had a clear motivation to protect thend from the dragon''s attack.

    ''And we have wizards too.''

    The absence of the wizard Ian was certainly regrettable.

    But no matter how friendly Ian seemed, a wizard was still a wizard.

    Salvador had no way to stop him from going wherever he pleased.

    He was just a retired mercenary after all.

    Though Ian wasn''t on the battlefield, a woman iming to be Ian''s teacher had joined.

    Eredith Manskal, the Rising Star of Drawald.

    As an excellent fire wizard, she worked with the wizard Kira to block the dragon''s breath.

    Whoosh!

    A column of scorching mes poured down.

    But when Eredith and Kira shouted in magicalnguage, the pir of fire shattered in midair.

    "Whoa, whooooaaa!"

    "The wizards blocked the dragon''s breath!!!"

    Eredith shouted to Salvador.

    "We can''t keep blocking forever! We need to attack first!"

    "Understood!"

    Salvador called for the giant Jubal.

    "Big friend! It''s your turn!"

    "My turn it is!"

    Jubal appeared wielding an enormous dragon-ying spear.

    Without a proper ballista, they had to resort to throwing spears.

    Salvador used Jubal as a ''dragon-ying spearuncher''.

    Jubal charged towards Predius, mixed in with the Knights of Santiago.

    [Yes,e! You insects!]

    Predius stood majestically before the knights.

    ughtering humans was also an essential joy of plundering!

    Predius exhaled a deep breath at the humans.

    "Lady Eredith! One more time please!"

    "Understood!"

    Eredith and Kira stepped forward once again to block the dragon''s breath.

    In that moment.

    Jubal, who had approached the dragon, hurled the dragon-ying spear!

    Crunch!

    The dragon-ying spear did its job.

    The spear Jubal threw lodged itself right in Predius''s chest.

    An earth-shaking roar of pain echoed across the battlefield.

    "Graaaaaaahhhhh!"

    The battlefield momentarily froze at the ear-splitting scream.

    [You... lowly humans...!]

    ''Tch.''

    Though clearly stabbed in the chest, Predius wasn''t dead.

    Killing Predius without dragon-ying spears would be extremely difficult.

    Even for Salvador, called the ''Sword Master''.

    Before a dragon, he was just a quick human.

    ''We need to retrieve that spear!''

    Salvador immediately sprang into action.

    If they could pull out the spear and throw it again, even Predius would have to retreat!

    Salvador swiftly approached the ck dragon.

    A group of orcs blocked Salvador''s path.

    "Out of my way!"

    The Sword Master cut down the orcs with ghostly swordsmanship.

    ... But he couldn''t dodge the iing tail in time.

    The massive dragon''s tail sent both orcs and Salvador flying.

    "Gah!"

    "Sir Salvador!"

    Salvador flew through the air and mmed into the ground.

    "Kuk!"

    He felt bones breaking and tasted blood in his mouth.

    ''... I must be getting old.''

    He was once a legendary swordsman, but now he was over 50 years old.

    Considering it was the medieval era, it wouldn''t be strange if he dropped dead at any moment.

    "Protect Sir Salvador!"

    The Knights of Santiago rushed over urgently.

    Salvador squeezed out his remaining strength to shout:

    "Deal with the dragon first!"

    "B-But...!"

    "You lot! Have you forgotten why you took up the sword?! Wasn''t it to protect humanity from great evil?!"

    "...!"

    "Now''s our chance while it''s wounded! Attack!"

    The Knights of Santiago scattered.

    Salvador closed his eyes and felt the vibrations in the ground.

    ''It''sing.''

    For monsters, their massive body itself was a weapon.

    Predius was undoubtedly attempting a simple body m using its huge mass.

    The knights would dodge safely.

    But Salvador, with broken bones, couldn''t avoid the dragon''s attack.

    ''It''s been quite a good life.''

    With his eyes closed.

    The man once called Sword Master smiled faintly.

    Born as a fisherman''s son, he had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor wielding just one sword.

    As a man, wasn''t that quite a sessful life?

    "Graaaahh!"

    The wounded Predius rampaged madly.

    A dark shadow loomed over Salvador.

    Bang!

    "...?"

    He heard a heavy collision.

    Salvador was still alive...?

    Confused, Salvador slowly opened his eyes.

    And his jaw dropped.

    ''What is that? Am I dreaming?''

    "Kyaaaaaak!"

    "Grrrrrrr...!"

    Two massive drakes standing guard in front of Salvador.

    Salvador narrowed his eyes.

    The sun made it hard to see clearly, but...

    Someone was riding on the drakes'' backs!

    "Predius!"

    When he heard a young man''s voice, Salvador couldn''t help but chuckle.

    ''Ian, you bastard...!''

    There had been rumors about Ian being [a wizard who controls drakes].

    Salvador had thought it was just a false rumor.

    But it wasn''t.

    Ian really was a wizard who controlled drakes.

    He had just appeared on the battlefield with two massive drakes!

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 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    ''We''re not toote.''

    As soon as the spatial teleportation ended, the battlefield unfolded before Ian''s eyes.

    There was no time to marvel at his first experience with teleportation.

    Ian''s judgment had been chillingly urate.

    In fact, Ian felt goosebumps crawling up his skin.''What if I hadn''t torn the spatial movement scroll?''

    Hrundal had thrown Ian a signal through the Arcana cards.

    But interpreting the mystery was a separate issue for Ian.

    ''What if I''d wasted the spatial movement scroll somewhere else?''

    A result born from ovepping coincidences.

    ... Perhaps a ''future'' that Gerard had anticipated and guided.

    One of countless possibilities was now unfolding before Ian''s eyes.

    [You mountain valley earthworms! Are you volunteering to be human dogs?!]

    "Graaaaaaah!"

    Predius roared.

    A fear that made hair stand on end and knees tremble!

    The human soldiers didn''t even dare to approach the dragon.

    Even the orcs on the same side began to back away from Predius.

    The roar of a wounded dragon had the power to stimte the primal fear of prey animals.

    [Hmph! Talk big after you''ve pulled out that spear in your chest!]

    [Haha! That''s right! If you say ''I''m sorry~ Please spare me~'', we might just go home!]

    But the dragon''s fear only worked on lowly creatures like humans and orcs.

    It had no effect on drakes, called ''wingless dragons''.

    In fact, drakes wererge and tough enough creatures to challenge dragons for territory.

    Dragons usually won, but drakes were still troublesome opponents.

    And there weren''t just one, but two drakes.

    "Kyaaaaak!"

    "Grrrrrr...!"

    Longtail and Sharpteeth.

    The two beastsbined their strength to push against the dragon''s massive body.

    Crack crack crack crack!

    The ground shattered and gravel flew everywhere.

    When the drake couple joined forces, they overpowered the dragon with brute strength!

    [Graaaaaah! I''ll kill you!]

    Predius viciously bit into Longtail while breathing fire.

    "Kyaaaaak!"

    Longtail screamed in pain.

    Sharpteeth pounced, but the breath attack didn''t stop.

    Monsters tangled in battle, the dragon spewing mes across the battlefield!

    "Good heavens...!"

    "What are we... witnessing right now?"

    Even the Knights of Santiago, famous for their bravery, lost their will to fight in the face of this mythical battlefield.

    Anyone would be stunned witnessing a battle between beings that far transcended humans.

    The fact that Sir Salvador, whomanded the knights, had fainted also yed a big part.

    But then, a young wizard''s voice rang out loud and clear.

    "Hooks!!!"

    "!"

    "!"

    It was the wizard Ian.

    Perched atop Longtail, shielding his face from the mes with his robe, Ian shouted:

    "Bring the hooks!"

    That''s when the Knights of Santiago snapped back to their senses.

    "H-Hooks!"

    "To the carts! Run to the carts, brothers!"

    Sir Dehitri took overmand.

    The knights hurried to fetch the hooks.

    Ian then cast a buff on Belenka.

    "[Blessed warrior! Awaken!]"

    Like Ian, Belenka had been watching the situation from atop Sharpteeth''s back.

    Belenka knew exactly what she needed to do.

    "The dragon-ying spear!"

    "Yes!"

    It was clearly a difficult mission.

    A task even Salvador had failed at once.

    But Belenkaunched herself without a moment''s hesitation.

    "Graaaaaah!"

    "Kyaaaaak!"

    Bang!

    Predius roared, pinning Longtail with his left foot and Sharpteeth with his right.

    [Know your ce, you insolent creatures!]

    [Ugh...!]

    [Both of you! I''ll burn you together!]

    Ian used magic to save Longtail.

    "[Earth! Leap up!]"

    He summoned and hurled rock shards but.

    Thud, thud.

    As expected, Predius didn''t even flinch.

    ''Fuck...!''

    Monsters with magic resistance were truly troublesome for wizards to deal with.

    But Ian had already taken down a demon with magic resistance before.

    With buff magic!

    "Haaaaaaap!"

    Predius had seeded in subduing the drakes.

    But he failed to notice the silver-winged helmeted female knight charging at him.

    Belenka leaped at an incredible speed andtched onto Predius''s chest.

    Then with all her might, she pulled out the dragon-ying spear!

    "Graaaah! Kyaaaaak!"

    Predius screamed in shock.

    When he came to his senses, his chest was burning and gushing blood.

    Below.

    A female knight drenched in dragon blood red at him with cold eyes...!

    [You...! Insects!]

    Predius noticed Belenka''s presence, but it was toote.

    "Die! Dragon!"

    Belenka hurled the dragon-ying spear, aiming for Predius''s neck.

    The dragon-ying spear.

    A weapon crafted bybining the efforts of human cksmiths and fairy technicians, using monster materials!

    A searing, unpleasant pain overwhelmed Predius.

    The dragon-ying spear pierced through the dragon''s tough scales and lodged in his neck.

    "Graaaaaah!"

    Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, Predius released the drakes.

    "Nice one, Belenka!"

    Ian immediately shouted to the Knights of Santiago.

    "Now''s our chance!"

    "We''re on it, Lord Ian!"

    The Knights of Santiago hooked their prepared grapples onto the dragon-ying spear.

    This was an anti-monster tacticmonly used by the Holy Empire''s knights.

    Lodging arge spear in the body, then pulling it out with hooks to induce massive bleeding!

    The retrieved spear could be thrust in again and again.

    [Ha...! Not bad! You bat-lizard bastard!]

    [You''re one to talk! You were getting your ass kicked just a moment ago!]

    [No I wasn''t! I hit them too!]

    Longtail and Sharpteeth, having regained their senses, pounced on Predius once more.

    At the same time, the Knights of Santiago yanked out the dragon-ying spear.

    Rip!

    "Graaaah!"

    Predius writhed in agony.

    Blood gushed from the gaping hole in his neck.

    "Again! Throw the spear again!"

    "I''ll throw it!"

    Jubal hurled the dragon-ying spear once more.

    He aimed for the head, but his aim was off and it struck the shoulder instead.

    But it didn''t matter.

    They could pull out the spear and throw it again as many times as needed!

    [You bastard!]

    Longtail bit into the side while Sharpteeth mped down on the foreleg.

    [You... Get off! Get off, you idiots!]

    "Graaaaaaaaah!"

    Predius let out a long roar.

    But that roar wasn''t as terrifying as before.

    Stabbed multiple times and bleeding profusely.

    Exhausted from grappling with the drakes, Predius drooled hot saliva between his teeth.

    Now that his movements had slowed, it was their chance.

    Belenka leaped up.

    Using the dragon-ying spear lodged in the dragon''s shoulder as a foothold, she reached Predius''s head in one bound.

    "Die! You disgusting monster!"

    Belenka gripped her most treasured weapon, a longsword, vertically.

    Then she stabbed it straight into the dragon''s eye!

    "Graaaaaah! Graaaaaaaaah!"

    Predius thrashed his head wildly.

    Dragon blood tears sprayed everywhere.

    Rather than clinging to the longsword, Belenka nimbly pulled away.

    If she had driven that longsword deep into the eye socket, she might have pierced the dragon''s brain.

    That would have meant death even for the mighty Predius.

    The longsword was about halfway in, so it was better to leave it partially embedded than risk pulling it out by mistake.

    ''Did we do it...?''

    Ian held his breath, observing Predius.

    The tide of battle had almostpletely turned in Ian''s favor.

    Just a little more...

    Just a bit more beating, and they could kill this terrible monster!

    [You dare...! You dare...!]

    Predius''s remaining eye burned with madness.

    It meant he''d gone berserk with rage.

    [Burn to ashes! You insects!]

    Predius spewed forth mes.

    Unlike before, these were blue mes.

    Eredith, who had been preparing magic, cried out in surprise.

    "Everyone, fall back! That''s dragon blood fire!"

    Dragon blood fire was literally ignited dragon blood.

    Much hotter and stickier than regr breath, once it clung to the body, it wouldn''t extinguish easily even if you jumped into water.

    Because it required expelling blood, even dragons didn''t use this technique often...

    But Predius, driven mad, had ignited and spat out his own blood.

    The Knights of Santiago, and even the drakes, retreated.

    Blue mes zed around the ck dragon.

    Orcs engulfed in mes screamed, spewing fire from their mouths and eyes.

    "He''s spitting blood! He won''tst much longer!"

    Eredith''s words were correct.

    Predius was truly on death''s doorstep.

    ''Just a little more!''

    Ian waited for the mes the dragon had desperately spewed to die down.

    If they continued fighting like this, he would surely die.

    So...

    The ck dragon chose to flee.

    "Huh?"

    As the dragon spread its massive wings, Ian was taken aback.

    No... they couldn''t let it escape here!

    The opponent was a dragon.

    If they let it go, it would surely recover and return for revenge!

    ''I won''t let you get away!''

    Ian caught his breath and drew Anor-lsil.

    The de pointed directly at the ck dragon.

    Today, he would definitely kill this beast...!

    "Predius!!!"

    Ian gripped Anor-lsil tightly and hurled himself towards the ck dragon.

    At the same time, Predius kicked off the ground and took flight.

    "Oh!"

    "Lord Ian!"

    The Knights of Santiago were horrified.

    The wizard Ian... was disappearing into the sky along with Predius!

    "Ian!"

    "Jump down! Ian!"

    Belenka and Eredith called out to Ian urgently.

    But Ian had already risen beyond the reach of their voices.

    ''I''vee this far anyway!''

    Ian calmly steadied his breathing.

    The rapidly receding ground.

    The wind shrieking sharply!

    If he fled now, it would all be for nothing.

    [Human wizard...!]

    At that moment, Predius addressed Ian.

    After getting beaten to near death, he suddenly became surprisingly polite.

    As they say, mannerse from fists.

    [I warn you, let go of my body this instant...!]

    Ian hesitated for a moment.

    Should he really be talking to this bastard right now?

    Just in case, Ian replied to Predius.

    "[Why should I?]"

    [If you don''t let go... I''ll tear you to shreds!]

    Ian chuckled and answered.

    "[Go ahead.]"

    [...]

    "[All talk and no action~ You really don''t get it, do you? At times like this, you''re supposed to say ''I''m sorry~ Please spare me~''.

    Idiot.]"

    [Shut up...! I said shut up!]

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    This is why inherently evil bastards are no good.

    They only know how to torment others. When they''re at a disadvantage, they can''t even apologize once.

    It was expected, anyway.

    [I''ll tear you apart...! I''ll rip you to shreds...!]

    A voice mixed with madness and hatred pierced Ian''s mind.

    Ian was sick of the dragon''s evil nature.

    As if he really wanted to kill Ian, Predius performed aerial acrobatics with his dying body.

    [Fall! You lowly human without wings!]

    Ian gritted his teeth and held on.

    The dragon''s final struggle was certainly threatening.

    Even clinging to the dragon''s body was a struggle for Ian.

    But Ian was a wizard.

    "[Arno! Isil!]"

    [We''ve been waiting!]

    [Give us your orders, Master!]

    The mystery of the sword, the Arno & Isil sisters, answered Ian''s call.

    Ian shouted.

    "[Drive the longsword stuck in the dragon''s eye deeper!]"

    Ian hurled Anor-lsil.

    The magic sword imbued with the mystery of the stars flew freely towards the dragon''s head.

    And.

    It struck the longsword Belenka had embedded with all its might!

    Thunk!

    "Graaaaaaaaah!"

    Predius''s massive body convulsed.

    Anor-lsil returned neatly to Ian''s grasp.

    At the same time, the ck dragon stopped pping its wings and began plummeting to the ground...

    Ian leaped off the dragon''s body and closed his eyes.

    The voice of the wind whispered in his ears.

    [You''re flying, human!]

    It was the voice of the wind.

    Ian shouted with all his might.

    "[Wind!]"

    "[Wind!]"

    Simultaneously, a woman''s voice was heard from the ground.

    Two gusts of wind cushioned Ian''s body like an air cushion.

    Ian stared at the wizard who had summoned the wind for a while.

    "It''s been a while, Ian."

    The female wizard said with a smile.

    "Our dragon yer."

    "...Master."

    Eredith Manskal.

    Ian''s master.

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 Chapter 214

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    The battle had been fierce, but surprisingly, there weren''t many casualties.

    Only a handful of core forces shed at full strength, while the rest wisely looked after their own lives.

    It was the natural behavior of anyone with a shred of sense.

    Who in their right mind would charge in with just a sword on a battlefield where dragons and drakes were wrestling bare-handed?

    The orcs'' morale seemed low from the start, and they fled en masse as soon as the dragon retreated.It was a stroke of luck that the humans, tense from the dragon, didn''t send pursuit teams in time.

    The humans'' attention was solely focused on the dragon and Ian.

    So they were able to move as soon as the dragon fell from the sky.

    "Ian!"

    The Knights of Santiago and the wizards rushed urgently to where the dragon had crashed.

    It took quite a while to get there, as the dragon had flown quite a distance.

    "Ah..."

    Upon arriving at the scene, the knights crossed themselves at the awe-inspiring sight.

    Deep in the forest.

    In a clearing bathed in a single ray of sunlight, a massive dragony quietly with its eyes closed.

    And.

    A young man in robes was slowly descending from the sky.

    It was the wizard Ian.

    For that moment, Ian looked almost like a celestial being descending to earth, summoned by the heavens.

    Only the wizard Eredith rushed out to greet Ian.

    "Master."

    Having safelynded, Ian beamed at his teacher.

    Who was Eredith Manskal?

    She was the Wikipedia wizard who had mastered all sorts of trivia, and Ian''s one and only teacher who had shaped him into who he was today.

    It would be a lie to say he wasn''t d to see her.

    "Yes, Ian."

    Eredith immediately pulled Ian into a hug.

    Having been with him since childhood, she was used to treating Ian like a kid.

    "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

    "I''m fine."

    After checking Ian''s condition, Eredith hugged him once more.

    The first hug was out of concern.

    This one was out of joy.

    There was a mountain of things they wanted to say to each other, but both Ian and Eredith were too exhausted.

    "Ian. How are you feeling..."

    "I''m fine apart from being tired. How''s the Order?"

    Sir Dehitri replied with a relieved smile.

    "There were no casualties. We do have some injured, including Sir Salvador."

    Ian smiled too.

    News of no deaths was always good to hear.

    Ian nced at Predius.

    The monstery motionless, face down, with a longsword stuck in one eye.

    ''What a damn nuisance.''

    Ian didn''t even want to look at Predius.

    He''d heard many rumors about dragons.

    That you shouldn''t associate with them, that messing with them would ruin your life...

    Aren''t rumors usually exaggerated?

    Ian had thought the rumors about dragons must be exaggerated too.

    But the dragon he actually fought was truly insane...

    Ian had been lucky enough to bring two drakes, but.

    If they had faced the dragon with purely human forces, how many people would have died?

    ''Phew.''

    Ian was about to retrieve Belenka''s longsword.

    ''Hm?''

    But he noticed something lodged in Predius''s jaw.

    Ian examined it and was immediately baffled.

    ''What the... What''s this?''

    The object stuck in Predius''s jaw was none other than a pike.

    It seemed to have been there for quite a while, almost looking like part of Predius up close.

    ''Did he leave it there on purpose?''

    It was in a position where it could easily be pulled out.

    The fact that it was still in the jaw meant...

    It had been deliberately left there.

    But why?

    Ian tilted his head.

    Was it left as some kind of memento?

    ''Could just be a fashion statement...''

    Ian thought as he looked at Predius.

    The dragon was quite insane, so it might have used the spear as a fashion essory like a piercing.

    ''I''ll take it with me for now.''

    Ian took Predius''s pike and returned to Talian Hall.

    ------

    The battle was over, but the survivors had to go on living.

    It was time for the cleanup.

    ''Won''t those things disappear?''

    Baron Damon frowned as he looked at the drakes.

    It wasn''t just Baron Damon.

    The nobles of Talian, and even the local refugees, had all rushed out to gawk at the drakes.

    "Wow... What are those?"

    "They''re huge...!"

    It had been a battlefield just moments ago.

    Now it had turned into a zoo that forgot to install bars.

    Longtail and Sharpteethy side by side on their bellies, yawning widely.

    Just opening their mouths caused screams to erupt here and there.

    People might start bringing pic baskets at this rate.

    While the drakes were an amusing spectacle for themoners...

    For Baron Damon, they were nothing but a headache.

    The battle was over, so there were mountains of tasks to do - clearing corpses, rescuing the wounded!

    How could they just sprawl out there! Are they crazy?!

    Of course, the drakes, being beasts, couldn''t care less about human circumstances.

    "My lord. What should we do?"

    Subordinates flocked to Baron Damon.

    But Baron Damon had no solution either.

    For now... since Ian had summoned them, bringing Ian might solve the problem.

    "They''re beasts the wizard controls, so wouldn''t they understand human speech?"

    "Then why don''t you go try talking to them?"

    Having lost his fear, one of Baron Damon''s subordinates approached the drakes and shouted.

    "Ahem. You there! Would you kindly move aside!"

    "Grrr...?"

    "Eek! I''m sorry!"

    As soon as Longtail raised his head, the baron''s subordinate fled like an arrow.

    The drake was far more terrifying up close...!

    "We can''t move those things, can we?"

    "Obviously not."

    Only Ian could handle those monsters.

    "Hey, you two! Can''t you move over there?"

    "???"

    Just as he thought that, Baron Damon was startled.

    Wait, isn''t that the Countess of Talian?!

    It was indeed Lucy Talian.

    Lucy was shouting at the drakes!

    The nobles, and even Baron Damon, felt their hearts drop!

    "C-Countess! Be careful!"

    "What reckless courage!"

    They said that, but the nobles were actually quite impressed.

    Lucy Talian...

    They knew she wasn''t an ordinary woman, but to think she had such guts!

    She must have some secret method to avoid being eaten by the drakes!

    [What''s that human been saying? Should I chase her away?]

    [Leave her be. She''s my friend''s future sister-inw.]

    [Hmm... Is that so?]

    Contrary to everyone''s expectations...

    Lucy simply had no idea what she was doing.

    No, Lucy couldn''t possibly have any borate n!

    Lucy was just imitating Ian.

    Ian talks to them like this~ and this~, and the kids understand!

    Maybe they''ll understand me too? (They won''t)

    Longtail was just leaving Lucy alone because he knew she was Ian''s woman.

    After about 10 minutes of futile chatter, Lucy scratched her head and returned to the nobles.

    "Hmm... It''s not working?"

    "W-Well done, Countess!"

    "Truly... how bold you are, Countess."

    "Huh?"

    Lucy tilted her head and blinked in confusion.

    Just then, amotion was heard in the distance.

    "Oh! The Dragon yer has returned!"

    "The dragon killer, Ian!"

    It was the Knights of Santiago, Ian, Eredith, and Kira.

    Baron Damon immediately ran to Ian and said,

    "Ian! Please do something about those drakes!"

    "? What do you want me to do?"

    "Move them somewhere else or..."

    Ian nodded.

    Indeed. The drakes needed to be moved elsewhere.

    "[Longtail. How about moving to the forest for now?]"

    [Hmm. Alright. Too many humansing and going here.]

    There was no suitable ce for the drake couple to rest near Talian.

    Ian felt a bit sorry for Longtail.

    Now that the job was done, he should send them home quickly.

    "Grrrr..."

    "Ohhh!"

    The nobles couldn''t hide their amazement at Ian''s mysterious magic.

    The wizard muttered something, and the drakes moved!

    ''What kind of spell was that!''

    Ian had simply said ''please move aside'', but to those who didn''t know the Maroniusnguage, it looked like incredible magic.

    "As expected of Ian!"

    "The rumors about him controlling drakes were true!"

    Even the Knights of Santiago were impressed.

    The nobles seized this opportunity to rush over and tter Ian.

    He could control drakes and even defeat dragons.

    If they didn''t suck up now, they''d lose their noble status!

    "Truly remarkable skills, Lord Ian!"

    "I''ve never seen such amazing magic!"

    "...?"

    Ian grew annoyed as the nobles fawned over him.

    Seriously, he had just said one sentence.

    Amazing magic, my ass.

    Ian sighed and said,

    "Anyone with a mouth can do this."

    "No, no! This is something only you can do, Lord Ian...!"

    "No, I''m telling you anyone with a mouth can do it. Do you not have mouths?"

    "..."

    When Baron Lantro fell silent, the Knights of Santiago burst outughing.

    "Hahaha! Ian must be in a bad mood today!"

    "He must be tired after showing such great skill! Haha!"

    "..."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    If you know that, then let me rest, you idiots...

    Used to how medieval people treated wizards, Ian didn''t bother arguing.

    "How''s Sir Salvador?"

    "We''ve put him in the infirmary for now."

    Ian figured he should visit the infirmary before resting.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Ian! A guest is here!"

    "A guest?"

    Lucy eximed excitedly.

    "Yes! Someone we met when leaving the Duchy of Araz!"

    "?"

    Ian was puzzled.

    An acquaintance of Lucy''s? But why me?

    "Go ahead, Ian. I''ll check on Sir Salvador."

    When Belenka said that, Ian nodded.

    "I''lle along too."

    "You too, Master?"

    Eredith smiled and said,

    "I think it''s someone I know."

    "..."

    Ian frowned.

    The way Eredith put it, Ian had a feeling he knew who it was too.

    When they went outside, they could hear the people buzzing.

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    There were over ten carriages, all packed full of supplies!

    Ian greeted the ''guest'' who hade to Talian.

    "We meet again, Gerard."

    Eredith stood beside him, arms crossed.

    "It''s been a while, Ian. And Eredith."

    The space-time wizard Gerard spoke in a gruff voice.

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 Chapter 215

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    ''The space-time wizard Gerard.''

    Though they had met several times before, Ian felt unusually unfamiliar with Gerard today.

    Despite bringing gifts enough to fill several carriages, Ian strangely didn''t feel happy about it.

    Why was that?

    Ian knew the answer.It was because Gerard was a crafty space-time wizard.

    ''Space-time wizards know the future.''

    Space-time wizards, who handle the magic of time and space, are both teleporters and prophets.

    They use their magic to cherry-pick futures, trying to create a ''better future''.

    The problem is that they never reveal what this ''better future'' actually is.

    Apparently, the moment they speak it, the future bes tainted?

    Ian calmly stared at Gerard.

    He had felt it before, but Gerard had been looking out for Ian with some purpose in mind.

    Ian didn''t know what that purpose was.

    He hadn''t really cared much either.

    Gerard had always advised Ian that ''good things will happen''.

    But not today.

    Ian was curious about the ''future'' Gerard had seen.

    It was an unavoidable situation.

    Even for Ian, the fight with the dragon had been tough.

    "Before I say I''m d to see you. I have a question first."

    "What is it?"

    Ian''s ''question'' felt strange. Questions didn''t seem to suit a space-time wizard.

    Ian wasn''t a space-time wizard, so he didn''t know how much Gerard knew or from where.

    Gerard himself had said that space-time wizards weren''t gods, so he likely didn''t know the details beyond major events.

    Ian asked bluntly.

    "The space movement scroll you gave me before."

    "..."

    "Did you know I would use it in this battle?"

    In the past, Ian had thought he should only use the space movement scroll for escape.

    But after feeling an ominous sign this time, he immediately attempted spatial movement.

    Ian had been able to defeat Predius just in time.

    Gerard hadn''t said a word about the space movement scroll, and the result came entirely from Ian''s own judgment.

    Gerard slowly opened his mouth.

    "Yes. I knew."

    "!"

    "Ian. In the future I glimpsed with space-time magic, there were countless [branches] where you used the space movement scroll."

    Ian could have used the space movement scroll at any time.

    Even for an excellent space-time wizard like Gerard, it was impossible to urately observe when that moment would be.

    "You made the ''choice'' to use the space movement scroll to save Talian, and after that choice, the future where [Talian survives] was safely fixed in the past."

    All Gerard had done was hand the space movement scroll to Ian.

    But after passing through countless universes of possibility...

    They had reached a future where [Talian survived the ck dragon''s attack].

    "Gerard. Then did you give me the space movement scroll to save Talian?"

    To Ian''s question, Gerard answered sharply.

    "No. The person I wanted to save was you, Ian."

    "..."

    "You probably know this too. Countless fates of death have brushed past you. Your death creates a branching of world lines far greater than you can imagine. I wanted to prevent that."

    Ian nodded.

    He had certainly gone through a lot of hardships traveling the empire.

    Visiting thend of northern barbarians, fighting ck wizards...

    It seems the [world line] changes depending on whether Ian lived or died.

    For now, the world line where Ian was alive was being maintained.

    "Ian. Your survival has exceeded the critical point of any event existing in this world."

    "...Critical point?"

    "Yes. The great stem of fate that can no longer change."

    Gerard looked straight at Ian and said.

    "The fall of the Holy Empire."

    ------

    The fall of the Holy Empire.

    Such a grandiose phrase popped out that Ian''s brain froze for a moment.

    Wait. Wait a minute. Let''s sort this out.

    "Ah. So, Gerard, to prevent the fall of our Holy Empire..."

    "No."

    Gerard denied Ian''s words.

    "You seem to have misunderstood me. Ian. By saving Talian, the future has crossed the critical point of [the fall of the Holy Empire]."

    "That means..."

    Gerard said with a mechanically expressionless face.

    "The Holy Empire will soon fall."

    "...!"

    It was a shocking statement.

    Ian felt a deep shock twice.

    One was from Gerard calmly stating the fact that the empire would fall.

    The other was that the damn space-time wizard had finally uttered a proper prophecy...!

    ''He said it crossed the critical point.''

    In other words, it meant that no matter what was done, the future could no longer be changed.

    [The fall of the Holy Empire] was already a confirmed future.

    That''s why he could say it out loud!

    "Wait! Gerard! The empire is really going to fall?!"

    "That''s right."

    Gerard''s expression didn''t change at all.

    Ian was shocked once again.

    He''s a psycho...! That guy must be a psycho...!

    How can he talk so calmly about the empire falling?!

    Is this the ''better future'' Gerard had in mind!

    At that moment, Eredith chimed in.

    "Hmm. So it ends up like that after all?"

    Ian looked at Eredith in disbelief.

    Gerard might be able to act like this because he''s a psycho (he''s not), but.

    Why was his master reacting this way too?!

    "Are you a psycho too, Master?!"

    "? What are you talking about, Ian?"

    Ian was so flustered that he asked back.

    "Aren''t you bothered at all? The empire is going to fall!"

    Eredith stared at Ian''s face for a while, then tilted her head.

    "Ian. Have you ever met Emperor Shakraine II?"

    Jarvan II... no, Shakraine II is the emperor of this Holy Empire.

    Of course, Ian had never met the emperor.

    "No? I haven''t."

    Then Eredith said, as if she couldn''t understand:

    "Then why are you so upset? Do you think the world will end if the empire falls?"

    "...?"

    At Eredith''s reaction, Ian finally realized an important fact.

    The people of the empire... have no patriotism...!

    The word ''patriotism'' only became concrete after the modern era.

    ''Nationalism'' was born first, and the word patriotism emerged after the distinction between state and nation became clear.

    Of course, there might have been some ''love for one''s hometown'' on a small vige scale, but it spreading to a national scale was a post-media development thing.

    Here, in the Holy Empire, except for the nobles, most citizens don''t even know who their emperor is. (Baron Damon was a prime example)

    The lord who collects taxes is the king, and the knight with a sword is the master!

    Let''s say the Holy Empire falls in the future.

    ... So what? That would be the reaction.

    Eredith wasn''t a psycho, she was just an ordinary imperial citizen.

    "If the country falls!"

    "If it falls?"

    "The central government will disappear! Law and order will break down!"

    "? Isn''t that the same as now?"

    As he spoke, Ian felt something was off.

    Wait...? Come to think of it, that''s right?

    Originally, the Holy Empire''s emperor was no different from a group project leader.

    The empire''s public order? It was always shit to begin with.

    That''s why everyone''s just sitting around with their feudal system!

    "If the empire falls, the dukes will divide it up."

    "... I guess so."

    It was just a matter of scale reduction.

    Compared to the medieval era''s abysmal administrative capabilities, the Holy Empire was far toorge.

    That''s why it was maintained with the loose system of feudalism.

    Sure, some ancient civilization in the far east supposedly created a unified empire of 30 million people (estimated) in BC, but that was actually the super-munchkin case.

    The Holy Empire was never a well-integrated country to begin with.

    If it had been a proper empire, the emperor wouldn''t have been doing group project leader work.

    "But if the empire splits into small countries, wars will surely break out."

    "That''s true."

    Eredith conceded cleanly.

    Territory wars happen often even now, but they''re wars with minimal rules.

    But if the banner of the empire disappears, nobles with some power will wage conquest wars to be kings themselves.

    "But Ian. Countries being born and falling is the natural course of history."

    Honestly, Ian''s head was in a mess.

    Ian was a wizard, and he didn''t particrly like war.

    There are certainly modern people who like the idea of unification wars and single empires...

    But Ian was the son of a serf, and he didn''t wee the idea ofmoners being sacrificed in the power struggles of rulers.

    Moreover, the empire was falling because Ian had saved Talian...

    "Then, what if I hadn''t stopped the ck dragon?"

    Gerard answered neatly.

    "Duke Araz would have seceded from the empire."

    "???"

    "After that, a civil war would have broken out between the Duchy of Fargar and the Duchy of Ron, and the Holy Empire would have changed its name to the [Golden Empire]."

    "Wait a minute..."

    Ian was confused again.

    Hold on, even if we got our asses kicked by the ck dragon, it seems the empire would go to shit either way?!

    And [Golden Empire]?

    "Ian. You''ve heard of an organization called the [Golden Rule Society], right?"

    "I''ve heard more than enough about them."

    The crazy ck wizards who im they want to rebuild the (former) Golden Empire.

    "You and the [Golden Rule Society] stand at opposite ends of fate."

    "..."

    "Ian. Your existence negates the Golden Rule Society. The opposite is also true."

    Opposite ends of fate.

    Ian''s existence brought about the fall of the Holy Empire.

    But conversely, the Golden Rule Society aimed to take over the intact empire and make it their own.

    An absolute ipatible, fatal rtionship.

    "I understand."

    Ian spoke in a slightly lowered voice.

    "So, my shes with the ck wizards so far were some kind of pull of fate?"

    "A necessity bordering on extreme coincidence."

    Ian thought for a moment.

    If Ian became a master of space-time magic and could even reverse the flow of time...

    Would he go back to the past and try to change fate?

    The answer was ''no''.

    ''What''s my life about?''

    Ian bing a wizard was purely coincidental.

    A coincidence mixed with the guidance of a space-time wizard.

    So, let''s say Ian moved ording to the space-time wizard''s will.

    Does he regret bing a wizard?

    If he had lived as a serf''s son all along, he wouldn''t have shed with ck wizards or fought dragons to the death.

    But Ian didn''t regret bing a wizard.

    He had seen a new world, and now everything around him felt like it belonged to Ian.

    Ian''s friends.

    The Knights of Santiago and Golden Finger Takarion.

    Belenka, Kira, and Maria.

    The people of Talian, and even Lucy Talian, the lord.

    ''I''ve alreadye this far.''

    To borrow Gerard''s expression, Ian had [crossed the critical point].

    There was no turning back now.

    Either protect what Ian had.

    Or have everything taken away by the Golden Rule Society.

    And Ian''s way to stand against the ck wizards was, of course, magic.

    He needed to reach even higher realms.

    So high that the enemies couldn''t reach him no matter how they tried.

    "Gerard. I know you made me a wizard."

    Ian looked straight at Gerard and said.

    "You saw some [future] and made me a wizard. To intertwine my fate with that of the empire and the Golden Rule Society. Isn''t that right?"

    "I can''t say."

    Gerard avoided answering, but Ian didn''t mind.

    "But whatever you''re nning, I''m the master of my own fate."

    "..."

    "I know that space-time wizards can only foresee fate, not directly influence it. Especially for someone like me who can [change world lines], you can''ty a hand on me, right?"

    Gerard kept his mouth shut.

    Because Ian''s words were correct.

    Space-time wizards could predict the future, but they couldn''t speak their prophecies out loud.

    The moment a prophecy mixes with reality, errors happen, and those errors growrger as they extend into the future.

    Let''s say Ian suddenly decided to kill himself right now.

    All of Gerard''s foreseen futures would fly out the window.

    That was the limitation of space-time magic.

    "If I don''t like the future you''ve nned, I can overturn it."

    Ian was serious.

    Future predictions don''t determine the future.

    Small presents pile up toplete the future.

    Ian, living in the present, has the power to change the future.

    "The same goes for me, Gerard."

    Eredith looked at Gerard with cold eyes.

    Ian was her only disciple.

    She absolutely couldn''t stand by and watch her disciple be used as a long-term pawn by space-time wizards.

    "If you try anything funny with Ian... you''d better be prepared."

    After Ian and Eredith each said their piece, Gerard looked rather flustered.

    "As long as your will remains strong, the future won''t change easily. I have no intention of altering your futures either."

    "How can we believe that?"

    "That''s right."

    As Ian and Eredith stared intently, Gerard scratched his cheek.

    "Hmm... You need proof, is that it?"

    The only proof a space-time wizard could offer was, of course, prophecy.

    But the future gets tainted by the present the moment it''s prophesied...

    "Alright. I''ll tell you about the future."

    "!"

    "!"

    Both of them were surprised at the same time.

    What''s going on today?!

    Gerard making two prophecies in one day!

    "Is it okay to tell us?"

    Eredith asked instead.

    Gerard spoke in his characteristic blunt tone.

    "Of course, it''s dangerous. But if it''s to intertwine our fates, then so be it."

    It meant it was a huge challenge even from Gerard''s perspective.

    He wanted to gain Ian''s trust, even if it meant taking risks.

    "Ian. The future I hope for you is..."

    Gerard dered solemnly.

    "A future where you be a teacher."

    "...?"

    For a moment, Ian was dumbfounded.

    What...?

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 Chapter 216

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    The space-time wizard had made a prophecy.

    This act simultaneously altered the future and shook reality.

    ''... Gerard has handed the [future] over to me.''

    Let''s say, for example, that person A is destined to die in a car ident 24 hours from now.

    The space-time wizard identally foresaw A''s death and kept quiet to allow the prediction toe true.So what happens to A?

    Naturally, they die 24 hourster.

    By not revealing the future, the wizard seeded in making a perfect prediction.

    But what if the space-time wizard went to A and revealed the future?

    A, who was supposed to die in a car ident 24 hourster, would get scared and stay locked up at home without moving an inch for 24 hours.

    Would A still be alive after 24 hours?

    The answer is ''yes''.

    How could they get hit by a car if they never left the house?

    This is where the problem arises.

    One person''s fate has been changed, but the wizard''s prophecy clearly [failed].

    The person who was supposed to die in 24 hours is alive and well!

    As a result, all future predictions about [the world after A''s death] go straight into the trash.

    Because the world has been altered.

    New prophecies must be made about [the world where A is alive], and preparations must be made for those prophecies to be exposed and changed!

    That''s why space-time wizards set up a rule among themselves.

    The rule was [Let''s not reveal the future unless absolutely necessary!]

    Whether A dies in a car ident or not, they want to prevent other predictions from bing useless.

    So these crafty space-time wizards of the medieval fantasy world try to guide the world towards their desired future by knowing and sharing the future only among themselves, through consultation.

    That''s why space-time wizards get a bad rap.

    But now.

    Gerard had openly prophesied Ian''s future.

    ... That Ian would be a [teacher].

    ''A teacher, huh.''

    Ian tilted his head.

    It seemed a bitme...?

    It''s not like he''d be the emperor of the empire. Or a great wizard who bes a hero.

    Just a teacher?

    But Eredith thought differently.

    "Hey, Gerard."

    Eredith spoke with a frown.

    "What kind of half-assed prophecy is that? A [teacher]? Isn''t that just a word you can p onto anything?"

    She had a point.

    Gerard said he wanted a future where Ian bes a ''teacher''...

    But ''teacher'' was a word you could attach to pretty much anything and make it sound usible.

    To put it bluntly, if Ian were to start a red-tide in this medieval fantasy world and be called ''Great Comrade Ian!'', he could still be addressed as ''Excellent! Teacher Ian!''

    It''s weird in many ways, but he''d still be a teacher, right?

    Simrly, if he took a prince of a country as a disciple and raised him, he could be called a teacher.

    Be a teacher at an academy? Teacher.

    If he bes a respected wizard and has a statue built of him, it could be ''A statue of the great wizard, Teacher Ian''.

    In other words.

    Gerard had essentially prophesied that Ian would be [a great person] in the future...!

    "If you''re going to do it, be a bit more specific..."

    "That''s impossible."

    Ian couldn''t help but chuckle.

    Just when he thought he was getting a proper prophecy.

    Typical space-time wizard level~

    But one thing became clear.

    "Then if I start causing trouble and going wild from now on, there''s no way I''ll reach the future Gerard wants, right?"

    Ian could now intentionally ruin the future Gerard desired.

    ... Of course, Gerard might have foreseen even this deviation of Ian''s and deliberately revealed the future, but.

    If we go down that rabbit hole, there''s no end to it.

    Space-time wizards aren''t gods.

    There are limits to prophecies, and incorrect predictions pop up and disappear every moment.

    "Of course."

    Gerard smiled awkwardly.

    He looked ufortable making an expression he wasn''t used to.

    "I peek at the future. But Ian, you''re someone who creates the future directly."

    "..."

    "You will reach a future that no one else can reach, by your own power."

    The space-time wizard''s prophecy was more like a blessing.

    That''s why Ian could smile.

    "Thanks for the kind words, Gerard."

    ------

    The carriages Gerard had brought were loaded withrge amounts of preserved food and alcohol.

    These were supposed to be given to Lucy by Duke Araz...

    But since Lucy had abandoned everything ande back, Gerard had brought them instead.

    Gerard said he would meet Lucy and discuss how to handle the goods.

    As Gerard was about to leave, Eredith stopped him.

    "Let me ask onest thing."

    "What is it, Eredith?"

    Eredith had known Gerard for a long time.

    That''s why she sensed something unsettling from Gerard.

    "About the prophecy that the empire will fall."

    "That''s certain information."

    "Space-time wizards don''t easily share even the most certain information, right?"

    That''s what felt off to Eredith.

    A prophecy that was too specific and urate.

    It was too rough for a space-time wizard''s style.

    "... The information that [the empire will fall] wasn''t important to you."

    Eredith said sharply.

    "The key was delivering that information to Ian, wasn''t it?"

    She knew the ways of space-time wizards.

    The most important information is revealed only after everything is over.

    Until then, all the information thates out of their mouths is infinitely trivial.

    "Another test remains."

    Gerard answered with an expressionless face.

    "That''s right. The information that the empire will fall will be an important guide for Ian."

    "... A guide?"

    Gerard nodded.

    "In the forest of infinite possibilities, a massive tree like [the fall of the empire] is easy to spot."

    "!"

    Eredith couldn''t help but cover her mouth.

    Infinite possibilities meant...!

    "You mean Ian... will be able to foresee the future? Now?"

    Gerard slowly nodded his head.

    It was affirmative.

    "You already know that Ian has the talent of a space-time wizard, don''t you, Eredith?"

    "But...! That''s a different matter from bing a space-time wizard!"

    Eredith knew that Ian had overflowing talent.

    But to be a space-time wizard, talent alone wasn''t enough.

    One had to satisfy certain [conditions] to be a space-time wizard.

    "You have to pass the space-time wizard council''s test to be a space-time wizard..."

    "Ian can do it."

    Gerard turned around.

    "If you don''t want Ian to be a space-time wizard, tell him right now. Tell him not to be one."

    "..."

    "But Eredith. Ian must be a space-time wizard."

    Eredith fell silent at his confident voice.

    She could tell.

    Gerard was serious.

    "If it''s that important... why didn''t you say so earlier?"

    To Eredith''s question, Gerard replied stiffly.

    "Sometimes, only the ignorant can reach certain ces."

    "Damn space-time wizard bastard."

    Eredith spoke as if throwing a tantrum, but she wasn''t really angry.

    This was typical space-time wizard behavior after all.

    As time passes and the momentes, all the puzzle pieces will naturally fall into ce.

    Just like how Ian has now defeated the dragon.

    "Fine. Let''s wait and see."

    That''s why Eredith could say that.

    ------

    After parting with Gerard, Ian went to see Salvador.

    He had heard that Salvador was severely injured during the battle.

    Though his life wasn''t in danger, it was questionable whether he could run around energetically like before.

    ''He''s healthy, but he is an old man after all.''

    Salvador was a medieval man over 50 years old.

    In the past, on the Korean penins, there was a beautiful custom of holding a ''hwangap celebration'' for elders over 60.

    Hwangap meant the return of the sexagenary cycle, an honorable title given to elders who had survived a full 60 years.

    With poor medical care + terrible nutrition, pre-modern humans rarely lived to 60 years.

    Sir Salvador was at an age where he should be getting his coffin ready.

    From what he''d heard, Salvador had been hit by the dragon and sent flying.

    It wouldn''t be strange if he died from the injuries he sustained in this battle.

    If that happened, there was nothing Ian could do.

    It''s not like Ian was a medical student. He didn''t have the medical skills to treat an old man''s wounds and save his life.

    He could only hope that Salvador was alright.

    "Hm?"

    Ian arrived at Salvador''s lodging.

    There was no hospital in this era. Just resting in a good room was the extent of medical care, so Salvador was receiving the best service avable.

    That was all fine, but there were some strange people there.

    "Belenka?"

    "Oh, Ian. You''re here?"

    It was Belenka and the Knights of Santiago.

    They had set up arge cauldron in front of Salvador''s house and were boiling something vigorously.

    "What are you doing?"

    Ian guessed as soon as he saw the boiling cauldron.

    These people...

    They''re preparing Salvador''s bath water!

    Given the knights'' custom of revering bathing, it wouldn''t be strange for them to try to wash Salvador clean.

    But Ian tilted his head.

    Isn''t it boiling too much for bath water?

    At this rate, they''d end up with Salvador-soup...?

    "Oh, this?"

    Belenka grinned and said.

    "It''s a local healing technique to drive away illness, they say."

    "Healing technique?"

    Ian immediately made a sour face.

    Local healing technique = folk remedy.

    And Ian obviously didn''t believe in folk remedies.

    Instead, suspicion started creeping in.

    These medieval bastards. What are they trying to do to the patient...!

    "Is it okay for the Knights of the Holy Order to do this?"

    "If it can help Sir Salvador, what can''t we do?"

    Hmm. Fair point.

    Ian shrugged.

    In the abysmal medical standards of the medieval era, folk remedies were somewhat eptable.

    As long as it wasn''t too outrageous...

    "So what exactly are you doing?"

    When Ian asked, Belenka excitedly exined.

    "First, we go around the vige collecting unwashed spoons!"

    "...?"

    "We pick out the dirtiest spoons and boil them in the pot!"

    "..."

    "When you boil dirty spoons, the impure energy flies away and a potion with healing power is created!"

    Ian trembled, clenching his fists...

    Wait, that recipe...

    Where have I heard this before...?

    "Who the hell said such..."

    "Hm? I heard it''s quite famous in the areas around Talian. They say it''s a healing technique taught by the ''ck Crow Wizard''."

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    The ck Crow Wizard? That''s me!

    I did once trick some mercenaries by giving them spoon-boiled water with salt, calling it a ''potion of vitality''...

    But for that bullshit to spread and be a local traditional healing method!

    Ian could easily imagine the medieval folk remedy.

    ''Cough, mother. I think I''ve caught a cold.''

    ''Oh dear~ Go fetch some spoons from the kitchen!''

    ''Why spoons?''

    ''Spoon-boiled water is the best for colds~''

    ''Oh my, really? How amazing!''

    "..."

    Ian felt his sins deepening...

    Somehow, he had created an absurd folk remedy!

    "Hmm. Come to think of it, Ian. Have you ever met the ''ck Crow Wizard''? He sounds simr to you."

    To Belenka''s innocent question.

    Ian awakened his inner crankiness!

    "I am! The ck Crow Wizard!"

    Ian kicked the cauldron hard.

    The boiling spoons ttered and fell.

    "Ah! Lord Ian! What are you doing!"

    "Sir Salvador''s healing...!"

    "This shit doesn''t work at all! Just boil some bath water instead!"

    Belenka asked in surprise.

    "Is it really not effective?"

    "Yeah! If boiling spoons cured diseases, why would people die from illness?"

    As the Knights of Santiago dejectedly(...) picked up the spoons, a heartyugh was heard.

    "Ian, you''re always so cranky, aren''t you!"

    "... It''s a misunderstanding, old man."

    Sir Salvador was leaning against the door,ughing, wrapped in bandages.

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 Chapter 217

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Salvador''s appearance brought Ian back to his senses.

    "If you do that shit anywhere else, you''ll be in big trouble. Got it?"

    "Ah, I understand, Ian!"

    Ian felt a bit sorry for the shrunken knights, but he had to speak firmly.

    Imagine if this rumor spread and reached the ears of medieval doctors (read: quacks).They''d be like, ''What? Boiled spoon water is good for patients? I must try it right away!'' and happily start their examinations.

    Touting it as thetest treatment method created by a famous wizard~

    It''s aedy from afar, but a tragedy up close.

    If a truly sick person received the ''spoon treatment'' and missed their golden time, how frustrating would that be?

    After warning the knights several times, Ian entered Salvador''s sickroom.

    For the patient''s peace, Ian was the only visitor.

    "How are you feeling?"

    "My whole body aches like hell. I''m definitely getting old."

    You''re just realizing that now, old man?

    Ian almost said, but held back~

    He smiled at Salvador''s brazen level of frankness.

    "I brought some books in case you get bored while resting."

    Ian handed over Takarion''s Gospel that he''d brought in advance.

    It was the most entertaining book Ian knew, a light novel disguised as a religious text.

    "Oh! Volume 4! I was just needing this!"

    "..."

    That old man Salvador doesn''t even bother hiding that he reads Takarion''s books anymore.

    He must have been reading the Gospel(?) until just now, as an open booky on the bed.

    "Thanks foring, Ian my boy."

    Salvador offered him a seat.

    Ian sat down, observing Salvador slightly.

    His eyes were still lively, but his haggard face and body were particrly noticeable.

    People usually look older when they''re sick.

    Salvador, who was already at an age where he could go any day, really looked like an old man his age now.

    Monster hunting might be too much for him from now on.

    "Old man. What are you going to do now?"

    "You mean my ns?"

    Salvador closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.

    "I''m not sure."

    "What?"

    "I might go back to my hometown and spend my days watching my grandchildren y. Or I might recover and continue the holy war."

    Salvador''s words about continuing to hunt monsters didn''t surprise Ian.

    People don''t change easily, and old people even less so.

    Can someone who''s spent their whole life swinging a sword put it down overnight?

    Salvador probably won''t let go of his sword until he dies.

    He''s unlikely to diefortably in bed.

    "Well. One thing''s for sure, I can''t follow the Knights of Santiago anymore."

    "Have you discussed this with the knights?"

    When Ian asked, Salvador grinned.

    "Would those fellows let me go so easily? I''m taking this chance to part ways."

    From the Knights of Santiago''s perspective, they couldn''t just discard Salvador, who had helped them all this time, like an old shoe.

    Whether they liked it or not, they had to wait until Salvador recovered.

    Salvador didn''t want to see that.

    It was probably thest bit of pride for the old man who had once been the spiritual pir of the order.

    ''Leaving the order, huh...''

    "What are you going to do from now on?"

    This time Salvador asked the question.

    Ian answered inly.

    "I''m thinking of going to university."

    "Oh ho. To enroll?"

    Ian tilted his head. It didn''t seem grand enough to call it enrollment, did it?

    "I want to interact with other wizards and study more deeply."

    It was something he had felt several times while catching Predius.

    Ian needed more magic.

    If he was going to sh with the ck wizards of the [Golden Rule Society], the more magic, the better.

    "Indeed. It''ll be good for you."

    Salvador nodded.

    Ian stared intently at the old Sword Master.

    That guy''s basically unemployed now anyway, right?

    He''s practically a patient, but still unemployed.

    If he''s going to recuperate anyway, why not rest in a university town?

    "Sir Salvador. If you have nowhere to go, would you like toe to Dranheim with me?"

    "To Dranheim? With you?"

    Having Salvador by his side had several advantages.

    Once his condition improved, he''d immediately be a usable force.

    Thanks to his fame as a Sword Master, he could have priority over mercenaries and knights.

    And incidentally, he could be a training partner for Belenka.

    Salvador sank into serious thought.

    "Not a bad idea."

    "Really?"

    "Haha. Yes. I did need a quiet ce to rest. Dranheim would be perfect for recuperation."

    Ian said with a smile.

    "Thene with me. I''ll cover all the travel expenses."

    "What money does a wandering wizard have to say that?"

    "Money? No worries. I can just get it from Lucy."

    "..."

    Salvador couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "You''ve really found yourself a good woman. My wife would always nag me to give her money whenever she saw me."

    Ian took a very brief moment for self-reflection.

    Am I a piece of shit for getting pocket money from a female friend?

    But Ian, whose face had thickened while rolling as a wizard, didn''t feel sorry for Lucy at all.

    He''d saved Lucy so many times until now.

    It''s okay to get some pocket money, right! (Shameless)

    "Well, I''ll be going now. Rest well, Sir."

    "Alright. Let me know before we depart!"

    [Bam bam ba bam! Sir Salvador has be apanion!]

    Ian quickly left for the patient''s sake.

    ------

    The Talian domain was in disarray with post-war cleanup.

    Though they had won aplete victory thanks to Ian''s efforts, people had still died or been injured.

    But Ian, who didn''t want to do any more work, slipped away from the cleanup duties.

    "Ah, Ian!"

    "Huh?"

    Ian was wandering around, chewing on jerky with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

    From afar, he looked exactly like an unemployed thug.

    But... Ian wanted to rest!

    He had been running non-stop to catch the dragon.

    His head was alreadyplicated because of Gerard''s prophecy, and he didn''t want to wrestle with domain affairs.

    Lucy came running from afar, but Ian was indifferent.

    Ian was in a state simr to an office worker who had taken a mental day off.

    No matter what task he was given, he absolutely wouldn''t do it...!

    But Lucy''s expression didn''t look good.

    "Baron Damon just reported that there are suspicious mercenaries wandering outside!"

    "Mercenaries?"

    Ian couldn''t help but scoff.

    Ah~ I just took down a dragon~

    What''s the big deal about some random mercenaries?

    "Lucy. How many knights and wizards do we have here? Why are you making a fuss?"

    "Baron Damon says there might be wizards mixed in with them!"

    "Oh, for fuck''s sake."

    If the opponents were wizards, that was a different story. It was worth Ian checking out personally.

    Especially now that Gerard''s prophecy was weighing on his mind, he needed to make sure.

    "Just go take a quick look! Please?!"

    "Hmm..."

    But it was still a hassle.

    Ian quickly racked his brains.

    Which wizard could he send to ck off right now?

    Eredith and Mani were out of the question. They were people Ian could never order around.

    So that left Kira and Maria...

    Ian frowned hard.

    They''re newbies!

    It was like a wizard barracks with only a sergeant and new recruits!

    So who should go?

    Corporal Ian had to deploy, of course.

    "They''d better not be ck wizards."

    Ian immediately rode out, following the messenger.

    Baron Damon was engaged in a strange standoff with a small force.

    "Ah! Ian!"

    Baron Damon brightened up as soon as Ian arrived.

    "That wizard ims to be Ian''s friend! Is he really here in the name of friendship?"

    At that, a wizard in white robes stepped out from among the mercenaries.

    He shouted cheerfully with a broad smile.

    "Hahaha! Did you wait long, Ian? I''m here! I, Inn of the Radiance, have arrived!"

    "..."

    The wizard who hade with a bunch of mercenaries was... Professor Inn.

    Ian was bbergasted, but he asked anyway.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Oh ho! What kind of question is that! Of course I came to face the evil ck dragon!"

    Inn shouted with such confidence.

    Ian almost felt touched for a moment.

    If only Predius hadn''t already kicked the bucket.

    "The ck dragon."

    "Yes, the ck dragon!"

    "It''s dead."

    "???"

    Inn asked back with a nk expression.

    "... Already?"

    Already, my ass.

    Ian looked at Inn with cold eyes.

    "My master already came and helped. Predius is dead. There should be a corpse in that forest way over there."

    "Ah! The forest!"

    Inn shouted as if he''d just remembered something.

    "This is bad, Ian! There''s a monster in the nearby forest!"

    "A monster?"

    "Yes! A terrifying drake! You said the ck dragon is dead, right? It must be its underlingsing for revenge!"

    "..."

    "But don''t worry! I, Inn Kate! In the name of the Imperial University professor! Will stand by you till the end!"

    Wow~ That''s really reassuring~

    There''s no one like Professor~

    If that had been Lucy instead of Inn, Ian would have already given her a knock on the head.

    Sigh. I''m only holding back because he''s a professor, really.

    "Don''t worry about the drake. It''s fine."

    When Ian said that, the mercenary captain stepped forward.

    "You''re being too careless. We''re reporting what we''ve personally scouted."

    "That''s right. I even paid you for your trouble!"

    "... Give the money back."

    At the demand to cough up the money, the mercenary captain reacted sensitively.

    "No, there really is a drake!"

    "I know that too!"

    "And you''re just going to leave it alone?"

    "For fuck''s sake, that drake is my friend!"

    "???"

    The exnation was so shocking that the mercenary captain''s brain froze.

    What... A pet drake? Raised in the backyard of the neighborhood?!

    But soon he was dumbfounded.

    As if a drake would be friends with a human!

    Even if the other party was a wizard, say something that makes sense...

    "Oh, I see!"

    "?"

    When Inn chimed in, the mercenary captain looked at him like he was crazy.

    And soon he got angry.

    This wizard must be taking the other wizard''s side because he wants his money back! (He''s not)

    "Friends with a drake! You''d better say you tamed it with magic...!"

    "Tamed? Me, tame Longtail? No, youe with me for a sec."

    Ian, who was already quite pissed off, took the mercenary captain to the forest.

    "N-No... Wait a minute!"

    "[Longtail!]"

    When Ian shouted in the magguage, soon the ground shook and a huge beast appeared.

    [Oh. Friend. Is it feeding time?]

    "[This human isn''t food. Let''s have a drinkter. More importantly, these guys are doubting our friendship.]"

    Inn marveled at Ian skillfully talking with the drake.

    That fellow, he''s really good at summoning!

    At the same time, the mercenaries were amazed in a different sense.

    Holy shit... What the hell is that?!

    That wizard really summoned a drake!

    "Grrrr...!"

    As the massive drake growled, the mercenary captain screamed in terror.

    "S-Spare me! I was wrong! Please, just my life!!!"

    After fleeing from the drake, the mercenary captain immediately returned the fee to Inn.

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 Chapter 218

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Though he wasn''t particrly grateful, Ian thanked Inn.

    "Thank you foring from so far away."

    "..."

    "You even hired mercenaries. And gathered quite a lot of supplies."

    "...""You must have spent a lot of money..."

    "Aaaaargh! Why! Why does this only happen to me!"

    Inn let out a scream!

    Realizing he had royally screwed up, Inn suddenly felt like he''d gained enlightenment.

    I just wanted to do something good!

    This feeling of getting screwed over by fate itself!

    "Where''s Eredith?! Where''s Eredith?"

    "She''s doing well. Want to go see her?"

    Ian took Inn to Eredith.

    "Um... Wizard. What about us..."

    The mercenaries asked nervously, keeping an eye on Ian.

    They hade to fight, but now the battlefield had vanished, creating an odd situation.

    Ian answered immediately.

    "Go home."

    "Ah!"

    It was standard practice to immediately dismiss mercenaries who had be useless.

    Even though they were hired with Inn''s money, Ian dismissed the mercenaries on Inn''s behalf.

    They had received free wages, so they shouldn''t have manyints.

    "Damn. We came all this way, and now we have to go back empty-handed."

    "Yeah. Maybe we should loot something on the way back..."

    Some mercenaries grumbled among themselves, apparently not too concerned about living long.

    Mercenaries were the type to live only for today anyway.

    "Ha. Don''t do anything stupid and just go home, kids."

    "What''s it to you?"

    "If you idiots get executed for misbehaving, it''ll ruin the reputation of other mercenaries. Morons."

    The veteran soldiers mocked the thug-like mercenaries.

    Usually, after a battle, it was customary for mercenaries to loot.

    Raiding houses, robbing travelers on the road, somehow making extra ie.

    The logic was, "We''re on the winning side anyway, who''s going to stop us?"

    But that was for armies that had won normally.

    When you''ve won without fighting, like now, it''s better for your health to quietly withdraw.

    "Old-timers like you are the ones who''ll get caught and executed!"

    "Yeah! Has-been!"

    The young mercenaries, apparently quite irritated(...), each threw in a jab.

    But the veteran soldier''s expression didn''t change at all.

    "You lot. Do you even know who that wizard is?"

    The young mercenaries just stared nkly at each other.

    Brutes who only knew how to swing weapons wouldn''t bother memorizing wizards'' names.

    "That''s the famous [Ian Eredith Raven]."

    "Raven...?"

    "Wait a minute. The one who knows how to make the ''Potion of Vitality''?!"

    Ian''s name was quite famous around Talian.

    More precisely, he was known by nicknames like ''the ck Crow Wizard'' or ''Wizard Raven''.

    "That''s right, you ignorant fools."

    The veteran soldier said mockingly.

    "If you raid even one house, the wizard will know everything."

    "B-But... how could even a wizard know that..."

    Just then, arge crow flew in and perched on a g.

    The crow stared at the mercenaries with its pitch-ck eyes.

    Suddenly, the crow spoke!

    "Caw! Humans!"

    "!"

    "I-It''s insane!"

    The mercenaries backed away in terror.

    Some even drew their weapons in surprise.

    Those eerie eyes! That jet-ck plumage!

    And that sinister tongue spewing humannguage!

    ''The wizard''s crow!''

    The wizard''s crow shouted.

    "Bring offerings!"

    "???"

    "Bring offerings and gain my favor!"

    The young mercenaries trembled in fear.

    Mess with that thing, and we''re screwed!

    But the veteran soldier calmly took out a piece of bread from his pocket.

    "Here you go, Mr. Crow."

    "Caw! You pass!"

    Right then, a wizard with jet-ck hair appeared.

    It was Ian Eredith Raven himself...!

    "Oberon. What are you doing there?"

    "Offerings! Bring offerings!"

    "Tsk. Didn''t I tell you not to extort people?"

    Oberon the crow swiftly flew over and perched on Ian''s shoulder.

    Oberon was smart, even for a crow, and knew that other humans cowered before his master.

    So whenever Oberon got bored, he''d fly to farmers and extort(?) food from them!

    "My crow must have caused you trouble."

    "Not at all, Master Wizard."

    Ian handed over a single coin.

    "Well, I''ll be off then. You all get home safely too."

    "Take care, Master Wizard."

    After Ian left, the veteran soldier turned back to the young mercenaries.

    The veteran was triumphant, while the other mercenaries were thoroughly cowed.

    "See? The wizard''s minions are everywhere."

    "I-It''s true..."

    "Don''t do anything stupid and just go home quietly."

    The mercenaries dispersed more quietly and quickly than ever before.

    Along with the rumor that the ''ck Crow Wizard'' was watching the mercenaries...

    ------

    Ian headed to Eredith''s lodgings with Inn.

    There, a tea party was already in full swing.

    Mani, Eredith, Kira, and Maria were sitting around a table, sharing tea and snacks.

    ''Adies'' tea time, huh.''

    From afar, it looked like a scene from a romance fantasy novel.

    Of course, there wasn''t a single actualdy (noblewoman) among them.

    The realdy (Lucy) was busy with post-war cleanup.

    "Oh, Ian!"

    Mani was the first to spot Ian and waved.

    "Our Dragon yer is here!"

    "Wee, Ian."

    Mani brought out a cup of tea for Ian.

    He wasn''t sure how it was brewed, but it was a fragrant, pleasant tea.

    It felt like it was filled with the wisdom of a nt wizard.

    "Professor Inn, how have you been?"

    "Not dead yet, Mani Kemperbell?"

    "Haha. I''ll outlive you, don''t worry."

    Older wizards often knew each other.

    There weren''t many wizards, and they tended to travel, so they had frequent chances to meet.

    "What were you talking about?"

    When Ian asked, Eredith answered on behalf of everyone.

    "Ian, we were talking about these children you taught."

    Kira and Maria shyly opened their eyes.

    They were poor things, unable to even open their mouths in front of such senior wizards.

    "Taught? I just showed them how to read, that''s all."

    Ian and Eredithughed at the same time.

    They really were master and disciple.

    "Yes. Ian. They might not have learned properly like you did, but they at least know what magic is."

    "Kira definitely does."

    Kira had honed her magic in realbat.

    She had worked together with Ian several times, and she was a talented wizard who could often hear the voice of fire on her own.

    "There''s no problem teaching Kira. There are more than enough fire wizards."

    Humans'' desire for fire was universal.

    It was natural that fire wizards were popr.

    Despite the risk of burning to death, there was no shortage of aspiring fire wizards.

    "The problem is Maria."

    Maria was a child with talent in necromancy, an unusual type of magic.

    Death was a mystery that touched life but should never be approached.

    Also, necromancy often conflicted with the priests of Heaven''s Faith, making it difficult to teach actively.

    "This child. She has an absurdly exceptional talent."

    Ian was slightly surprised.

    Eredith had immediately praised Maria''s talent highly.

    "Is it that good?"

    "Of course. Her inspiration is stronger than any necromancer I''ve ever met. I heard Maria sometimes gets possessed even in normal situations..."

    Ian nodded.

    Because of her outstanding talent, Maria had nearly fallen into a trap set by a ck wizard from the Golden Rule Society.

    If Ian hadn''t met Maria, she would probably be training to be a ck wizard by now.

    "To be honest, I''m worried. Necromancers are inevitably exposed to evil emotions. She could easily be a ck wizard..."

    "Lady Eredith. May I say something?"

    Maria spoke with a gentle smile.

    "I will never, ever be a ck wizard."

    "...Really?"

    "Yes. Even if I have to kill myself, I will absolutely never be a ck wizard, so don''t worry."

    Her mouth was smiling, but there was a hint of madness in her eyes. I knew it.

    Maria was practically mortal enemies with Bertholdt, the necromancer of the Golden Rule Society.

    "This one''s more likely to help kill ck wizards than be one."

    "Oh my, that certainly seems possible~?"

    Eredith looked at the smiling Maria as if she found her a bit creepy.

    Maria probably looked half like a ck wizard to her.

    "Master. So what about Kira and Maria..."

    "You were nning to go to Dranheim, right? If you go, I''ll be these children''s guardian."

    Eredith said decisively.

    Ian smiled in relief.

    It would have been quite a struggle for Ian to enroll them by himself.

    With Eredith stepping in, there was nothing to fear.

    "Raising talented wizards is always a joy!"

    ------

    After their discussion, all the wizards except Mani decided to head to Dranheim.

    Mani said she nned to make her own nest again.

    "We''ll deal with the dragon corpse starting tomorrow. Let''s have fun today, shall we?"

    While Lucy and the nobles were busy without a moment to spare, the wizards were rtively free.

    Ian spent his time productively, catching up with Eredith and introducing Longtail.

    Then the post-war cleanup was mostly finished.

    A small banquet was held in the name of the merciful Countess of Talian.

    "People of Talian, listen!"

    In the evening, as the sun was setting.

    People who had finished their daily work gathered like clouds around Talian Hall.

    Lucy, wearing an elegant dress lined with fairy silk and a conical hat, shouted from the tform.

    "Just a few months ago, the imperialnds of Yurdo, Lantro, and Bahen were ravaged by an evil ck dragon!"

    "The enemy was overwhelmingly strong, and many gathered here lost their homes!"

    "The winged cmity soon fell upon us, and we had to face the ck dragon Predius with our own strength!"

    The crowd was silent, not even a breath could be heard.

    They were undoubtedly recalling the day Predius appeared.

    Countless refugees had lost their homes and families.

    At that very moment when everyone was gloomy.

    Lucy shouted with all her might.

    "But we were victorious!"

    "...!"

    "The brave Sir Salvador and the blessed Knights of Santiago! Eredith of Drawald and the wizard Kira!"

    "And the wizard Ian! His friend, the drake!"

    "People of Talian!"

    "Behold the heroes who brought down the dragon!"

    As soon as Lucy finished speaking.

    An enormous roar of cheers and apuse poured out endlessly.

    "Wooooooah!"

    "Heroes of the Empire!"

    "Dragon yer! Dragon yer Ian!!!"

    Dragon yer!

    Dragon yer!

    The people of Talian and the refugees chanted ''Dragon yer'' with one heart and mind.

    It was praise for the human who had brought down an unbreakable monster.

    A cry of respect for the hero who had saved them.

    Salvador just smiled contentedly, while the Knights of Santiago raised their sses high andughed merrily.

    Eredith was indifferent, and Kira waved and smiled with a 100% sincere celebrity pose.

    The soldiers who had participated in the dragon defense and Baron Damon didn''t hide their joy either.

    Ian was smiling too.

    Because he was called Dragon yer?

    No.

    Because Lucy spoke better than he expected.

    Lucy''s noble behavior suited her surprisingly well.

    Though her actions sometimes seemed a bitcking, Lucy was indeed a striking beauty.

    Since she had the looks, the same speech seemed more convincinging from her.

    "Wizard Ian! Step forward!"

    Lucy of Talian called for Ian.

    All eyes turned to Ian.

    Ian slowly climbed onto the tform.

    "Wizard Ian."

    Even without a microphone, Lucy''s voice rang out strangely clear.

    "Without your drake, countless people would have lost their lives."

    Lucy''s face was close.

    Lucy looked into Ian''s eyes as she spoke.

    "You are a true hero of Talian."

    Ian just smiled.

    He had saved Talian quite often. That''s true.

    "In the name of Talian''s ruler! I will grant you any one wish you desire."

    "Do I have to say it now?"

    "No? Tell me whenever Ian isfortable!"

    Lucy smiled brightly and shouted to the crowd.

    "Everyone worked hard! Now, let the banquet begin!"

    "Woooooooooh!"

    The Countess''s banquet began.

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 Chapter 219

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Ian quietly observed the banquet hall.

    The scale of a banquet that could be held with the resources of a mere barony was limited anyway.

    It was just a matter of hunting some wild animals like boars or deer, breaking out some preserved food, and sharing some drinks.

    It was simr to a modern rural vige festival.

    There were no fancy chandeliers or fantasy maidens in pretty dresses.Nor were there the king''s blessings or the prime minister''s envious nces.

    At some point, Ian thought.

    It''s quite nd.

    Lucy Talian, the highest-ranking person at the banquet, was just sitting on a wooden barrel.

    In fact, the wooden barrel was one of the best seats at the banquet.

    Themoners sat on the dirt floor, tearing meat with their bare hands.

    The knights spread out rags as makeshift mats to sit on.

    Bonfires zed brightly, and theughter of drunk people never stopped.

    "What a historic night!"

    The minstrels made a fuss, shouting that they would create the [Chronicles of Talian].

    A story of legendary heroes who faced off against a dragon, they said.

    Honestly, Ian''s excitement was lukewarm. He couldn''t help butpare it to the shy festivals of the modern world.

    But for medieval people, the experience of everyoneing together like this was extremely rare.

    A festival that might happen ten times in a lifetime, if that.

    In a life filled withbor and war, just being able to put down their work and enjoy themselves freely was enough to make them happy.

    "What are you doing there, Ian? Why aren''t you joining in?"

    Belenka approached.

    It was Belenka in casual clothes, which Ian hadn''t seen in a while.

    Her long blonde hair was let down and tied with a pretty hairband.

    Since she was always covered in helmet and armor, Belenka''s skin looked especially transparent.

    Maybe it was natural, given her different race.

    "What am I supposed to do for fun?"

    "Geez... you really are strange."

    Belenka chuckled and sat down next to Ian.

    As soon as she sat, a strong smell of alcohol wafted over.

    Suddenly, she gave off the vibe of a popr girl being nice to a loner.

    "Did you only study your whole life so you don''t know how to have fun?"

    "Maybe so."

    Ian, an INFP, didn''t enjoy mingling with others.

    Ah- if only there were PC rooms in medieval times, we could''ve had a 5v5 League of Legends match-

    This was about the extent of ''fun'' Ian knew.

    Or maybe karaoke or a bar.

    "Well. You''re an interesting person yourself, Ian."

    "Am I a jester?"

    Belenka covered her mouth and giggled.

    "I meant you bring interesting events with you. Ever since I swore loyalty to you in Talian, so many things have happened."

    Belenka briefly reminisced about the past.

    She had been through so many adventures with Ian.

    Meeting the famous monk Takarion, traveling to the north to rescue him.

    Fighting ck wizards while traveling the southern empire.

    And now, they had even taken down a dragon.

    If she had be a knight for an ordinary lord, would she have been able to have such adventures?

    It was an experience possible only because she was a wizard''s guardian knight.

    "I wasn''t nning to return home until I seeded. Though I couldn''t go back even if I wanted to anyway."

    "..."

    "If my past self saw me now, she''d probably tell me to stop wasting time and go make money."

    Ian chuckled.

    Belenka had certainly changed too.

    "Then what would your current self say?"

    "I''d tell her to keep quiet since this life isn''t so bad."

    Ian and Belenka burst outughing together.

    More adventures awaited Ian in the future.

    Belenka would dly continue the journey with Ian.

    "Well. If you marry the Countess of Talian and settle down, I''ll have to go my own way."

    "You''d leave right away?"

    "Lucy isn''t the type to wage conquest wars."

    Wandering knights were always thirsty for military achievements.

    The knights of this era dreamed of meeting a powerful ruler and making a name for themselves to advance in life.

    Without war, Belenka had no reason to stay in the Talian domain.

    "Or."

    Belenka suddenly leaned in close.

    ... Her eyes were hazy with alcohol.

    "Are you going to keep supporting me?"

    "..."

    What the-

    Ian looked at Belenka, dumbfounded.

    "You want me to support you even after marrying Lucy?"

    "Heh. I knew you''d hate that idea. That''s why I said I''d leave."

    "No, I could provide a proper sry-"

    Belenka ced her finger on Ian''s lips.

    Curving her eyebrows like crescent moons, Belenka smiled with her eyes.

    "I told you. I want sess. I won''t be satisfied until I find arge domain and a decent husband."

    "..."

    "For now, you try your best with Lucy. Don''t you need a home to return to as well?"

    A home to return to.

    Ian didn''t answer Belenka''s words.

    Belenka probably wasn''t expecting an answer anyway.

    Dusting off her skirt, Belenka walked towards Lucy. Looks like she''s going for another drink.

    ''I do need a home.''

    Ian wasn''t Eredith.

    Eredith was still wandering the continent as a single woman in her 40s. It was amazing in a way.

    Ian didn''t have the wanderlust that Eredith had.

    When his journey ended, he needed a home to return to.

    ''I should visit my parents on the way.''

    As his thoughts flowed, Ian remembered his parents in Count Edward''s domain.

    Medieval people didn''t have deep affection between parents and children.

    They were satisfied just knowing each other was alive and seeing each other asionally.

    But Ian,ing from thend of eastern courtesy, was a man with filial piety beyond medieval standards.

    It was the typical mindset of a Confucian.

    If he could bring his parents to Talian-

    ''...''

    Ian, who was habitually about to borrow the Talian domain, paused for a moment.

    Wait, am I taking too much advantage of Lucy?

    As Belenka said, if he married Lucy and settled down it would be fine, but it wasn''t right to exploit Lucy''s kindness.

    ''Marriage, huh.''

    In a small country in the East, marriage in one''s 30s was bing very natural.

    In fact, that was a bit strange.

    Until just 100 years ago, humans typically married and started families in theirte teens to early-mid twenties.

    Now, themon reaction is ''Eh? Marriage in your 20s?!''

    But in this medieval fantasy world, the typical reaction was ''Eh? You''re in yourte 20s and still not married?!''

    Ian was perfectly at the right age for marriage.

    The reason he hadn''t married yet was, of course, because of his travels.

    You can''t just leave when you''re newlyweds, right?

    It would be even harder to leave if children came along.

    ''... Already worrying about married life.''

    Ian found it ridiculous.

    In his early 20s in his past life, it was the prime time to enjoy life!

    Here he was already worrying about kids!

    Sitting alone just led to more stray thoughts.

    Following Belenka''s advice, Ian went around mingling and drinking with people.

    "Lady Kira! Please sing for us again!"

    "Alright! I''ll do one more song!"

    "Ah- That heavenly voice! My ears might get pregnant!"

    He watched Kira''s performance, which was making the minstrels boil with jealousy.

    [Ian! My friend! Come have a drink!]

    He even drank heavily, sandwiched between Longtail and Sharpteeth.

    Longtail, already drunk, tried to put Ian on his head.

    [Haha! Let''s give my friend a ride!]

    "[No, it''s making me dizzy!]"

    No matter how much Ian protested, Longtail didn''t listen.

    In the end, the spectacle of a drunk drake carrying a human wizard on its head parading around the banquet hall unfolded.

    "Wow! The drake is giving the wizard a ride!"

    "You idiot! Didn''t you see the wizard scolding him just now?"

    "?"

    "The wizard shouted ''Carry me at once, beast!''"

    "Wow! Is that what happened?!"

    The domain''s people cheered for Ian as he paraded on the drake.

    "Dragon yer!"

    "Ian Eredith Raven! Hero of Talian!"

    Ian kept his mouth shut and let the cheers go in one ear and out the other.

    This is really making me want to throw up-

    [Hahaha! What a wonderful night!]

    Please let me down! Longtail!!!

    After the wild ride, Ian finally touched the ground feeling like he was going to vomit.

    He immediately rushed into Talian Hall.

    ------

    In a room invaded by faint moonlight.

    Ian sat nkly in a chair, staring out the window.

    After drinking heavily and being tormented by Longtail, he waspletely out of it.

    Coming to a dark and quiet ce made him feel like he was recharging.

    Ian was a born INFP...

    "... Who''s there?"

    A woman''s voice was heard from the darkness.

    Ian answered without much thought.

    "Ian Eredith Raven."

    "Oh. It''s Ian."

    With her dark blue hair shimmering, a beautiful woman revealed herself.

    It was Lucy Talian, the owner of Talian Hall.

    Ian marveled anew at Lucy''s appearance.

    She''s really pretty when she keeps her mouth shut.

    But as soon as she opens that mouth-

    Lucy quietly approached Ian. She naturally sat on the bed.

    Ian just realized that this was Lucy''s bedroom.

    He had been so drunk he didn''t even know where he had crawled into.

    "I thought the room seemed nice."

    "Hehe. Right? I put a lot of effort into decorating it!"

    Interior design was Lucy''s only hobby and only talent(...).

    Though Talian Hall was close to being shabby, Lucy''s furniture arrangement gave it a somewhat decent atmosphere.

    "You spoke well earlier."

    Ian genuinelyplimented Lucy''s speech.

    "Why don''t you talk like that normally."

    "What?! What''s wrong with the way I talk!"

    Lucy pouted and crossed her arms, then immediately lowered her voice.

    "Then I shall speak as the owner of Talian Hall. Ian Eredith Raven?"

    Ian was about to yfully tell her to cut the crap.

    But Lucy spoke first.

    "Did you enjoy the banquet?"

    ... Caught up in the atmosphere, Ian answered.

    "It was very fun, Your Excellency."

    As soon as he finished speaking, Lucy stood up.

    Click, click.

    The sound of her shoes rang sharply.

    Lucy went behind Ian''s chair and ced her hands on his shoulders.

    "Lucy?"

    "Quiet. I won''t allow you to speak."

    What the-

    Ian tried to turn his head, but Lucy didn''t let go of his shoulders.

    So Ian could only barely look at Lucy''s face.

    Eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

    Dark blue hair as beautiful as the night sky.

    And tightly closed, red lips.

    "Ian Eredith Raven. As I said before, without you, Talian would have be a ruined domain like any other barony."

    "..."

    "Your deeds deserve thanks no matter how many times we express our gratitude. But..."

    Lucy''s voice trembled slightly.

    Ian quietly looked straight ahead, waiting for Lucy''s words.

    "Why did you save Talian?"

    "Lucy."

    "Was it because of your righteousness that couldn''t ignore the dragon''s tyranny? Or did you desire the dragon''s treasure? Did you want the honor of being called Dragon yer?"

    "..."

    "Please answer me, Ian."

    Ian stared nkly ahead.

    He could see the mystery of darkness, his close friend, frolicking happily.

    Throughout his journey, Ian had always been with the mystery.

    ... But the mystery wasn''t his onlypanion.

    He had built many rtionships and gained precious people.

    Ian recalled the words he had exchanged with Belenka earlier.

    ''For now, you try your best with Lucy.''

    No, not that.

    ''... Don''t you need a home to return to as well?''

    So Ian could say it.

    "Because it''s home."

    Ian calmly answered Lucy''s question.

    "Home... you say?"

    "I don''t have a home. I don''t mean my parents'' home, but a ce where I canfortably rest anytime."

    "..."

    Lucy quietly listened to Ian''s words.

    "I left home when I was 10 and have been wandering my whole life. It was a journey to learn magic, and I wasn''t ufortable. But..."

    "When I heard the news that a dragon was attacking the north, I felt so uneasy."

    "The thought of Talian burning and Talian''s people dying... it made me lose all desire to continue my journey."

    "After killing the ck dragon, I realized."

    "I hade to think of Talian as my home."

    Ian chuckled.

    Now that he said it out loud, it sounded ridiculous.

    Ian was just a wandering wizard.

    He had traveled through many baronies, and Talian was just one of thends he had passed through.

    Yet the reason Ian thought of Talian as home was...

    Of course.

    Because Lucy Talian was here.

    "That''s so mean."

    Suddenly, Lucy said.

    "What''s mean?"

    "I''ve been asking you to stay since way back! But you left without looking back, and now what? Talian feels like Ian''s home?"

    Ian smiled and tried to get up from his seat.

    "So I was just saying..."

    At that moment.

    Lucy''s lips covered Ian''s.

    Ian couldn''t say anything.

    Lucy''s disheveled hair tickled Ian''s forehead and cheeks.

    And the faint scent of violets at the tip of his nose.

    This wasn''t Ian''s first kiss.

    Before leaving Talian, he had been surprise-kissed by Lucy.

    But that kiss and this one werepletely different.

    The past Lucy''s kiss was that of a shy girl who had somehow mustered up the courage to try.

    The current Lucy''s kiss was that of a moreposed and honest woman. A gentle woman''s kiss.

    How much time had passed?

    Lucy pulled away and said.

    "As I''ve said many times, Ian Eredith Raven. My great wizard. Talian will always wee you."

    "... Lucy."

    Lucy caressed Ian''s cheek with her slender fingers.

    "I''ll be your home."

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 Chapter 220

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    ''Alright. I''ve done enough.''

    Lucy quietly moved away from Ian.

    The closer she got, the more distant Ian seemed to be.

    Ian was young and a talented wizard.

    He enjoyed traveling the world, so he could meet countless women.No matter how little Ian cared for power, if a king''s or duke''s daughter threw herself at him, could he reject her outright?

    He might be able to now.

    But as he grew older and rose to higher positions, Ian would likely start valuing worldly things more.

    Lucy thought of herself as a nobody.

    She wasn''t particrly good at anything, nor was she born with a lineage worth boasting about.

    She was just lucky to be born a nobledy and happened to be called ''Countess of Talian''.

    If.

    If Ian didn''t choose her.

    She''d feel bitter at first, but with time, she''de to ept it.

    Even this moment alone with Ian felt like a miracle to Lucy.

    So Lucy waited quietly.

    To be his resting ce when Ian''s journey ended.

    "Ian. Whenever you get tired,e back to Talian."

    Come back to me.

    Lucy said with a smile.

    "You''ll always be wee here."

    Ian smiled back and replied.

    "Thanks, Lucy."

    "Hehe. I was pretty cool earlier, right? What do you think, Ian! Are you falling for me now?"

    Ian stood up.

    Due to their height difference, Lucy naturally looked up at Ian.

    Lucy''s eyes widened.

    Ian leaned in and kissed her.

    A slow, gentle kiss that felt like a soft embrace.

    Slowly pulling away, Ian said.

    "Yeah. I think I might be."

    "... Huh?"

    Lucy''s face turned red all over again.

    For someone who had boldly initiated a kiss earlier, her defenses were paper-thin.

    Lucy, blushing shyly in the moonlight, was still beautiful.

    "Sh-Shall we go for a walk?"

    "Sure. Let''s walk a bit."

    When Ian held out his hand, Lucy fumbled to grasp it.

    Lucy''s hand was soft, befitting a nobledy.

    "Shall we?"

    "Mm-hmm..."

    The two held hands and slowly strolled through the dark forest.

    It was a night when the moonlight was beautiful.

    ------

    The lively banquet had ended.

    If Talian had been a densely popted (over 20,000 people) big city, they might have partied for days on end.

    But Talian was a domain with a typical medieval rural manor economy structure, where farmers were everywhere.

    One day of celebration was plenty.

    Duke Araz had sent alcohol, otherwise there wouldn''t have been enough to share with themoners (Longtail and Sharpteeth had yed a big part in drinking it all).

    Now it was time for everyone to return to work.

    "B-Big trouble!"

    Ian left his lodgings, holding his throbbing head from the hangover.

    What the hell is it so early in the morning...

    But when he heard the report, the content was quite serious.

    Ian immediately rushed to Talian Hall.

    As expected, the wizards, including Ian''spanions, had gathered.

    "Ian! You''re here?"

    "Yes, Master. I just heard some strange news..."

    Eredith spoke with a stiff face.

    "Yes. We''re about to go check it out now."

    The unexpected report hade from the guards watching over the dragon''s corpse.

    Baron Damon had assigned subordinates to preserve the dragon''s body in case some crazy people tried to mess with it.

    There had been no problems until yesterday.

    But as the night of the banquet ended...

    The dragon''s corpse had vanished without a trace!

    Ian and everyone else were dumbfounded.

    The dragon''s corpse wasn''t like that of a cow or horse.

    It was sorge that it would barely move even with a huge cart pulled by at least ten horses.

    How could it disappear overnight?

    "It must be a wizard''s doing."

    "I think so too."

    In this medieval fantasy world, when something strange happened, ming wizards was right about half the time.

    This incident, too, was a suspicious case involving wizards.

    "... I have someone in mind."

    Inn spoke out of the blue.

    "Who is it?"

    "The leader of the Golden Rule Society. The ''Regent'' Antios."

    "?"

    Ian tilted his head.

    What the fuck?

    What''s that, you nerd.

    "Professor. Antios is..."

    "Yes. You know too, Eredith."

    Inn spoke calmly.

    "Antios is an excellent summoner."

    "Ah."

    Summoner. And dragon.

    The puzzle pieces clicked in Ian''s mind.

    "So Professor, are you saying... this Antios guy used the dragon to attack the empire?"

    "Yes. It was just a hypothesis until yesterday, but now it seems quite suspicious."

    At the university, Inn had been investigating various things in his own way.

    He was looking into why the evil ck dragon, Predius, suddenly started attacking humans.

    But the results of his investigation were unsatisfactory.

    It was because Predius was such a crazy bastard.

    Why would a ck dragon attack humans?

    Just because! Because it''s bored! Because it wants to!

    ording to old legends, the evil Predius enjoyed collecting the world''s treasures.

    A dragon that had been quietly collecting treasures suddenly attacks humans?

    ... It''s a bit strange, but it could happen!

    We''re talking about a dragon after all!

    Inn vaguely assumed that Predius had found some treasure he didn''t know about, which led to the attacks on humans.

    But today, that thought changed.

    If Predius had attacked humans on his own and died, there was no reason for the corpse to disappear.

    At the very least, it meant there was a force watching over Predius.

    "If Antios was involved..."

    Eredith frowned.

    "That would exin the orc raiders as well."

    Inn said, crossing his arms.

    "There''s just one thing that bothers me."

    "What is it, Professor?"

    "We''ve been assuming the ''Golden Rule Society'' has its base in the Duchy of Hastria in the southern empire. But suddenly they''ve changed their area of operation to the Duchy of Araz..."

    That''s right.

    If something suspicious had happened in the south, Ian would have suspected ck wizards too.

    But this was the northern empire.

    It should be a ck wizard-free zone(?), so why would ck wizards suddenly be active here?

    "Perhaps."

    Eredith spected.

    "They might havee through spatial magic."

    "... You''re saying a space-time wizard is involved."

    It was a reasonable guess.

    The vanished dragon corpse was the evidence.

    With a space-time wizard''s spatial magic, it was entirely possible to make a dragon''s corpse disappear.

    If that was the case, their course of action was clear.

    "Maria. Go fetch Gerard, please."

    "Okay."

    They just needed to have a real space-time wizard assess the situation.

    Gerard immediately came to Talian Hall.

    "What''s the matter?"

    Ian exined the current situation.

    Gerard nodded expressionlessly.

    "It is indeed a suspicious situation."

    "Is it the work of a space-time wizard?"

    "I can find out if I check."

    Gerard dered.

    "Leave the investigation to me. I''ll let you know the results soon."

    He pointed at Ian and the wizards.

    "If you want, I can teleport you to the dragon''sir immediately."

    "Oh..."

    If this ck wizard named Antios or whatever had a contract rtionship with Predius.

    There was a high chance his hideout was near the dragon''sir.

    "Let''s go."

    Ian said without hesitation.

    If nothing else, they had to protect the dragon''s treasure.

    He didn''t know how much was piled up, but it was the reward for ying a dragon after all!

    "Good. Ian, take this spatial movement scroll."

    "This is?"

    "Use it to return. You can save it and walk back if you prefer, but..."

    "I get it. You''re saying do whatever I want, right?"

    Ian was nning to rip the scroll like a dog.

    Just traveling back and forth on horseback would take at least a week.

    It might take even longer if they gathered the treasure.

    They could also be ambushed on the way, so using spatial movement was more beneficial.

    ''Having a space-time wizard is so sweet.''

    The more he used spatial movement, the more Ian felt it was an overpowered magic.

    The only thing in this medieval fantasy world that would make modern people drool!

    Ian wanted to learn space-time magic too, but as with all space-time magic, they say the opportunity to learnes naturally ''when the time is right''.

    No one knew when the hell that would be, though.

    "Let''s go prepare."

    Belenka and some of the Knights of Santiago joined.

    Ian received Gerard''s spatial magic along with the other wizards.

    "Wow, I can''t believe it!"

    "It really is the Golden Mountains!"

    The knights experiencing spatial movement for the first time looked around in amazement.

    Ian totally understood that feeling.

    Even as a former modern person, Ian found spatial movement fucking amazing.

    "Everyone, stay sharp! This is dragon territory!"

    The knights climbed the mountain cautiously.

    But surprisingly, there was nothing on the mountain.

    "There are traces of a campsite..."

    "Looks like those orc bastards all ran away."

    When they found the abandoned campsite, Inn''s spection turned into certainty.

    "There''s no way an ordinary dragon''sir would have an orc camp below it."

    "It must be the summoner''s doing."

    "Yes. The summoner must have tied the dragon and orcs together as his army."

    Ian looked around.

    The abandoned campsite meant the summoner had left too.

    "The summoner isn''t here."

    "If he retrieved Predius''s corpse, he probably fled to a suitable location."

    The knights moved briskly to the dragon''sir.

    The wizards followed behind. They were all used to walking, so the journey was over in no time.

    "This ce is empty too."

    It was ''empty'' in the sense that there were no enemies.

    Except for the knight who calmly reported, almost everyone else was in a daze.

    "Wow..."

    "What''s all this?!"

    Upon entering the dragon''sir, a truly amazing sight unfolded.

    Even Ian''s jaw dropped.

    He was dumbfounded.

    Orc-made hand axes, rusted chain mail, broken spears...

    Mountains of all sorts of objects and garbage piled up to nearly reach the ceiling.

    "... Daiso? Don Juan?"

    The dragon''sir literally had everything.

    There were heaps of things that made no sense being there!

    Ian was dumbfounded again when he saw a box full of hand mirrors.

    Why the hell would a dragon collect hand mirrors?

    Does it polymorph and look at itself?

    "Still, there are some valuable items."

    "Indeed."

    Amidst the mountains of junk piled up like garbage.

    Ian and Inn smiled contentedly as they looked at a chest full of gold.

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 Chapter 221

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    "It''s more mundane than I expected."

    Ian took his time to carefully investigate the dragon''sir.

    After the investigation, he found that apart from the chest full of gold coins, there weren''t really any valuable items.

    Of course, the chest of gold coins alone was clearly an enormous ie.

    Enough to toss gold coins around like garbage, just like the corrupt nobles of the old Golden Empire!But that was that.

    Considering the sheer volume of junk piled up in the dragon''sir, it was hard to hide the disappointment.

    However, Inn and Eredith were indifferent and unmoved.

    "Well. That''s dragons for you."

    "Ian. Dragonirs are usually like this."

    "?"

    Ian tilted his head.

    He''d clearly heard that dragons were greedy creatures obsessed with treasure...

    Shouldn''t there be a swimming pool full of gold and silver treasures like in fantasy movies?

    "I heard dragons were extremely materialistic."

    "That''s right. That''s why they''ve stored so much treasure, don''t you think?"

    "..."

    This... is treasure?

    It''s not treasure, it''s trash.

    There''s so much of it that even a movingpany would take one look and say, "Damn, I''ve never seen anything like this in all my years," and back right out.

    You know that mental illness where people can''t throw things away?

    The one called ''hoarding disorder''.

    The dragon''sir wasparable to the house of someone with hoarding disorder.

    "But there''s hardly anything of value here..."

    As Ian muttered, Eredith exined with a smile.

    "''Value'' is rtive, you know."

    "I know that."

    "Then Ian, out of all the items piled up there, how many do you think would be useful to a dragon?"

    "Hmm..."

    At most, maybe 10%?

    Most of it was garbage.

    "The reason dragons collect possessions isn''t to use them themselves."

    "Then..."

    "They find meaning in the very act of taking possessions from people who value them."

    "..."

    Ian finally understood why even orc-made items were lying around as ''treasure''.

    To orcs, that rusty chain mail was definitely a treasure.

    Because orcs don''t have the metallurgy to make armor.

    But... obviously, to a dragon, rusty chain mail is just garbage taking up space.

    Yet the dragon carefully hoarded the rusty chain mail.

    Why?

    As Eredith exined.

    It enjoyed the very act of taking things that orcs valued...!

    "It''s a proper psycho, isn''t it?"

    When Ian muttered, Eredith chuckled.

    "There''s a reason people say not to get involved with dragons. Ian, even if you know how to use summoning magic, never make a contract with a dragon."

    It was indeed useful advice that would be flesh and blood.

    Ian had no desire to make a contract with a dragon.

    He had a good and loyal friend like Longtail. Why would he contract with a greedy hoarder?

    "Anyway... it seems the summoner is no longer here."

    "The dragon''s corpse isn''t visible either."

    The opponent had already taken the dragon''s corpse and fled somewhere.

    It was beyond Ian''s ability to track any further.

    If they mobilized all their time and manpower, they might get results, but it was clearly a waste to chase someone they didn''t even know to that extent.

    The [Golden Rule Society] was, after all, a secret organization.

    ''Gerard said he''d handle the investigation...''

    No matter how quickly the opponent moved, they couldn''t escape a space-time wizard''s tracking.

    Ian decided to rx and wait for Gerard to bring results.

    They had found arge amount of gold coins in the dragon''sir. That alone was enough reward.

    "This seems to be the most useful thing here."

    Inn appeared holding a golden fur.

    At the same time, Ian''s Anor-lsil began to tremble!

    ''Is that it?''

    It was likely [Cloud of Lightning], the treasure of the northern Mountain King.

    The enhancement material for Ian''s Anor-lsil.

    "Professor. That''s the item I''ve been looking for."

    "You have?"

    Inn looked at Ian with a strange expression.

    He had just found this item, but Ian said he''d been looking for it...?

    "If you''re making this up because you want it..."

    Ian smiled and said.

    "Making it up? Professor?"

    I''m the Dragon yer, what are you gonna do about it?

    Eredith sighed deeply and said.

    "Inn. You should be careful about when and where you show greed."

    "G-Greed? Of course I was going to give it to Ian!"

    Eredith''s words were correct.

    Even if Ian had just wanted it out of greed and said "Give it to me!" to Inn, Inn would have had to hand it over quietly.

    After all... Ian was the one who defeated the dragon.

    He could im ownership of the best items as much as he wanted.

    Inn, who had been acting as a treasure hunter(?), handed over the [Cloud of Lightning] with undisguised regret.

    [Challenge: Worship the Sky!]

    [Goal: Create the true Anor-lsil]

    [Gather all the items below to draw out Anor-lsil''s power.]

    [1. Something containing the power of the sky] - Lacking

    [2. Something containing the power of clouds] - Lacking

    [3. Something containing the power of wind] - Fulfilled (Eye of the Wind)

    [4. Something containing the power of stars] - Lacking

    [5. Something containing the power of the sun] - Lacking

    [6. Something containing the power of the moon] - Lacking

    [When the true Anor-lsil ispleted, the Worship the Sky! challenge will progress.]

    The mystery of the sword whispered.

    [Master! With this, we can infuse the power of clouds!]

    [Leave it to us right away!]

    Anor-lsil hummed and made a crying sound.

    Seeing this, Eredith was startled.

    "Ian. That sword seems like quite a treasure... It appears to be resonating with that item!"

    Ian slowly brought the Cloud of Lightning close to Anor-lsil.

    Suddenly, a vision unfolded in his mind.

    ... A mountain peak soaring unimaginably high.

    Huge clusters of clouds floating around it.

    A mountain goat with golden fur leaps freely through the sky, breaking through the clouds.

    ''Cloud of Lightning.''

    Every time the mountain goat struck the air, terrifying lightning poured down around it.

    A fantastical beast that brought thunder with it.

    This was the owner of the [Cloud of Lightning].

    ''... But nothingsts forever.''

    The lightning goat lived its entire life on the spiritual mountain and died.

    Though its life ended, the mystery of the mountain and clouds still considered the goat its friend.

    The golden hide, [Cloud of Lightning], contained the power tomunicate with the mystery of the spiritual mountain.

    And by chance.

    A small beast resembling a mammoth discovered the [Cloud of Lightning].

    The beast absorbed the energy of the spiritual mountain through the Cloud of Lightning.

    It grew into a massive and powerful beast.

    Calling itself the [Mountain King].

    At the same time, a status window popped up in front of Ian''s eyes.

    [Amazing Discovery!]

    [You have witnessed and understood an ancient mystery!]

    [The memory of one who was a friend to clouds and great mountains breathes new power into you!]

    [Your air magic knowledge has grown!]

    [LV UP!]

    [Air Magic �C LV 5]

    [You are an excellent air wizard]

    [Your earth magic knowledge has grown!]

    [LV UP!]

    [Earth Magic �C LV 4]

    [You are a fairly excellent earth wizard]

    Ian understood why the northern Mountain King had died after losing the Cloud of Lightning.

    This was an item that could be called the source of the Mountain King''s power.

    No wonder it went mad when Predius beat it up and took it away.

    "The golden hide...?"

    "No, Ian! What have you done?!"

    Ian could hear Eredith and Inn making a fuss.

    He slowly opened his eyes.

    The [Cloud of Lightning] had vanished without a trace, and instead, a status window appeared.

    [Goal: Create the true Anor-lsil]

    [Gather all the items below to draw out Anor-lsil''s power.]

    [2. Something containing the power of clouds] - Fulfilled (Cloud of Lightning)]

    [You have infused the power of wind and clouds!]

    [The power of wind and clouds obeys Anor-lsil!]

    Bzzzzzzt!

    Threatening electric currents sparked along Anor-lsil''s de.

    ''Oh.''

    Ian turned Anor-lsil this way and that.

    It always had a lighter(?) function.

    Now... an electric fly swatter function had been added!

    ''A magic sword that wields the power of fire and electricity...''

    Now it''s starting to feel more like a fantasy magic item.

    "Ian. That item is..."

    Eredith looked at Anor-lsil with an expression mixed with curiosity and fear.

    Even for a wizard, magical power can be frightening.

    Uncontroble magic is like a disaster after all.

    Ian spoke as if to reassure Eredith.

    "It''s a sword made by the Fairy Queen of Talian."

    "The Fairy Queen?"

    "Yes. It seems the [Mystery of the Sky] wants to make this into a holy relic."

    "..."

    Eredith immediately understood Ian''s words.

    The [Mystery of the Sky], a divine being of the Heaven''s Faith.

    It''s such a powerful mystery with many secrets that it probably can''t contact humans through normal means.

    It''s preparing for indirect contact with Ian through Anor-lsil.

    "Ian... Do the priests of Heaven''s Faith know about this?"

    Eredith was more worried than expectant.

    Wizards know that the world isyered with ''mysteries'' beyond humanprehension.

    Earth and sky. Time. The universe. Even life and death...

    None of these are easily understood by humans, which is why they''re called mysteries.

    But the priests of Heaven''s Faith are different.

    They believe that the sky is the only true god and the order of the universe.

    If they acknowledge Ian''s Anor-lsil, that would be fine, but...

    If they don''t, they might hold a [religious trial].

    "They don''t know. And I don''t n to tell them."

    Ian was obviously keeping Anor-lsil''s secret.

    Others might just think it''s a wizard''s mysterious magic sword.

    But in reality, he was progressing on a suspicious quest toplete the true Anor-lsil.

    Ian intends to keep the secret until hepletes the quest.

    Though he could tell Eredith.

    "... Be careful, Ian."

    Eredith was genuinely worried about Ian.

    Though Ian had already be an independent wizard, every time she saw him, she was reminded of the chubby-cheeked 10-year-old boy.

    Adults don''t easily forget a child''s past, after all.

    "Don''t worry, Master."

    Ian said this as he gathered the knights.

    The investigation was over, so it was time to quickly get out.

    "Did you gather all the valuable stuff?"

    The knights smiled enigmatically.

    The Knights of Santiago were a monastic order, and quite a few of them returned to secr life.

    They build honor through monster hunting, then be secr knights for wealth!

    Many knights liked this technique.

    "We scraped up everything!"

    "I hope the Sky God doesn''t see my pockets! Hahaha!"

    Though it was full of junk, it seems they managed to pick out the good stuff.

    Ian was satisfied with the chest of gold coins and the Cloud of Lightning he got.

    "Then... let''s get out of here quick!"

    Now that the dragon was dead, people woulde to raid their.

    The likely candidate was Count Edward, who owned the Golden Mountains.

    The count must be grinning at the thought of raiding an ownerlessir.

    If only he hadn''t met that troublemaker Ian...!

    The ultra-dimensional thief gang armed with spatial movement magic thoroughly scraped up the treasures from the dragon''sir, then moved through space once more.

    Ian tore the spatial movement scroll without hesitation.

    Thanks for the meal~

    There was a sh before his eyes, and Ian returned to Talian.

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 Chapter 222

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    The news of the ck dragon Predius''s defeat spread like wildfire.

    Count Edward, who had been cowering in his domain, also heard about the dragon''s repulsion.

    "The ck dragon was defeated?"

    "Yes! They say it failed in its attack on Talian!"

    "Failed? That''s impossible..."Count Edward was dumbfounded.

    He had witnessed Predius''s might firsthand.

    The dragon spewing pirs of fire from its mouth was, quite literally, insanity incarnate.

    No matter how much those idiots bragged about heroes, they were no match for such a monster!

    To Count Edward, the ''heroes facing dragons'' in old epics seemed like pure bullshit.

    Even with a long spear, you''d be lucky to poke its eye. How the hell could anyone take down a dragon?

    "Does Talian have siege weapons?"

    While heroes effortlessly ying dragons was unrealistic, humans were tool-using animals. If they had used siege weapons, it might make sense.

    A ballista loaded with monster-ying arrows could give even a dragon pause.

    But surprisingly... Talian had no proper siege weapons.

    "No! They say some giant threw a spear and knocked the dragon down!"

    "A giant?"

    "Apparently, a half-troll, half-human... Though clumsy with human speech, its strength was incredible!"

    "...?"

    Half-troll?

    As such an absurd term popped up, the count couldn''t help but doubt the rumor''s authenticity.

    Even if Talian was a rural domain, surely...

    There''s no way a half-troll could be living there as a resident, right?

    "I couldn''t believe it either! But everyoneing from Talian swears it''s true!"

    "Even so, a monster hybrid..."

    They must have mistaken an exceptionally burly human for one.

    The count thought so, and by sheer coincidence, his guess was correct.

    The ''half-troll'' Jubal was, in fact, 100% human.

    "They say he was inspired by the Knights of Santiago and Wizard Ian to join the fight."

    "Wizard Ian..."

    Count Edward reflexively recalled the young wizard with ck hair.

    ''The ck Crow Wizard,'' Ian of Talian.

    From how he had handled the previous incident, the count knew he was no ordinary person.

    With Wizard Ian''s abilities...

    He might indeed be able to draw a half-troll (which he wasn''t) into battle!

    "While the Knights of Santiago and the half-troll performed brilliantly, it was Wizard Ian''s skill that truly saved Talian!"

    "Something even greater than throwing a spear at the dragon?"

    The count couldn''t imagine it.

    What, did he hurl a magic boulder or something?

    "Yes! Wizard Ian summoned drakes to fend off the dragon!"

    "???"

    Count Edward thought he must have misheard.

    Summoned what?

    A drake?

    A human controlling such a creature???

    "Is that true?"

    "Absolutely, Your Excellency!"

    Rumors were rumors, but...

    Even the most exaggerated rumors, if backed by consistent and repeated testimonies, were likely to be true.

    "Hmm..."

    Count Edward felt fear before surprise.

    Magic that could control drakes was so powerful that ''strong'' was an inadequate description.

    Frankly, if one were to wage a war of conquest with drakes at the forefront, they could easily establish a country.

    "How did the Church react?"

    The count first checked the Church''s response.

    There were many wizards in the empire who controlled monsters, but almost none who used them to attack humans.

    Doing so would earn you an emunication beam + thebel of ck wizard.

    The count hoped to use the Church''s authority to suppress Ian''s magic.

    "Ah. Didn''t you know?"

    "?"

    "The Church treats Ian almost like a saint!"

    "???"

    The count was dumbfounded once again at his servant''s words.

    Wait, wasn''t he a wizard?!

    How could a wizard be treated like a saint by the Church?!

    "They say Ian has connections with Monk Isi and Monk Takarion."

    "If this was nned in advance, it''s deviously clever!"

    The count shuddered at Ian''s thoroughness(?).

    Learning to control drakes and immediately cultivating friendships with the Church! (Not actually true)

    Realizing even the Church couldn''t check Ian, the count understood the gravity of the situation.

    His opponent possessed the power to control drakes and was a hero who had repelled a dragon.

    And he even had the Church''s love...

    "Prepare for departure immediately."

    "... Yes?"

    There was no time to dawdle.

    Count Edward sprang into action.

    "He defeated the dragon, so he''lle to raid itsir, won''t he?"

    "Ah!"

    "We''ll beat him to it!"

    The count didn''t care whether Ian had caught the dragon or not.

    He wasn''t one of his men anyway!

    But he had to prevent the dragon''s treasure from flowing into Talian.

    Ironically, Talian had benefited the most from the ck dragon''s attack.

    Not only had its poption increased with the influx of refugees, but it had also secured loyalty oaths from other barons under the pretext of domain restoration.

    If this was just a temporary boom, it wouldn''t be a problem...

    But if Talian used this opportunity to unite with its subordinate barons, it would be another troublesome force.

    "But if we take the Dragon yer''s treasure, the honor of the nobility..."

    That''s right.

    The opponent was a Dragon yer.

    What if the hero who defeated the dragon went to find the treasure, only to find itpletely looted?

    It could easily lead to a serious conflict.

    But Count Edward smiled coldly.

    "You don''t know. The Golden Mountains weren''t home to just the dragon."

    "What?!"

    "There were orcs too. And they seemed to be in alliance with the dragon."

    He didn''t know how the orcs had formed an alliance with the dragon.

    But one thing was certain - the orcs and the dragon were on the same side!

    "Listen carefully. We''ll eliminate the remaining orcs who allied with the dragon, and ''coincidentally'' discover the dragon''sir to im the treasure!"

    The servant greatly admired Count Edward''s pettiness.

    Damn, the count''s level of cunning was something else!

    The most honorable thing would be to graciously hand over the treasure, moved by the Dragon yer''s heroic deeds.

    But the count wanted to secure the treasure chamber first to gain an advantage, to save even a single coin.

    They say the rich are stingier than beggars, and he fit that description perfectly.

    Would it kill a count to be a bit more generous?

    But the count had absolutely no intention of giving the dragon''sir to Ian...!

    Why?

    Because it was on hisnd!

    "As expected of you, Count! Your wisdom overflows!"

    "Haha! Enough with the ttery! Quickly, gather the knights!"

    Count Edward once again summoned his knights.

    The gathering was swift.

    Wandering knights who had suddenly be unemployed due to the Margrave''s defeat were staying as the count''s guests.

    With burning desire for revenge against the dragon, morale was sky-high!

    "Brave knights! We attack the Golden Mountains once more!"

    "Woooooah!"

    Count Edward almost had a PTSD episode.

    Last time, that bastard Margrave of Haltramm had spread false rumors about defeating the dragon...

    If this turned out to be another false rumor, dragon or not, he was ready to just invade Talian.

    But this time, the rumor seemed certain.

    Count Edward gantly waved his g and charged towards the Golden Mountains.

    The dragon might be gone, but orcs were still dangerous opponents!

    If they let their guard down, there could be many casualties...

    "Count!"

    "What is it!"

    "The mountain... it''s empty?"

    "???"

    What do you mean...

    The count hurriedly took his knights to scout the area.

    "No..."

    And soon the truth was revealed.

    The orcs had truly vanished without a trace!

    "They were here... not long ago..."

    The count still vividly remembered that nightmarish battle.

    The pitch-ck dragon! The orcs charging like madmen!

    But now... they were all gone?!

    "It''s the dragon''sir!"

    While the orcs had disappeared, they had found their.

    The count entered with bated breath.

    "...?"

    And was shocked.

    "This is... the dragon''s treasure chamber?!"

    It''s nothing but garbage!

    The very mountain of trash that Ian had marveled at greeted the count.

    Half-burned dolls stolen from children, women''sundry, broken hand mirrors, snapped spears...

    The count was beyond dumbfounded; he was furious!

    Why the hell did this crazy dragon plunder such trash!!!

    Only an exceptionally greedy being would store such garbage.

    But how could a mere human understand the desires of the great dragon?

    The count frantically searched through the mountains of trash.

    He hoped to find something, anything of value.

    Even a gold ring would do...

    "Huh."

    But it was all for naught.

    Not a single useful item was found.

    "This is... bullshit!"

    The count wailed.

    But his cries wouldn''t make treasure magically appear.

    "Why! Why is there nothing here?!"

    It was indeed a strange mystery.

    Predius had plundered baronies, so why was nothing left in itsir?

    Perhaps...

    Only the wise wizard, Ian, knew the answer...

    ------

    ''Money''s overflowing.''

    Ian marveled at the ridiculous amount of gold coins before him.

    Dragons did seem to like treasure.

    In truth, most of it was payment received from Antios of the Golden Rule Society.

    But Ian didn''t know that, so he just assumed the dragon had plundered it from somewhere.

    "What are you going to do with all this?"

    At Lucy''s question, Ian wore a peculiar expression.

    If this were the modern world, he''d rush to a high-ss restaurant and enjoy a money-wasting omakase full course, flexing his wealth.

    But this was a deste, post-apocalyptic... no, a medieval fantasy world.

    Restaurant? Where would you find such a thing in a barony?

    Wait, isn''t ''restaurant'' French? Why isn''t it in a Western fantasy world?

    Even primitive ancient East Asia had Chinese restaurants!

    Seriously, these uncultured Western barbarians...!

    Ian marveled once again at this amazing situation.

    A chest full of gold, but nowhere to spend it...

    "Let''s hire some mercenaries."

    "Yeah! That''s the best idea!"

    In the end, using it as war funds was the answer.

    "A new employer is always wee!"

    Ian used the gold coins to hire a bunch of mercenaries.

    He incorporated the remnants of Inn''s mercenaries who were grumbling about whether to return home, and Baron Damon''s subordinates into Talian''s army.

    The reason for creating an army was, of course, to reim the ruined baronies.

    ording to scout reports, the devastated baronies had turned into ygrounds for monsters.

    When humans disappear, someone else takes their ce. It was the natural order of things.

    "Then I''ll be off."

    Baron Damon was appointed as themander of Talian''s army.

    Starting as a local bandit and bing an armymander was quite a promotion, all things considered.

    "Mydy."

    Lucy, wearing a conical hat, extended her hand with a solemn expression.

    Baron Damon kissed the back of Lady Lucy''s hand, the ruler of Talian.

    After watching the departure ceremony to the end, Lucy turned to the man standing beside her.

    "Ian doesn''t need to go with them?"

    Ian smiled slightly.

    "Baron Damon''s not a child. He can handle monsters on his own. It''s probably just orcs or kobolds anyway."

    If Ian went with the army, he''d definitely clear out the monsters. But Ian had things to do.

    "I''m busy too. I need to send Longtail and Sharpteeth home. And I have to study with my master at the university."

    Lucy grinned at Ian''s jokes.

    "You''re leaving again, aren''t you?"

    Unlike before, Lucy didn''t tremble in fear or be depressed.

    She had epted that Ian''s journey would continue.

    She knew Ian would always return to her side.

    Talian had be Ian''s home now.

    "I have to go again."

    "Hehe. Come back sooner this time."

    Ian looked up at the deep blue sky.

    A new wind was blowing.

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 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    In the southern empire, at the [Golden Rule Society] headquarters.

    Antios had initially nned to use this ce as a temporary base before discarding it. Now, he returned here dejectedly.

    ''I lost...''

    He still couldn''t believe it.

    He had set out on a northern expedition with the evil dragon Predius, yet...In a battle he absolutely shouldn''t have lost, Antios had been defeated.

    ''Why?''

    In truth, it wasn''t entirely urate to say Antios had lost.

    Predius, with some free time on his hands, had tried to raid another easy barony and ended up in an ident.

    But regardless of the reason, the fact remained that Predius was dead.

    A summoner who had lost their summon felt utterly powerless...

    Left with no choice, Antios decided to return.

    With mixed emotions, he gazed at the dragon''s massive corpse.

    Though Predius had been a demanding bastard who always asked for exorbitant fees, he had still worked as Antios'' contractor until now...

    "Regent!"

    "Lord Regent!"

    Other ck wizards were staying at the temporary headquarters.

    The necromancer and celestial wizard, Bertholdt.

    The transmuter, Karenne.

    The two were shocked to see the dragon returned as a corpse and Antios with an expression as pale as death.

    What on earth had happened in the north for them to lose the dragon?!

    "Predius attacked a barony... and ended up getting killed."

    "Was there a knight capable of taking down a dragon?"

    Bertholdt shouted in disbelief.

    If such a knight existed, they would have gathered intelligence and been cautious from the start.

    But how could there be a dragon yer-ss knight in a rural domain of the Duchy of Araz?

    "No. The opponent was a wizard."

    "... A wizard?"

    Antios searched his memory.

    He recalled the young wizard with ck hair he had seen when retrieving Predius'' corpse.

    "It was a wizard named Ian."

    "!"

    "!"

    "Yes. The very Ian you two reported about."

    Bertholdt and Karenne almost burst outughing.

    Antios had been beaten by Ian and came crawling back!

    Antios'' defeat essentially proved that the two ck wizards weren''tplete idiots.

    It wasn''t that they were ipetent �C Ian was just that damn strong!

    Haha, Lord Regent, even you can lose sometimes!

    See, I told you Ian was aplete madman!

    ...Of course, Bertholdt only thought this to himself.

    There was no one in this group so morally bankrupt as to mock the defeated leader of a secret society...

    "I knew it was Ian! I told you! That guy was suspicious! Of all people to run into! Even the Regent is no match!"

    "Shut up, Karenne."

    Antios spoke with shing eyes.

    "I''ll cut your research budget, just so you know."

    "Eep!"

    Karenne stumbled backwards.

    Antios grew even more furious.

    Bertholdt, Karenne, and even Antios himself!

    All of them had been neatly beaten by this wandering wizard named Ian!

    At this rate, they might as well take down the [Golden Rule Society] sign and rename the group the [Ian Victims'' Association].

    Antios ground his teeth.

    By the wizard Ian?

    No.

    By those gloomy space-time wizards!

    ''Damn those space-time wizard bastards...!''

    Right now, Antios was working hard for a great cause.

    To destroy the weak fake empire and revive the glory of the old empire!

    Witnessing the return of the great magical era in his lifetime was Antios'' dream and life purpose.

    Of course, some people might die and the world order might be turned upside down in the process of achieving this grand goal.

    But when the era of emperors and magic returns, would such trivial matters be a problem?

    Antios was confident.

    With the power of almighty magic, nothing was impossible.

    But those damn-

    Those damned space-time wizards were ruining everything!

    Once is chance, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern.

    It was now ringly obvious that the space-time wizards were using their power over the future to block their path.

    The wizard Ian was a pawn of the space-time wizards.

    And Antios was simply ying the role of a pawn to be beaten up!

    ''When I rebuild the empire...! I''ll eradicate those space-time wizards root and stem!''

    Antios burned with unbridled rage towards the space-time wizards.

    But at the same time.

    A strange emotion began to stir in his heart...!

    ''Those space-time wizards. Where the hell did they dig up a wizard like Ian?''

    Those cunning bastards who knew the future must have raised Ian as their pawn through some despicable method.

    ''The strength to subdue Bertholdt and Karenne. The outstanding skill to defeat Predius.''

    Antios hated the space-time wizards.

    They were annoying bastards who kept interfering with his grand n at every turn.

    But he didn''t particrly feel any ill will towards Ian, who was actually responsible for ruining the n.

    After all, he was just another pawn dancing to the tune of those damned space-time wizards...!

    ''Young and capable. He must be a talent meant to lead the future.''

    When Ian defeated Predius, Antios was greatly shocked.

    He realized that even a ck dragon could be defeated.

    At the same time, he was stunned that a human capable of taking down a ck dragon existed.

    ''Wizard Ian...''

    Antios felt genuine curiosity about Ian as a person.

    For what purpose did he learn magic, and for what did he wield it?

    If.

    If by any chance, Ian was an ambitious wizard who sought advancement and power...

    Antios seriously considered weing Ian as a member of the [Golden Rule Society].

    They may have shed a few times due to the schemes of those cunning space-time wizards, but Antios was willing to reconcile even with enemies for the sake of the grand cause.

    ''... He was quite handsome. Like looking at myself in my younger days.''

    Once Antios started thinking positively about Ian, he began to like even the small details about him.

    Not only his calm eyes that exuded wisdom.

    But that noble ck hair!

    Wasn''t it just like the court wizards of the ancient Golden Empire era!

    The Holy Empire people with their dirty barbarian blood were quick to mock ck hair as the color of demons.

    But Antios knew that ck hair was truly the color of this world''s rightful masters.

    Many emperors of the ancient Golden Empire had ck hair!

    Ian with his jet-ck hair was the perfect wizard for the [Golden Rule Society].

    Having thought that far, Antios immediately informed the other ck wizards of his future ns.

    "Aside from ongoing operations, all new activities are to be suspended."

    "May I ask the reason?"

    "The space-time wizards have caught our scent. Those bastards don''t want the Golden Empire''s revival."

    Bertholdt clicked his tongue.

    What fools to reject the age of magic.

    "However, we will mobilize all of the society''s resources to initiate a n for regr contact with the wizard Ian."

    At Antios'' words, Bertholdt''s eyes lit up.

    "Are we going to eliminate him?"

    He had been a thorn in the society''s side several times already.

    Under Antios''mand, if they mobilized all their resources, it should be entirely possible to end that guy''s life-

    "No. For now, our top priority is to recruit Ian."

    "...? Recruit him?"

    "Yes. Any objections?"

    Bertholdt simply kept his mouth shut.

    Though he was a member of the society, he didn''t have grand ns like Antios.

    He was just Employee #1, following the vision presented by the leader.

    He may have been beaten by Ian, but... if that was Antios'' decision.

    "If we seed in stealing him away, we can greatly disrupt the space-time wizards'' ns."

    Antios was certain.

    Ian was the space-time wizards'' champion. If they could just steal him away, the space-time wizards'' power would be greatly weakened.

    "What if we fail to recruit him..."

    To Bertholdt''s question, Antios answered mercilessly.

    "Then we kill him."

    "..."

    With the space-time wizards'' interference, Antios could no longer focus on operations like before.

    Instead, he would mobilize all avable resources...

    To remove the ''Ian'' piece from the game board.

    Whether through recruitment. Or Ian''s death.

    Antios would make his move.

    "Grrrr..."

    "?"

    Just then, Antios heard a strange sound.

    Was that a growling from Predius'' corpse...?

    "Bertholdt. Did you use necromancy?"

    "No?"

    Antios hurried over to Predius.

    And was astonished.

    "Good heavens... My God!"

    Predius'' heart... was beating again.

    The dragon wasn''t dead yet!

    "How is this possible..."

    As Antios stared at the dragon''s massive body, he suddenly recalled a piece of knowledge.

    Reptilian creatures can fake their own death when faced with a life-threatening situation...!

    "... ying dead!"

    Antios was dumbfounded, but this was reality.

    It was knowledge even Antios hadn''t known.

    To think that a mighty dragon could y dead like some damn lizard!

    Antios cheered, but that was it.

    Predius'' heart had started beating again, but he hadn''t regained consciousness.

    "Bertholdt! Go fetch some medicine!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Of course, the mere fact that he was still breathing was a miracle.

    Predius had been stabbed deep in the head with a longsword, damaging part of his brain.

    The injured body would soon recover, but...

    The brain might never fully heal, so no one could predict how he would revive.

    However, one thing was certain.

    A powerful weapon to face Ian and the space-time wizards was still alive...!

    ''Just you wait, Wizard Ian!''

    Antios'' eyes shed.

    As he looked forward to the day he would meet Ian again.

    ------

    Ian slowly began preparing for his journey.

    He hade because of the dragon''s invasion, so now there was no reason to stay in Talian.

    The Knights of Santiago had left earlier than Ian.

    "We look forward to meeting again, brother!"

    "Take care, Lord Ian!"

    "You too, Sir Dehitri."

    The Knights of Santiago would go hunt their next monster.

    Now it was the wizards'' turn.

    "I''m sorry, Master. Will you go ahead?"

    Eredith, Inn, Kira, and Maria decided to go to the Imperial University first.

    The reason was simple.

    "I need to take Longtail back home."

    Longtail had abandoned his nice house toe help Ian.

    It would be too inconsiderate to just say goodbye here after everything was done.

    Ian decided to escort the drake couple back to their home.

    In truth, his main goal was to prevent any potential casualties the drake couple might cause on the road.

    "Alright. Do that then."

    Eredith sent Ian off.

    It was a natural choice, since Ian was Longtail''s summoner.

    "Then we''ll see you at the university!"

    "See youter, Ian!"

    The group of wizards set off for the university. Salvador joined them as well.

    Ian took only Belenka with him, departing with the drake couple.

    He had considered taking Jubal too, but apparently he had gotten a job as a handyman at Talian Hall. (Sister Mionia had strongly rmended him.)

    It didn''t really matter either way.

    He was originally a pure-hearted young man not well-suited for a warrior''s life.

    From the start, the goal had been to find a ce for Jubal to settle down.

    "I''ll be back, Lucy."

    Ian gave Lucy a light kiss on the cheek.

    Lucy blushed and waved her hand.

    "Take care, Ian!"

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 Chapter 224

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    The journey to take Longtail home was surprisingly smooth.

    It couldn''t have been otherwise.

    "M-Monster!"

    "Eek! Get out of our vige, you beast!"

    Longtail and Sharpteeth.These monsters, whose mere presence triggered medieval people''s panic buttons, were strolling side by side.

    What madman would pick a fight with them?

    "Yes, yes~ We''re monsters~ Just passing through~"

    Ian neatly ignored the freaking-out medieval folk and kept moving forward.

    asionally, knights who seemed to have lost their minds blocked Longtail''s path.

    "Vile monster that disturbs the world! Come forth and face my de..."

    "Hello there, good sirs! Keep up the hard work!"

    "???"

    They were more shocked by Ian, perched on Longtail''s back, than by Longtail himself.

    Wait, what?! How''d you get up there???

    Is this some kind of glitch?

    "Oh, oh, oh no...!"

    "Young man! If you''re being held captive by the drake, wave your staff!"

    Ian quickly shouted before Longtail could stomp the knights to death.

    "Don''t worry! This drake is my friend!"

    "Friend...?"

    "I''m the wizard Ian!"

    Only then did the knights smack their helmets.

    Ah, no wonder something seemed off!

    Shit, it''s a wizard!

    In the medieval fantasy world, when something weird happens, ming wizards is right about half the time.

    "Ian Eredith Raven, at your service. Have you heard of me?"

    "Wizard Raven?"

    "The ck Crow Wizard!"

    Ian smiled contentedly at the knights'' reactions.

    He''d been something of a celebrity for a while now.

    This is why reputation matters.

    It saves you from having to exin everything every single time!

    "Truly remarkable. A wizard whomands drakes as familiars!"

    "Well, I don''t reallymand them... but think what you like."

    Ian had no interest in exining his magic to non-specialists.

    Would they even understand if he exined?

    Talking to people who won''t understand is just a waste of words.

    "Have a good journey!"

    The knights let Ian pass quietly.

    He heard suspicious whispers behind his back.

    "To see a drake! Today must be our lucky day!"

    "Haha, who''d have thought we''d see such a wonder!"

    For some reason, they seemed to think of the drake as a symbol of good fortune.

    Ian reached Longtail''s home without any conflicts, smoothly avoiding all potential trouble.

    There was one cute incident where some shocked merchants abandoned all their goods and ran away, but.

    Apart from that, there were no troubles with humans whatsoever.

    "I should put up a warning sign or something."

    A sign that says *Caution* Drake Ahead! or something like that.

    It might not be effective, but it''s better than nothing.

    "[Thanks for your help, Longtail.]"

    [Seeing your smiling face is enough, friend.]

    "[Tell your wife I said thanks too]"

    [Haha, why don''t you tell her yourself?]

    Ian exchanged farewells with the drake couple.

    He wanted to shower them with gifts, but...

    Considering the terrible transport conditions of the medieval era, any gifts Ian sent would likely end up in the bellies of thieves.

    It would be better to give them giftster when he had more resources.

    "[Oh, by the way. About the humans passing by.]"

    [Right. Those pesky flies]

    "[I''d appreciate it if you could avoid killing them if possible.]"

    Ian remembered Baron Kaltz''s request.

    He had mentioned feeling uneasy about using the mountain roads because of the drakes.

    "[It''s fine if you kill anyone lurking near yourir, but I hope you can let those just passing through on the road go.]"

    [Hmm...]

    "[I''ll bring some good booze and food when I visit next time. Okay?]"

    Ian didn''t intend to look after humans who crossed the line, like those who''d try to hunt Longtail.

    But he wanted to help the merchants risking their lives for business.

    When Ian made the request, Longtail flicked his tongue.

    [Alright. As long as they don''t annoy me.]

    "[Thanks, friend.]"

    Ian got a firm promise from Longtail.

    Now, traveling merchants wouldn''t be killed just for "being an eyesore".

    Ian found a suitable rock and wrote on it.

    "[Be engraved.]"

    He used magic to press the words deeply.

    [This is thend where a kind drake couple lives]

    [Always be respectful to the owners, and never be rude]

    [If you encounter the drakes, say ''Ian''s friend'' and bow down]

    [Written by the wizard, Ian Eredith Raven]

    "This should do it."

    "What did you write?"

    Belenka showed some curiosity.

    She only showed ''curiosity'' because Belenka couldn''t read...

    "I wrote that they shouldn''t make a fuss, and if they meet a drake, they should introduce themselves as my friend."

    "Oh. Sounds like some kind of demon-repelling charm."

    Among Heaven''s Faith believers, there was a rumor that if you encountered a demon, you should shout a saint''s name.

    Apparently, the demon would get scared and run away upon hearing a saint''s name.

    Here, a certain wizard had created a new rule.

    If you encounter a drake, if you say ''Ian''s friend'', you might survive...!

    "Shall we report back to Baron Kaltz and head home?"

    "Let''s do that."

    ------

    When Baron Kaltz heard that the drake had disappeared, he was startled.

    He had certainly asked the wizard Ian to solve the drake problem, but...

    Surely...

    That crazy wizard hadn''t sted the drake away?! (He had)

    It''s terrifying, too terrifying!

    The baron, who couldn''t even dream that Ian had used spatial magic to take the drake all the way to Talian territory, shuddered and savored the precious peace.

    He didn''t know what Ian had done, but...

    Anyway, the drake was gone.

    "My lord! Incredible news!"

    Sir Hansen rushed to report.

    "The ck dragon of the Golden Mountains! It attacked the Barony of Talian but was defeated!"

    "What?"

    "Wizard Ian summoned drakes! And stopped the dragon!"

    Baron Kaltz was about to be surprised but paused.

    ... Drakes?

    Drakes... surely not the one that lived in our front yard?

    Nah, no way~

    ... Please don''t let it be true.

    After that, travelers kept bringing rumors (Baron Kaltz''s domain was known for its hospitality to travelers).

    The baron could constantly hear about the world''s happenings while sitting in his manor.

    He even heard rumors that Wizard Ian was returning this way with the drakes!

    "It''s good to see you, Baron."

    "Ian!"

    As soon as Ian appeared, Baron Kaltz immediately shouted.

    "The, the drakes..."

    "Ah. That guy. They''re doing well. They even have a very pretty... well, I''m not sure if she''s pretty, but anyway, a lizard-like wife now."

    "..."

    The rumors were true.

    The drakes... there were two of them now!

    They might even have babies soon!

    "So, what have you been up to?"

    Baron Kaltz asked, feeling like the sky was falling.

    He had certainly provided food and support to help solve the drake problem!

    "? I just went to check if they were living well."

    Baron Kaltz was dumbfounded.

    You crazy bastard! Did you go for a housewarming party?!

    He couldn''t understand the wizard''s way of thinking at all.

    "Then, the mountain road..."

    "Ah. I told them about that. I said not to harm travelers."

    "?"

    Ian briefly summarized his conversation with Longtail.

    In exchange for not harming travelers, he would provide alcohol and food.

    "They won''t harm the merchants!"

    "Of course. Even if they identally encounter a drake, if they mention my name, the drake will let them pass."

    Only then did Baron Kaltz regain his smile.

    Ah, I see~ You scared me~

    So the drake problem is solved after all~

    As long as the mountain roads could be used freely, the baron was more than satisfied.

    "Since that''s settled, Baron. I''d like to request some alcohol and meat as gifts for the drakes."

    "...?"

    Is that... how it works?

    Baron Kaltz tilted his head.

    It did work that way, actually.

    Ian was a wandering wizard, so he couldn''t prepare gifts for the drakes.

    The only option was for Baron Kaltz, who was nearby, to prepare them.

    The baron was slightly worried.

    "... If it''s enough to satisfy a drake, won''t we need to prepare quite a lot?"

    "However you prepare it is up to you, Baron."

    Ian said with a smile.

    "If you don''t take care of the drakes, I can always ask someone else."

    "..."

    "But since the drakes are my friends, I''d be really grateful if you could help out."

    Baron Kaltz quickly did some mental calctions.

    "Do we have to offer tribute every month?"

    "No. I''ll contact you in advance, so you can prepare then. I like Longtail, but I don''t have time to visit every month."

    The baron grinned.

    This was definitely a profitable deal.

    By just preparing some alcohol and meat, they could bepletely safe from the drakes'' threat, and even get help from the wizard Ian.

    For example... if enemies attacked in the direction of the drakes'' nest.

    If they just called Ian, a great wizard + two drakes would join as allies!

    Even if there were no enemies, they could use the excuse of the drakes'' alcohol bill to summon Ian and ask for help.

    "Since the drakes have opened the road, it''s only right to repay them!"

    Baron Kaltz dered magnanimously.

    "I''ll prepare a cart full of sweet mead and honey-cured ham!"

    "Oh. Thanks for the cool deal, Baron."

    And so, Baron Kaltz once again strengthened his connection with the wizard.

    Ian easily secured gifts for the drake couple, and Baron Kaltz gained the ability to borrow the power of a wizard and drakes in times of need.

    It was a deal that satisfied everyone.

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 Chapter 225

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    "Maybe I should learn magic too."

    Belenka, riding her horse beside Ian, spoke up.

    After receiving Baron Kaltz''s warm hospitality and spending half a day ying with the baron''s son, Ian set off leisurely towards the Imperial University in Dranheim, having replenished his food and horses.

    "All of a sudden?"

    Ian had epted the baron''s kindness without much thought.Baron Kaltz was originally friendly to travelers (not killing them on sight was already considered kind enough), and he was even more weing to Ian, a wizard.

    Moreover, since they had just struck a satisfactory deal, it was natural to part on good terms.

    "Watching you, it seems like you''re living life so easily."

    "Are you picking a fight?"

    Ian chuckled.

    Judging by Belenka''s expression, she seemed half-serious.

    From Belenka''s perspective, it might seem unfair.

    She was an excellent knight in her own right, but...

    Ian the wizard could travel without spending a penny, just strolling around with nothing but the clothes on his back!

    Plus, when knights were desperately fighting, he just had to click his fingers for overwhelming convenience!

    "If I''d learned magic, I think I could''ve done as well as you..."

    "?"

    What''s with that baseless confidence?

    If Kira were here, she''d have scoffed, but she had already left for the Imperial University.

    "Ah. I see. Is this the ''Peak of Ignorance''?"

    "Peak of... what?"

    Ian nodded in understanding.

    Usually, when others do something, it always looks easy.

    And if someone makes something look super easy, it''s not that the task is simple, it''s that the person is damn good at it.

    When watching League of Legends montages, you might think, ''Hey, I could do that too,'' but in reality, you''d be in the gutter.

    In fact, Belenka had reached quite a high level in the realm of swordsmanship.

    Ian''s magic might look easy to her.

    "Belenka. You should start by learning how to read."

    "... What''s reading got to do with magic!"

    Wow.

    Ian was amazed at Belenka''s magical ignorance.

    She wanted to do magic without even knowing the rtionship betweennguage and magic!

    "You speak just fine!"

    "Words have power in them. It''s a concept of kotodama."

    "... Are you deliberately using difficult words?"

    "No. Is this difficult? If we consider the self as the subject of magic, then the interaction between self and other ismunication, and since the other is another self and part of the world, it can be the object of magic..."

    Belenka, watching Ian ramble on without taking a breath,pletely abandoned any thoughts of learning magic, even if just for a moment.

    She felt like her head was starting to throb just from listening.

    How the hell did Ian study those squiggly letters...?

    Ian enthusiastically exined the [basic concepts of magic], hoping it might help Belenka somehow, but she didn''t understand a single word.

    No, beyond not understanding, it was horrifically boring.

    The local priest''s Bible reading would be far more interesting!

    "So! You might perceive fire as just fire! But the mystery doesn''t necessarily have the same 100% identical impression as you!"

    "What are you talking about? Isn''t fire just fire to the mystery too?"

    "It''s different! How could the concept of fire perceived by the mystery of water be the same as the concept of fire perceived by the mystery of fire!"

    "... I quit! Forget it!"

    In truth, the concept of magic did have some ovep with linguistics.

    But there was no way Belenka, who had spent her whole life as a knight, could understand these concepts.

    Belenka, who had thought about studying a bit alongside Ian since he was going to university, neatly folded away that ridiculous idea.

    As expected. Studying is for wizards!

    Belenka was content just exercising with Sir Salvador.

    "Hm?"

    In the midst of their chat, Belenka spotted a group of travelers ahead.

    Not just ordinary travelers, but a group with many priests.

    It looked like some high-ranking member of a religious order was on the move...

    The other group also noticed Ian and Belenka and approached them.

    "You there. Haven''t seen your faces before. Travelers?"

    It was an extremely slovenly knight.

    It wasn''t particrly surprising.

    Originally, ''knight'' was just a term for unemployed bums who were good with swords.

    If he was from a well-known family, he''d likely be a noble who knew honor, but.

    Someone who starts with informal speech to strangers like that probably didn''t receive proper home education.

    "This is perfect timing. You there, wench! I''ll pay you handsomely, soe and do some work!"

    "Are you talking to me?"

    Belenka asked back in a voice of disbelief.

    The knight spoke shamelessly.

    "Yeah! The priest I serve, Father Berum, has been feeling lonely without proper entertainment. Your beauty is quite radiant, soe and brighten up the priest''s drinking party!"

    Oh...

    Is this what they call street casting? (It''s not)

    Since starting to travel with Ian, Belenka rarely wore her helmet in everyday situations.

    But not covering her face had the side effect of attracting aggro from crazy people like this.

    Nine times out of ten, they were probably looking down on Ian and Belenka for traveling just the two of them.

    Usually, high-status travelers bring along plenty of servants and ves.

    But Ian found managing servants troublesome, so he traveled with a small group, leading to situations like this.

    "I appreciate you calling me beautiful. But we''re in a hurry, so I''ll have to decline. And when asking favors of others, try to be more polite. Even street thugs would ask more courteously than you."

    "Huh. A wench who''s lost her fear."

    "..."

    Belenka''s expression soured.

    Ian had somewhat expected this situation.

    Why would a thug be a thug for no reason? If they hadmon sense in their heads, they couldn''t be proper thugs.

    "I am Zenik, a knight serving Father Berum! I even praised you while bowing my head, yet you insult me byparing me to street thugs!"

    Knight Zenik shouted, pointing at Ian.

    "Should I beat up your husband to make youe to your senses?!"

    "..."

    Wait, why me.

    Ian blinked in disbelief.

    Belenka sighed and said,

    "He''s not my husband. And it seems you''re the one doing the insulting here."

    "You... Are you trying to insult me again..."

    Belenka quietly put on her helmet.

    She was preparing to respond with actions instead of words.

    But Ian stepped in to stop Belenka.

    If the opponent was a knight with a master, it was a good opportunity to use a wizard''s authority.

    Especially since Ian was quite a famous wizard in these parts!

    "You there, who looks like a horse that choked on hay, listen up."

    "...?"

    Belenka couldn''t help but snicker.

    Zenik''s face did look a bit horse-like...

    "I''ve been listening to what you''ve been saying."

    Ian spoke in a very wizard-like manner.

    "Are you an orphan?"

    "Wha... What?!"

    "I asked if you have no parents, you horse-faced man."

    In a certain Confucian country in the East, this question would have immediately led to a knife fight, it was that sensitive.

    Openly asking if someone has no parents!

    But this was the Holy Empire. Instead of Confucianism, they had Heaven''s Faith as the state religion.

    Surprisingly... questions about the existence of parents weren''t as big an insult as Confucians might think.

    And in reality, there were many orphans.

    "My parents are alive and well! And who the hell are you!"

    "Huh. If your parents are alive, that''s even more pitiful."

    "...?"

    "It''s painfully obvious you haven''t received any home education. If I were your father, I''d be too ashamed to lend you my name."

    "!"

    In the Holy Empire, it was natural for parents to pass down their names to their children.

    Just as Ian''s father, Ian, had passed down the name Ian to Ian.

    So... Ian was now insulting him, saying even his parents would disown him!

    "You... you green little brat!"

    Zenik, enraged, drew his sword.

    Asking about parents might not be a big insult, but.

    Saying his father wouldn''t even allow him to use his name was ament that cut deep for a medieval person!

    ''I knew he''d react like this.''

    Ian clicked his tongue.

    He clearly looked like a thug, so of course he''d have no patience.

    Since the other party drew his sword first, Ian decided to use magic without hesitation.

    Ian quickly scanned his opponent.

    ''A mare?''

    He not only looked like a horse, but...

    Ian shouted on impulse.

    "[Dappled mare!]"

    Neigh?

    "Wha... Why are you hesitating!"

    Zenik was confused when his horse suddenly stopped.

    He still didn''t realize that Ian''s mysterious words had invoked magic.

    "[Go wild!]"

    [?]

    The mare didn''t understand Ian''smand.

    Its sensitivity to mystery was low.

    To control an unfamiliar animal like a limb, you''d need at least level 6-7 summoning magic.

    With Ian''s level of summoning magic, he needed a more specific exnation.

    "[The human you''re carrying on your back is a crazy horse-lover!]"

    [???]

    "[He even looks like a horse! That guy gets more excited by mare piss than by human women!]"

    [!]

    The mare, hearing Ian''s mysterious words, felt its mane stand on end in terror...!

    My master is... a horse-lover?!

    Excited by mares?!

    Ian''s summoning magic was level 3.

    Enough to be quite convincing to a horse!

    "[Just now, that guy told me! He said he''s going to stroke you all over in the stable tonight!]"

    The mare believed Ian''s wordspletely.

    If a human of a different species was brave enough to report this, it must be true!

    Neeeeeigh!

    Feeling its chastity threatened(...), the mare started shaking violently.

    "Wha, what''s going on! Why are you suddenly acting like this!"

    Confused by his horse''s sudden wild behavior, Zenik lost his grip on the reins.

    Zenik fell off spectacrly, and Belenka burst outughing.

    "Still don''t get it? This is magic!"

    "Ma, magic?!"

    Zenik finally grasped the situation.

    Ian had been muttering strange words all this time...

    So that was him chanting magic spells!

    "You... vile wizard!"

    Zenik, now furious, tried to charge at Ian barehanded.

    But at that moment, the mare blocked Zenik''s path.

    [You perverted human! Die!]

    Wham!

    "Ugh!"

    The mare delivered a merciless kick to Zenik.

    A horse''s kick is no joke, it''s powerful enough to kill a person.

    There''s a reason zebras are the animals that kill the most lions in Africa.

    "Ouch."

    Ian and Belenka both winced at the same time.

    That looks incredibly painful.

    It might be a funny scene in aedy movie, but in reality, it breaks bones and can even kill.

    Fortunately, Zenik didn''t die, but he''d be bedridden for a while.

    "What''s going on here!"

    Hearing the loud horse neighing, Father Berum''s group rushed over.

    They were speechless at the scene before them.

    "Wow..."

    "Is he still alive?"

    They noticed Ian and Belenka and approached.

    "Wh-Who are you?"

    "I''m the wizard Ian. Are you Father Berum''s servants?"

    "Yes..."

    "Take me to Father Berum."

    Soon, Father Berum came running, out of breath.

    Father Berum was a very generous-looking person.

    A plump man reminiscent of when Ian first met Takarion.

    ''Is this guy an otaku too?''

    Just as Ian thought he might get along well with Takarion.

    Father Berum shouted in a shrill voice.

    "Oh no, Zenik! What have you done to my nephew!"

    "..."

    Ah shit. They''re rted.

    It wasn''t that unusual.

    Because of blood ties, even a thug-like person could be a knight.

    But Father Berum.

    Traveling with Zenik suggests he might not be such a righteous person either...?

    "Calm down! This man is a wizard!"

    "A wizard?"

    Father Berum approached Ian without batting an eye.

    While wizards have high authority, priests of Heaven''s Faith are no pushovers either.

    Unlike nobles, priests rarely have to bow their heads to wizards.

    "Speak up! What crime did my nephewmit for you to leave him in such a state!"

    "..."

    It was decision time.

    And Ian quickly made his judgment.

    Somehow, it seemed like Father Berum wouldn''t listen even if Ian honestly exined Zenik''s actions.

    "It''s a bit awkward to discuss here."

    "Why? Did you use some magic that can''t be spoken of in public?"

    "It''s not that..."

    "If you''re not a ck wizard! Why can''t you speak!"

    Ian smiled slightly and gestured.

    Father Berum approached Ian.

    Then Ian spoke in a whisper.

    "It''s about your nephew''s... sexual preferences."

    "...?"

    "It seems he likes horses more than women, if you know what I mean?"

    "???"

    If Zenik had heard this, he would have foamed at the mouth, but unfortunately, he''s currently unconscious from a horse kick...

    As soon as he heard Ian''s words, Father Berum immediately sensed something was wrong.

    "Come with me! Let''s talk inside!"

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 Chapter 226

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    ''Surely... it can''t be true.''

    While medieval sex lives were rtively free, that freedom only extended within the bounds ofmon sense.

    If someone were to shout, ''I prefer furry beasts to humans!''

    Whether modern or medieval, people would likely react with a disgusted expression, saying ''Ugh... furry freak!''

    Of course, human preferences vary wildly, so some might shout ''totally possible!''But whether medieval or modern, unusual sexual desires are still unusual.

    And a fondness for besti*ality[1] has never been a mainstream preference...

    ''My nephew... likes beasts!''

    If Zenik had heard this, he would''ve been dumbfounded.

    But Zenik, who should be defending himself, was currently unconscious and unable to say anything.

    Only Ian.

    Only the cunning wizard''s tongue would determine that young man''s future...!

    Father Berum dismissed the others and asked Ian directly.

    "Tell me. What exactly did my nephew do?"

    "I''ll exin slowly."

    Ian exined in detail from start to finish, without missing a single moment.

    He told how Zenik had first picked a fight with Belenka, and Ian had stepped in, unable to stand by.

    Then, by chance, Zenik''s secret preferences were revealed - or so the story went.

    As soon as Ian finished speaking, Berum shouted to defend his nephew''s honor.

    "Didn''t you cast some strange spell? Like magic that makes someone like beasts...!"

    "I swear on my master''s name, absolutely not."

    It was 100% fact.

    The magic Ian used was on the mare, not Zenik!

    "While studying magic, I learned to understand the hearts of beasts."

    "...?"

    "The mare told me first. She said her master was looking at her with lustful eyes."

    Father Berum''s jaw dropped in disbelief.

    What...? Understanding beasts'' hearts?

    Shit, how is that even possible for a human!

    But while he was incredulous, he epted it.

    His opponent was a wizard, after all.

    It wasn''t unusual for wizards to have strange abilities.

    Magic that reads animals'' minds?

    Well... it could exist!

    "How can I believe that?"

    "Usually I only show this skill when summoned as a wizard, but..."

    Ian went outside and had a servant bring some horses.

    "Go fetch a few horses."

    "Y-Yes sir!"

    When the servants brought the horses, Ian spoke in the Maroniusnguage.

    "[Friend. What''s the most unpleasant thing that''s happened to youtely?]"

    The horse whinnied and expressed its feelings.

    [I ate damp hay and got an upset stomach... The diarrhea was awful...]

    Ian patted the horse and said to the servant,

    "It must be hard managing the horses'' feed these days?"

    "... Pardon?"

    "There''s been a lot of raintely, hasn''t there? This friend says he got an upset stomach from eating wet hay."

    "!"

    The servant stammered in surprise.

    "H-How did you know that...!"

    Ian calmly replied.

    "This friend told me?"

    The servant couldn''t close his gaping mouth at Ian''s mys-terious ability.

    Can he really... really read horses'' thoughts?!

    Ian went ahead and listened to the other horses'' thoughts too.

    "This one seems to be enjoying life. Says he has noints?"

    "This one says he''s in love with Zenik''s horse... What? You can''t mate because of breed management? Tsk tsk. Sorry, friend. Looks like you''ll die a virgin because of your balls.

    My stallion friend."

    The servant was even more shocked by Ian''s unfaltering testimony.

    He might''ve been able to guess about the horse with an upset stomach, but there was no way he could''ve known about the horses'' love lives.

    Yet... Ian got it right in one go!

    That scrawny stallion was scheduled to be gelded soon. He couldn''t do his job properly because he was always lusting after the mares.

    He was especially interested in Sir Zenik''s horse...

    To figure that out in one try!

    "And this friend..."

    "W-Wait a moment! Master Wizard!"

    Ian finished chatting with thest horse and stared at the servant.

    "You, did you starve this one?"

    "What?!"

    Father Berum, who had been watching Ian''s skill, flew into a rage.

    "Allin! Is what the wizard says true?"

    "W-Well, that''s..."

    "You''ve finally lost your mind! How dare you starve the horse I cherish most!"

    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry, Father Berum!"

    "Hang that bastard from a tree and whip him at once!"

    The servant was instantly strung up upside down on a tree.

    The sound of whipping echoed embarrassingly.

    "Well, that should do it."

    Having demonstrated a simple spell, Ian met with Berum again in private.

    Berum''s eyes hadpletely changed.

    This fellow... he really can perform marvelous magic that allows him to talk to animals!

    He definitely wasn''t just believing me and exposing a servant who abused his beloved horse!

    Sometimes, those crazy, arrogantmoners would pop up.

    He was probably nning to weaken Berum''s horse as revenge for being scolded a few days ago.

    Disgustingmoner bastards.

    "Do you believe me now?"

    "Ah."

    Berum came to his senses.

    If Ian''s ability was real... it meant his nephew''s unusual sexual preferences were true.

    Berum felt the world going dark.

    My nephew was really a horse-lover!

    A horse-lover! Such a shameful preference!

    "... Thank you for being discreet, Wizard."

    "Ian is fine."

    Father Berum owed Ian a great debt.

    If Ian had blurted out Zenik''s preferences where others could hear, not only would their honor be ruined, but they could face severe punishment from the Heaven''s Faith priests.

    Of course, besti*ality is one of the taboos strictly forbidden by Heaven''s Faith doctrine.

    And Berum is a priest.

    If rumors spread that a priest''s nephew hadmitted such a lewd sin, Berum would be in a very awkward position.

    "I sincerely apologize for my nephew''s rudeness."

    "Hmm..."

    "Please,e with us, Wizard Ian. I''d like to give him a chance to apologize."

    It was as good as promising Ian the best treatment.

    Of course... the reason was obviously to keep him quiet.

    Ian, who was nning to fleece a nearby noble for supplies anyway, dly epted Father Berum''s offer.

    "Alright. I''ll apany you until our paths diverge."

    "Oh! Thank you so much!"

    ------

    Zenik, having regained consciousness, dragged his aching body to find Berum.

    ''Those damn bastards...!''

    He hated the rude blonde wench, but he despised the wizard with the nasty eyes even more.

    How could he use magic on a person like that!

    The power of magic must not be abused, and those who break this rule are called ck wizards and emunicated from the order.

    Zenik was certain.

    That ck-haired wizard...

    He must definitely be a ck wizard...!

    Even if he''s not a ck wizard, it doesn''t matter. If I report him to Father Berum, it''ll be easy to get him emunicated through the order!

    ''... Huh?''

    As Zenik approached Father Berum''s tent, he tilted his head at theughter flowing out.

    Was there ever a reason for Berum tough like that?

    Only then did Zenik realize Berum was meeting with someone.

    "No way...!"

    And he was shocked.

    The other person was Ian, the wizard who had cast evil magic on Zenik!

    "Uncle Berum!"

    Zenik raised his voice as he approached Berum.

    Berum and Ian, who had beenughing and chatting, both turned to look at Zenik.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Zenik felt a chill run down his spine.

    But havinge this far, he couldn''t just keep quiet and turn back.

    "What are you doing now! That wizard cast magic on me, he''s a ck wiz-"

    As soon as the word ''ck wizard'' popped out,

    Berum shouted, his ears turning bright red.

    "Shut up! Who do you think you''re raising your voice to!"

    "U-Uncle?"

    "Call me Father! You idiot!"

    "???"

    Berum quickly turned his head.

    Praying that Ian was sitting there nonchntly...

    But Ian, who had tangled with ck wizards many times, couldn''t have missed the word ''ck wizard''.

    Ian immediately began his wizard act.

    "Father Berum. I think I just heard that fellow call me a ''ck wizard''?"

    "Ah, no, that''s..."

    "I feel like my ears have been sullied. Father, this makes me want toin about this unpleasantness to Father Isi..."

    "!"

    Through his short conversation with Ian, Berum had gathered a lot of information.

    The most important being that Ian was friends with Father Isi from the Blue Key Monastery.

    Who was Father Isi?

    He was a living legend who had returned after making a mad missionary video against the northern barbarians in his youth, and a friend of Archbishop Teranos!

    Moreover, this young wizard Ian was friends with ''Golden Finger'' Takarion and had worked with Cleric Leshach, the Knight of God!

    Just hearing about it made Berum''s knees weak - such powerful connections in the order!

    "You... filthy horse-loving bastard, apologize for your rudeness this instant!"

    "H-Horse-loving? What are you talking about!"

    Zenik immediately protested his innocence.

    What kind of hell had unfolded while he was briefly unconscious?

    But Berum didn''t listen to a word Zenik said.

    "Wizard Ian here told me everything! About how you lust after your mare in disgusting ways!"

    "??? Me?"

    Zenik was dumbfounded.

    It''s not like he was a kid who just discovered his sexual identity...

    Was I... actually a horse-lover?

    No, fuck!

    That can''t be right!

    "Father! Are you really trusting that wizard''s cunning tongue over me right now!"

    For a moment, Zenik and Ian''s eyes met.

    With superhuman reflexes, Ian flicked out his tongue like a snake.

    It was a very (former) Korean-like disy of dedication to trolling others.

    Moreover, he looked just like a real evil ck wizard!

    Zenik turned to Berum in shock.

    Now he understood...!

    Uncle has fallen under that evil ck wizard''s spell!

    "You bastard! How dare you cast magic on my beloved uncle! I''ll cut out that tongue of yours so you can never use your sorcery again!"

    "Wha-What are you saying, you madman!"

    Panicked, Berum threw the wine cup he was drinking from at Zenik!

    "Ack!"

    Hit by the wine cup, Zenik stopped in his tracks, stunned.

    "Is there anyone out there! Take this fool away at once!"

    "U-Uncle! Uncle!"

    Zenik shouted like a madman that he had to save his uncle~ but.

    Berum just wanted to get Zenik out of his sight.

    "... I''m at a loss for words. I apologize on behalf of my nephew."

    Though he wasn''t angry at all, Ian put on an act of being upset.

    Hmph, Ian''s mad!

    "I understand your situation, Father, but I''m not sure how many more times I can tolerate this."

    "... I''m truly sorry."

    Ian, who had been practicing his wizard act, had greatly improved his acting skills.

    If he''d known he''d be a wizard in a fantasy world, he would''ve studied theater and film in his past life. Ian felt a bit regretful.

    ---

    [1. raei: besti*ality, is gged on kofi it seems, hence the *.]Toggle New Ads

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 Chapter 227

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    For several days, Ian traveled with Father Berum.

    Until now, Ian had focused on moving quickly with just Belenka.

    Naturally, their luggage was light, and their food and lodging were rough, barely enough to sustain life.

    It was ufortable, but Ian, now an experienced traveler, could tolerate it well enough.

    However, Father Berum''s group waspletely different from Ian''s.Heavy tents and servants!

    Servants to manage the horses, skilled cooks for various dishes, and even women in charge ofundry.

    If he hadn''t introduced himself as a ''priest'', one might have mistaken him for a high-ranking nobleman on a journey, given the luxurious procession.

    "Come now, Lord Ian! Have another drink!"

    "Hmm. This is good wine."

    Father Berum had boasted about giving Ian ''special treatment'', but.

    Within a day, Ian quickly realized.

    Father Berum... was just a man who naturally loved luxury!

    The venison grilled with fragrant pepper and the sweet aged wine weren''t things you could find just anywhere, even with money.

    He must have stocked up on plenty of gourmet ingredients, given his keen interest in fine foods.

    Lavish feasts were held every night.

    Ian was dumbfounded.

    Come on, aren''t you supposed to be a priest?

    What kind of priest lives more luxuriously than barons and counts?

    "Oh ho! Where are you looking! Don''t you see Lord Ian''s cup is empty!"

    "Oh my~ I''m sorry, Father!"

    "Tsk tsk. Your big bosom is making you sluggish, I see."

    Tee-hee-hee!

    The beautiful women serving drinks burst intoughter with perfect timing.

    Not because Father Berum was sooo funny.

    They were just women who were extremely good at socializing.

    When the highest-ranking person in the ce makes a joke, how could you notugh?

    Seemingly used to it by now, the women giggled at Father Berum''s crude humor like he was some department head.

    "Here~ Have another drink~"

    A woman leaned in close to Ian as she poured the wine.

    The intoxicating scent and the soft presence touching his arm.

    By Father Berum''s standards, this must fall under ''generous hospitality''.

    "Our wizard is just too cute!"

    "That''s right! Such fair skin, and such handsome eyes!"

    "I think the wizard''s lips are the most attractive!"

    The women whispered in Ian''s ear with sultry voices, as if blowing a breeze.

    Their eyes betrayed their desperate desire to seduce Ian.

    In truth, with Ian''s level of magical skill, these women would behave the same way even if a pig was sitting there instead of Ian.

    Bing a wizard''s wife would mean drastically improving their lot in life, after all.

    For someone who enjoyed femalepany, this situation would be paradise itself.

    Beautiful women who supposedly adored him were on standby, just an arm''s reach away.

    But surprisingly, Ian found the drinking party ufortable.

    Ian was a perfectly normal heterosexual man who liked women.

    But isn''t there a limit?

    They wereing on so strong, as if they wanted to devour even his bone fragments, that he couldn''t feel any affection at all.

    "Hmm..."

    Maybe he should ask for the women to be removed.

    It would be rude to Father Berum, but... so what?

    Ian was the one being entertained, and he had the right to enjoy himself as he pleased.

    But just then.

    "Move aside."

    "... Pardon?"

    "I said, move your ass."

    Belenka created space by smacking the woman''s bottom.

    The woman red at Belenka with an expression full of discontent.

    Ian sincerely admired that woman''s incredible courage.

    Wow... Is she doing this even knowing Belenka is a knight?

    Belenka smirked as she brushed off the women''s res, then calmly ordered.

    "It''s cramped here. All of you, go outside and dance."

    "... What did you say?!"

    Belenka nced at Ian, who immediately looked at Father Berum and said.

    "That sounds like a good idea, doesn''t it?"

    "Get your butts moving! Don''t you hear Lord Ian wants to see you dance!"

    "... Yes, sir."

    The women shut their mouths tight and reluctantly shuffled to the center of the tent, looking like they''d rather die than leave.

    Belenka stared at them intently, her expression unchanging.

    What are you gonna do if you''re not happy? What can you do?

    Just shake your asses out there. My ambitious friends?

    A quick-witted musician immediately started ying a dance tune.

    Belenka whispered as she poured wine into Ian''s cup.

    "You looked ufortable. Did I butt in unnecessarily?"

    Ian smiled and replied.

    "No. Thanks, Belenka."

    Though they were having a secret conversation, from afar it looked like lovers sharing an intimate moment.

    Father Berum clicked his tongue.

    No wonder... he showed no reaction even with beautiful women around.

    His girlfriend was right next to him! (Not true)

    Father Berum was convinced as he looked at Belenka''s radiant face.

    Of course. A great wizard would naturally be dating such a lovely foreigner! Certainly!

    Father Berum abandoned his n to win Ian''s favor through beautiful women and moved on to the next stage.

    "So, Lord Ian, where are you headed?"

    "I''m going to the Imperial University in Dranheim."

    "The Imperial University! How splendid!"

    In a certain small country in the East, anyone with money can go to university, but.

    In fact, universities were originally high-level educational institutions that only schrs with umted knowledge could enter.

    In an era where even learning to read was difficult, umting knowledge was truly challenging.

    "When I was young, I wanted to go to university too. But I gave up because I had no money."

    "I see."

    Ian half-listened, but judging by Berum''s attitude, he seemed half-serious.

    "My older brother was a greedy man. He hoarded all the family fortune, and I had no choice but to be a priest."

    As expected.

    Berum was the second son of a noble family.

    It was natural in this Holy Empire for the firstborn to inherit the family and the second son to leave home and be a priest.

    Ian immediately sensed it.

    This is exactly the type of person Father Isi really dislikes...

    Father Isi was wary of the corruption of Heaven''s Faith.

    Heaven''s Faith was clearly a religion for the masses, meant for all people.

    But priests from noble backgrounds were gradually turning the order into a hierarchical power structure.

    No matter how renowned Father Isi was, it was impossible for him to stop this historical trend.

    In a few hundred years, they''d probably be selling indulgences to make money.

    "Father, where are you headed?"

    Father Berum answered jovially.

    "I''m going to Count Dufel''s domain!"

    Coincidentally, Ian''s destination ovepped.

    Ian had also nned to resupply in Count Dufel''s domain.

    "Count Dufel passed away recently, you see."

    "... He died?"

    Ian tilted his head for a moment.

    Imperial funerals were, of course, officiated by priests.

    The reason Father Berum was heading to Count Dufel''s domain was probably to conduct the funeral and serve as a witness for the session of titles.

    But that raised a question.

    ... Doesn''t Count Dufel''s domain have its own priest?

    Heaven''s Faith priests have ''parishes''. Simply put, a parish is the designated area each priest is responsible for.

    There was no reason for Father Berum,ing from another region, to handle the sacraments in Count Dufel''s domain.

    "But, the priest of Count Dufel''s domain..."

    "Ah. That fellow had a bit of trouble. I agreed to take over for him."

    "... I see."

    Although he felt a bit uneasy, Ian let it slide.

    It''s not like Ian knew all the details of Count Dufel''s domain anyway. It wasn''t his ce to interfere.

    "I was nning to stop by Count Dufel''s domain too. I guess we''ll be traveling together until the end?"

    "Haha! What a coincidence! Surely heaven is watching over us!"

    Though there was a suspicious smell in the air, Ian had no intention of parting ways with Father Berum.

    The beds werefortable and the food was delicious!

    Since he''d decided to leech off him anyway, he might as well stick to him like a leech and suck him dry until the end!

    ''This meat is fucking delicious.''

    Ian thought as he cut into the steak that melted in his mouth.

    Father Berum loved luxury so much that the skills of the cook he hired were top-notch.

    In the bountiful modern society, searching for local restaurants and going around was considered a culinary journey.

    But in this deste medieval fantasy world, opportunities to taste such gourmet food were rare.

    "Father. Those girls don''t seem to want to dance. Their expressions are..."

    "What?! Get those asses moving properly before I have them spanked!"

    "Eep..."

    Ian tormented the women who had been clinging to him persistently just moments ago while leisurely enjoying his meal.

    ------

    The exciting culinary journey with Father Berum wasing to an end.

    After eating and drinking merrily, they had suddenly arrived at Count Dufel''s domain.

    "Oh..."

    "Haha. You seem surprised. It''s quite a magnificent ce, isn''t it?"

    Surprisingly, Count Dufel''s domain had a proper city.

    It was a city called ''Heltingen'' ruled by Count Dufel.

    Until now, Ian had only seen domains with huts surrounded by wooden fences (Barony of Talian) or those with modest castles built (Barony of Kaltz).

    This was almost the first time Ian had seen a city protected by real medieval-style walls.

    A natural moat using the river and high outer walls.

    Inside the walls were rows of tall two-story houses, and further in was the inner castle where the lord and distinguished guests resided.

    It was a beautiful scene straight out of a European postcard.

    ... Actually, it might be more suitable as a default Windows wallpaper, but anyway, Heltingen was a proper medieval fantasy city.

    "Uncle. Now that we''re here, shouldn''t we part ways with that wizard..."

    "Get lost, you horse-lover."

    "..."

    Zenik felt like he was going crazy with frustration.

    No, I''m! Not! A horse-lover!!!

    But no matter how much he protested, his uncle, who had already been bewitched(?) by the wizard, wouldn''t listen to a word Zenik said.

    Zenik was treated like leftovers even in Heltingen.

    "Wee! Father Berum! We''ve been waiting for you with bated breath!"

    "Haha! Don''t lose your head now! Young Master Fin."

    Ian followed Berum and immediately met the lord.

    The lord''s name was Fin.

    He was the son of thete Count Dufel and would soon be the new count.

    Though called ''young master'', he was in his mid tote 30s.

    If the count doesn''t die, you''re still ''young master'' whether you''re 30 or 40.

    Just like how there was a man called ''prince'' even at 70 because the queen lived too long.

    "We need to execute the will quickly..."

    "Oh my. My legs are so sore from traveling so far. I wish I could rest in a soft bed..."

    Does he really need a soft bed? Or does he need soft breasts?

    Ian was suspicious, but anyway, when Berumined of fatigue andy down, Fin was at a loss for words.

    What can you do when a priest says he doesn''t want to work?

    Fin whispered secretly to Berum.

    "Father... If we don''t execute that bastard quickly, I''ll be in trouble!"

    "Don''t be so impatient. You''ve already caught him, haven''t you? If a future lord gets anxious over trivial matters, what will your subordinates think?"

    "... I understand. I was too hasty."

    Ian stood there nkly, listening to their secret? conversation.

    What the... They''re treating Ian like he''s some kind of invisible man or scarecrow.

    Is this like some grand strategy game where anyone below the rank of baron isn''t considered human?

    Finding it ridiculous, Ian asked Father Berum directly.

    "Who is the lord nning to kill?"

    "Ah. There''s such a person. Count Dufel''s bastard son."

    Berum spoke nonchntly.

    "What was it, Baron Mud or something? Quite a famous thief."

    "???"

    Ian''s jaw dropped.

    ''Count Dufel''s bastard son'' was, ridiculously enough, someone Ian knew.

    Baron Mud.

    In the past, he had hired the wizard Inn to try to rob Talian''s ancestral tomb, only to be chased away by Ian!

    He hadpletely forgotten about him...

    He''s about to be executed!

    "That''s good news, isn''t it?"

    "Indeed. They say he lived by digging up other people''s graves, so the empire benefits from the death of such a man."

    Ian vowed to make sure he watched Baron Mud''s execution...!

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 Chapter 228

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Baron Mud''s execution could have happened at any time, but surprisingly, the date wasn''t set immediately.

    The reason, of course,y with Father Berum.

    "It''s probably a power struggle," Belenka said matter-of-factly.

    For some reason, Lord Fin had asked Father Berum for help instead of the domain''s own priest.

    Typically, nobles and priests have an equal rtionship.They each have their own exclusive domains, so they don''t carelessly interfere with each other.

    But now it''s different.

    The noble asked the priest for help first, and the priest responded bying!

    Lord Fin probably wants to use Berum and get rid of him as soon as possible.

    On the other hand, Berum will try to squeeze as much benefit as he can out of Lord Fin.

    The result is this ''power struggle''.

    Father Berum was deliberately dragging out Baron Mud''s execution to show off his authority.

    If Lord Fin bows and gives in, he''ll probably smile with satisfaction and grant his wish.

    But Fin wasn''t aplete pushover, so he kept negotiating with Father Berum every day.

    "I wish we could watch the execution and leave soon."

    "Why don''t you go y with the nobles?"

    Belenka, aplete outsider, had quickly disappeared from the lord''s attention.

    For the master of such an impressive city, a visit from a wandering knight was just a trivial event.

    "They won''t see me."

    "?"

    Belenka was slightly surprised by Ian''s answer.

    Lord Fin is refusing to meet with Ian?

    Is he really that busy?

    "Are you serious?"

    "I''m telling you, it''s true."

    Ian muttered as if he''d lost interest.

    Having acted as a wizard in this medieval fantasy world, Ian was used to receivingvish treatment from all sorts of nobles.

    It''s only natural for nobles to entertain wizards!

    But right now, Ian was facing an unexpected situation.

    The appearance of... a noble who wasn''t interested in wizards.

    Honestly, there''s not much a wizard can do in this situation.

    Wizards are popr because they''re useful and can do incredible things.

    If a noble rejects a wizard, what can the wizard do?

    Just pack up and go meet another noble.

    "He didn''t even do the ''Calling a Wizard'' thing."

    "That is surprising."

    Calling a Wizard was an exciting event for nobles.

    It was a chance to see amazing magic and reenact the etiquette of the old Golden Empire!

    But surprisingly, Lord Fin had skipped even that.

    Even country lords who didn''t know how to do it properly would still try to force a Calling a Wizard.

    He''s kicking away this super fun event by himself?

    But considering that Calling a Wizard is the process of inviting a wizard to the pce, this was a natural result.

    Lord Fin had no intention of meeting Ian in the first ce.

    "He said if I need anything, I should talk to the treasurer and take it."

    "... This is no way to treat a guest."

    Belenka muttered, genuinely angry.

    Nobles don''t share food and travel supplies with wizards because they''re pushovers.

    It''s to build connections with wizards, hear about what''s going on in the world, and sometimes borrow the wizard''s wisdom.

    But he won''t meet and just tells him to take stuff?

    There are people in this world who go from house to house, eating and sleeping for free.

    We usually call such people [beggars].

    Lord Fin''s attitude was just like this.

    ''Ah~ I don''t care about wizards or whatever~ If you''re hungry, go get some bread from the kitchen and scram~''

    He was treating Ian not as a wizard, but like some wandering jester.

    Ian felt more curious than angry.

    What on earth is he doing that he''s ignoring a wizard''s visit and only clinging to Father Berum?

    "I''ll go with you if you want toin."

    "Nah. There''s nothing toin about."

    Even Ian, who was used to acting like a wizard, had some decency.

    Wow! The other person is giving free food but won''t meet me! Should we go beat him up? If you ask that, you''re a pure psychopath.

    Where else can you get free food?

    Even if the other person is being a bit of a jerk, it''s a level you can tolerate.

    Why? Because you can just leave after getting supplies!

    "Everyone seems busy, so let''s just kill some time and leave."

    "Oh ho. Then I''ll go check out the market."

    "The market?"

    "The hand mirror I was using broke. You can find good stuff in cities like this."

    Recently, Ian had put a handful of gold coins in Belenka''s hand. It was gold from raiding the dragon''sir.

    Now that she had money, she was off to enjoy some exciting shopping.

    Ian thought about sightseeing in the city too... but decided to try meeting Lord Fin onest time.

    It would be a tiny bit awkward to just eat and run without saying anything.

    "Let''s go."

    Alone for the first time in a while, Ian leisurely strolled towards the lord''s manor.

    ''It might have been fun to be born in a city.''

    Ian, who had only seen deste medieval wastnds until now, was almost moved by the city scenery he hadn''t seen in a long time.

    Of course, the ground was full of dirt and mud, dirty horses and carriages were running around freely.

    Grimy children were scurrying around like rats, it was a medieval-city after all...

    But still, a city is a city.

    Just look at how densely packed people are living together.

    This ce reeking of human smell (stench) is exactly what a city is.

    "Huh?"

    On his way, Ian ran into a familiar face.

    "You!"

    "Looking good. Horse-lover?"

    It was the thug knight Zenik.

    He was marching proudly down the street with prostitutes hanging on both arms.

    As soon as he saw Ian''s face, Zenik''s blood pressure shot up.

    "Stop with the horse-lover crap!!!"

    Zenik had tried to break Ian''s magic? in his own way.

    He had tried to show his uncle how well he got along with his mare!

    He figured his horse, which he rode hard every day, wouldn''t reject its owner.

    ... But the result was shocking.

    Zenik''s mare had taken a step back as soon as Zenik approached!

    Thanks to that, he got smacked on the back of the head by Father Berum, who said, ''Don''te on too strong! You pervert!''

    Zenik felt like he was going crazy!

    "I! Like! Human! Women!!!"

    When Zenik shouted at the top of his lungs, Ian covered his ears.

    Ugh~ I don''t want to hear this~

    "You tell him! How much I love women!"

    "Of course~ Our knight really loves women~"

    "He hasn''t let us rest for a single day~"

    Ian let the prostitutes'' testimony go in one ear and out the other.

    What did he care about Zenik''s preferences?

    "So. Did you sneak out of the castle because you wanted to hold women?"

    "Well... yeah."

    "Why? There must be plenty of beauties in the castle too, right? Especially to entertain your uncle."

    Birds of a feather flock together, and both Berum and Zenik were men who loved alcohol and women to an extreme degree.

    Of course, Zenik goes crazy for alcohol and women.

    But... this bastard was out here spending his own money to meet prostitutes.

    Why?

    Ian came to a simple conclusion.

    It was a conclusion Ian had experienced once before.

    "Well, that''s..."

    "Whatever. I get it. You got kicked out, didn''t you?"

    "!"

    Zenik''s face turned bright red.

    He chased away all the prostitutes and whispered to Ian.

    "No...! Why are you doing this to me!"

    "Doing what?"

    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry for hitting on your woman! So please, just leave me alone!"

    Ian smirked.

    He seems disappointed about not being able to join the important and grand banquet of Lord Fin and Father Berum...

    Ian is in the same boat, having been turned away at the door.

    "Tell me what your uncle is up to."

    "The, the curse..."

    "Curse?"

    Ian tilted his head.

    Did I put a curse on him?

    "The curse that makes my mare avoid me!"

    "Ah."

    It wasn''t difficult.

    Ian said he understood and listened to Zenik''s exnation.

    After hearing it, it turned out Father Berum was cooperating in quite an interesting affair.

    "Uncle is... forging Count Dufel''s will right now."

    "Haha. This is crazy."

    His mouth wasughing, but his mind was a mess.

    What? Forging a will?

    Are they really insane?

    "Originally, Count Dufel wrote in his will, ''I''ll pass on the next count title to whoever finds our ancestor''s lost treasure.''"

    "And?"

    "But Lord Fin, who was suspicious of his father, opened the will on his own."

    "..."

    "Lord Fin kicked out the priest and asked my uncle for help. He wants him to change the will to say ''The title is passed on to the most legitimate bloodline.''"

    Ian was at a loss for words.

    As soon as he heard ''changing the will'', he sensed this wasn''t just any messed up situation...

    But this is too much!

    How are they going to deal with the aftermath?

    But Ian shook his head.

    Heltingen is a medieval city.

    Once you be the master of the city, you can pretty much ignore any outside pressure.

    Do it first, then leave the consequences to your future self!

    It''s the ultimate ''I''ll deal with itter''!

    "Crazy bastard..."

    Just the fact that he''s willing to forge his dead father''s will shows that Lord Fin isn''t in his right mind.

    Of course, it could mean his disappointment was so great that he lost his senses.

    He probably firmly believed he''d be the next count without question...

    Then out of nowhere, he gets a quest to ''find the lost treasure''?

    He might have lost his reason in disappointment and acted rashly in anger.

    But that''s not important.

    "What''s this treasure the dead count wanted?"

    "How, how should I know?"

    "Tsk. You''re useless."

    "???"

    Zenik made a face like he couldn''t believe it.

    I... I just shared extremely important information with you!

    "I''ll lift the curse. Though I''m not sure if it is a curse."

    "Re-really?!"

    "Yeah. I can hear the rest from Baron Mud."

    "... What?"

    Zenik was dumbfounded again.

    Baron Mud should be locked up in the tower, awaiting execution, right?

    No matter how much of a wizard Ian is, it''s impossible for him to meet Baron Mud.

    You think Lord Fin would let Ian meet Baron Mud just because he''s gone crazy?

    "... Give it up. Even if you''re a great wizard, if you upset the lord now, you''ll end up in jail too."

    "?"

    For a moment, Ian didn''t understand what Zenik was saying.

    This bastard...

    Did he think Ian would naively run to Lord Fin and say ''Please open the door~''?

    How empty is his head!

    Ian honestly expressed his current feelings.

    "Are you stupid?"

    "What?!"

    "Of course I''m going to meet him secretly."

    "..."

    Zenik was at a loss for words at Ian''s wi-se answer.

    Yeah, you''re so damn smart.

    You''re the best...

    But you know what.

    How the hell are you going to ''secretly'' enter a tower with only one entrance! You wizard!

    "Well, go back to what you were doing. I''m leaving."

    "W-Wait!"

    Zenik hurriedly chased after Ian.

    Ian headed towards the tower where Baron Mud was supposedly imprisoned.

    Since there was only one entrance, there were only two guards.

    Ian looked up at the sky casually.

    A day with a strong tailwind blowing.

    Perfect weather for using magic.

    "[Oh wind!]"

    Ian closed his eyes and concentrated.

    He could hear the wind whispering.

    Ian conveyed his will to as many wind mysteries as possible.

    "[Rise up!]"

    Ian''s air magic level was 5.

    A level 5 air wizard can use the power of wind to lift people into the air.

    Zenik, who had hurriedly followed Ian, lost his mind at the overwhelming sight before his eyes.

    "Huh...?"

    A person... is floating.

    A whirlwind was lifting a person into the air!

    "Wow...! Wow!"

    This time, Zenik lost his ability to speak.

    Because he saw Ian flying into the sky!

    Look at that!

    It''s a flying wizard!!!

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 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    Baron Mud''s capture by Lord Fin was purely coincidental.

    Born as Count Dufel''s illegitimate son, Baron Mud had never known the glory of nobility and instead wandered as a vagabond.

    All he''d learned was petty theft, robbery, and grave robbing.

    Needing to survive day by day, Baron Mud picked up various skills from veteran thieves.

    Eventually, realizing grave robbing was his forte, Baron Mud decided to specialize in it."Huh?"

    While robbing graves as usual, Baron Mud found something unexpected.

    "What''s this?"

    Being an elite thief who could read and write, Baron Mud carefully read the text on the item.

    "Treasure? Northern people''s treasure?"

    It was none other than... a treasure map.

    It contained a brief history about the northern people and the House of Dufel.

    Though it seemed like digging might yield interesting items...

    "Better sell it."

    Baron Mud decided to sell the treasure map without much thought.

    He figured it wasn''t worth wasting time chasing after treasures that might not even exist.

    Fortunately, some rich sucker bought Baron Mud''s treasure map.

    "Wow...! So this map shows where the northern people''s treasure is hidden?"

    "Hehe. Of course it does!"

    Having pocketed the money, that should have been the end of it.

    Baron Mud was ready to move on.

    nning to forget about itpletely and move on to his next job...

    "Found you, bastard!"

    "What the?"

    Out of nowhere, thugs appeared and kidnapped Baron Mud.

    When he came to, he was in Heltingen''s lord''s manor.

    "You! Where did you hide the treasure map?"

    "Treasure map...?"

    "The one you stole from the grave!"

    The man standing before Baron Mud was Lord Fin, the temporary master of Heltingen.

    Lord Fin had just finished his cute and precious son-like act of secretly peeking at his dead father''s will.

    Startled, Lord Fin had ordered an immediate investigation into what this "treasure" his father mentioned was.

    And the investigation revealed that Baron Mud, that worthless bastard who deserved to be boiled alive, had stolen and sold the only treasure map...!

    Lord Fin was dumbfounded.

    What would happen when the will was announced?

    What about his title as count?

    Was he supposed to watch some random schmuck dere "I found the treasure, so I''m the next Count Dufel!"?

    Though such a im would never be epted, Lord Fin was still anxious.

    Heltingen was a city. That meant many people had vested interests in it.

    Medieval cities desperately wanted independence from their lords, while lords wanted to keep their grip on these golden geese.

    Therefore, Lord Fin needed a session that was beyond any doubt.

    Even the possibility of someone finding fault with it was intolerable.

    "My lord! What are you doing?"

    "...Go back to the priest''s quarters."

    Count Dufel''s elderly priest tried to protect Baron Mud.

    The priest had helped write the deceased Count Dufel''s will. Naturally, he knew its contents and that Baron Mud could potentially be the next Count Dufel.

    "My lord, everyone in the city knows that Arc is thete count''s illegitimate son."

    "So what?"

    "With session so close at hand, what will the citizens think if they see you killing your half-brother?"

    "..."

    Unlike the countryside, cities had strong civilian power.

    Unlike rural domains where lords wielded absolute power, noble families in cities had to consider public opinion. Suchrgemunities were difficult for one person to controlpletely.

    "As a priest of Heaven''s Faith, I cannot stand by while you kill a brother who has no right to session."

    "No right to session?"

    "Of course not. Unless... perhaps you''re not confident about bing count?"

    Lord Fin was furious at the priest''s impudent words.

    This bastard who knew the will''s contents had some nerve!

    Though Lord Fin also knew the contents, he had to pretend he didn''t.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about! I''m simply executing this shameless thief who robbed our ancestors'' graves ording to thew!"

    "Then dy the execution until the will is announced."

    The priest wanted Lord Fin to prove he wasn''t trying to kill his brother, but a criminal.

    Lord Fin showed his determination by imprisoning Baron Mud.

    While reassuring the priest this way...

    He secretly plotted to rece Count Dufel''s priest with Father Berum and make some slight adjustments to the will.

    "What a mess this is."

    Baron Mud sighed deeply.

    Though he was Count Dufel''s illegitimate son, he''d never received any support from the count.

    Just the blood of nobility in name only.

    He''d lived his whole life as a petty thief and grave robber...

    And now they were treating him like some bastard after the count''s title?

    Baron Mud tried everything to escape the tower, but it was useless.

    Underground would''ve been different, but trapped up high like this, he had no options.

    That''s when it happened.

    "Up we go."

    "What?"

    Beyond the tower window... a person appeared.

    Baron Mud''s eyes went wide.

    What the... Wasn''t this the top of a high tower?

    "No iron bars here. Nice. I guess if you get depressed you can just jump to your death?"

    "...An angel?"

    Baron Mud immediately had religious thoughts upon seeing the young man.

    Could this person be an angel sent by heaven to save him?!

    But soon after recognizing the young man''s face, Baron Mud could only be shocked.

    "Y-y-you...!"

    "Long time no see, ''Baron Mud''. Or well, is this actually our first proper meeting?"

    It was him.

    The wizard he''d met at the Barony of Talian''s graveyard!

    "Ian Eredith Raven!"

    "Oh. You know my name well?"

    As his literacy showed, Baron Mud was surprisingly intellectual for a thief.

    And information gathering was essential for thieves!

    After being chased away by Ian, Baron Mud had investigated and memorized information about Wizard Ian.

    ...So he could run away properly if they ever met again.

    "H-how did you get up here?!"

    So shocked, Baron Mud asked that first.

    Ian replied as if it was obvious.

    "I used magic."

    "...Magic?"

    "What did you expect from a wizard? Don''t tell me you thought I used climbing gloves?"

    Honestly... he had.

    Baron Mud had kind of hoped Ian had used some amazing invention to climb the tower.

    Then he might''ve been able to borrow it...!

    "What''s a wizard doing here?"

    Though his tone was calm, Baron Mud couldn''t suppress his rising hopes.

    Whether by magic or whatever, the wizard had visited the tower secretly.

    That alone deserved bonus points in his mind.

    "I have a few questions."

    Baron Mud was slightly dumbfounded.

    He climbed all the way up this high tower just to ask questions?

    But he quickly shook his head.

    His opponent was a wizard. Common sense didn''t apply...!

    "Have a seat! I''d offer you proper hospitality, but I''ve got nothing here. Hahaha!"

    Baron Mudughed happily as he offered Ian a seat.

    Of course, it was just bravado.

    I don''t know why he''s here, but I must get his help...!

    To Baron Mud, Ian was his only lifeline.

    A lifeline he''d surely die without!

    "You must be doing alright if you can joke around. Confident you can escape?"

    Ian said mockingly.

    Ian had no reason to be kind to him.

    Hadn''t Baron Mud fought Ian to the death before?

    "...Come now, friend. The past is the past. Shall we make peace?"

    Peace my ass.

    Ian scoffed. He was just here to ask questions. He''d calmly decide what to do next based on what information Baron Mud provided.

    The choice was Ian''s anyway.

    "If you want to make peace with me, you''ll need to exin things very well."

    "O-of course!"

    "Good. Baron Mud. Let''s talk about House Dufel''s lost ''treasure'', shall we?"

    Baron Mud''s eyes lit up.

    Both Lord Fin and this young wizard had great interest in House Dufel''s treasure.

    That was Baron Mud''s chance for survival.

    Stuttering, Baron Mud shared everything he knew.

    "Do you... know that the imperial people originally came from the north?"

    "Yes, I know."

    Baron Mud nodded.

    Most ignorant Holy Empire people didn''t know, but the imperial people''s roots were in the north.

    "When our ancestors came down from the north to the empire, they brought some northern treasures with them. House Dufel''s treasure is one of those."

    "Northern treasure?"

    The ancient northern people had brought these items when they moved to the empire.

    "It was lost several generations ago, now only passed down in records."

    "Do you know anything about it?"

    "...I heard a few things from my ''father'' when I was young. House Dufel''s treasure is a [Holy Painting]."

    "Holy Painting?"

    Ian first thought of Heaven''s Faith religious paintings but shook his head.

    If northerners brought it, it must be northern religious art, right?

    Ian had been to the north.

    Worship of Hrundal, the Ice God, wasmon there.

    "Do you know about the pagan goddess ''Hrundal''?"

    "Very well. She''s the goddess northern shamans worship."

    "...Is there anything you don''t know?"

    Baron Mud was freshly surprised by Ian''s knowledge.

    Knowing about imperial roots and pagan goddesses...

    Wizards really were knowledgeable.

    "Father said it was a painting the goddess herself drew and bestowed. Just looking at it fills you with courage to face any enemy, only men can see it, and women who look at it die on the spot."

    It did sound like something an ancient barbarian tribe would receive.

    Group buff effect + only men can look, women die if they see it?

    "This smells like magic."

    Hearing Baron Mud''s exnation, Ian grew curious about House Dufel''s treasure.

    First, the part about Hrundal personally drawing and bestowing it was interesting.

    An item drawn and given by a goddess who enjoyed painting?

    Like Ian''s Arcana cards, it wouldn''t be strange if it held some magical power.

    "Why would she draw such a strange painting?"

    Ian tilted his head, remembering Hrundal''s cold expression.

    She hadn''t seemed like someone who''d enjoy making weird items...

    Was this just proof that human thinking couldn''t understand goddesses?

    "Hoho. Ian. Do you want House Dufel''s treasure too?"

    Baron Mud had no doubt Ian wanted the treasure.

    A painting with mysterious powers!

    What curious wizard wouldn''t want to investigate it?

    "Then I, the noble of elegant grave robbing, Baron Mud, am your best choice for finding it!"

    "Hmm..."

    "By the way, I''m the only one who knows where the treasure map is!"

    That wasn''t wrong.

    After all, Baron Mud was the one who''d sold it...!

    He nned to try tracking it down once he escaped.

    It wouldn''t be easy, but if he failed he could just run away.

    "Treasure map?"

    "Yes! The one and only map showing where House Dufel''s treasure is hidden..."

    Ian remembered something and searched his clothes.

    He pulled out a well-folded map.

    Ian silently unfolded it.

    "..."

    "..."

    Baron Mud and Ian fell silent simultaneously.

    Finally, Baron Mud spoke.

    "Where... did you get that?"

    "Professor Inn gave it to me."

    In Ian''s hands was none other than House Dufel''s treasure map...!

    Inn had been captured while searching for it.

    After defeating Karenne, Inn had given it to Ian!

    Ian felt strange remembering Inn''s bright smile.

    Professor, so you can actually find useful things sometimes...?

    "That old geezer''s still obsessed with treasure hunting?!"

    "You''re talking a lot for someone who made money off that treasure hunting."

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 Chapter 230

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    ''Let me sort this out.''

    Ian calmly analyzed the current situation.

    ''Lord Fin has given up on finding House Dufel''s treasure.''

    The reason was unclear.

    Maybe he didn''t want to waste time and money on treasure hunting. Or perhaps his bitterness toward his father made him stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the treasure''s existence.Lord Fin had chosen to alter his father''s will rather than search for the treasure.

    ''But Baron Mud can find the treasure.''

    The treasure map was in Ian''s hands.

    Plus, Baron Mud was a veteran thief seasoned in exploring dangerous ces.

    Therefore, Ian had several options.

    ''If I side with Lord Fin.''

    Since Ian had the treasure map, he could help Lord Fin search for the treasure.

    In this case, Lord Fin could dere himself the rightful heir without the messy business of forging the will.

    However...

    ''The reward might be lousy?''

    The problem was that Lord Fin might just m up after finding the treasure.

    After all, Ian was just a wandering wizard, while Lord Fin would be Heltingen''s supreme authority once he seeded.

    He''d obviously try to pay Ian off with just a few gold coins.

    But Ian didn''t really need gold.

    He''d already gotten a chest full of it from killing the dragon...

    Magical items or enhancement materials for Anor-lsil would be better than gold.

    ''If I side with Baron Mud.''

    This was high risk, high reward.

    If sessful, House Dufel''s treasure might fall right into Ian''s hands.

    Moreover, Baron Mud... might even be the next Count Dufel.

    If the previous count''s will was properly executed!

    That would put the city''s ruler deeply in Ian''s debt, which would be beneficial in many ways.

    ''...I think it''s better to encourage Baron Mud.''

    Ian felt more drawn to Baron Mud''s side than Lord Fin''s.

    Someone who''d alter his father''s will probably wouldn''t keep his promises either.

    He''d already brought in Father Berum and the two were clearly in cahoots.

    Though Ian didn''t know much about Father Berum, he knew well enough that he wasn''t exactly righteous.

    Birds of a feather flock together - Ian had no interest in getting friendly with Berum''s partner.

    ''Still, might as well try talking.''

    It might end up being their final conversation, but.

    Ian chose dialogue anyway.

    It was a sort of upational habit he''d developed as a wizard.

    If words might work, try talking first!

    Even if Lord Fin wasn''t trustworthy, talking would be better than not talking at all.

    Though he didn''t expect much, Ian prepared several spells before deciding to meet Lord Fin.

    If he didn''t like either Baron Mud or Lord Fin, Ian figured he could search for the treasure alone.

    Though that would mean postponing the treasure hunt for a while.

    "Baron Mud. How much do you know about the current situation?"

    "Hmm. That I''m about to get fucked over by Lord Fin?"

    "You know quite a bit."

    From the looks of it, Baron Mud clearly knew nothing about the previous count''s will.

    ...Ian realized just how much high-level information Zenik had spilled.

    If Father Berum found outter, a simple scolding wouldn''t cover it.

    "Baron Mud. There might be one way for you to survive..."

    "!"

    When Ian started with the implication he could help him survive, Baron Mud immediately rushed over like a desperate man.

    As expected!

    That wizard was interested in House Dufel''s treasure!

    "What is it! Just tell me!"

    "...No. Forget it."

    "What?"

    "I''lle backter. If I don''t return, guess it wasn''t meant to be~"

    "..."

    Baron Mud''s jaw dropped.

    Wait, didn''t he just say he''d help?!

    And now he''s just leaving?!

    What kind of asshole...!

    Just like a wizard, he was an incredibly entric bastard!

    "Wh-What?!"

    Ian leaped out the window.

    Baron Mud rushed to look outside, but there was no sttered corpse to be found.

    ...Ian was slowly descending to the ground, wrapped in wind.

    ''A-Amazing magic...''

    Though Baron Mud didn''t know Ian''s magical capabilities well.

    He believed a wizard of that level could definitely save him.

    Either way, Ian was Baron Mud''s only hope right now.

    ''No choice but to trust and wait.''

    Baron Mud silently stared up at the ceiling.

    #

    As nned, Ian decided to visit Lord Fin.

    "Wow...! You really are an amazing wizard!"

    Zenik was chattering away beside him, but Ian ignored him.

    "That... flying magic! Could I try it?"

    "Of course you can."

    "Then! Right now..."

    "Study diligently under a good master for 10 years, and you''ll definitely be able to do it."

    "..."

    Zenik was dumbfounded by Ian''s response.

    Don''t teach me how to fish, just give me the damn fish!

    What lunatic would study for 10 years just to fly once?!

    It was basically a roundabout way of telling him to get lost.

    "There might be trouble, so keep your distance."

    "What?"

    "Rolling around with prostitutes will keep anyone from suspecting you."

    Ian patted Zenik''s shoulder and headed for the lord''s manor.

    "Halt!"

    "I''m Wizard Ian. I''d like to meet Lord Fin."

    "You cannot enter. Turn back."

    Ian smirked and snapped his fingers.

    Then something creepy happened.

    The guards'' shadows started moving on their own!

    "Aah! What the fuck! What is this!"

    The guards copsed in shock.

    They had no idea what was happening, but independently moving shadows were terrifying!

    "Do you think I need your permission to pass through this gate?"

    "..."

    "I''m just being polite to avoid making a scene."

    Ian stepped forward.

    The guards jumped in terror.

    That pitch-ck hair and those pitch-ck eyes...

    And that bizarre shadow-controlling magic!

    "Uh... uh..."

    "Won''t you step aside?"

    The guard transcended a millennium to embrace future civilization.

    In other words, he became an automatic door.

    "P-Please enter!"

    As the guards parted like the Red Sea, Ian walked through with a light smile.

    Lord Fin sat in his office, lost in thought.

    His face soured as soon as he saw Ian.

    "I believe I said no visitors? Wizard?"

    "I have important matters to discuss, my lord."

    "I''m in the middle of handling very important business..."

    "It''s about thete count''s will."

    "!"

    Lord Fin''s eyes went wide with shock.

    How the hell does he know about that?!

    But Lord Fin quickly regained hisposure.

    The will... well, they could talk about it. It hadn''t been announced yet!

    "I''ll be direct."

    Ian said with a grin.

    "I can bring you ''that item'' you desire."

    "!!!"

    Lord Fin was shocked again.

    Wait, that''s right! Holy shit!

    How the fuck does he know?!

    Though full of questions, Lord Fin could somehow ept this situation.

    Well, his opponent was a wizard after all!

    It wouldn''t be strange for them to have weird abilities.

    As for the will... he must have found out somehow. Damn it.

    "Let me ask one thing."

    "Go ahead."

    "Are you the only one who knows about the ''will''?"

    Father Berum''s nephew knows too.

    But Ian concealed that information as he answered.

    The more mysterious a wizard seemed, the better.

    "Of course. I haven''t told anyone."

    "Haha. Good... then!"

    As soon as Ian finished speaking.

    Lord Fin leaped up and drew his sword!

    "?"

    An incredibly swift movement.

    Ian finally realized that Lord Fin was a properly trained swordsman.

    Swordsmanship was basic education for nobles.

    My lord''s sword was quite fierce!

    ''He won''t even listen?!''

    Though dumbfounded, Ian understood Lord Fin''s reaction.

    This was a secret operation, and he''d probably already finished negotiating with Father Berum.

    Things weren''t good enough to pretend nothing happened and order Ian to find the treasure!

    From Lord Fin''s perspective, the treasure didn''t matter anymore.

    He''d already prepared everything to be count, so who cared about treasure!

    Better to kill the wizard here than risk being manipted.

    Wizards were suspicious characters after all!

    ''So that''s how it is.''

    Lord Fin intended to silence Ian permanently.

    And this was within Ian''s expectations.

    ''So much for trying to talk.''

    Ian grumbled internally.

    Since bing a wizard, he''d developed the habit of trying dialogue first.

    But Lord Fin rejected conversation.

    "[Arno! Isil!]"

    Ian immediately summoned the mystery of the sword.

    Anor-lsil shot out from his waist like lightning!

    ng!

    "What?!"

    Lord Fin couldn''t believe his eyes as he stared at the ''sword'' that had blocked him.

    The sword... was flying!

    A flying sword!

    "What is this...!"

    Lord Fin was startled momentarily but quickly regained hisposure.

    A wizard having magic items was natural, in a way.

    Lord Fin called for the guards.

    "Is anyone out there! There''s an assassin here!"

    Ian just smirked.

    Ah. So that''s how you want to y it?

    "I don''t know what made you bold enough toe alone! But this will be your grave! Wizard!"

    Guards waiting outside rushed in instantly.

    Lord Fin pointed his sword at Ian and shouted triumphantly.

    However.

    Despite being surrounded by over a dozen soldiers, Ian remained calm.

    He''de prepared for the worst case scenario, with plenty of spells ready.

    And Ian''s specialty was dark magic.

    "How disappointing, my lord."

    "Y-You bastard...! Still so arrogant...!"

    "I''ll take your rejection of my offer and withdraw."

    Suddenly.

    Pitch-ck darkness began surging from beneath Ian''s feet...!

    "W-What is this!"

    "I can''t see anything!"

    The soldiers shouted in panic.

    Lord Fin also jumped in shock and quickly scrambled under his desk.

    If the wizard held a grudge and came to kill him, he''d be finished!

    "Catch him! Catch the wizard!"

    The soldiers iled their arms around but grabbed nothing.

    Only.

    [May your path be filled with thorns, my lord.]

    The wizard''s voice echoed emptily in the darkness.

    It was a mysterious voice prophesying an ominous future.

    "Ah..."

    An eerie foreboding washed over Lord Fin.

    Only then did he frantically shout.

    "W-Wait! Come back! Wizard! Let''s! Let''s talk about this!"

    "..."

    The darkness vanished.

    Ian''s presence had disappeared like magic.

    Lord Fin turned pale.

    ''I''m fucked...!''

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 Chapter 231

    TL/Editor: raei

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    Chaos erupted in the lord''s manor.

    "My lord! What is the meaning of this! What happened?"

    Father Berum, who had been about to wrap things up, was hit with this bolt from the blue.

    He stood there dumbfounded.

    What? Wizard Ian broke into the lord''s manor?Failed in an assassination attempt on Lord Fin?

    That made no sense...

    Seeing that nothing added up, Father Berum immediately questioned Lord Fin.

    Lord Fin exined while dripping cold sweat.

    "He... knows about our n."

    "So you branded him an assassin?"

    "I meant to kill him right away! But then he used some strange magic..."

    Father Berum smacked his forehead.

    This fool!

    Did he truly not understand how many tricks wizards had up their sleeves!

    "If you meant to kill him, you should have seeded!"

    "I know! But..."

    Honestly, Lord Fin felt wronged.

    It wasn''t like he knew nothing about wizards.

    All the wizards Lord Fin had met before were arrogant, self-centered idiots who lived only to show off.

    Fools who wouldn''t know what hit them until a de pierced their throat!

    Wizards were indeed vulnerable to surprise attacks.

    They didn''t have some kind of omniscient ability. Wizards were just people with unusualnguage skills, and without mysteries to borrow power from, they were just humans who talked well. ?

    If sweet talk could stop a de, every noble''s guard would be a wizard.

    Lord Fin had naturally assumed he could kill Ian.

    But who knew he''d have a flying magic sword?

    If he''d known about that artifact, Lord Fin would have moved more carefully!

    ''Of all people to mess with, it had to be Ian...!''

    Father Berum also felt an ominous chill.

    During their brief time traveling together, Father Berum had learned all about Ian''s religious connections.

    Ian wasn''t someone you could suppress with authority.

    Not only did he have strong religious backing, but he was also hailed as a hero in Talian!

    "Lord Fin! I''m washing my hands of this!"

    "What did you say?!"

    Lord Fin looked at Father Berum with a deep sense of betrayal.

    You''re abandoning the n just because we lost one wizard?

    "I don''t know how Ian discovered our n, but now that things havee to this, Ian will definitely find House Dufel''s treasure."

    "...!"

    "When Ian returns with the treasure, it''s all over. I have no intention of fighting Ian, so handle it yourself!"

    Father Berum cleanly cut ties.

    If they got into a dispute with Ian over the will, Ian would definitely bring in his connections from the Heaven''s Faith order.

    With bad luck, bishop-level or even cardinal-level priests might get involved...

    Was Father Berum crazy enough to go up against Heaven''s Faith cardinals?

    Though from a noble family, Berum was just an ordinary priest who had to mind his superiors.

    His noble background just meant some of his debauchery was overlooked.

    If the higher-ups decided to go after Berum, all he could do was cry.

    "Father... Berum!"

    "Young master, you shoulde to your senses and move quickly."

    Lord Fin started to get angry but stopped.

    With Father Berum washing his hands of it, there was only one way this could go.

    The execution of thete Count Dufel''s will...!

    "House Dufel''s treasure. If you don''t hurry, Ian will take it."

    "God damn it!"

    Lord Fin regretted his foolish actions, but the water was already spilled.

    Now all he could do was move quickly, as Father Berum said.

    "Go fetch Sir Murray!"

    "Yes sir!"

    #

    Baron Mud, who had been dozing off, jumped in shock.

    Bang!

    ''What the?!''

    Suddenly the door opened and soldiers stormed in.

    Without a word, they restrained Baron Mud.

    "Baron Mud! The lord is holding your trial now!"

    "What? A trial now?"

    Originally, Baron Mud''s execution was supposed to be dyed until the will forgery wasplete.

    But now that Father Berum had cut ties, Lord Fin had no reason to keep Baron Mud alive.

    If Baron Mud died, Ian''s power would be greatly diminished even if he found the treasure.

    Even if the will''s contents gave him the right to inherit the title, the house members wouldn''t easily ept Ian.

    How could a wandering wizard be count just for finding some treasure!

    But Baron Mud was different.

    Everyone knew he was Count Dufel''s illegitimate son.

    Whatever else, having the count''s son inherit would face less resistance.

    If they killed Baron Mud now, Lord Fin would get another chance to negotiate with Ian.

    Ian, after finding the treasure, would need Lord Fin''s power.

    "Wait, just a moment!"

    "Beg the lord for mercy! You thief!"

    Baron Mud turned pale.

    The trial''s oue was obvious!

    It would definitely be execution!

    This was just for show - Lord Fin simply wanted Baron Mud dead.

    "Wait! Wizard Ian...!"

    "Wizard?"

    As soon as Baron Mud mentioned that, the soldiers'' faces twisted.

    "You bastard, so you were in league with that wizard!"

    "What?"

    Baron Mud tilted his head at the soldiers'' intense reaction.

    What did Ian do to get that kind of response...?

    "You''re beyond forgiveness!"

    "Take him away!"

    The soldiers roughly dragged Baron Mud away.

    Sensing something had gone very wrong, Baron Mud desperately pleaded and shouted:

    "Wait! This isn''t fair! I don''t know Ian! I was going to say Ian is a real son of a bitch!"

    "...You''re not on his side?"

    "Good heavens! Of course not! That fucking Ian! He knew I''d get in trouble!"

    Baron Mud shouted at the window:

    "I-an-you-bas-tard!"

    It was 100% sincere acting.

    That bastard Ian, acting like he''d help and then leaving!

    Feeling the sincerity in his indignation, the soldiers nodded appreciatively.

    "Hmm. We believe you. You''re not on Ian''s side."

    "Hehe. Of course not!"

    That''s when it happened.

    A person floated up outside the window.

    It was Ian.

    "?!"

    Before the soldiers could shout, Ian drew and threw Anor-lsil.

    "[Knock them out!]"

    [Got it! This should do!]

    Bzzzzt!

    Sparks flew from Anor-lsil, electrocuting the soldiers.

    It was the power of lightning gained from the [Cloud of Lightning].

    The electrocuted soldiers copsed.

    Only Baron Mud remained standing, staring at Ian with trembling eyes...

    Please... don''t let him have heard anything...!

    Ian spoke with a crooked stance.

    "What? Ian you bastard?"

    Baron Mud despaired...

    Dear heavens!

    Why! Why this trial?!!!

    "Is that how you talk about someone who rushed here to help you? Ian you bastard?"

    "I-Ian you bastard..."

    Had to fix this...!

    Baron Mud desperately shouted:

    "...Let me make an acrostic poem with that! Give me the first word!"

    "I."

    "Ian Eredith Raven! True hero of our age!"

    "You idiot."

    Ian kicked Baron Mud.

    Baron Mud, that bastard, was quite the madman.

    "Over there! There''s the wizard!"

    "Get him!"

    Seeing soldiers rushing toward the tower, Ian whistled softly.

    Being chased by soldiers - it had been a while.

    "Hmm?"

    Just then, an arrow flew into the tower.

    A letter was tied to it.

    [Head to the south gate first]

    "Baron Mud. Who''s at the south gate?"

    "The south gate..."

    Baron Mud answered with slightly furrowed brows.

    "That''s Sir Rima''s gate."

    "Tell me more."

    "...Sir Rima was a knight loyal only to thete Count Dufel. He doesn''t listen to Fin."

    Low chance of getting caught, then.

    "What do you think? Will Sir Rima help you?"

    "I... don''t know..."

    If you don''t know, you try.

    "Let''s run first, thinkter."

    Ian grabbed Baron Mud and threw him down from the tower.

    "Aaaaargh!"

    In a world where bungee jumping wasn''t a leisure sport, this was quite an experience for Baron Mud.

    What medieval person got to jump from a tower top with no equipment?

    "How is it? Fun, right?"

    "Ha, hahaha... So much fun, sir!"

    Ian kicked the ring Baron Mud again and moved to the market.

    Sure enough, soldiers searching for Ian were prowling the market too.

    "There! Isn''t that the wizard?"

    "And Baron Mud''s with him!"

    But Ian''s allies were also in the market.

    "Get them!"

    Thwack!

    "Ugh!"

    A soldier rushing at Ian got knocked out by a flying apple(...).

    Belenka walked out from an alley with a sour expression.

    "Heard themotion and came to check... it was you? Ian?"

    "I''ll exinter. Let''s move for now."

    Belenka grumbled but followed Ian''s lead.

    As they approached the south gate, the number of pursuers noticeably decreased.

    "I''ve been waiting, Arc. And wizard."

    "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Rima."

    A muscr old knight greeted Ian.

    Ian passed through the south gate with Baron Mud.

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 Chapter 232

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Ian left Heltingen under Sir Rima''s escort.

    Though Fin must have issued search orders, Sir Rima didn''t even pretend to follow them.

    The knight''s subordinates were the same.

    They were Heltingen''s soldiers, not Fin''s men.

    "Thank you for your help, Sir Rima."Sir Rima just nodded with a face as rigid as marble.

    He was so tight-lipped that Ian felt awkward trying to make conversation.

    He seemed like the type who could have an interesting "not talkingpetition" with Carl the earth wizard.

    "I only did what needed to be done," Sir Rima finally said after a long pause.

    "Fincks the capability to rule Heltingen. What''s worse is his refusal to acknowledge his own shorings."

    Sir Rima spoke hisints about the lord quite openly.

    The fact that he could openly criticize a noble showed just how formidable a knight he was.

    "I assume he wanted to kill Arc because of the session issue."

    "You''re well informed."

    Though Sir Rima didn''t know the contents of the previous count''s will, he could guess how things had yed out even without knowing the details.

    Baron Mud had been staring at the ground silently the whole time.

    Ignoring Baron Mud, Sir Rima addressed Ian.

    "I''ve been watching Fin ever since he started meddling with Heltingen''s priest. Seems he was plotting something sinister."

    "Good guess, Sir."

    Ian briefly recounted what had happened with Lord Fin.

    Sir Rima nodded as if he''d expected it.

    "We''ll need to bring the priest back."

    "There''s no need to confront the lord right away. Even though things went wrong, we still have Father Berum."

    "What do you think, wizard?"

    Ian shrugged.

    "Nothing special. First we need to get House Dufel''s treasure, then use Heltingen''s priest''s help to drive those two out."

    Sir Rima muttered expressionlessly.

    "The city council will be pleased."

    One man''s misfortune is another''s joy - as House Dufel weakened, the Heltingen city council would naturally grow stronger.

    "Return when you''ve found the family treasure, Arc."

    Sir Rima addressed Baron Mud.

    The baron, who had kept silent until then, finally managed a response.

    "... Are you giving me orders now, Sir Rima?"

    "..."

    Ian, caught in the middle, was startled.

    Shit. This bastard wasn''t Pentagon, so why was he suddenly throwing spears around? What the hell.

    Arc''s precious (or impulsive) words instantly ruined the atmosphere.

    "What did you say?"

    "You... After never once looking for me all this time! Now you tell me to find the family treasure?"

    "..."

    "I was just another piece in his collection from the start! Just a collectible emphasizing barbaric blood! And now..."

    Baron Mud''s voice trailed off.

    Sir Rima, who had been listening silently, delivered a heavy response.

    It wasn''t an apology saying ''I''m sorry for everything until now...''

    "Stop being childish, Arc."

    "..."

    "The Count could have thrown you out, or even killed you. The only reason you''re still alive despite everyone knowing you''re the Count''s bastard is because of his mercy."

    Baron Mud didn''t answer.

    He went back to his silent mode, just staring at the ground.

    Naturally, Sir Rima bid farewell to Ian.

    "Well then, I leave it to you, wizard."

    "I owe Lord Fin a debt. I''ll return with good news soon."

    As a knight of Heltingen, Sir Rima couldn''t travel far.

    After parting with him, Ian rode slowly.

    Now only Ian, Belenka, and Baron Mud remained on the road.

    Belenka pointed at Baron Mud and asked,

    "Ian. Why did you bring him along? And what happened at the lord''s manor?"

    Having been suddenly dragged away from her fun shopping time, it was no wonder she was in a bad mood.

    Ian apologized and exined the situation.

    "I somehow found out about Lord Fin''s plot... and ended up getting chased out like this."

    "Ian. Feels like you''re skipping a lot of details."

    "Well. That''s how it is, Belenka."

    Belenka''s fists trembled, but what was done was done.

    She was Ian''s guard after all. She had no choice but to follow wherever he went.

    "Hey. Baron Mud. Let''s talk about our future ns."

    "... What ns? I''m sure the great wizard knows best..."

    "Should we y a word game with ''Ian you bastard'' since we''re bored?"

    Belenka''s eyes went wide.

    "What''s that weird game?"

    "Well, earlier..."

    "Oh my~ Master Wizard! I was just distracted for a moment~ Please continue!"

    "???"

    Baron Mud quickly stuck close to Ian''s side.

    Ian might be a cultured wizard who rarely resorted to violence...

    But that uncouth knight would beat Baron Mud mercilessly!

    As Baron Mud drew closer, Ian spoke slowly.

    "You can probably guess why I got you out."

    "Hehe. I''m just an uneducated thief, so I wouldn''t know?"

    "Really? Then I''ll tell you now. When you find House Dufel''s treasure, hand it over to me."

    This was Ian''s main point.

    Getting his hands on a magic artifact!

    From what he''d heard, House Dufel''s treasure was a painting drawn by the northern goddess Hrundal herself.

    It seemed to provide some kind of buff to whoever looked at it, though he wasn''t sure exactly what kind.

    The part about only men being able to see it and not women was a bit concerning...

    But he''d have to see it in person to confirm the details.

    Ian nned to collect the magical item and return to the Imperial University.

    ... Though this made him feel like he was bing Inn 2.0.

    But Ian didn''t want to miss this chance to broaden his magical knowledge.

    "Hand over the treasure..."

    "Once you be count, things like treasures won''t matter much. You can give it to me as thanks for helFing you."

    "..."

    Baron Mud was genuinely amazed by Ian''s wizard-like way of speaking.

    How could someone be so shameless!

    Saying he''d make him count in exchange for the treasure!

    If someone else said it that might be one thing, but saying ''be grateful to me~'' was hard to say with your own mouth.

    However, Ian, having fully be a proper wizard, seemedpletely oblivious to what was wrong.

    ''The deal itself isn''t bad.''

    Baron Mud thought.

    Though somewhat rough, the deal itself was quite reasonable.

    A thief who was just digging through graves yesterday bing the head of a count''s house?!

    It was the kind of light novel plot that would have Takarion drooling.

    But Baron Mud hesitated.

    "... I never said I wanted to be count though?"

    Ian snorted.

    "Oh? That''s fine then. I can make a deal with the city council instead."

    "..."

    "Seems like Sir Rima would be fine with anyone bing count as long as it''s not Fin. No need to deal only with you."

    Though Baron Mud would be the best partner, if he refused, n B wasn''t bad either.

    "L-Let''s talk about that after we find the treasure."

    Baron Mud said.

    "First! I, Baron Mud, sincerely thank Ian Eredith Raven for saving me!"

    "Suddenly?"

    "As payment for saving my life, I''ll guide you until we find the treasure! Haha! No need to thank me!"

    Ian couldn''t shake the feeling that Baron Mud was deliberately changing the subject, but decided to y along for now.

    Belenka chimed in from the side.

    "Isn''t repaying kindness just natural? Why are you acting so smug?"

    Baron Mud instantly shrank under Belenka''s fierce re...

    "W-Well... I could have just run away..."

    "Oh yeah? Then try running. But if I catch you, you die."

    "..."

    "I said run. What''s wrong? Suddenly lost your confidence?"

    "M-Master Ian...!"

    Under Belenka''s harassment, Baron Mud appealed to Ian about his diminishing mentality.

    Ian silently pushed Baron Mud away with his foot.

    #

    Belenka was in a bad mood after being dragged away from shopping, and Baron Mud made a good target for venting.

    "Hey thief."

    "Yes! I''m a thief!"

    Ian was greatly impressed by Baron Mud''s response.

    In this medieval fantasy world, he''d seen many sses like knights, wizards, and priests in his party, but this was his first time having a thief ss.

    Thief, Baron Mud!

    Specialties: lockpicking, avoiding traps, stealing treasures from others'' graves!

    Wow, a real thief!

    "Answer quickly! Want to be hanged?"

    "Eek! Spare me! Noble knight!"

    "..."

    But unlike the romantic stealth characters from other RPG games, this medieval fantasy world''s thief was... just a criminal bastard.

    Not so great after all, thief thief...

    Well. In this era, someone who introduced themselves as a thief couldn''t possibly be a proper person.

    "Your father''s a noble, right?"

    "..."

    "So why do we have to go through all this trouble?"

    It could have been a sensitive question.

    But the thoroughly irritated Belenkacked such delicacy at the moment, and Baron Mud had to give some kind of answer.

    "I am Count Dufel''s son... but I wasn''t born to a married couple."

    "I heard. You''re the count''s bastard?"

    Ian listened to Baron Mud''s story from the side and soon lost patience.

    The former Count Dufel was truly an odd one.

    "My mother was a ve sold from the Sand Empire."

    "A ve?"

    Belenka was shocked at the first words.

    Nobles getting involved with ves was actually quite rare.

    Why would a noble stoop to touching a dirty, lowly ve?

    Not when beautiful women would line up just for some money to warm their beds.

    An extremely beautiful ve?

    If she was that beautiful, someone would have already made her their mistress and kept her close.

    Generally, ves doing menial work were definitely not beauties, no matter how generously you looked at it.

    But... the world of fetishes is wide and deep.

    "Father apparently fell for mother''s ''wild'' look."

    "..."

    "Well. People from the Sand Empire do look somewhat barbaric, don''t they?"

    The former Count Dufel had a barbarian fetish.

    He hated the civilized(?) Holy Empire and dreamed of living in the cold, deste north.

    That''s why he went after Baron Mud''s mother, and Baron Mud was born.

    "To that man, I was just another collectible. He wanted others to know about me, but never treated me as a son."

    Ian nodded.

    It seemed unlikely that Baron Mud would have positive feelings toward House Dufel.

    ''That''s why his reaction was lukewarm when told to inherit the count''s title.''

    Even a noble title that most would snap up eagerly, Baron Mud didn''t particrly want.

    Perhaps he even wanted to sever all ties with House Dufel.

    ''I just need to get my hands on the treasure.''

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 Chapter 233

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Standing before a valley where cold winds blew, Ian looked around.

    The ruins of an old fortress with copsed walls overgrown with blue weeds.

    That was Ian''s destination.

    "ording to the map, this should be the ce..."

    Ian slightly furrowed his brow.These damn medieval maps needed to be more reliable.

    As a long-time traveler, Ian had encountered all sorts of maps.

    Medieval maps rarely rose above the level of amateur scribbles.

    Map makers would probably feel offended hearing that, but it was simply fact.

    Medieval cartographers weren''t idiots - they worked hard walking everywhere to draw their maps.

    But maps drawn by people eyeballing distances naturally ended up with severely distorted measurements.

    What looked like a small rocky hill worth drawing tiny on the map might actually take three days to cross.

    And the biggest reason maps got distorted was...

    They filled in ces they''d never been to with pure imagination!

    Say a cartographer wanted to sell maps. But when they tried drawing one, there were too many areas they hadn''t visited.

    So they''d use their imagination to fill in what ''might be there~''

    Was it okay to write maps like some fantasy novel?

    Having nk spots was actually more problematic.

    When customers bought maps with empty areas,ints immediately followed.

    ''Hey, aren''t you supposed to be a cartographer? Why''s this part empty? Is it DLC?''

    ''Well... I haven''t been there yet... Updatesing soon.''

    ''Tch! Some cartographer you are! Let''s go to another shop!''

    Whether 1000 years ago or now, difficult customers were always the problem.

    To avoid mindlessints from troublesome customers, cartographers filled empty spaces with their imagination, and surprisingly, it worked well.

    In fact... the more interesting the made-up details, the better the maps sold!

    ''Look here! This map says there''s and covered in gold at the eastern edge!''

    ''Eek! I''m sorry...''

    ''This is awesome, got any maps with more detailed lore?''

    ''???''

    That''s why medieval maps had so many weird versions.

    ims about cliffs at the edge of the world,nds where giant dragons lived...

    Such fun and quirky imagination might have added excitement to medieval people''s boring daily lives...

    But to Ian, who had been a modern person, it was just fucking annoying.

    No, you damn scammers. If you haven''t been somewhere, just write that you haven''t been there. Don''t distort the maps!

    "Hey. Thief."

    "Yes! Thief here!"

    Baron Mud rushed over at Ian''s call.

    Ian pointed at the map and asked.

    "What''s this about ''Warriors Bjorn and Junken fighting over treasure''?"

    Ian desperately hoped this wasn''t just some easter egg the cartographer had thrown in.

    And his prayers were somewhat answered.

    "Ah! That''s the story!"

    As Count Dufel''s ''show-off child'', Baron Mud had grown up hearing various tales about northern barbarians.

    Though he''d only passively listened to Count Dufel''s ramblings.

    "Warrior Bjorn was the one who stole House Dufel''s treasure and ran away."

    "He''s a thief too?"

    ording to Baron Mud''s story:

    Warrior Bjorn had run off with the treasure, and Warrior Junken had chased after him.

    The two had their final battle here, at this valley fortress.

    They fought to their veryst breath...

    "And they both ended up dead."

    "...? What about the treasure?"

    "No one knows! That''s why it''s missing!"

    Ian habitually kicked Baron Mud.

    "Ouch!"

    Then he caught himself.

    Oh no... despite living in medieval times, to be this steeped in violence!

    He shouldn''t lose his pride as a modern person.

    Ian nodded to himself after contemting this.

    To Belenka, it was quite an odd sight.

    Well, Ian doing strange things wasn''t anything new.

    "Are you evaluating the impact?"

    "What impact?"

    "That thief. I''ve kicked him a few times too, it''s quite satisfying."

    "..."

    Ian looked at Belenka like she was aplete barbarian.

    Belenka found Ian''s gaze quite unpleasant...

    He''d been happily kicking away too, why give her that look?!

    "But the map says the treasure should be here."

    "Ugh... this is just the most likely location."

    "Then wouldn''t someone else have taken it already?"

    "They might have!"

    Ian kicked Baron Mud without hesitation.

    Modern dignity? Whatever.

    I''m an uncouth medieval person now.

    "If you don''t know, does your thief career end? I can just head back to university, but your neck''s on the line!"

    "W-Well I could always be a grave robber in another country..."

    "Get an honest job! A real job!"

    As the foreign representative, Belenka kicked Baron Mud.

    Ian and Belenka kicked him so often that Baron Mud wondered if he might have been a ser ball in his past life.

    "B-But! This is the only map with such detailed underground descriptions!"

    "Oh. This was underground?"

    "..."

    For a moment, Baron Mud felt infuriated.

    That ignorant(?) wizard...!

    Just look at the number of pirs! This was clearly a map of the fortress''s underground! Come on!

    As a professional thief, Baron Mud had robbed so many ancient buildings that he could estimate sizes just by looking at floor ns.

    He might be a professional grave robber, but still a professional.

    "This is so unfair! I''m going to hit you once too! Noints, right?"

    "What? Are you crazy, thief?"

    "Must be desperate to hang from the gallows."

    "..."

    Baron Mud seriously wanted to desert this party...!

    That merciless wizard and knight didn''t treat an innocent(?) thief as human!

    "Anyway... so the treasure''s underground?"

    "Yes... so now we should set up camp and hire workers from the nearest vige..."

    Though he''d been dragged along, Baron Mud immediately went into professional mode.

    Usually when finding a tomb to rob, you''d start by building a camp and gathering workers.

    It could take days to find the treasure, and who knew what obstacles awaited.

    But that wizard must have lost his mind, because he suddenly said:

    "We don''t have time, let''s go in ourselves."

    "Oh fuck... I have to explore the same ce as a lunatic like you?"

    "Hey, that was a sneaky insult."

    Having fully regained his medieval self, Ian kicked Baron Mud without a shred of guilt.

    Baron Mud, unfairly kicked again, was really about to lose it!

    "No! How can just three people explore such a huge ce! And you know what all tomb deaths have inmon? People rushing in because they don''t have time or money!" ��

    He wasn''t lying, it was true.

    Sometimes ignorant evil employers would demand treasures be found in impossible timeframes, and nine times out of ten the workers would just die without finding anything worth the cost.

    Any kind of theft requires time and dedication!

    That was Baron Mud''s thieving philosophy(?)!

    "Shut up. Lead the way, thief."

    "But seriously...!"

    But that only applied to newbies inexperienced in underground exploration.

    As a veteran wizard, Ian wasn''t afraid of underground exploration at all.

    Belenka snickered and said.

    "You must not know what kind of wizard Ian is."

    "...? What, are there different types of wizards?"

    Baron Mud showed his ignorance in an unexpected area.

    Weren''t all wizards the same?!

    "Ian''s a dark wizard."

    "Dark magic...? What''s that?"

    "Magic that controls darkness and shadows."

    "!"

    Only then did Baron Mud realize the source of Ian''s confidence.

    Dark magic!

    In an underground spacepletely filled with darkness...

    It was a stage made for dark wizards!

    "Ian did struggle before in the Talian tomb because of Inn. But that was because Inn''s photon magic was exceptional."

    Inn''s magic that could summon brilliant radiance in the pitch-ck underground was amazing.

    Though he did weird things, Inn was still a university professor after all...!

    "Setting up camp is fine. Go with Belenka and buy supplies. I''ll scout ahead."

    Ian walked straight into the underground entrance of the ruined fortress.

    Watching from afar, Baron Mud jumped in shock.

    As Ian moved into the darkness, shadows extended like tentacles and began wrapping around his body...!

    "Th-That!"

    "Don''t make such a fuss. That''s just Ian''s magic."

    Belenka spoke as if it was nothing special.

    "The darkness will protect Ian."

    Ian was a wizard beloved by mystery.

    Underground exploration might be extremely dangerous for normal people.

    But that didn''t apply to dark wizards.

    "There was a vige nearby. Let''s go buy something."

    "Hehe. If I just steal some stuff, we could save money..."

    "Shut up, thief."

    #

    Ian patrolled the abandoned fortress''s underground alone.

    An underground world filled with pitch-ck darkness.

    ''A dungeon.''

    Dungeon!

    This ce Ian had entered was literally a ''dungeon''.

    Not the kind with monsters crawling around, boss monsters and treasure chests waiting...!

    A dungeon was an underground space built to imprison criminals or store supplies.

    "[Darkness, light my path.]"

    [Using Skill: Dark Vision]

    Upon entering the dungeon, Ian used his dark vision magic.

    It was the same magic he''d used to escape that dark cave in the past.

    [Hello! Ian!]

    [It''s nice and quiet here~ Right?]

    Voices of darkness whispered in Ian''s ears.

    Though not a single ray of light prated this dark world, Ian moved forward without difficulty.

    Crack!

    As he stepped forward, rotted bones crumbled.

    Human bones were scattered throughout the underground dungeon.

    ''Signs of battle.''

    Ian recalled Baron Mud''s story.

    In the past, the warrior who fled with the treasure and his pursuing subordinates had fought a fierce battle in this fortress.

    The scattered bones were remnants preserving memories of that battle.

    ''Not much here.''

    Ian thought this and smirked.

    It made sense when you thought about it.

    Why would there be anything in an abandoned fortress''s underground dungeon?

    Dungeon exploration was simr to digging through garbage in ruins.

    Terrifying man-eating monsters, guardians protecting treasure - those were all fiction created by overstimted modern people...

    "Woohoo~~~!"

    "???"

    A voice echoed from somewhere.

    Torchlight flickered in the distance.

    ''People?!''

    For a moment, Ian was dumbfounded.

    What madman would crawl into an underground dungeon?

    But when he saw the faces lit by torchlight, Ian sighed.

    "Friends! Look at this! It''s Takarion''s Gospel~!"

    "Woohoo~!"

    "Woohoo~! Super lucky~!"

    Kekekekek!

    A group of men piling up and rummaging through items.

    There was only one type of person who would act like this in an underground dungeon.

    ''Thieves...!''

    They were thieves.

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 Chapter 234

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

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    Seeing the mountain of loot, Ian immediately understood the suspicious men''s identity.

    ''They must have robbed some merchants and hidden here.''

    They were thieves, having robbed passing merchants and taken shelter here.

    This abandoned fortress would be hard for pursuers to track them to.

    They wouldn''t even think to scout the underground dungeon, so the thieves had made it their hideout.The thieves sat around their pile of loot, sorting through valuable items.

    "Wow~! Takarion''s Gospel, how lucky~!"

    The thieves grinned ear to ear at their unexpected jackpot.

    Among items medieval merchants carried, valuable ones were limited.

    Food and clothing were average finds. Industrial goods made from forged iron were good finds.

    Precious metals including gold and silver, and books were excellent finds.

    Especially books!

    Medieval books were all handmade, carefully crafted one by one by master bookmakers.

    Some small country in the East had developed printing technology like metal type and woodblock printing long ago...

    But in this deste post-apocalyptic era, only the raw manualbor of bookmaking existed.

    Anyone who''s tried handwriting a book knows it takes an enormous amount of work to produce just one.

    And in this medieval fantasy world, it was more profitable to nt one more grain of wheat than spend time making books.

    Making books was madness that would get you starved to death.

    So... who made medieval books?

    The answer: monks.

    Monks with time to spare made both wine and books to sell to nobles for profit.

    Spreading good teachings while making money! How perfect?

    "Hehehe! If it''s a gospel written by Takarion, those noble lords will love it!"

    "Right! Remember that noble we met before? He promised gold coins if we could get him volume three of the [Gospel of Marcus]!"

    "C-Could this be volume three?!"

    "Correct! Hahaha!"

    Watching the thieves burst into delightedughter, Ian couldn''t believe it.

    These ignorant thieves discovering Takarion''s light novel(?) and being overjoyed...

    This was... the medieval era?

    To a modern person used to abundant books thanks to printing technology, it was quite an absurd sight.

    Though this eracked everything.

    Anyway, they seemed excited about finding expensive books.

    ''They don''t seem to be treasure hunters.''

    Ian felt relieved.

    Since he was here looking for treasure himself, he''d been viewing everyone as potentialpetition.

    ''Hm?''

    But his relief was short-lived.

    Ian frowned as he spotted something writhing in the darkness beyond.

    "Hahaha! Once we sell this, we''ll be rich... Ugh!"

    "Eek!"

    The thieves screamed.

    A rusty de had pierced straight through one thief''s chest!

    In the dim torchlight, a pale skeleton emerged.

    "S-S-S-S..."

    One thief stammered badly as he shouted.

    "Skeleton!"

    Armed with sword, shield, and helmet, they were undead monsters called skeletons.

    Literally, moving bones.

    Click! ck!

    Along with the eerie sound of bones clicking, rusty des flew at the thieves.

    "Holy shit!"

    "Grab weapons! Quick!"

    The thieves hurriedly grabbed weapons and fought back against the skeletons.

    Though their equipment was pathetic - leather armor and ils - they managed to hold their ground.

    Ian moved too.

    ''I should help the thieves.''

    Actually, he wouldn''t have cared if the skeletons finished off the thieves.

    But Ian had been influenced by Heaven''s Faith too.

    The mystery of heaven was already showing interest, and it felt wrong to abandon humans being attacked by monsters.

    Even if these thieves deserved death for their crimes, dying to monsters was another matter.

    ''This is what Sir Leshach would do.''

    Ian threw Anor-lsil at the skeletons without hesitation.

    "[Arno! Isil!]"

    [Leave it to us!]

    The magic sword imbued with lightning struck the skeleton.

    Made of nothing but bones, the skeleton shattered surprisingly easily from even light impacts.

    "Huh... what?!"

    "Don''t just stand there! Move, you thieves!"

    Ian swung his sword at the skeletons.

    Lightning sparks shining bright even in darkness!

    "W-What is that?!"

    "Magic? Is that magic?"

    Each time Anor-lsil flew, another skeleton shattered.

    The thieves gaped at Ian''s mysterious swordsmanship(?).

    Actually, Ian was just repeatedly throwing and catching the sword...

    But to the thieves, it looked like amazing swordsmanship!

    "[Stone, rise up!]"

    Pop!

    A thief who''d been nkly watching Ian jumped in surprise.

    Rock shards flew like arrows and pierced a skeleton that had been quietly approaching.

    "Stop spacing out!"

    "Y-Yes sir!"

    While calming their racing hearts, the thieves moved diligently following Ian''s directions.

    Though they didn''t understand what was happening, following the wizard''s orders was their only chance of survival!

    "Everyone! Follow the wizard!"

    "Woohoo~!"

    "..."

    Seriously, what kind of battle cry was that?

    True to being post-apocalyptic thieves, they fought well despite their weird battle cries.

    Crack!

    Ian cleanly shattered thest skeleton.

    The thieves approached, dripping with sweat.

    The stuffy underground filled with dust had left them breathless from the intense movement.

    "Th-Thank you for helping us!"

    Meanwhile, Ian hadn''t broken a sweat.

    He''d just thrown and caught his sword from the back, not moving himself at all...

    Not knowing this, the thieves were greatly impressed by Ian''sposed face.

    To destroy so many skeletons without breaking a sweat!

    Truly an amazing master!(Not really)

    "Excuse me, but who might you be..."

    "Ian Eredith Raven. A wandering wizard."

    "!"

    The thieves instantly understood Ian''s amazing performance.

    They''d thought he was extraordinary, and sure enough, he was a wizard!

    "B-But what brings a wizard here..."

    "?"

    Ian tilted his head wondering why they asked, then realized.

    These bastards... they''re worried I''m here to catch them.

    The saying about thieves being the first to flinch really fit.

    "I''m looking for something."

    "What? What could there be to find in these ruins..."

    "You idiot! The wizard says he''s looking for something! He must have his reasons!"

    "Right! Idiot!"

    "What a fool!"

    "..."

    The objection was instantly suppressed.

    Ian felt like he''d be a dictator ruling the Kremlin...

    "Master Wizard! Thank you so much for helping us! Though this is all we have to offer..."

    One thief held out their most valuable item to Ian.

    "..."

    It was Takarion''s Gospel...

    I don''t need that crap, you thieves!

    "I didn''t want payment, keep it."

    "!"

    "I simply couldn''t ignore fellow followers of Heaven''s Faith being attacked by monsters."

    "Ah, aah...!"

    The thieves hurriedly sped their hands and knelt.

    Such a devout servant of heaven!

    Ian, are you a fallen angel?!

    Ian''s words about helping them purely out of faith without wanting material reward deeply moved the thieves.

    In truth, he just didn''t think the thieves had anything worth taking...

    Either way, the fact that Ian helped for free remained unchanged.

    One thief trembled as they handled Takarion''s Gospel.

    "C-Could it be...!"

    "?"

    "Oh great heavenly lord! Did you send this wizard to guide us back to the right path!"

    "???"

    What nonsense.

    I just came to find treasure.

    Ian was confused, but the other thieves were already convinced.

    No wonder there was a gospel mixed in with their loot...

    It must be heaven''s guidance to lead them back to the right path!

    The thieves pressed their heads to Ian''s feet and shouted.

    "We''ll return everything to their original owners!"

    "? Is that possible?"

    It would be right to return things if possible.

    But the robbed merchants had probably fled far away by now?

    "And to atone, we''ll follow you, Master Ian!"

    "Please forgive our sins!"

    Watching the thievespete to kneel before him, Ian felt somewhat awkward.

    Honestly, he didn''t need followers...

    He nned to leave as soon as he found the treasure. That''s why he hadn''t hired workers.

    Baron Mud would probably be the only one happy about the thieves joining.

    ''Well. Better than nothing?''

    "Come along for now. Let''s hear what you have to say."

    "Yes sir!"

    The thieves lined up behind Ian.

    But there was one awkward issue.

    "Um... Master Wizard. The torches went out..."

    During the chaos of battle, all the mes including the bonfire had gone out.

    As deathly darkness approached, some thieves hurriedly made the sign of the cross.

    Not praying for heaven to send more light...

    "Please heaven, please heaven, please heaven, please heaven..."

    They were praying to go to heaven when they died.

    Theirpleteck of conscience proved they were true thieves.

    "Sorry to interrupt your nonsense, but everyone line up and hold the shoulders of the person in front."

    "...? But Master Wizard, what are you..."

    "You fool! The wizard has a n!"

    "Right! Idiot!"

    "What a fool!"

    "..."

    The resistance vanished instantly.

    Ian strode down the dark corridor.

    Though everyone trembled in fear in the pitch darkness, only Ian walked calmly forward.

    The exit was visible.

    "Oh, ohhh...!"

    "We escaped underground without a single torch!"

    To the thieves, Ian''s dark magic was pure mystery.

    They became even more convinced that Ian was a savior sent by heaven...!

    "What, Ian?!"

    Baron Mud was shocked to find Ian.

    When had he recruited people?

    "Ah. Baron Mud. Come feed these friends and let them rest."

    "Ah... yes."

    Ian used the thieves to build tents and set up temporary lodging.

    The treasure excavation headquarters was established.

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 Chapter 235

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

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    The forest woke from its early slumber to unexpected footsteps.

    Birds scattered noisily as hunting dogs barked and chased after them.

    Small animals held their breath, waiting for the human army to pass.

    "How''s it going, Sir Murray?"

    The leader of the human army was Fin, the lord of Heltingen city.After Ian had escaped with Baron Mud, he''d sent Sir Murray to track them down.

    Sir Murray was a master hunter who never lost his prey once marked.

    Before bing a knight, he was better known as ''Murray the Hound''.

    "No doubt about it. They passed through here."

    "Impressive. So we''ve almost caught up?"

    "Of course, my lord."

    Sir Murray''s tracking abilities bordered on the mystical.

    Even Ian would have been shocked if he knew.

    In this medieval era where proper maps were hard toe by, such tracking skill?

    But human talent shines through regardless of era.

    Every field has its geniuses.

    ''Seeing his praise, the pay must be good.''

    Sir Murray smirked. He was a knight who only cared about getting paid.

    Lord Fin also wore a smile of satisfaction.

    ''Whatever you do... I''ll never let you have the count''s title!''

    Though his alliance with Father Berum had hit a snag, it wasn''t over yet.

    That damned treasure mentioned in his father''s will!

    If he could just get the treasure back somehow, everything would return to normal!

    ''It''s just a temporary abnormality! I''ll set everything right!''

    Lord Fin dreamed of normalizing the count''s house...

    "Hurry! We must catch him before he steals the family treasure!"

    "Leave it to me, my lord!"

    Sir Murray led the way.

    Lord Fin and his soldiers diligently pursued the wizard Ian.

    #

    After setting up the treasure excavation camp, Ian reported his scouting results to Belenka and Baron Mud.

    "Skeletons?"

    "Yeah. Seems there are undead monsters wandering around."

    Belenka and Baron Mud nodded silently.

    Belenka was one thing, but Baron Mud was surprisingly calm?

    Ian was somewhat impressed by this unexpected reaction.

    Though he called him a thief...

    Could it be that real thief''s courage lived in his heart...!

    "Baron Mud. You don''t seem surprised?"

    "What''s there to be surprised about? When you rob graves, you meet undead till you''re sick of them."

    That was it.

    Baron Mud had encountered undead monsters so many times that skeletons no longer surprised him.

    But Ian saw Baron Mud differently now.

    Meeting monsters often and not feeling fear were separate matters.

    The reason he could stay calm before monsters must be because he had the ability to neutralize them!

    "Oh, then you must know how to deal with skeletons?"

    When Ian asked, Baron Mud grinned and answered.

    "Of course!"

    "What is it! How do you do it?"

    "First, bring some ves as bait to distract them. If there are no ves, draw lots to pick an unfortunate sacrifice..."

    Belenka kicked Baron Mud hard.

    "Ouch!"

    "You bastard. We really should hang you. You dare use fellow Heaven''s Faith believers as bait?"

    "N-No... that was just a surprise~ It was all a joke!"

    "A joke?"

    "Hahaha! Got you good, didn''t I? Pretty convincing, right?"

    "Belenka. Give him a few more kicks."

    Thump, thump.

    Watching Baron Mud get thoroughly beaten, Ian thought.

    As expected, there was no clever way to deal with undead.

    In his experience as a wizard, Ian found ''opponents you can''t talk to'' the most troublesome.

    At least if you could talk, you might try persuasion...

    When conversation wasn''t possible, it was hard to utilize a wizard''s strengths.

    ''I miss Maria.''

    Ian suddenly missed Maria, the necromancy prodigy.

    Though Ian had witnessed death''s mystery several times during his travels, for some reason he hadn''t gained much necromancy experience.

    So Ian still couldn''t use necromancy.

    ''Feels like I''m almost there...''

    Unable tomunicate with the mystery, Ian felt an inexplicable frustration and difort.

    It was an unfamiliar sensation for the genius wizard Ian.

    Who knew being unable tomunicate with mystery could be this ufortable!

    But if other wizards knew Ian''s thoughts, they''d be speechless with shock.

    Of course...

    Mystery normally doesn''tmunicate!

    Isn''t it abnormal that fire, water and wind understand human speech?!

    All wizards desperately study magic to resolve the ''frustration'' Ian felt.

    They research and experiment to find ways tomunicate with mystery somehow.

    That''s exactly why people like Ian who could handle all schools of magic were extremely rare.

    Most people had to dedicate their entire lives just tomunicate with one type of mystery.

    "Ian. If there''s no proper method, the answer is to charge straight in."

    "Yeah. No choice."

    Just brutally smashing through with force.

    Though it was a simple brute force method about 1 light year away from a wizard''smunication-focused approach, Ian had no other options.

    He couldn''t think of any other way to deal with undead monsters.

    "Alright. Baron Mud! Get people to gather water and food. Let''s head deep into the dungeon."

    "Yes sir!"

    Baron Mud answered with a salute.

    He was a weird guy who started using honorifics after getting beaten.

    "The wizard''s calling?"

    "Woohoo~ Boys, we''re moving out!"

    "Kehehehe!"

    But seeing the thieves gathered as reinforcements, Ian was filled with a strange sense of doubt.

    Had he ever seen such embarrassing fellows...

    Should he just go in with Belenka and Baron Mud?

    But more people was better, so he decided to bring them along even if just as porters.

    "Careful going down. Watch that the torches don''t go out."

    "Yes sir!"

    Ian led the thieves toward the depths of the underground dungeon.

    #

    Before entering the dungeon, Baron Mud gave a speech to the thieves.

    "The underground is dangerous! Even if someone dies next to you, you might not know until the exploration ends!"

    "Ugh..."

    "But don''t worry! I, the master of grave robbing! Baron Mud am with you! Hahahahaha!"

    Belenka, listening to the speech,mented.

    "Idiot."

    That was exactly what Ian wanted to say.

    See, partners really do think alike!

    "Baron Mud. Wouldn''t it be better to skip the part about possibly dying? It''s bad for morale."

    "Oh please, what do you know. Brutal threats work best for controlling thieves like these!"

    "Oh ho. Good to know. So to control thieves, you threaten them?"

    "No... Sir Knight... please...!"

    Don''t apply that to me!

    Baron Mud screamed silently.

    The proper dungeon exploration began.

    The dungeon exploration was definitely rough.

    First, the skeletons.

    They werepletely indistinguishable from regr bones, so you never knew when they''d pop out.

    "Ian! Be careful! From my grave robbing experience, I know! Those vile skeletons have ambushed and killed over a hundred people..."

    "Stop right there."

    Ian grabbed Baron Mud''s shoulder and yanked him back.

    A rusty de whistled past, barely missing them.

    [That''s right! Ian! Right there!]

    [There are skinny humans hiding!]

    In the darkness, Ian''s dark magic abilities were maximized.

    Every ce untouched by torchlight was Ian''s domain.

    In darkness, Ian could see ahead even with closed eyes, and hear enemies stirring even with blocked ears.

    Ian ser-kicked the head off a skeleton just as it was rising.

    Crack!

    The skeleton instantly evolved into a headless warrior!

    "Whoa! Smash it!"

    "Ahhh!"

    While the skeleton was stunned, the thieves swarmed it like bees and shattered its bones.

    "You alright? Baron Mud?"

    "... Th-Thank you... big bro..."

    "Cut the ''big bro'' crap."

    Baron Mud looked around while thanking Ian.

    This was definitely different from when he robbed undead tombs.

    By now, three or four people would normally be dead.

    There had been dozens of ambushes, with skeletons popping out from all sorts of bizarre ces.

    But...

    Somehow, Ian knew exactly where the skeletons would appear.

    ''So this is magic.''

    Baron Mud started to understand why skilled wizardsmanded such high prices.

    Just adding one wizardpletely changed the quality of exploration!

    No swordsman, no thief familiar with the underground could imitate a wizard''s unique abilities.

    "M-Master Wizard! There''s a group of skeletons...!"

    "I know. Keep your voice down."

    Ian pressed against the narrow passage and whispered to the mystery of darkness.

    "Del raha disnos."

    [Using Skill: Dark Stealth]

    Darkness has the power of concealment.

    The power to hide things and make them undetectable.

    Ian maximized this power with magic.

    "Master Wizard! Master Wizard! They''reing...!"

    "Stay calm. They won''t find us."

    The thieves held their breath, waiting for the skeletons to pass.

    "!"

    Just as Ian said, the skeletons didn''t notice them...!

    ''Wow...!''

    ''So this is a real wizard!''

    The thieves looked at Ian with almost love-struck eyes.

    The wizard had uttered mysterious iprehensible words, and even undead monsters couldn''t detect them!

    Even to ignorant thieves, Ian''s magic had ''style''.

    If a wizard like that helped with thieving... it would be so romantic!

    "When we get out of here safely... should we ask the wizard if we can join him?"

    "Hmm..."

    "Hmm..."

    They imagined founding a ''magic-thief gang''.

    Phantom thieves who freely control darkness appear! The Holy Empire now fears the night!

    The true lord of the night, Wizard Ian!

    While lost in such delusions, one of the thieves suddenly had a seizure.

    "Master Wizard! Please help!"

    Belenka frowned at the convulsing thief.

    "Ian. Did they catch something..."

    "No. The magic worked properly. This one''s been stuck to him since we entered the dungeon."

    Ian''s necromancy knowledge wasn''t perfect, but he had the basics down.

    "He-hehehe...!"

    The thief foamed at the mouth and burst into maniacalughter.

    It was a typical case of spirit possession by an evil spirit.

    "Looks like we''ve got ghost-type undead too, not just skeletons."

    "...You didn''t know? Ian?"

    "Nope. Didn''t know."

    "There''s something even you don''t know?!"

    When Belenka expressed surprise, Ian was actually bewildered.

    What, am I not allowed to have things I don''t know?!

    "Well, I never learned necromancy."

    "My goodness. To think there''s magic even you don''t know..."

    It wasn''t like he was born with necromancy talent like Maria.

    Expecting Ian, who had already mastered various magics, to learn necromancy too was asking too much.

    And hadn''t Ian already shown natural talent for dark magic?

    "I don''t know all the magic in the world..."

    Ian paused mid-sentence.

    [Skill: Necromancy (100/100) - Achievement Complete]

    [You are ready to learn a new skill!]

    "?"

    [You can now learn Necromancy.]

    [Condition: Communicate with the mystery of death.]

    [You''ve detected a friendly mystery of death nearby!]

    Ian nkly stared into space.

    He really could sense a unique death power that he hadn''t felt before.

    "Ian?"

    When Ian suddenly spaced out, Belenka worriedly called out.

    Could he have been possessed by a ghost too?

    "Belenka."

    "Yeah. Tell me."

    "You know how I didn''t really understand necromancy until now?"

    "?"

    "Well, I think I get it now."

    "???"

    Belenka stared at Ian in disbelief.

    Don''t tell me... you just figured out a new magic right here?!

    ''What an absolutely crazy genius...!''

    ---

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 236

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    "But I thought you didn''t know?"

    "Yeah. Earlier I didn''t."

    "So now you do?"

    "I think I''m starting to understand."

    Belenka stared intently at Ian for a moment.This guy... could he be lying about just figuring it out after secretly practicing?!

    But his face showed no signs of deception.

    Though some ky wizard might put on airs with ridiculous boasting, Ian had no reason to do so.

    While Belenka didn''t know magic herself, she understood how difficult it was to learn.

    Magic wasn''t something you could just pick up like loose change on the street as Ian seemed to do.

    But Ian had done exactly that.

    He truly was disgustingly talented.

    "Master Wizard..."

    The other thieves looked worriedly at their possessedpanion.

    "Stand back."

    First, Ian decided to try speaking to the ghost.

    "[Spirit, can you hear me?]"

    "He-hehehe..."

    There was no response.

    As expected, Ian''s necromancy ability wasn''tplete yet.

    Oncepleted, he could invest his remaining skill points to upgrade its performance.

    But with the skill itself iplete, there was nothing he could do.

    [You''ve detected a friendly mystery of death nearby!]

    ''This must be it.''

    The condition for learning magic was, as always,munication with mystery.

    To fully acquire necromancy, he needed to find the mystery of death.

    "No choice then."

    "Master Wizard...?"

    "Someone carry this friend. We''re going deeper."

    "B-But...!"

    The thieves nervously nced at each other, thoroughly frightened.

    The dungeon was already crawling with undead and ghosts... was it really right to go even deeper now?

    "What are you doing! Didn''t Master Ian tell us to prepare to go down!"

    Baron Mud scolded the thieves.

    "Shining gold awaits you! With the wizard here, are you really going to pass up treasure!"

    "W-Woohoo..."

    The thieves cheered weakly.

    As expected, a thief best understood thief psychology.

    They were all here for money, so how could they turn back with treasure right in front of them!

    "Don''t worry. Below, there''s a spirit who will help us."

    "...? Master Wizard, how do you know that..."

    "You idiot! The wizard just said so!"

    "Right! Idiot!"

    "How pathetic!"

    Ian led the thieves deeper.

    Though they faced skeleton attacks and ghost possessions along the way, Ian''s group managed to endure.

    In a dark dungeon, a party centered around a skilled dark wizard would never fall apart.

    ''We''ve already reached the bottom!''

    Baron Mud was genuinely impressed by their incredibly fast pace.

    As a professional grave robber, he knew better than anyone how impossibly fast this was.

    With the group united in their trust of Ian at the center, they achieved an amazing speed.

    "Ian. The treasure room is ahead."

    "If the map is right, you mean?"

    "...Yeah."

    Ian opened the door without much expectation.

    He was confident he wouldn''t be disappointed even if the treasure map was wrong and there was nothing inside...

    [Woooooah!]

    [Ohhhhh!]

    "?"

    Ian was slightly taken aback.

    As soon as the door opened, he saw two spirits tangled inbat!

    The spirits were even visible to the thieves who had no connection to mystery.

    "G-Ghost~!"

    "Oh mighty Heaven, protect me with your radiant light..."

    Baron Mud joined the thieves in reciting prayers.

    Belenka drew her sword and quietly red at the spirits.

    "Ian. Can you cast magic on me?"

    "Magic?"

    "Yes... just cast magic on me and stay back! Ian!"

    Belenka''s voice carried 100% sincerity.

    Her stance clearly showed she meant to fight the spirits.

    But Ian calmed her down.

    "Belenka. Let''s try talking first..."

    "Talk? Do you really think those evil spirits can be reasoned with!"

    "?"

    Evil... spirits?

    Ian nkly looked up at the spirits.

    [Today''s the day I''ll smash your head and make it into a drinking cup!]

    [I''ll skin you alive and use you as a carpet!]

    The spirits shed while spitting savage threats.

    But...

    ''They''re not really scary.''

    Already familiar with all sorts of modern horror, Ian wasn''t particrly frightened by the spirits'' grotesque appearance.

    He even had a quasi-necromancy skill.

    He could understand most of what the spirits were saying.

    "Kyaaaah!"

    "Gack! Gack! Gack!"

    But to normal people without necromancy skills, the spirits'' wails were literally like the sounds of hell itself.

    "Eek! I haven''t done anything wrong! Please spare me!"

    "I''m sorry! I''m sorry for not listening to the priest and rarely going to church!"

    The sight of torn-skinned ghosts making hellish sounds!

    It was so horrifying it made even the brave knight Belenka''s knees shake.

    "...Damn it. Ian! Snap out of it!"

    "? I am in my right mind though?"

    "Then hurry up and use magic!"

    Hmm. Is it that bad?

    Ian figured he''d better do as told rather than say that and actually get hit by Belenka.

    He was nning to use magic anyway.

    As Ian stepped forward, Baron Mud grinned.

    "Ooh! Behold! Our Ian Eredith Raven! Not a trace of fear!"

    "Woohoo~! We believed in you~!"

    "As expected of Master Wizard!"

    ''?''

    Ian tilted his head.

    Were medieval people really scared of this?

    But everyone except Ian was trembling.

    When everyone''s a cyclops, even someone with two good eyes should pretend to close one as a courtesy.

    "[Hello there!]"

    Ian called out in a loud voice.

    His pronunciation was so clear and powerful that it came across less as ''hello~!'' and more like ''who dares~!''

    The thieves actually interpreted it that way.

    "The wizard is scolding the spirits!"

    "[I am the wizard Ian!]"

    "He just said ''Ian''!"

    "He must be telling them to go back to hell after hearing his name!"

    "[Sorry to interrupt your busy time, but could we talk?]"

    "The wizard is speaking! Get on your knees and beg for mercy, you wicked demons!"

    "Yeah! You demons!"

    "How pathetic!"

    "...Baron Mud. Make those bastards all shut up."

    Baron Mud immediately covered the thieves'' mouths.

    "Which bastard dares interrupt while the wizard is casting spells! Want to die?!"

    "W-We''re sorry!"

    The thieves held their breath and watched Ianmunicate with the undead monsters.

    ''Wonder if they''ll understand.''

    Ian was slightly nervous too.

    ording to Ian''s intuition (or status window), these mysteries of death were ''friendly'' mysteries.

    Though the chances ofmunication were high...

    Seeing them fighting so intensely made him think they might ignore him.

    [Hm?]

    But contrary to his worries, the spirits quickly noticed Ian''s presence.

    [Oh. Who''s this?]

    [Haha! The ''look over there!'' trick? You tried that 50 years ago!]

    [No! There really is a human there!]

    [Hmm...?]

    Having been dead for so long, they didn''t immediately recognize human presence.

    It was difficult for beings of the spiritual world to perceive beings of the material world.

    It was the same principle that made humans and ghosts unable to see each other.

    But Ian had the [Necromancy] skill.

    "[Pleased to meet you.]"

    In the underground dungeon where only small torches burned dimly.

    Only Ian''s voice echoed, low and eerie.

    "[I am the wizard Ian.]"

    [Oh...! A visitor!]

    [My word. To think someone woulde all the way here!]

    The two spirits looked at Ian in surprise.

    To think a human had made it to the deepest part through the undead-infested underground!

    And with just a handful of people, not an army!

    [It''s been so long since we''ve seen a living human, I''m not sure how to speak...]

    [I know! Let me go first!]

    One spirit spoke to Ian.

    [Hello there! Human! I am Bjorn! A warrior!]

    [Ah. Right... I''m Junken. I was a warrior too.]

    Bjorn and Junken. He''d heard those names before.

    ''The ones mentioned on the map.''

    The one who stole House Dufel''s treasure and the one who chased him.

    ''Is that why they were fighting?''

    "[If I''ve interrupted a sacred duel...]"

    [Duel? Haha! This is just y!]

    [Yeah. When you''re stuck in this horrible underground, boredom is scarier than death]

    "?"

    Ian was slightly puzzled.

    "[You two aren''t enemies?]"

    [Ah. You thought that because we were fighting?]

    [Not particrly. We were enemies when alive, but not anymore.]

    Bjorn and Junken exined.

    Though they had fought to the death as fugitive and pursuer, after being trapped in this gloomy underground for so long, they''d somehow be best friends. ??

    [The only reason I haven''t gone mad is thanks to this friend.]

    [Same here. Having someone to talk to kept me from bing an evil spirit.]

    Bjorn and Junken grinned simultaneously.

    Though there had been various issues while alive, none of it seemed to matter after death.

    "[But why haven''t you ascended to heaven?]"

    The two spirits looked at each other.

    Bjorn spoke first.

    [Well. Because of the goddess''s picture book.]

    ---

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Warrior Bjorn fled with House Dufel''s treasure, the [Goddess''s Picture Book].

    Bjorn was Count Dufel''s bastard son at the time.

    [Back then, words like ''bastard'' weren''t somon. Most Holy Empire people were northerners who''de down seeking new hope, and having multiple women was considered a warrior''s virtue.]

    However, northern customs weren''t epted in the Holy Empire.

    The priests didn''t want Holy Empire people bing barbarians upying civilizednds.Their logic was that settling in a newnd meant epting new rules.

    [I was the best warrior among my brothers. No matter what anyone said, I should have been the next count.]

    "[So that''s why you stole the picture book?]"

    Count Dufel at the time struggled with the decision.

    Whether to pass the title to his legitimate child ording to Holy Empirew, or to his most capable child following northern custom.

    Count Dufel sided with the Holy Empire.

    He decided to pass the title to his legitimate wife''s child instead of his talented son.

    Warrior Bjorn couldn''t ept his father''s decision.

    [The Goddess''s Picture Book would have given me legitimacy as a northern warrior. I nned to gather excellent warriors with its reputation and develop my own territory.]

    Junken chimed in from the side.

    [This guy actually found and upied an abandoned Golden Empire fortress. Though it wasn''t suitable for living, it was perfect for defense.]

    Bjorn burst intoughter.

    [Yeah. I really gave you trouble.]

    However, Bjorn''s sudden action was taken as a challenge by Count Dufel.

    Count Dufel wouldn''t forgive Bjorn for fleeing with the treasure brought from the north.

    A pursuit team was assembled, led by Warrior Junken.

    And right here in this abandoned Golden Empire fortress.

    The two warriors fought to the death.

    [But neither of us knew.]

    [... The Goddess''s Picture Book had the power to bind human souls.]

    Ian nodded.

    Hrundal was not only a goddess who loved art, but also the warden who guarded hell.

    For Hrundal who gathered dead warriors'' souls to build armies, having the power to bind souls was entirely possible.

    [Having died near the book, our souls were bound and couldn''t leave this room.]

    [But... it has the power to keep our minds clear, so we didn''t be evil spirits like the other undead outside.]

    Ian understood how everything fit together.

    "[Are the undead here because of that picture book?]"

    [That''s right! Countless explorers havee trying to retrieve the picture book, but they all fell to the undead and became part of them! Hahaha!]

    "..."

    That didn''t seem like something tough about.

    As search parties kept dying and it became an undead nest, interest in the fortress naturally faded.

    Though Count Dufel wanted to recover the treasure, he too naturally lost his passion as time passed.

    To them, the [Goddess''s Picture Book] might not have been worth recovering at such cost.

    In the end, it was just a painting... they might have decided warriors'' lives were more precious.

    [That''s why we were surprised to see you. Ian the wizard, was it? How did you break through this undead-infested ce?]

    "[I mostly fooled their eyes with darkness. As for the ghosts, my friends over there blocked them with their bodies.]"

    Ian pointed at the possessed thieves.

    Without their sacrifice(?), Ian, Baron Mud, or Belenka might have fallen to the ghosts'' tricks.

    "[You two must have had it rough all this time.]"

    [Well... it wasn''t that bad.]

    Though he said that, Bjorn''s expression wasn''t bad.

    He was pleased that Ian acknowledged his suffering.

    "[Then let me retrieve the picture book and free the undead...]"

    [Wait.]

    Ian was about to collect the treasure, but Bjorn stopped him.

    [Though I stole the family treasure, I never resented my father. If I were head of the family, I would have made the same decision.]

    "..."

    [While I highly value your courage ining here, I cannot give up the treasure to someone not of House Dufel.]

    Was this blood running thicker than water?

    Even in death, Bjorn looked after the family.

    "[Are you fine staying like this forever?]"

    [I think you misunderstood? I said bring someone from House Dufel, not give up forever. With your skills, surely you could return to find me?]

    Bjorn said with a smile.

    [Or have I overestimated you? Wizard Ian.]

    If Ian ignored Bjorn''s decision, those spirits would attack him.

    Ian didn''t want to fight the spirits.

    He came to gain necromancy experience and farm treasure, not be a ghost yer.

    Fortunately, Ian had another card to y.

    Baron Mud.

    "Baron Mud. Come out and greet them."

    "Wh-What?"

    "These are your ancestors."

    Baron Mud reluctantly came forward to greet them.

    He really didn''t want to, but did so because Ian ordered it...

    "H-Hello... honored ancestors?"

    "Wooooo~!"

    "Eek! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!!!"

    Bjorn and Junken scratched their heads looking at Baron Mud.

    [Who''s this coward?]

    "[He''s your descendant.]"

    [What?!]

    "[More precisely, Bjorn. He''s your descendant.]"

    Ian said.

    "[His name is Arc, nicknamed Baron Mud. He''s Count Dufel''s bastard son.]"

    [!]

    Bjorn was shocked, while Junken spoke without batting an eye.

    [To think such a coward was born from that magnificent northern warrior''s seed. Failed at raising children.]

    [D-Don''t say failed! He''s not a coward, he''s just cautious!]

    [Bullshit]

    Being his descendant, Bjorn tried to defend him.

    [Ian... but why does my descendant look strange...?]

    "[He has Sand Empire blood mixed in.]"

    [What empire?!]

    Bjorn was speechless at the incredibly global scale of this international marriage.

    A marriage between Holy Empire and Sand Empire people!

    The world must have changed a lot!

    "[I''d like him to hear the details from you...]"

    [I want that too! But without a way to talk!]

    At that moment, Ian spoke to Bjorn in the Maroniusnguage.

    "[Cycle of death.]"

    [...!]

    In the dark dungeon, the stagnant, sticky power of death that had gathered for so long moved ording to Ian''s will.

    Fearing death is life''s instinct.

    But Ian was handling death''s power while breaking even such primal life instincts.

    [Necromancy...!]

    Those who wield magic that transcends life and death are called [Necromancers] in the Empire.

    [You have understood the will of death''s mystery!]

    [New Skill Acquired!]

    [Skill: Necromancy]

    [The ability to handle death''s mystery and the creatures born from it]

    "[If you want, I''ll give you a chance to talk with your descendant.]"

    [Really?!]

    Ian nodded.

    If he could speak with House Dufel''s descendant, that spirit would no longer guard the treasure.

    "[If you trust me,e into me. I''ll lend you my body.]"

    It was the same magic that Maria had demonstrated in the ice cave.

    Spirit possession.

    The act of inviting a ghost into a human body.

    [G-Good!]

    Following Ian''s will, Bjorn took over Ian''s body.

    Sensations from when he was alive started returning one by one...!

    "Ian? Are you alright? Ian?!"

    Belenka, who had been watching Ian, was startled.

    After talking with the spirits, Ian''s body had gone limp.

    Ian slowly opened his eyes, stared nkly at Belenka and said:

    "If I''d met you while alive, I would have made you my wife. May I kiss you?"

    "...D-Don''t say things like that with Ian''s face!"

    So flustered that her face turned bright red, Belenka shouted.

    Her skin was so pale that when she blushed she looked ill.

    [Bjorn. Keep acting up and I''ll kick you out.]

    "[Hahaha! I''ve heard that the more entric a wizard is, the more skilled they are! Judging by your tone, you must be an amazing wizard!]"

    [If you know that then please just meet your descendant.]

    Before Ian got more annoyed, Bjorn called Baron Mud over.

    "Come closer, my descendant."

    "..."

    "Why hesitate? Are you afraid? I won''t harm you, be at ease."

    Baron Mud felt an uncanny dissonance hearing Ian''s kind voice.

    ''Ian being... gentle?!''

    The cognitive dissonance of seeing that face that looked ready to kick someone speaking kindly!

    Ian had an even worse reputation than a warrior who lived with violence his whole life...

    Baron Mud approached as ordered by Ian(?).

    Ian, no, Bjorn spoke:

    "Though Sand Empire blood flows in you, you are my descendant. The thickness or thinness of a descendant''s blood matters not."

    "..."

    "Speak, my descendant. Why do you seek the lost family treasure?"

    Baron Mud hesitated for a moment.

    The reason Baron Mud joined the treasure hunt.

    "... Actually, if I retrieve the family treasure... I''ll gain the right to inherit the count''s title. It''s a perfect condition for me, a count''s bastard son."

    "Hmm. I see. I understand, descendant."

    As a former bastard himself, Bjorn understood Baron Mud''s situation better than anyone.

    After all, someone born a bastard couldn''t help but desire recognition from those around them.

    "So you too want to be count. Good spirit! Descendant!"

    "..."

    "Hm? Why don''t you answer?"

    Baron Mud hesitated.

    ... Because he wasn''t sure if he truly desired to be count.

    ''Why did I set out to find the treasure?''

    His inner ''Arc'' whispered.

    ''To be count.''

    ''For wealth and power.''

    ''... To take revenge on the family!''

    Then ''Baron Mud'' asked back.

    ''Really?''

    Bing count would flip his life around, opening up apletely new existence.

    Goodbye to his squalid life forever. He could obtain a luxurious lifestylemanding servants.

    But.

    Baron Mud couldn''t imagine himself sitting in a grand castle eating fine food.

    Because...

    He wasn''t House Dufel''s ''Arc'', but the thief ''Baron Mud''.

    "Ancestor. I... actually don''t want to be count."

    "What?!"

    Bjorn shouted in surprise.

    At the same time, Bjorn kicked Baron Mud!

    "Ow!"

    Baron Mud was so wronged he almost cried!

    Hey, you said you wouldn''t hit me!!!

    "Wh-Why did you hit me?!"

    "Just felt like it. You really won''t be count?"

    "... Are you Ian right now?"

    "Want another kick?"

    Baron Mud marveled at solving the mystery.

    Aha! He kicked me because he''s that bastard Ian!

    So my ancestor wasn''t lying!

    "Don''t worry! I''ll properly hand over the treasure once I get the title!"

    "Then what about you?"

    "I''ll run! By the way, I''m confident in escaping."

    Ian smirked.

    "You crazy bastard."

    Ian had never seen someone kick away a count''s title with their own feet before.

    Still not hungry enough?

    Ian didn''t really care whether Baron Mud became count or not.

    As long as he properly handed over the treasure, that was enough.

    But Bjorn cared deeply.

    "Why? You, a bastard, could be head of the family! Why would you kick away such an opportunity?"

    ---

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 238

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Though Ian''s feet had moved instinctively, Baron Mud''s decision hadn''t really surprised him.

    ''Well... he was never the type to desperately chase sess.''

    It would be a lie to say he held no grudge against the family.

    But neither did he harbor an obsessive desire for revenge.

    ''Too much time has passed anyway.''After cutting ties with the family, they''d lived as strangers.

    This time too, they''d only gotten tangled up by chance.

    Baron Mud had chosen to continue his familiar life rather than start anew.

    "I was born a bastard to Count Dufel, the son of a ve," Baron Mud told Bjorn.

    "The family treated me as nothing more than an exotic jester. When my father''s interest in me faded as I grew up, I was naturally forgotten by the world."

    "That''s how I became a thief."

    "I made my living stealing valuables and robbing graves of the dead''s treasures."

    "That''s who''Baron Mud'' is."

    Bjorn asked, still seeming confused:

    "You''re giving up the family''s glory just to continue petty thievery?"

    Baron Mud replied with a grin:

    "Yes. Petty thievery indeed. But it''s thievery I aplished with my own hands. My nickname as Baron Mud, my reputation as the master grave robber! All of it is the result of my own efforts!" ?

    "You''re saying a life built by your own hands is more precious?"

    At that, Bjorn let out a heartyugh.

    "Hahaha! I get it! Who gives a damn about the family''s approval!"

    The reason Bjorn could understand Baron Mud was because he was exactly the same kind of person.

    A man with enough guts to just grab a treasure and run away!

    Bjorn really liked his attitude of just going for what he wanted without hesitation.

    "What a strange feeling. While I want to see a worthy heir inherit the family line, I also want you to live freely in this world."

    Ian, who had been listening, whispered:

    "Isn''t that just what parents feel?"

    "...You''re not entirely wrong."

    Though not his biological child, they still shared blood.

    Bjorn felt an odd familial affection for Baron Mud.

    "Very well! Descendant! You are truly worthy of possessing the [Holy Painting]!"

    "Ah...!"

    "Take the treasure and do with it as you please! Let''s end everything here! Hahaha!"

    With that, Bjorn''s possession ended.

    [Now, Wizard Ian! Take the painting and leave with him!]

    "[Thank you, Bjorn.]"

    Ian approached the worn-out box.

    Insidey the Dufel family treasure he''d been searching for all this time...!

    Ian calmly opened the box.

    "Oh."

    At first nce, it looked incredibly ordinary.

    It appeared to be an early medieval bound book with a vellum cover.

    However, it was quite thin, with only about 20-30 pages.

    [Ian! Don''t show the book''s contents to that woman!]

    "[Understood.]"

    The Holy Painting was said to bring courage to men but death to women.

    ''What kind of content could it be?''

    The wizard''s curiosity stirred.

    Ian quickly opened the book and speed-read through it.

    "T-This...!"

    And Ian was shocked.

    "What''s in it, Ian?"

    "Stay back!"

    "???"

    Ian stood frozen, then read through to thest page in an instant.

    Only then did he let out his held breath.

    "So that''s why women couldn''t read it..."

    "Come on, what''s in it..."

    "Sorry, Belenka. No matter how close we are, I can''t show you this."

    Belenka pouted slightly, feeling unfairly left out.

    She loved adventure as much as Ian, if not quite to his degree. If she hadn''t, she would have parted ways with him long ago.

    After all their effort to get the treasure... and she couldn''t even look at it because she was a woman!

    This was too much! Curse Hrundal!

    "What''s in it?"

    "Here, read it. Ah - turn around and face the wall while reading."

    Baron Mud opened the [Holy Painting] puzzledly.

    "Oh!"

    After turning just a few pages, he gasped in shock, his hands trembling.

    Baron Mud immediately pressed his head against the wall to read.

    "Ian, really, just one page..."

    "Absolutely not!"

    "..."

    "I''m saying this for your own good! Belenka! I don''t want to lose you senselessly!"

    Belenka felt briefly touched by Ian''s passionate voice.

    ''Wait...''

    But something felt off.

    Ian''s voice sounded... like when he was doing wizard-things?!

    "Ian, your voice just now sounded a bit unnatural..."

    "Holy shit! Heavens above! No, Ice God above!"

    Baron Mud suddenly shouted, his face bright red.

    "I can''t believe something like this exists in the world!"

    "Oh, finished reading?"

    "Yes! Wow! This... this is a real treasure! I can''t believe I only discovered this now! I''ve wasted half my life!!!"

    "Come on, just tell me a little bit about what''s in..."

    "Absolutely not!!! I can''t tell you anything, Sir Knight!"

    When Belenka strode toward Baron Mud, Ian blocked her path...!

    "Ian?!"

    "I''m sorry, Belenka. I can''t let our ancestors'' efforts to protect the [Holy Painting] go to waste."

    In that moment, Ian and Baron Mud exchanged intense looks.

    And the men nodded simultaneously!

    By this point, Belenka was about to go crazy with curiosity.

    Seriously, what kind of painting was it?!

    [How was it seeing it in person? Quite the treasure, isn''t it?]

    "[Yes... I understand now why it''s called a treasure.]"

    [But not worth risking your life to recover, right?]

    "[Depending on perspective, but yes. If it were me, I think I''d just live with having lost it.]"

    Ian opened the Holy Painting once more.

    The breathtakingly beautiful woman visible as soon as the book opened.

    ''This is Hrundal.''

    That woman joyfully dancing in a luxurious banquet hall was indeed Hrundal herself, who Ian had met.

    As expected of the goddess of art, the painting was enchantingly beautiful.

    And when you turned the page...

    The goddess undressed.

    It was even a vivid color nude.

    ''Holy shit.''

    Ian stared again at the shockingly beautiful painting in amazement.

    Since she''d used herself as the model, the detail was incredible.

    The breasts, and the breasts, and the breasts...

    ''Damn, this is intense.''

    Ian turned the pages like one possessed.

    The goddess held a feast with the Valkyries to raise the warriors'' morale.

    The insane artistic style showed the goddess and Valkyries filling the pages and...

    They did it with the warriors.

    They did it incredibly, chaotically, enough to melt the ice castle!

    Thanks to Hrundal''s amazing artistic skill, the vividly bouncing breasts seemed toe alive right before his eyes...

    "!"

    Ian closed the book with ragged breaths.

    The medieval fantasy people of this world didn''t know what to call this, so they just called it a ''painting book'', but...

    As a modern person, Ian knew exactly what to call this.

    ''This is basically Toptoon!''

    No, not Toptoon...

    It was an erotic 18+ manga.

    ''Hrundal, are you a genius?!''

    This wasn''t some isekai author''s work.

    To think she''d draw erotic manga and have it called a treasure!

    "Ian, really just one page..."

    "No way! It''s dangerous! Belenka! Stay back!"

    Ian understood why the ancestors had spread rumors that ''women who look at it will die.''

    It was truly profound wisdom...!

    "That''s right! Sir Knight absolutely must not look!"

    "Haa fine. I can probably handle even the most horrible images, but... seeing how adamantly you''re refusing, there must be a reason."

    Ian nodded vigorously. That was an absolutely terrifying image. This was proven by content ratingws.

    While dismemberment and organ removal were rated 15+, scenes of baby-making were 19+!

    How scary must the act of X be for it to be more strictly controlled than dismemberment!

    "Well, let''s wrap up and head out."

    Having failed to see the painting book, Belenka rapidly lost interest.

    Ian also agreed it was time to leave the dungeon.

    "Right. Let''s get some fresh air outside."

    #

    Once they retrieved the painting book, the undead in the dungeon rapidly crumbled away.

    "Ugh... where am I?"

    "Oh! You''re back to your senses!"

    The thieves who had lost their minds to the ghost''s tricks also gradually came to.

    Without the skeletons and ghosts, the underground dungeon was just an old underground structure.

    "[Bjorn. This painting book - it''s not just erotic pictures, is it?]"

    [Of course not. It contains powerful mystical powers capable of binding human souls.]

    While it appeared to be an absolutely devastating fap material on the surface...

    It still contained powerful divine magic, being made by a goddess.

    ''...But why did Hrundal draw this?''

    Ian was dumbfounded all over again.

    Setting aside the fact that it was lewder than most manga, why had a goddess spent her time drawing erotic manga in the first ce?

    The nature of the mystical powers contained within needed to be thoroughly investigatedter.

    "Wizard! We have trouble!"

    A thief came running in panic.

    "Outside... soldiers!"

    Ian followed the thief to check outside the fortress.

    Indeed, armed soldiers were waiting across the valley.

    Their leader in the most ornate armor was someone Ian recognized.

    "It''s Fin."

    "Pretty impressive. How did he track us here?"

    Ian and Belenka genuinely admired Fin''s tracking abilities.

    In the medieval era without proper maps, the skill to track a small group of fugitives this urately was no ordinary feat.

    Moreover, Fin wasn''t alone.

    Local nobles who had heard rumors of Fin''s passage hade out to see what was happening.

    It was natural for them toe check when a noble passed by their territory with knights and soldiers in tow.

    Fin also spotted Ian''s group and shouted:

    "Thief leader, Wizard Ian, hear me!"

    "Belenka, was I a thief boss?"

    "Well, you kind of are right now. Not exactly wrong."

    Other nobles were watching.

    While Fin had called Ian a thief leader to disparage him, ironically Ian really was leading thieves at the moment.

    To the nobles'' eyes, Ian must look like an evil wizard ying at being a thief boss.

    "I, Fin of Dufel! Shall punish you viins who covet the family treasure and restore order!"

    "Waaaaaaah!"

    Thunderous cheers filled the valley.

    Faced with the overwhelming volume (though most was actually echo), the thieves trembled in fear.

    "W-we''re done for...! We''re all going to die!"

    "Damn it! Why''d we have to run into nobles!"

    To thieves who represented the lowest fantasybat power, nobles were like the grim reaper incarnate.

    One wrong look could get their heads chopped off!

    "Don''t be too afraid."

    "W-Wizard?"

    Ian stepped forward before the thieves'' morale could drop further.

    If Finunched an attack now, Ian would need to use the thieves at full strength.

    "Listen up, Fin Dufel! For someone who didn''t care about the treasure, you sure talk big! Why don''t you go back and study how to be a baron with Father Berum!"

    "Huh? Lord Fin didn''t care about the treasure?"

    "What does that mean..."

    The other nobles muttered amongst themselves.

    Outsiders couldn''t know the internal session politics of House Dufel.

    They truly believed he had purelye searching for the family treasure.

    ''As expected of the cunning wizard. His tongue drips with poison!''

    Fin red at Ian.

    But this was expected.

    A wizard''s specialty was just their crafty words.

    Anticipating this, Fin had prepared his own speech.

    "My beloved father always wanted for our ancestors'' lost treasure!"

    When Fin shouted, the nobles'' attention focused on him.

    "But he passed away without finding it! I know well my father''s lingering regret!"

    "Ohhh!"

    "In the name of our family! I shall sweep away you thieving rats and disy the [Holy Painting] before my father''s grave!"

    At those incredible words, Ian''s jaw dropped and...

    "...Pfft!"

    Baron Mud failed to hold back hisughter.

    The Holy Painting... in front of his father''s grave...

    When Baron Mudughed, Fin bristled with anger.

    How dare that lowborn bastardugh at me!

    "Impudent fool! You think I won''t do it?! Then I promise! Additionally, I shall gather all the nobles here and their families! Each and every one shall appreciate the [Holy Painting]!"

    "Oh! How generous, Lord Fin!"

    "The lost treasure of House Dufel... I''m truly looking forward to it!"

    The nobles chatted cheerfully amongst themselves.

    Ian was stunned.

    Had Fin truly gone mad?

    Unable to watch any longer, Ian spoke up:

    "Hey, Mr. Fin Dufel. Is your career goal to be Count Pervert Public Indecency?"

    "...Are you mocking me!"

 Chapter 239

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    "No, I''m serious."

    Ian was genuinely worried that Lord Fin might actually hold a public erotic manga reading session in front of the nobles.

    He could make such bold derations now because he didn''t know what the ''family treasure'' contained...

    But once he saw what was inside, Lord Fin would find himself in quite the predicament.

    Yet here he was, shouting without thinking about the consequences."Enough talking! It only wastes breath! Knights, charge! Go and cut off all those thieves'' heads!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Lord Fin issued attack orders to his subordinates without hesitation.

    Though there were variousplications regarding the session...

    If he killed Baron Mud and Ian here and recovered the family treasure, no variables would remain.

    Solve everything with force!

    This was the perfect n!

    "Forward! For honor!"

    The knights and soldiers charged toward the abandoned fortress as one.

    With their numbers reaching 30-40 men, it made quite an impressive sight from afar.

    "Oh, they''reing!"

    "Everyone stay calm and hold your positions! They have to enter the fortress anyway!"

    As the raid began, Belenka immediately took charge.

    Concealing her face with a ck helmet, shemanded the battlefield as a ck knight.

    Fin''s army quickly reached the abandoned fortress.

    Fin watched his brave subordinates with an expression full of anticipation.

    ''No matter how talented the wizard is, he can''t handle this many people alone!''

    That was true.

    In this medieval fantasy world, wizards were just people with unique foreignnguage skills, not superhumans who could massacre dozens.

    A simple crossbow barrage from afar could easily kill a wizard. Few had learned mysteries to block arrows.

    Lord Fin was confident his knights would quickly eliminate Ian and Baron Mud.

    "Out of my way! The vanguard is mine!"

    A knight with a massive build shoved aside the mercenaries and entered the fortress first.

    Upon spotting Belenka, he immediately shouted:

    "Well well, pretty one! You did well ignoring me back in Heltingen!"

    "? Who are you?"

    Belenka genuinely couldn''t remember him.

    Understandable, since she had ignored all the knights who invited her to dine and left straight for shopping!

    "Ha! Never mind! You''ll be my prisoner soon enough! Don''t worry, I won''t kill you. After all, you need to bear my children!"

    "..."

    Belenka swung her sword wordlessly.

    She had heard such stupid remarks countless times before.

    "Oh! For a woman, your de is quite sha-"

    Belenka raised her sword tip in one fluid, natural motion.

    The de drew a silver arc as it glinted with a subtle light.

    The longsword''s point pierced the knight''s neck.

    "Gu-gurk!"

    The knight copsed, clutching his neck.

    A wound like that would be difficult to treat even with modern medical technology, let alone in this medieval fantasy world. It was undoubtedly fatal.

    That knight would be dead within 30 minutes.

    Belenka examined her sword tip as she spoke.

    Not a single drop of blood stained the longsword.

    "I could have taken you prisoner. But I killed you because I didn''t want to keep you alive. Noints, right?"

    "Grrrk...!"

    Had he shown proper courtesy, Belenka might have treated him as a prisoner.

    But the enemy showed no manners, so she killed him.

    "Sir Diom has fallen!"

    "Damn it! Don''t rush! Form ranks first!"

    The knights and mercenaries who arrived next didn''t charge in recklessly like the dead knight.

    At the same time, they sensed their opponent wasn''t to be taken lightly...!

    ''Weren''t they supposed to be just thieves?!''

    ''What kind of monster knight is this...!''

    Most of Lord Fin''s forces were hired mercenaries.

    And naturally, Lord Fin hadn''t told the mercenaries any important information.

    Not only did Lord Fin himself not know Ian''s group''s capabilities, but he also worried they might not take the contract if he told them!

    But once they were on the battlefield, even if they''d been deceived intoing, they couldn''t run away with enemies right in front of them.

    Defeat on the battlefield meant death.

    "The ck knight! Focus on the ck knight!"

    They judged Belenka to be the core of the enemy''s strength and immediately moved to neutralize their ace.

    If they could just take down the ck knight, the rest were really just thieves!

    "[Darkness!]"

    But Ian wasn''t about to let that happen.

    If the battlefield was a stage, the knights were the lead actors.

    But the wizard was the one directing the performance.

    Wizards had the ability to reshape the battlefield ording to their will.

    Ian summoned a thick curtain of darkness to adjust the battlefield so Belenka wouldn''t be surrounded.

    "Haah!"

    "Arghh!"

    Without being surrounded, bodies naturally began piling up around Belenka!

    "Throw thes! Throw thes!"

    "Take this! Eat some rocks!"

    Meanwhile, Baron Mud quickly led the thieves to higher ground in the fortress.

    Though the thieves''bat power was garbage, they could still be annoying to the enemy.

    The thieves harassed the mercenaries by throwings and rocks from above.

    The mercenaries below were going crazy getting hit by stones.

    If they could just get their hands on those damn thieves, they''d tear them apart!

    But there was no way past Belenka standing like a mountain and Ian wielding dark magic.

    "Retreat! Fall back!"

    After Belenka killed 4-5 more mercenaries, the mercenaries finally chose to retreat.

    "You''re not running away now, are you?"

    "Absolutely not! We won''t run until we''ve cut down everyst one of those bastards!"

    The mercenaries chose strategic withdrawal rather than desertion.

    The fortress interior was too advantageous for Ian and the thieves, so they nned to draw them out to fight.

    In the bright sunlit outdoors!

    How much could thieves and a dark wizard aplish in wide open spaces!

    As the mercenaries withdrew, Belenka frowned.

    "Ian. Looks like they''re trying to surround us."

    "Surround us?"

    Ian almost couldn''t believe it.

    What kind of siege could they do with just 30 people...

    But thinking about it, his side didn''t have many people either.

    More importantly, they had Lord Fin as their patron, so they could camp there for days.

    Siege + waiting it out was amon medieval siege tactic.

    Wait until the enemy exhausts themselves, then attack when they''re weakened!

    It was a suitable tactic against Ian''s group who were critically short on food and water.

    "Right. They think time is on their side."

    "?"

    But Ian tilted his head.

    The mercenaries'' judgment was very experienced but... also very amateurish.

    "Are they stupid? I''m a wizard, you know?"

    Generally, magic produced better results the more time you invested in it.

    Asking a favor from a friend you met an hour ago VS asking a friend you''ve hung out with for 3 days.

    Which has a higher chance of sess?

    Obviously thetter has an overwhelmingly higher sess rate.

    If they dragged things out, Ian could prepare powerful magic.

    Time was on Ian''s side.

    "These mercenaries might know how to handlebat units, but they don''t seem to understand wizards."

    Objectively speaking, it wasn''t really a stupid judgment worth criticizing.

    You rarely encounter wizards in normal battles. Wizards are only deployed in trulyrge-scale wars.

    Even if there are wizards, you don''t directly face them. The opposing formation naturally has wizards too. It generally develops into wizard vs wizard battles.

    "Works out well for us."

    Whatever the reason...

    Lord Fin''s army had made the decision to give Ian time.

    When such opportunities arise, you grab them with both hands!

    "Master Wizard, the enemy is setting up camp over there... what should we do?"

    "What else? Go cheer them on."

    "...What?!"

    The thief was startled by Ian''s nonchnt response.

    This was an abandoned fortress with no water or food...

    What was the wizard thinking?!

    But Baron Mud rushed over and kicked the thief.

    "You idiot! The wizard must have a n!"

    "Right! Idiot!"

    "How pathetic!"

    Baron Mud already strongly trusted Ian.

    If it''s Wizard Ian! He must have some method!

    ...However, that powerful trust began to rapidly fade when Ian opened the [Holy Painting].

    Baron Mud whispered to Ian:

    "Hey. Ian. You''re not having post-nut rity, are you?"

    "? What are you talking about, you lunatic."

    "You opened that to pull out..."

    Ian kicked Baron Mud.

    "Think logically. Is this the time for that?"

    "But you''re a wizard, so you might be able to..."

    Ian red at Baron Mud in disbelief.

    Seriously, what do you think wizards are?!

    Ian ignored Baron Mud and focused on the [Holy Painting].

    Though it looked like an erotic manga that could carry a webtoonpany''s revenue, it contained power left by the goddess.

    ''...Huh?''

    Ian was slightly surprised to find several human souls inside the book.

    Among Hrundal''s many titles was [Warden of Hell].

    Creating prisons to confine souls seemed to be nothing special for her.

    "[Bjorn?]"

    [Oh! Ian!]

    One of the souls trapped in the book was Bjorn.

    While other undead had found peace and vanished, Bjorn who was close to the book couldn''t easily escape.

    [Well, I''d like to get out, but I''m not sure how.]

    "[I can help with that.]"

    [Oh! Really?!]

    "[Just one favor I''d like to ask.]"

    [What is it? Hope it''s nothing too difficult.]

    Ian snapped his fingers and said:

    "[There are some folks outside trying to kill me and Baron Mud.]"

    [What?! Someone''s trying to harm my descendant!]

    Actually, that person is your descendant too.

    Ian swallowed those words.

    "[I''d like help driving them away.]"

    [That kind of thing, anytime!]

    But Ian needed to borrow the power of mystery.

    Since Bjorn didn''t want Baron Mud''s death, he decided to help Ian.

    "[When you''re ready, let''s head out.]"

    #

    As darkness began to fall, Lord Fin''s army grew tense.

    Their opponent was a wizard who wielded the power of darkness.

    Who knew what terrifying magic he might cast once night fell.

    "Are the crossbows well maintained?"

    "No problems, captain."

    The mercenaries stayed vignt while being thoroughly prepared.

    The enemy had no water or food, so this would be decided within 3 days at most.

    The key was how to hold out for those 3 days.

    "Captain! Over there!"

    "Fire!"

    A human shadow appeared as the bushes rustled.

    The mercenaries fired their crossbows without hesitation.

    "...Huh?"

    Then something amazing happened.

    The arrows passed right through the human shadow.

    The mercenaries btedly realized what it was.

    "G-g-ghost!"

    Two northern warriors in fierce barbarian-like attire. Beings that arrows couldn''t even hit!

    The mercenaries were certain they were ghosts.

    Logically, northern warriors wouldn''t be wandering around in the heart of the Holy Empire!

    And the mercenaries'' judgment was correct.

    "Wooooooo!"

    The warrior ghosts let out blood-chilling howls.

    Even mercenaries fighting for money had their morale instantly shattered upon encountering ghosts.

    "It''s necromancy! That wizard used necromancy!"

    "Run! Everyone run!"

    The mercenaries abandoned all their supplies and fled with just their bodies.

    When morning came, all that remained were pathetically abandoned food and supplies.

    Lord Fin''s army had evaporated overnight.

    "H-how could this happen...!"

    Ian and Baron Mud walked steadily forward with the ck knight in front.

    Fin couldn''t believe his eyes even as he watched.

    "We meet again, my lord?"

    Ian grinned at Lord Fin.

    ---

 Chapter 240

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Lord Fin couldn''t believe the current situation.

    Only three people had escaped - a petty grave-robbing thief, a foreign female knight, and a wandering wizard...

    Lord Fin had gathered ten times their number to capture these three.

    And yet...

    ''Impossible!''Wizard Ian hadpletely ignored the numerical advantage and seeded in capturing Lord Fin instead.

    "Your expression suggests you have much to say."

    When Ian spoke, Lord Fin snapped to attention.

    This was hisst chance for negotiation.

    "I-I admit defeat! I ept my loss! So treat me as a proper prisoner!"

    "Hmm..."

    As Ian toyed with Anor-lsil, cold sweat ran down Lord Fin''s back.

    If Ian struck him down right here, Lord Fin couldn''t reallyin.

    He had attacked Ian first in Heltingen.

    He''d even tried to assassinate him, so it wouldn''t be strange if Ian held a grudge.

    "Why should I listen to you?"

    "I-I am a noble! I demand treatment befitting the heir to House Dufel!"

    "That ship seems to have sailed."

    Ian pointed toward Baron Mud as he spoke.

    Both Ian and Lord Fin knew the will''s contents, so they could guess how things would y out.

    Baron Mud had sessfully retrieved the lost family treasure.

    If they returned to Heltingen now, Baron Mud could im his right to inherit the title.

    And that im would be very strong.

    "...What do you want? Whatever it is, I''ll give it to you!"

    "Nothing really. Baron Mud can give me everything anyway."

    All Ian wanted was the Holy Painting.

    And Baron Mud had already promised to hand it over to Ian.

    Realistically, Lord Fin had no means to persuade Ian.

    Gifts of gold and silver? Ian already had plenty of gold. Though it was all stored in Talian, he had chests full of gold from looting the dragon''sir.

    Position as Heltingen''s court wizard? Unnecessary. Why would Ian care about such a position?

    "Wait! Stop! Wizard!"

    Just then, a noble interrupted.

    It was Baron Maul, the lord of thesends.

    "Executing a noble would be dishonorable!"

    "Even though he branded me an assassin first and even tried to kill me?"

    "...Is this true?"

    Ian calmly exined the situation to the other nobles.

    The nobles who had initially listened with skeptical expressions grasped the situation after hearing Ian''s logical exnation.

    "Have you ever seen such a dishonorable person!"

    "Using such dirty tricks and failing. He got what he deserved!"

    The nobles unanimously condemned Lord Fin.

    Lord Fin was already finished anyway. They could freely insult the loser to curry favor with the winner.

    "Do visit our castle sometime, Lord Ian! We''ll give you a reception worthy of your station!"

    "A wizard like Lord Ian is always wee! Hahaha!"

    "Safe travels."

    Ian finished his business-interactions with the nobles with a smile.

    Ian was clearly the victor here, and a wizard who had demonstrated impressive magic.

    No noble would take Lord Fin''s side at the cost of offending a wizard.

    The nobles waved goodbye and left with their retinues.

    Thanks for the entertainment~

    They had truly juste to watch the fight...

    "What will you do now, Ian?"

    When Belenka asked, Ian answered without hesitation.

    "Return to Heltingen."

    "What about Fin?"

    "He''ll stand trial."

    Belenka was slightly impressed by Ian''s cold judgment.

    Given Ian''s age, he might have given in to hot blood and executed Lord Fin on the spot.

    Actually, that wouldn''t have mattered much.

    Ian was a wandering wizard after all. He could just avoid Heltingen afterward.

    But that way, Ian might unnecessarily gain the reputation of a noble-killer.

    Outsiders didn''t know the internal circumstances around the session.

    Not knowing Ian''s reasons for killing Lord Fin, some might criticize him based on the oue alone.

    ''In times like these, following thew is best.''

    So Ian wanted to reveal all of Lord Fin''s crimes while delivering a punishment others would ept.

    And in medieval times, "following thew" had a very clear meaning.

    "Baron Mud."

    "What?"

    "About Lord Fin. Lock him in a tower for about 100 years."

    Medieval judicial authority rested 100% in the lord''s hands.

    If the lord said execution, it was execution. If imprisonment, imprisonment.

    In other words, medieval trials were just lords passing whatever judgment they pleased!

    What an evilw worthy of sophistry!

    The next lord candidate (candidate count: 1) Baron Mud would now wield full judicial authority.

    And Baron Mud was... controble(?) by Ian from behind the scenes.

    Ian Eredith, the medieval power behind the throne!

    If eastern shamans could be shadow rulers, why not wizards?

    "Of course! I''ll make him like a princess trapped in a tower, don''t worry!"

    When Baron Mudughed, Ianughed too.

    Though trapped in a tower, he might be able to pull up a passing knight with super-long hair...

    But that was only possible for Rapunzel.

    Lord Fin would spend the rest of his life imprisoned in that tower.

    Bearing the shame of being the son who failed to forge his father''s will.

    "Well then, let''s head back."

    Ian returned to Heltingen with the Holy Painting and Lord Fin in tow.

    #

    Events in Heltingen proceeded rapidly.

    First, House Dufel''s priest who Lord Fin had driven out returned.

    "I had to briefly leave my post due to circumstances."

    "Haha! Don''t worry too much! I, Father Berum, have been looking after the people''s welfare!"

    "Thank you so much, Father Berum."

    Though they exchanged pleasant words on the surface.

    Neither Father Berum nor House Dufel''s priest looked kindly on each other.

    House Dufel''s priest had been forced into an unwanted assignment(?) after falling from power''s favor.

    Father Berum was someone who took bribes to do shady work.

    The power-hungry Father Berum and the principle-focused House Dufel priest were ipatible.

    As soon as things soured between Ian and Lord Fin, Father Berum immediately dered work stoppage and spent every day indulging in wine and women.

    As a result, Father Berum sessfully extracted himself from this mess.

    An almost supernatural self-preservation ability.

    House Dufel''s priest, back to his proper duties, resumed the dyed will announcement.

    "Whoever brings back House Dufel''s lost treasure shall earn the right to inherit the next count''s title!"

    "!"

    "Is that real?!"

    "Th-Then I too...! Could be count!"

    The people of Heltingen eagerly drank their chicken soup at this outrageous announcement.

    But for Ian and others who already knew the will''s contents, it was a boringly tedious announcement.

    Yeah~ already found the treasure~ next count''s already decided~

    How dare you lowlymoners eye the position of your betters!

    The internal decision had already been made!

    Like a rigged card game, Ian had long since designated Baron Mud as the next count and found the treasure.

    And Ian had truly rigged things with Heltingen''s people.

    "Pleased to meet you, Chairman. This is Arc Dufel, famously known as Baron Mud."

    "I''ve heard of him. Had some rough times in the past, I hear."

    Ian met with the chairman of Heltingen''s city council alongside Baron Mud.

    Though House Dufel''s count ruled Heltingen, the city was toorge andplex for one person to govern.

    Thus Heltingen had a city council with councilors and a chairman.

    If the count was the city''s king, the councilors were like a cab.

    The city council was very interested in the birth of a new count.

    "The reason you sought us out must be the will, I assume."

    "That''s right."

    "If you''re nning to search for the family treasure, we could provide support..."

    "No need. We''ve already found it."

    "???"

    The chairman was dumbfounded by Ian''s response.

    They already found the treasure?!

    When the will was just announced???

    Then understanding how things had yed out, he was dumbfounded again.

    These damn nobles...!

    They passed around the unannounced will amongst themselves!

    "Arc Dufel here is the only candidate for next count."

    Though he disliked the situation, the chairman liked this count candidate.

    A bastard and former grave robber!

    What business did a luckymoner who dug through others'' graves have bing count!

    He clearlycked knowledge and power, so they could gradually transfer real authority to the council by giving him money and women...

    "This guy''s a sucker, so just push him around as you see fit."

    "Ah, no... Lord Ian. Even for someone bing count, calling him a sucker is a bit..."

    The chairman nervously watched Baron Mud''s reaction.

    But Baron Mud just scratched his belly and said:

    "Ian''s right! I don''t know politics! You folks handle all thatplicated stuff yourselves!"

    "..."

    The chairman was amazed by Baron Mud''s brazen attitude.

    This bastard...! He really is a sucker!

    At the same time, he firmly made up his mind.

    For the council''s interests, having this Arc fellow as count was 100 times better than the greedy and scheming Fin.

    "The council supports Lord Arc Dufel!"

    "Don''t call a thief ''lord.''"

    "Let''s call him Lord Baron Mud! Hahaha!"

    Watching Baron Mudugh happily, the chairman thought:

    Soon, one of the Empire''s cities would be a free city...!

    The age of citizens was not far off.

    And some timeter.

    Baron Mud, Arc Dufel, ascended to be the next Count Dufel with the priest and council as witnesses.

    #

    As promised, Count Baron Mud handed the [Holy Painting] over to Ian.

    Though some retainers objected, when Baron Mud strongly pushed for it, the opposing voices dwindled.

    ''We''ve lived fine without this until now. What''s the problem?''

    ''And without Ian we wouldn''t have recovered the painting at all!''

    Baron Mud showed the [Holy Painting] to House Dufel''s priest.

    The priest turned pale and actively supported giving it to Ian.

    ''Th-This sphemous pagan artifact is unnecessary! Let''s leave its disposal to the wizard!''

    ''? Just what''s in it...''

    ''A-Anyway, let''s hand it over!''

    When the words "sphemous" and "pagan artifact" simultaneously flew from the priest''s mouth, no one dared object to the end.

    Ian smiled as he opened and closed the Holy Painting.

    A sphemous pagan artifact?

    Every single word was fact.

    Ah~ Since it''s such a dangerous item, the wizard should keep it~

    ''Baron Mud said he''d escape on his ownter anyway.''

    Because of Lord Fin''s trial, Baron Mud said he''d stay as count for now.

    When he got tired of and bored with being a noble, he''d slip away quietly.

    Since the city council was functioning anyway, Baron Mud''s disappearance wouldn''t cause many problems.

    ''I want to hurry to the university and study this painting.''

    It was a magical item obtained after a while.

    Though its appearance was a bit(?) unique, it was still an artifact.

    Ian nned to examine the painting''s magic as soon as he reached the university.

    As Ian headed toward the Imperial University.

    [...?]

    Ian woke up and opened his eyes in a strange yet familiar ce.

    It was Hrundal''s ice pce...

    The pce entrance that appeared on page 1 of the Holy Painting.

    [No way?]

    Ian examined himself all over.

    Muscr limbs and orange hair.

    Ian had be a barbarian warrior.

    [...]

    As he nkly stared ahead.

    There stood Hrundal in Toptoon-style clothing, looking extremely embarrassed.

    She had a much more seductive and alluring expression in the original(?)...

    The provocatively dressed Hrundal stammered:

    [L-Long time no see? Ian?]

    [What are you doing there, Hrundal?]

    Ian asked in disbelief.

    It seemed he had somehow entered the [Holy Painting].

    ---

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    "I summoned you here."

    The voice, initially hazy, grew increasingly clear.

    It was a sign that Ian was adapting to this world.

    "Hmm. So this painting book really was drawn by you, Hrundal?"

    "..."Hrundal hung her head, unable to speak...

    Ian found this new side of the goddess rather surprising.

    Come on, you drew it yourself.

    Why be embarrassed now?

    "Um... is there something else? But the main character is clearly you, Hrundal..."

    Before Ian could finish, Hrundal shouted with a red face.

    "N-No! The woman in the drawings isn''t me...! Just...! Someone who looks like me!"

    "?"

    Ian tilted his head but decided to go along with it.

    Though anyone could see it was Hrundal... if she said it wasn''t her.

    "Absolutely not! It''s not me, so don''t get confused! What woman would draw such lewd pictures using herself as a model!"

    "Ah. I understand."

    "Hmph. Good that you understand."

    Though the woman in the pictures wasn''t Hrundal, supposedly.

    She seemed to admit drawing them herself.

    "So Hrundal drew this?"

    "...Yes. I drew it."

    Hrundal shamefully acknowledged her work.

    Even for a goddess, drawing R-rated manga seemed embarrassing.

    "It''s just... something I drew to pass the time."

    "But you draw plenty of normal pictures usually."

    Ian tilted his head slightly at her flimsy excuse.

    Hrundal hastily added:

    "It''s like... an artist''s instinct, you could say..."

    "What kind of instinct?"

    "When you only draw clothed people all the time, sometimes you get the urge to draw naked ones... Ah. You wouldn''t understand."

    Naturally, Ian didn''t understand.

    Though Ian might be talented in both liberal arts and sciences, he wasn''t an art major.

    But drawing nude figures and drawing erotic manga seemed quite different...?

    "Anyway. You wanted to draw some spicy art, something like that?"

    "..."

    Hrundal just nodded silently with tightly closed lips.

    Ian couldn''t help smiling at how oddly cute she looked.

    "I understand. That could happen."

    "Thank you... So about that."

    This was Hrundal''s main point.

    "When you visit the Ice Pceter. Would you return that [painting book]?"

    "This?"

    Hrundal nodded.

    "No one''s touched it in so long I''d forgotten about it... But Ian, now that you''ve brought it back into the world, I''m worried."

    "If you were going to worry, shouldn''t you have just not drawn it in the first ce?"

    "...You really don''t understand an artist''s heart at all."

    When Hrundal red at him with crossed arms, Ian quietly averted his gaze.

    He''d better not push further or the goddess might get angry.

    "I''m not asking empty-handed."

    "Oh?"

    "This painting book has a bit of my divine authority in it. Can you guess what it is?"

    Ian nodded.

    He had a rough idea.

    The power to bind souls was Hrundal''s divine authority.

    "The power to capture souls."

    "Only half right."

    Hrundal smiled as she spoke.

    "My authority also includes the ability to create spaces where those souls can rest and live."

    "Oh?"

    "And most spaces are recreated based on that soul''s memories."

    Hrundal waved her hand, summoning souls.

    The souls of Bjorn and Junken.

    She retrieved the two warriors'' souls to her Ice Pce.

    "See? Commanding souls is nothing to me."

    "That''s amazing."

    "If you bring me the painting book, I''ll lend you some of my power."

    When Hrundal snapped her fingers, a quest window appeared before Ian.

    [Quest: Bring the [Goddess''s ck History] to the Ice Pce!]

    [You''ve obtained an item connected to Hrundal''s past that she wants erased! If you bring it to her, she promises a reward!]

    [The following reward will be activated upon epting the quest]

    [Divine Authority: Sanctuary]

    [Provides souls with a peaceful sanctuary. Souls gifted with sanctuary will trust you deeply]

    [You can enter the sanctuary world yourself if you wish.]

    [Warning: Your sense of self may be hazy in the sanctuary world!]

    Ian carefully examined the quest window.

    Hrundal''s reward was, in short, creating a mini afterlife.

    A very effective authority for a necromancer.

    ''Should ept it?''

    Ian decided to grant Hrundal''s request.

    The [Holy Painting] was a treasure in some sense, but Ian couldn''t really say he needed it.

    In this medieval fantasy world where culture was in shambles, it would sell for a high price...

    But in the end, it was just erotic art.

    If he could get new magic (or authority) from Hrundal, returning it made more sense than keeping it.

    Besides, he remembered how Hrundal had helped him in various ways.

    "Alright. I''ll return it."

    "Hehe. Thank you."

    After concluding their deal, Ian habitually looked around.

    By the way, this ce looked exactly like the real Ice Pce.

    Was that because it was reconstructed from Hrundal''s memories?

    "But Hrundal, this looks exactly like the world in the painting book. Does that mean the main event will happen soon..."

    "Th-That won''t happen! I''m in control here!"

    This was a temporary space Hrundal created to meet Ian.

    Though the interior(?) matched the painting world, she could control all the characters moving around.

    Unless Hrundal wanted that kind of event to happen, no main event would happen.

    ''Hmm. This kind of feeling.''

    This was probably how the [Sanctuary Creation] ability Ian would get from Hrundal would work.

    Being a goddess, Hrundal could control the space freely...

    But if Ian entered alone, events would likely proceed as scripted.

    "It was nice meeting you. Ian. Go back and do what you need to do."

    "I''ll visit soon, Hrundal."

    Ian bid farewell to Hrundal and returned to the real world.

    #

    Ian smoothly traveled through various domains to reach Dranheim.

    Though monster or bandit attacks seemed likely, Ian and Belenka had be experienced travelers and skillfully avoided trouble.

    "This is quite the major city too."

    "Indeed."

    A city built along sheer mountain ranges.

    That was Dranheim, holy ground of knowledge where the Imperial University resided.

    While Belenka marveled at Dranheim''s magnificent appearance.

    Ian was rtively less impressed.

    From afar it looked like quite arge mountain fortress but...

    Could this really be called a major city?

    Having known metropolises with poptions over ten million, Ian couldn''t help finding medieval major cities rather boring.

    "I hear the poption''s already passed 10,000."

    "Wow... that''s amazing..."

    "Right? A city with ten thousand people! Isn''t that incredible!"

    "..."

    Ian suddenly felt humanity''s dazzling rate of progress.

    Just a thousand years ago, a city of 10,000 was considered major!

    "Wee to Dranheim!"

    Like other major cities, gatekeepers checked the identities of people entering and leaving.

    Upon entering the city, Ian saw chaotically sprawling roads and haphazardly constructed buildings.

    "What a hectic ce."

    Ian agreed with that.

    Though used to modern enormity, the medieval era had its own kind ofplexity.

    "Make way! Make way! Carriageing through!"

    "Leather for sale! Cloth too~!"

    "Chicken skewers! Bread! Get them cheap!"

    Ian nodded as he passed through the busy market (after buying chicken skewers).

    Yeah...! This is what a living town should be like!

    Hey! Those Imperial countryside domains! Everywhere you look it''s wheat fields, wheat fields, wheat fields...

    Nothing but farmers and cows and horses walking around!

    Leaving the countryside with only farmers working thend and barons managing them (more like a vige chief), it felt like his eyes were opening.

    "This seems like the kind of ce that would have a university."

    It certainly did.

    Ian headed toward where the Imperial University was said to be, following winding roads.

    Being built in the mountains, all buildings pursued extreme space efficiency in their design.

    ...The Imperial University was no different.

    "Huff... huff..."

    Ian climbed the steep hill while dripping sweat.

    The nightmares of his university days began creeping back...!

    Why the fuck were all these universities stuck on hilltops?!

    "Oh. This must be the Imperial University."

    Belenka, rtively unfazed, looked around the Imperial University with a slight smile.

    The Imperial University looked quite different from modern campuses.

    The most striking difference was... almost no buildings had roofs.

    "...This is a university?"

    Ian stopped short of imagining a lush green campus.

    The university buildings were... mostly open-air amphitheaters!

    "Feels like I walked into the theater department by mistake."

    "? What''s that strange field of study?"

    Ian struggled to adjust to this exotic university setting.

    sses weren''t some jester''s performance. What professor would teach in an amphitheater?!

    "Come now! Everyone gather round!"

    "Oh, the professor''s starting ss!"

    But watching students rush over in crowds, Ian realized.

    ...They really did have sses in amphitheaters!

    These Imperial University students were hip as fuck.

    "Ian, let''s go too."

    "Uh... okay."

    Though Ian couldn''t adapt to this shocking open-lecture style, he followed Belenka to attend ss.

    Being an amphitheater, anyone could just walk in, sit down, and be a student.

    The jester... no, professor on stage spoke:

    "Now! Today we''ll discuss mathematics!"

    "Ohhh! Mathematics!"

    Mathematics?

    Who just said mathematics?

    When Ian''s eyes went wide, Belenka sensed an inexplicable intensity from him...

    "Now! I have a stick here! We''re going to calcte Earth''s circumference with this stick. Does anyone know how?"

    Ian roughly understood the medieval university''s teaching style.

    The professor posed questions, and students who knew the answers would respond.

    "Calcte Earth''s circumference with a stick?"

    "I got it! We connect sticks equal to our stride length! Then wander the world measuring the whole way around!"

    "..."

    Ian quietly listened to the students'' discussion.

    As expected of university students, their answers were creatively terrible...

    When no correct answer emerged, Ian slowly raised his hand.

    "Oh! Yes! You there, handsome young man! Go ahead!"

    "I''m Ian Eredith. To measure Earth''s circumference with a stick, I believe we need one assumption."

    "Assumption? What''s that?"

    Ian carefully answered, considering medieval people''s perspective.

    "The assumption that Earth is spherical."

    Right. This was medieval times.

    These foolish medieval people wouldn''t yet know the world wasn''t t but spherical...

    "Hahaha! No need to worry about that!"

    "?"

    "You might not know, but this world is actually round!"

    "???"

    "It was discovered back in the Golden Empire era. Hahaha!"

    Some students who''d done advance studyingughed at the ignorant(?) Ian.

    ''Heh. He thought Earth was t.''

    ''What a hick. Must be his first time in this ss.''

    Ian was too dumbfounded to close his mouth.

    Belenka, thinking Ian was shocked, offered gentlefort beside him.

    "Don''t worry about it, Ian. I thought Earth was t too."

    "..."

    Being treated the same as Belenka(...) Ian felt freshly wronged.

    Wait? Why were medieval people this smart?!

    ---

    [raei: lol the university I went to was also up a mountain...]

 Chapter 242

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    If Ian had misunderstood anything, it was the knowledge level of medieval people.

    Surprisingly, medieval people weren''t as ignorant as one might think.

    Of course, this being an isekai medieval world rather than the real medieval era made a difference.

    Still, given how simr human consciousness levels were, the ancients of both worlds must have hadparable intelligence.

    ''So medieval people didn''t believe in t earth theory?!''Ian stood there stunned by this fresh shock.

    He had made this mistake after getting too used to the post-apocalyptic world of the Holy Empire.

    As withmon post-apocalyptic tropes...

    While some regions had been utterly devastated with civilization reset to stone age levels.

    Other regions had preserved ancient knowledge and maintained their own version of ''modern'' civilization.

    The Imperial University in Dranheim was exactly like that.

    ssical knowledge had been preserved intact, making it a ce overflowing with rational and logical learning!

    "I can prove that Earth is round!"

    A man wearing fur clothing raised his hand and spoke.

    Judging by his high-ss attire, he seemed to be some noble''s son studying abroad.

    He didn''t miss this chance to show off his knowledge.

    "Oh! Come up here, student!"

    The professor dly called the student up to the stage(?).

    Most sses at the Imperial University proceeded this way.

    The professor would pose a question first, then students with relevant knowledge woulde up and continue the lecture.

    So as sses went on, at some point the professor would disappear and someone else would take over teaching.

    It was education conducted in a perfectly open space, purely for sharing knowledge.

    "Now! These are records of star movements in the night sky, documented by ancient Golden Empire schrs!"

    To summarize the presenter''s exnation:

    ''The constetions move irregrly in the night sky, which cannot be exined by the theory that the heavens move.''

    ''But if we assume Earth rotates, the movement of constetions aligns perfectly!''

    ''Therefore, Earth is spherical and rotates as time passes!''

    "Wow... unbelievable."

    Ian''s jaw dropped at the student''s logical exnation.

    Holy shit...

    Medieval people were doing science!

    Ian stared at the medieval student like some fascinating animal, but there was really nothing surprising about it.

    It wasn''t like medieval people had monkey-level intelligence.

    With the same human brains, they could reach perfectly logical conclusions.

    "Hmm. Ian. Do you understand what he''s exining?"

    "? Of course I do."

    "All this talk about the sky moving... I don''t understand any of it."

    Belenka grumbled with crossed arms.

    "Won''t we get divine punishment for this?"

    "Hmph. As expected. Belenka. You''re definitely medieval."

    "???"

    Ian instantly felt at ease seeing Belenka''s reaction.

    Ah~ Now this was a proper medieval person!

    Worrying about divine punishment for studying constetions - she was the perfect medieval specimen!

    ''This is an information transmission problem.''

    Ian understood why such knowledge gaps existed between medieval people.

    It wasn''t about the absolute amount of information.

    It was about information bias.

    Medieval times didn''t have modern media like inte or smartphones.

    Even making one book required monks to painstakingly copy it letter by letter, so knowledge spread at a torturously slow pace.

    Thus 99% of medieval people lived and died without ever essing proper knowledge.

    You need opportunities to ess knowledge before you can even choose to learn!

    But the 1% of schrs.

    Those studying at universities, the frontlines of knowledge, possessed understanding that surpassed Ian''smon sense.

    So answering the question [Are medieval people ignorant?] was quite tricky.

    The knowledge gap was so huge that the answer was ''most are ignorant, but some aren''t''.

    The medieval people before Ian were that top 1% of ''intelligent'' medievals.

    "That concludes my presentation."

    *p p p!*

    The exchange student returned to his seat with a proud expression.

    "Excellent. As this student exined, our world is not t but round. All those market maps showing cliffs at the world''s edge where you fall into hell are nonsense." ?

    Hahaha!

    The students burst outughing.

    Medieval maps often featured versions with "world''s edge" cliffs dropping into hell.

    The reason was obvious... to sell maps.

    Mapmakers would justbel unknown areas as "edge of the world" and im it was aplete version!

    ''These people definitely aren''t to be underestimated.''

    Ian was freshly impressed by medieval people''s excellent knowledge level.

    The era might be slow, but the people weren''t ignorant.

    Medieval people understood quite a bit of what modern people would know.

    "Now back to our main point. Can we measure Earth''s diameter with this stick or not?"

    The professor smiled kindly while staring straight at Ian.

    His mouth smiled but... his eyes shone with cold reason!

    ''Heheh. Let''s see if you can answer this question!''

    Seeing a professor like this after so long, Ian felt nostalgic for modern universities.

    Looking at that devilishly schrly bearing, now this was a proper professor!

    He looked ready to suck his students dry to the bone!

    "By the way, the hint was given by the student who proved [Earth is round]. Now you all should be able to answer."

    "Earth... is round...?"

    "Ugh... it''s hard... I don''t get it..."

    "Professor smart... we dumb..."

    Though hints had been given.

    As expected, the university students just scratched their heads while showing off troll-level knowledge.

    Ian couldn''t help smiling contentedly.

    Yeah, now these were proper university students!

    "I''ll try calcting it."

    Havinge this far, Ian felt some responsibility.

    The calctions weren''t difficult, and as a student in the ss he wanted to satisfy the professor.

    "Good! Come up!"

    Ian boldly went up to the stage and began writing calctions on the board.

    Actually, the form for finding a circle''s diameter was basic enough to appear in middle school math textbooks.

    But that was in the modern era where knowledge had developed and spread.

    In medieval times with biased knowledge and slow mathematical progress, just knowing how to find a circle''s diameter made you an incredible math prodigy.

    Though he couldn''t match professor level, he could handle undergraduate level!

    "As proven earlier, Earth is spherical. So if we draw a line vertical to the center, then draw another line parallel to it.

    Since parallel lines have equal alternate angles, if we know one angle we can find the central angle of the circle."

    "???"

    "We can measure the position of the parallel line with this stick."

    "...?"

    "Wh-What''s he saying?!"

    "Ugh... ss too hard... don''t understand..."

    Ian felt his blood boiling at this rare chance for science action...!

    Who was he?

    Wizard Ian? Nono!

    ''Mathematician'' Ian Eredith Raven!

    "Very precise. Well then, shall we measure Earth''s diameter tomorrow at noon?"

    "Of course!"

    ''Mathematician'' Ian awakened and answered energetically!

    At the same time, Belenka whispered in horror.

    Like hell!

    "No, Ian! We need to go meet the wizards quickly...!"

    "No need!"

    "???"

    "We''ll meet them when it''s time! The ss is too fun, I want to listen a bit more! For now... let me enjoy this!"

    Belenka muttered sincerely:

    "Crazy bastard..."

    Wizards were weird guys, and schrs were no less weird.

    And Ian was a crazy bastard mixing both.

    Belenka couldn''t understand Ian''s mindset at all.

    Enjoying studying... what aplete lunatic?!

    "I can''t stand this ss anymore. I''ll go look for the others first."

    "Okay~ Bring them here when you find them~"

    "..."

    Belenka finally understood exactly how Ian became a wizard.

    Since this crazy bastard enjoyed studying, he must have breezed through wizard studies too!

    ''Seriously. He''s disgustingly smart.''

    Though he insisted he wasn''t a genius, to Belenka Ian was definitely a genius wizard.

    While Ian was deeply absorbed in medieval math lectures.

    Belenka wandered alone searching for the magic department.

    #

    Everyone knew Ian was heading to the Imperial University.

    "Go empty out a dorm room and clean it thoroughly!"

    "Yes, professor!"

    Inn had finished preparations well before Ian''s arrival.

    He wanted to help Ian focus only on studying without any worries!

    "Finished registration. Found lodging..."

    Though Ian waster than expected, Inn took it in stride.

    Travel rarely went exactly as nned. Strange things happening on the road wasn''t unusual.

    ''To think the day woulde to have magical discussions with Ian.''

    Inn smiled contentedly while reminiscing about the past.

    Though their first meeting wasn''t pleasant, he had built up various memories(?) with Ian (Ian might want to strangle Inn if he knew).

    He''d helped when nobles captured Ian... rushed to help right before the dragon fight...

    Inn knew well how excellent Ian''s magic level was.

    Clearly, Ian was a wizard serious about magic.

    How else could he use all schools of magic so well without interest in magic!

    Ian must surely be filled with thoughts of magic and mystery.

    Even while eating, even while sleeping...

    "Professor! Lady Belenka the knight just visited!"

    "Belenka?"

    Inn knew this knight.

    She was Ian''s friend and foreign guardian knight.

    If Belenka had arrived...

    "Ian must be here!"

    When Inn shouted, the servant made a strange expression.

    "Well... he has arrived but."

    "?"

    "He''s currently giving a lecture in the mathematics department."

    "???"

    Inn pondered what this meant for a moment.

    Our wizard Ian... doing what now?

    Math?

    MAAATH?!

    "Haha! Don''t joke around!"

    Inn justughed off the servant''s report.

    Come on~

    What a joke!

    Ian was a wizard to his bones, how could he possibly like math that only dusty schrs scribble about!

    Wizards should focus more on elegant phrases and sophisticated word choice!

    How could a wizard busy researching vocabry that transcends emotion and reality be lecturing about math?

    "Must have heard wrong..."

    "Professor Inn! Did you hear? They say Ian became a math professor!"

    "..."

    Eredith burst into Inn''s room shouting that.

    Inn''s jaw dropped btedly.

    Really... Ian became a math professor?!

    What kind of nonsense...!

    Inn and Eredith hurried to the mathematics department''s lecture hall.

    "Oh my goodness!"

    There he was, Ianpletely absorbed in giving an open lecture!

    Inn couldn''t contain his rising anger and shouted:

    "Stop right there! That young man is our magic department student!"

    Then the math professor listening to the lecture slowly approached and said:

    "What are you saying about our mathematics student?"

    "''Our mathematics''?"

    Eredith''s voice rose slightly.

    She unconsciously clenched her fists...!

    These shameless math nerds!

    How dare they seduce my innocent disciple?!

    ---

 Chapter 243

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    Anger rising to his head, Inn shouted without caring who heard:

    "You math nerds! Get out of the way!"

    "???"

    The math students moved aside with nk expressions.

    ''Well, he''s not wrong...''''But why does it feel so offensive?!''

    Ian, deeply absorbed in his lecture, had no idea whatmotion was happening.

    ''Ah. So this is happiness-''

    Ian was simply happy.

    Yes. This was the isekai life Ian had wanted.

    When you think of isekai wizards, performing rapid magical calctions is absolutely fundamental!

    High-speed spell calctions!

    Multiple circuit operations!

    Just hearing those terms made him smell the rich STEM vibes of forms and equations being poured out by the bucketful!

    But in this weird fantasy world, wizards didn''t do spell calctions at all...

    ''That damn Maroniusnguage!''

    These wizards calmly learned and taught the insane practice of memorizing words one by one to make sentences!

    How was that any different from Joseon-era noblesposing ssical poems!

    Finally immersed in familiar academic knowledge, Ian felt his body and mind growing peaceful.

    Ah... if only he could spend his whole life just doing math...

    That''s when it happened.

    "Ian! What are you doing there!"

    "Ah. Inn. Did youe to hear the math lecture?"

    Ian greeted Inn with a gentle smile.

    In this moment, Ian was enlightened enough topete with Buddha in virtue points.

    Ah, herees a soul thirsting for mathematics.

    Haha. I shall dly open the ark of knowledge and save you all...

    "What? Why would I listen to such useless sses?"

    "...!"

    Ian''s eyes suddenly went wide.

    Did he just... call math useless?!

    This is sphemy!!!

    "No, Inn! Don''t you know how useful mathematics is?"

    "Nope. Don''t know. Isn''t math just noble lords'' entertainment? It''s useless. Completely useless."

    "But if you go into applied mathematics, there must be jobs..."

    "They''ll hire you just because you studied math? Must be some generous noble!"

    "..."

    Ian''s jaw dropped in disbelief.

    He wanted to refute Inn''s words but... amazingly, Inn''s ims were facts!

    This medieval fantasy world didn''t have industries precise enough to requireplex mathematical calctions...

    "Math is fine as long as you can count money."

    "Inn! That''s just arithmetic!"

    "What''s the difference between arithmetic and math?"

    Ugh!

    Ian copsed, grabbing his neck.

    You crafty old man! How dare you hit the math department''s trigger point so shamelessly...!

    "You''re... right... but we don''t study math just to count money?!"

    "Good grief. Ian. I don''t understand why you''re so obsessed with math. Isn''t math just the perfect subject for starving to death?"

    "..."

    As Inn''s razor-sharp facts stormed through, the innocent math students trembled.

    "Ugh... math... useless after studying..."

    "Even the craftsmen''s guild won''t hire us..."

    "Math is just... fun... ugh..."

    "? I''m studying with my dad''s money, so I don''t care about getting hired."

    Except for the rich kid in expensive clothes, the other math students'' situations were simr.

    They hadn''t enrolled hoping to get jobs...

    They just liked math itself.

    "If you want a useful subject, magic is the way!"

    Inn shouted in the math department''s lecture hall.

    Ian found Inn''s shamelessness almost awe-inspiring.

    Seriously, saying that in someone else''s department hall. What an absolutely wizard-like person!

    "Your head must be dizzy from all that adding and subtracting, let me clear it up for you!"

    "..."

    If you''d just turn around and leave, my head would clear up just fine.

    Ian thought this while staring at Inn.

    Inn, the schstic terrorist who had illegally upied someone else''s lecture hall, began reciting ancientnguage in a clear voice.

    "When spring''s fragrance shakes heaven and earth, why do you, oh sun, not show your face!"

    In front of the math students...

    Inn started reciting ancient poetry...

    "Wh-What''s he saying?!"

    "Sounds like ancientnguage? Like what priests use in temples!"

    "Hmph. Youmoners. That''s ancient poetry from the Golden Empire era."

    Watching the wizard proudly reciting poetry on stage.

    The math students couldn''t even lift their heads.

    Not because they were embarrassed by Inn...

    But because their field of mathematics suddenly felt so pathetic.

    "Ugh! Such fluent ancientnguage skills!"

    "As expected of a wizard...!"

    "I should''ve studied ancientnguage instead of wasting time on math!"

    Eredith too crossed her arms and appreciated Inn''s verses.

    "As expected professor. Your intonation control is excellent."

    "..."

    "Hearing such moving poetry, even the sun''s mystery won''t be able to stay hidden!"

    Eredith''s exnation was somewhat true.

    The poem Inn recited was used for summoning the sun.

    In ancient Golden Empire times, when great droughts or floods urred, wizards would offer beautiful poems to persuade the mysteries.

    ''See that, Ian!''

    Inn looked at Ian with a triumphant expression.

    As if certain his beautiful poetry hadpletely burned away the math-demon possessing Ian''s mind!

    ''True learning should know how to move people''s hearts!''

    Seeing Ian''s change, Eredith shouted:

    "Professor Inn! Ian''s expression!"

    "..."

    "Ian''s expression is rotting!"

    For a moment, Inn seriously wondered if there was something wrong with his poetry.

    ''Was my skill too crude?''

    Actually, that wasn''t the issue.

    Ian was just pissed that Inn could upy someone else''s lecture hall and recite poetry without any consequences.

    "Ahem. Let''s stop here! Ian! Time to go study proper writing!"

    "Yes, Ian. I have so much to discuss with you. I found some nice verses during my travels that I''d like to share..."

    Suddenly, tears welled up in Ian''s eyes and he couldn''t lift his head.

    No, why...!

    Why do I have to recite verses to study magic! Master!

    I too, I too...!

    Want to do multiple spell calctions...!

    I''m ready to solder circuits like a dog if you tell me toy out magical circuitry...!

    "Oh my, Ian. Don''t cry!"

    "Hoho. Seeing how happy he is, he must be eager to discuss ancient grammar!"

    "But first, we should talk aboutnguage evolution. Ian was weak on word conjugation."

    "Oh? I didn''t know that."

    Inn and Eredith grabbed Ian''s arms.

    Let go! You liberal arts ghosts!!!

    Ian wanted to resist but couldn''t bring himself to shake off his respected senior wizards'' hands.

    "Teacher... I want to... do math..."

    "Ian. Life is short and learning is long. We don''t have time to waste on strange subjects~"

    "Sob sob..."

    In 1000 years that ''strange'' subject might rule the world, but.

    Unfortunately this was medieval times, and Ian was a wizard majoring in Maroniusnguage.

    "Ah... another math student leaves to face reality."

    The math professor watched Ian with sad eyes but couldn''t stop him.

    He knew too well that in this medieval fantasy world, studying magic was the way to live well...

    "I''ll remember you. ''Mathematician'' Ian."

    The math students watched Ian with looks half pitying, half envious.

    #

    ''Where am I?''

    Ian blinked and looked around.

    It felt like numbers might fly and dance around any moment...

    But no numbers or equations appeared anywhere.

    "To use formal speech properly..."

    "What aspects must we understand to grasp the other party''s desires in conversation?"

    "What do you think is the crucial difference between ''do it'' and ''would you please do it''!"

    Words, words, words echoing from all directions...

    Ian realized.

    ''This is the magic department.''

    He had stepped into the Imperial University''s magic department - headquarters of those dirty isekai liberal arts students!

    ''I came... to study...''

    Ian suddenly remembered why he''de to the Imperial University.

    Clearly, Ian had visited to raise his insufficient magic level.

    He nned to share knowledge with other wizards here and supplement his weak areas to increase his magic level.

    ''...I got too caught up in math.''

    Ian calmly collected himself.

    If he came to study, he should focus on his purpose.

    "Here. Ian. This is your room."

    Eredith volunteered to guide Ian.

    Ian''s room was quite cramped.

    Just a chair, desk, bed and wardrobe.

    "Pretty small, right? That''s because monks built it. The university doesn''t have many luxurious buildings."

    The university''s original buildings were monasteries, not schools.

    Originally monks gathered on the mountain to study scripture. That developed into today''s Imperial University.

    He could find a much fancier room by lodging outside campus, but.

    "No. This is enough."

    Ian didn''t particrly care about having a big room.

    Medieval living standards were predictable anyway.

    Whatever you expected, you''d get less, so he''d stopped expecting anything.

    "Then let''s talk about sses."

    Eredith said with a smile.

    "Last time in Talian, you briefly mentioned the level you''d reached?"

    "Ah. Yes..."

    He had really just mentioned it briefly.

    Ian had roughly said he could handle fire magic, wind magic, dark magic... that sort of thing.

    "I really wanted to see your magic but felt awkward asking back then."

    "You could''ve just asked."

    "Hehe. I didn''t want to pressure you. But during ss, won''t it be much morefortable for both of us?"

    Eredith''s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

    "This teacher wants to see her long-lost disciple''s magic!"

    Ian nodded.

    He also had lots of new magic to show Eredith.

    "So I registered you for all the magic department sses!"

    "?"

    "sses from morning till night, every day!"

    "???"

    "Ah, you''ll have to teach some of them yourself!"

    "??????"

    Eredith spoke with a bright smile.

    ...Ian suddenly hated university.

    ---

 Chapter 244

    TL/Editor: raei

    Status: 5/week mon-fri

    Illustrations: none

    Join the discord! Here

    ''...Morning already.''

    Ian yawned lightly as he watched the rising sun.

    Yesterday had passed in a blur.

    After dining with Inn, Eredith, Salvador and Belenka, it was already midnight before he knew it.

    He wanted to meet Kira and Maria, but they were staying in the women''s dormitory, and there was no way for Ian to visit them in the middle of the night.The distance was enormous too.

    Ian suddenly realized just how vast the Imperial University was.

    ''Campus special: unnecessarily huge.''

    For some unknown reason, the Imperial University was absurdlyrge like modern universities.

    Because of this, Ian ended up just chatting excitedly with his acquaintances before returning to his private room.

    Time passed, and the next morning.

    Ian headed to the open lecture hall early to properly attend sses.

    ''They say over half of Imperial University''s lecture halls are open lecture halls.''

    This was information he''d heard from Inn and Eredith yesterday.

    Since Imperial University pursued free sharing of knowledge, anyone could freely attend sses in open spaces.

    Though professors were in charge of sses, if you wanted to give your own lecture, you could just go up to the podium and start teaching.

    If such personal lectures became popr, they''d even be registered as official courses.

    ''Better do this right.''

    Though he''d dabbled in another subject yesterday due to nostalgia.

    Despite everything, Ian was a wizard.

    Even if he''d gotten momentarily distracted, he hadn''t forgotten his true calling.

    ''I came to study.''

    He''d even paused his mystery exploration journey to visit this university.

    If he gained nothing from this, it would be a massive waste of time.

    After washing his face with modern mindset, Ian grabbed his books and headed out into the empty streets.

    ''University student special: avoiding first period.''

    Whether modern or medieval, university students'' cking was the same everywhere.

    Students attending first period like Ian were extremely rare.

    If parents sending expensive tuition knew, they might be appalled (though noble parents probably wouldn''t care at all).

    "Caw!"

    On the street, he saw a huge pigen[1] pecking at feed.

    Even the birds seemed to be living the easy life, befitting a university.

    "Hehe. You''re really eating well, aren''t you?"

    A female student with long brown hair crouched by a statue, absorbed in feeding birds.

    The huge ck pigen suddenly fluttered up onto her shoulder.

    "Eek!"

    The female student let out a delighted scream.

    "Oh my. Do you like me?"

    "Caw!"

    "Aww, you''re so cute! You''re such a clever crow, aren''t you?"

    "Caw! Caw!"

    When the female student stroked its head, the pigen rubbed its wings affectionately.

    "...?"

    Ian rubbed his eyes.

    ...The pigen was too ck.

    He''d thought it looked ck because it was dark, but looking closer it was just a plump crow.

    Ian approached the crow in disbelief.

    "What are you doing there?"

    "Caw!"

    [Ah! Master, you''re here~?]

    "Cut the ''master'' crap."

    The pigen... no.

    The suspiciously plump crow''s name was Oberon.

    Oberon was a free crow who would hang around Ian when bored, cadge meals, and then disappear into the forest for days before returning.

    Both Ian and Oberon had long considered each other just good friends.

    Not a pet but... an animal friend maybe?

    "Ran out of food?"

    "Caw! Caw!"

    [There are too many owls in the mountains~! I''m gonna stay with humans for a while~!]

    "Must be nice not having to worry about predators."

    Ian was freshly impressed by Oberon''s crow-cunning.

    Having perfectly learned to use humans, Oberon would use Ian and other humans as shields to avoid predator attacks whenever things got dangerous.

    Ian didn''t really care whether Oberon used humans or not.

    When Ian held out his arm, Oberon instantly hopped onto it.

    The female student stared at Ian.

    "Ah. Um..."

    "He''s a bird I look after. His name''s Oberon."

    "Caw!"

    The female student brushed off her skirt and stood up, then suddenly spoke:

    "Could you be Ian, Eredith''s disciple?"

    Ian nodded, slightly surprised.

    Lucky or not, she''d guessed his identity right away.

    It could be just luck but...

    More likely it wasn''t.

    Who was this woman?

    "Do you know me?"

    When Ian acknowledged it, the female student''s eyes went wide.

    "So you really are Ian!"

    The female student lifted her skirt slightly and bowed her head.

    "Pleased to meet you. I am Elia Shakraine Hastria, daughter of Eugen Shakraine Hastria."

    Ian was impressed by Elia whatever''s name.

    What a ridiculously long name!

    As medieval fantasy clich��s went, the longer the name, the higher their status.

    Elia Shakraine Hastria?

    Omg, that name''s so fancyyy~

    Me? I''m just Ian Ian Ian.

    Such were the thoughts of Ian, current serf''s son.

    "...Shakraine? Hastria?"

    But wait a minute.

    Those two names... where had he heard them...

    "Yes. My uncle is head of House Hastria, and my father is Emperor of the Holy Empire."

    "..."

    Ian''s mouth slowly dropped open.

    Shakraine... Hastria...

    He knew he''d heard them somewhere!

    Holy shit, the Holy Empire''s Emperor was Shakraine II from the Duchy of Hastria!!!

    "You''re... the Imperial Princess?"

    When Ian muttered nkly.

    The Imperial Princess, Elia Hastria, smiled and answered.

    "Some people do call me that. But I much prefer the name Elia~"

    Not even trying to hide her identity.

    Running into the Imperial Princess on his way to ss, Ian''s brain briefly short-circuited.

    Like, why was the Imperial Princess feeding crows in the street?

    #

    Why on earth was the Imperial Princess in the Imperial University''s magic department?

    The answer was ridiculously simple.

    "I''m studying abroad?"

    "Ah. Studying abroad."

    Ian muttered nkly.

    Imperial Academy... Imperial Princess studying abroad from far away...

    This was straight-up web novel clich��.

    Ian suddenly thought:

    Ah! Why didn''t I predict this obvious development!

    ''Wait, is this actually a web novel?''

    Ian grumbled.

    Though perfectly usible, he hadn''t considered the possibility at all.

    Because this couldn''t possibly be a web novel world!

    "Though my father''s the Emperor and my uncle''s a Duke, it has nothing to do with me~"

    Elia Hastria giggled as she spoke.

    Her logic went like this:

    Since the Holy Empire''s Emperor wasn''t hereditary, she''d never be Emperor anyway (though the Hastria family was already on their second consecutive Emperor).

    And the Hastria ducal title would be inherited by her uncle''s children, so she was just another run-of-the-mill noble.

    Ian looked at Elia and thought:

    This woman seriouslycks self-awareness.

    Even if you say "my father''s Emperor and uncle''s Duke but I''m nothing~", people aren''t going to take that at face value.

    As a truemoner, Ian could only scoff at such words.

    No matter how "nothing" of a noble you are, they wouldn''t kick you out without breakfast iming there''s no food.

    In his childhood, Ian regrly skipped breakfast.

    If he caught something in the forest, that was breakfast.

    Your meal has been reced with grasshopper.

    ''Damn golden spoon...!''

    Stay calm, my inner proletariat.

    Ian suppressed his burning revolutionary spirit toward the noble bourgeoisie as he walked with Elia.

    Walking with the Imperial Princess was... surprisingly normal.

    Being an Imperial Princess didn''t mean she had fairy wings on her back or cried silver tears.

    She was just a person like Ian.

    The only difference was that she was more confident than others, giving her a lively charm.

    "Lady Hastria, did you sleep wellst night?"

    "Did you also sleep well, Lady Belliera?"

    Though there weren''t many people out in the morning, every passing student greeted Elia.

    Amazingly, Elia returned every single greeting.

    So the greetings kepting non-stop.

    ''Well, I''d want to greet her too.''

    A kind, pretty, well-mannered Imperial Princess acknowledging my greeting?!

    It was enough to make medieval university students'' eyes roll back.

    Elia walked proudly while receiving students'' greetings.

    She nced sideways at Ian.

    As if showing off what kind of person she was.

    "You''re really amazing."

    "Oh my. Suddenly?"

    At Ian''s surprisepliment, the corners of Elia''s mouth turned up slightly.

    ...Actually, she had already researched the man called "Ian Eredith Raven" quite thoroughly.

    Recently they''d been busily cleaning the best room in the men''s dormitory, and professors had been making a fuss about a "special" guesting to the university.

    A socially awkward university student might think "whatever" about anything happening at school.

    But naturally, Elia Hastria was the top female student on campus.

    Whenmotion arose even in the distant men''s dormitory, news would inevitably reach her ears.

    ''Ian Eredith Raven?''

    Elia immediately deployed people to gather rumors about wizard Ian.

    The results were beyond surprising, bordering on absurd.

    Something about a crow wizard~ patron saint of coffee~

    There were even rumors about him being a dragon yer.

    ''No way.''

    As a sensible medieval person, Elia had filtered the rumors about Ian.

    That was obviously the right approach.

    The more rumors pass from mouth to mouth, the more sensational they be.

    If there''s nothing sensational to begin with, rumors don''t even spread!

    Why would people go around telling boring stories?

    ''But he can''t bepletely unremarkable.''

    Even filtering out wild rumors, Elia had noted the "Eredith''s disciple" part.

    The Rising Star of Drawald, Fire Wizard Eredith.

    Such a terrifying fire wizard that soldiers who witnessed her summoned mes were shocked into idiocy.

    As that excellent wizard''s disciple, he must have something special - that was Elia''s thinking.

    ...So she had deliberately waited in front of Ian''s dormitory.

    She wanted to attend sses with Ian and verify his abilities.

    ''For now... he seems a bit countrified? Hehe.''

    Receiving countless nobles'' greetings was perfectly normal for Elia.

    But...

    How would it look to Ian, a farmer''s son!

    ''Golly, must be some super important person~!''

    ''All the passingdies are bowing real deep-like~!''

    Just now, Ian had definitely been amazed watching the nobles greet Elia.

    ''Is it because he''s amoner? He''s kind of cute~''

    Elia found Ian freshly adorable as he marveled at her.

    And Ian was indeed marveling at Elia.

    ''...Youngdies are greeting her as they pass?!''

    ''They''re using formal greetings like "Did you sleep well~"?!''

    ''They''re all university students going to morning lectures?!''

    Ian felt like he''d fallen into an isekai within an isekai.

    Is this... really the Holy Empire I know!

    Where are the knights swinging swords around! Where are the nobles making wizards y jester!

    ''...This is civilization.''

    Ian struggled to hold back tears of emotion.

    Imperial University.

    This was, without doubt, a civilized world.

    A sanctuary where he could briefly forget the post-apocalyptic atmosphere!

    "...? Ian. Are you crying?"

    Elia was momentarily flustered seeing Ian about to tear up.

    Is this really worth getting teary-eyed over?!

    ''Is it because he''s a wizard?''

    She struggled to understand Ian''s sensitivity.

    ---

    [1. raei: Pigen -> pigeon + chicken. Basically these pigeons are so plump and fat that the author is calling them pigeon chickens, but with the back half of the kr chars for chicken attached to the front for pigeon. Doesn''t really work for english. How do Ibine pigeon and chicken?? pigken? picken? in the end I just stopped thinking and went with pigen.]

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