WNC 404

The three mages forgot about the erosion from that day on and clung to the Golden Turtle.

Every time they scraped the Golden Turtle’s skin or trimmed its claws, those Yulan people would come and wail. Various analysis spells were used to meticulously examine the turtle’s insides. What had once been a mere flash outside the window of the drawing-room where I sat was now a chaotic mess of flashes, noise, and resonating mana.

In turn, informants from the Nobility Yearbook who had experience handling corpses were drafted to suffer alongside them. I heard it was a method where mages would analyze the composition of a corpse, guess the age of its bones, and abstractly infer the color of its hair and eyes, then use that to identify the individual.

It was a task that felt impossible just hearing about it. I wondered what on earth they would use that information for, but since it was necessary, I just accepted it.

Three more days passed, and nobles from the Yeldidus Duchy and Kiadris Duchy began to arrive in succession. Given the nature of the matter, most of them were from the Nobility Yearbook Administration Department or graduates of the Sierun Academy’s Academic Department.

Rubel assigned tasks to each of them as they paid their respects.

And two more days passed after that.

Early Saturday morning of the second week of February.

Another Sierun noble entered the drawing-room to pay his respects. Rubel then sprang to his feet. Without a word, he welcomed them, walked around his desk, and even offered a handshake first. Rubel smiling at a stranger like this? It was completely unheard of before.

“Countess Ereira. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“…What? Why are you acting so scary?”

Holding Rubel’s hand, the woman who scanned the child up and down with a hesitant expression was pale and rosy-cheeked. She had shiny brown hair, as if coated in resin, and pale green eyes. She was so tall and slender that her head rose well above Rubel’s shoulders.

Is she close with Rubel?

If she was close with Rubel, I wanted to greet her too. While helping Sienna maintain her Mabo Stance, I stole glances at her. Rubel shook the other person’s hand up and down twice, then held her hand firmly with both of his.

…Who on earth is that person? My stomach began to churn more and more.

Rubel continued to smile brightly, radiantly.

“Please, come this way.”

“What, suddenly you need someone… you called… Oh my!”

Rubel pulled the woman’s hand and led her to his desk, then unceremoniously placed a stack of documents he had piled beneath the desk onto it. My eyes widened in surprise. This friend… she’s going to take over Rubel’s responsibilities.

Only after carefully placing the woman’s hand atop a thick binder did Rubel let go.

“From here to here are the status reports, from here to here are the personal details and business lists of the Yulan nobles coveting the Golden Turtle, and this and this are the threat response manuals I prepared just in case. And this is paperwork related to mutated monsters from Grimsvein. Also, the current King of Yulan is gathering jewels and beasts. It seems connected to black magic, and they’re smuggling it in from Owen, but the route isn’t specified, so please look into that too. You should consult with Mage Johnson on this matter.”

“Excuse me. Surely. Surely, Your Highness.”

“There are three mages dispatched to analyze the Golden Turtle. All from the First Magic Tower. Mage Boulder, Mage Johnson, and Mage Laura. Mage Boulder specializes in monsters, Mage Johnson in black magic, and Mage Laura in myths and legends. I’ve assigned five informants for corpse analysis, but I plan to increase that to seven more, up to twelve.”

“No, excuse me, junior?”

This woman was Rubel’s senior at the academy.

Rubel had lived in this world before me. He had taken many classes I didn’t know about and known people unrelated to me for longer than I had. Every time I realized that obvious fact anew, my heart ached.

Why didn’t he introduce her to me and speak so intimately?

Feeling upset, I looked back and forth between Rubel and the woman.

“There’s no one better than a senior for this kind of work. You published your graduation thesis on an analysis of the temporal changes in Yulan’s four great myths and fishery production trends, didn’t you?”

“…You read it?”

“To be honest, I haven’t. That’s why I’m asking. You’ll do a much better job than I would.”

As Rubel feigned a respectful tone to coax the woman, her previously sharp, bewildered eyes softened.

Countess Ereira let out a snort in a much gentler voice, then took out a pen. The sound of her quickly scribbling a few words filled the quiet drawing-room.

“…Alright. I’m grateful you trust me that much… So, what’s the goal? What are you trying to achieve by analyzing this?”

“I’m trying to prove that the black magician who has turned the Sierran Empire upside down is Young Lord Wesley Kiadris. The corpses before that might not have any connection to him. However, I believe the corpses provided as food for the Golden Turtle over the last five years are somehow connected to him.”

“…Hmmmm.”

“I can’t trust people I don’t know, so I’ve distributed the work among other nobles. I’ve compiled and noted that separately here for your reference.”

“Then what will Your Highness do?”

“I have to go secure the next piece of evidence.”

“…Ugh. Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Good.”

Good about what?

Unable to wait any longer, I signaled Sienna to release her Mabo Stance. She straightened her trembling, bent knees and walked to the sofa like a newborn goat, then sat down. I, too, composed my expression and cleared my throat briefly to make my presence known.

“Ahem.”

“…Oh.”

“Nice to meet you, Senior. I am Michael Ernhardt.”

“I’m Miguel Ereira. I’m not Young Lord’s direct senior, but we’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so let’s get along.”

I accepted the handshake she offered.

Rubel looked at me with round eyes and smiled radiantly. It was a clearer, brighter smile than the one I saw when Miguel entered the drawing-room. Only then did I feel shy. Embarrassed by my unseemly behavior, I kept coughing dryly.

After waiting for Ivan to return, the five of us, including Miguel Ereira, had dinner. Upon hearing that Ivan and Sienna were married, Miguel was so surprised that he dropped the fruit he had skewered on his fork five times. However, at the very end, he offered his warm blessings in a trembling voice.

Sienna Bicov kept her head bowed so low over her plate throughout the meal, looking restless. Ivan held Sienna Bicov’s hand tightly until the meal ended. It was an excessive display, but I let it be, finding it endearing to see such a devoted couple.

❖ ❖ ❖

Sunday, the second week of February.

Before departing, Rubel sent Ranunculus one last time to the individuals in Felix.

This time, the message was not directed at Hugh Benson but at the leader of the unit waiting in Felix. It stated that the group, including Rubel, would soon head to Viban, and after passing through the Lake of Memories, they would proceed to Felix, so a small number of personnel should be selected to meet them at the lake first.

After waiting quietly until Ranunculus departed, I asked, “What do you mean by selecting only a small number of personnel?”

“Well… Felix borders the desert and has many nomads, so you know the border defense is a bit lax.”

“Yes.”

“Viban is not like that. Since all the country’s borders touch those of other nations, there are many watchtowers looking down from above, and they meticulously record those who come and go. Therefore, a group of over fifty armed individuals cannot enter all at once.”

“…Hmm.”

The Sierran Empire has many Sword Masters. But other countries do not.

The difference in land area between kingdoms and empires is tenfold to twentyfold, and the population difference is even greater. If dozens of Transcendent Peaks from outside were to enter, it would naturally pose a significant threat. Even knights of the Empire with clear identities would not be easily welcomed.

Rubel continued, “When an armed group selects a small number of personnel, the position is the most important, isn’t it? Miss Philodendore is a mage, so she’ll inevitably be among the first selected, for whatever reason. Then, the rest of the group who know her can be seen together, right? They won’t send Marienne alone.”

“…I suppose that’s likely…?”

“Lord Hugh Benson, Lord Elvin Brooks, Miss Philodendore, and Lord Claudian – that’s already four. If it’s more than five, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it a small group. At best, the new leader and one person closest to him might come along.”

“…Is the intention to pressure us with numbers first?”

“Pressure… rather than that… it’s to observe from an advantageous position. To see what kind of people they are.”

Rubel seemed a little anxious.

Perhaps it was because the unit dispatched to Felix had been neglected for such a long time?

We arrived in Yulan on January 27th, and it’s already been nearly three weeks since we arrived in Yulan. The capital of Yulan is too close to the coast. Therefore, from here to the Lake of Memories, even in a straight line, it would take three weeks of riding. We would have to cross large cliffs and might encounter large monsters. That would take even more time.

While occasionally agreeing with Rubel’s worries, I headed towards the stables. I knew well that Ivan and Sienna, who had more luggage to unload compared to us, had been carrying various items to the stables since the day before.

Now, all that was left was to mount our horses and leave. My heart felt light.

However, the further I walked, the more suspicious it became. As I got closer to the stables, a stench that stung my nostrils filled the air. A stable should normally smell of horse manure, so why such a foul odor? There weren’t many people at this villa who would emit such a corpse-like smell.

Indeed, among those waiting at the stables, there was a familiar face.

“Young Lord Ernhardt!”

As soon as he spotted me, he rushed over and quickly knelt.

I slowly looked at the horses, which had been startled and caused a commotion since morning by his behavior, the workers glancing this way and that while tending to them, and Ivan, who stood close to Sienna, enveloping her as if to protect her.

And then I looked at Mage Boulder, who was kneeling before Rubel and me again.

“No, Lord Ernhardt! Take me with you too! I eat well, I listen well, and I greet people well!”

What kind of merits are those?

If he had any sense, it would be more mature and proper to first mention that he was a 7th Circle, good with monsters, or skilled in magic. He was in his late forties when he attended the academy. He must be over fifty now, so why boast about eating well?

Yet, on the other hand, I could understand. Mage Boulder was desperately trying to compensate for his greatest weakness, his social skills, with all his might…

Knowing that so clearly, how could I scold him? All I could do was sigh.