Chapter 40: Volume 4 - CH 38

Leaving the Chalk Tower behind, Satoru wandered around the vast grounds with Minerva, but found a guide and finally entered the library in the Academy of the Wise.

The goal is to find books about dragons, including flying dragons. He's not sure if Minerva, the children of five dragons, can really have a child with a human being - that's what they're investigating. Cheryl said that some of the books about the five dragons are forbidden, so he's not sure if he'll be able to read what he's expecting.

「Oh, this thing is amazing.」

Satoru paid the entrance fee of 6d (denari) per person, or 12d for Minerva and himself, and entered the hall. He shouted in admiration.

It was indeed the library of the highest academic institution. Even though the paper is expensive, the number of books in the vast building is quite impressive. There were also many visitors. They are young and old, male and female, and from all walks of life.

The printing technology has not developed much, so the books are sold in the form of manuscripts. Apparently, the price varies depending on the material used and the quality of the handwriting.

He followed the museum's guide to the Beast Tribe section and opened a book to check its contents in response to a voice from the shadows.

『That book was off. Next.』

He follows the voice in the shadows and opens another book, repeating this action endlessly.

As in the case of Galhassan's bookstore, Leia herself could not use the "Illusion" art. In Galhassan, where there were few people coming and going, there was no problem, but the magic of "Illusion", which can break the spell with just a touch, whether conscious or unconscious, cannot be used in such a crowded place. In case you were wondering, Minerva can't read, so she follows along, silently holding the edge of Satoru's clothing.

She have been reading books for the past 50 years, and Satoru blurted out a few things.

「.....Hey, I'm tired, honestly.」

『The same goes for the me.』

Satoru gets bored of opening books about the dragon genus, which are filled with a series of unremarkable content He never been good at reading books. It also makes him tired.

「I'm sure you've got some kind of clue, but I'm completely clueless.. Give me those hints.」

Satoru just opened the book aimlessly and looked at the words, not understanding any of the content. The words are slipping up. Leia returned as if she remembered.

『Oh, I haven't told you about that. In the early days of the Ancient Magic Kingdoms, there was a race known as the Dragon Halflings.』

Satoru's mind immediately conjured up an image of a moe character with a dragon's tail and ears, but no matter how much he thought about it, that would never happen.

『The dragon's fighting ability is unmatched. But its fertility is extremely weak. It was speculated that the starting point for this was the impregnation of this female between the five dragons and the flying dragons with "Mimicry", just like Minerva is now.』

"I see," Satoru agreed. If Leia's speculation is correct, then there have been cases of impregnation in the current state of Minerva. There must have been magicians who studied it. There might be a special way to make her pregnant.

『If this is true, then it is possible that my Lord and Minerva could conceive a child together. ......But, my Lord.』

「What?」

『Are you really trying to make her pregnant?』

Leia's tone had an air of concern rather than condemnation.

「It can't be helped. If that's what Minerva wants, then let her have it.」

Satoru said to Leia in a very low voice, without opening his lips.

The odds may be astronomical, but if it's not zero, he's willing to take the challenge. That's what she wants, after all.

Satoru patted Minerva's head as she followed him quietly. Minerva looked at him strangely, but she seemed to find it comfortable to be stroked. Minerva made a noise in her throat and was entranced.

Of course, Leia would like to make it happen if Minerva could. But.

『Even if she could. Frankly, I'd be horrified. ......』

「Why?」

In response to Satoru's question, Leia spoke slowly, as if to say to him.

『That's assuming that what just said is true. The conditions of the mother have not changed since then. But what about the father? He was a man of that time, wasn't he?』

「Well, I suppose so.」

『It is said that in those days, people were able to control their magic more freely, but even so, the quality of the soul itself is almost the same as that of a modern human. I've heard that the souls of parents tend to be passed on to their children, so I'm guessing that my Lord's child has an extraordinary soul at this point.』

「.......You're telling me that a combat capability that was considered so powerful and unmatched even at the time is likely to turn out to be a terrible thing?」

『Yes.』

Satoru put his hand on his chin and thought, "Hmm".

Indeed, as Leia said, it would not be good for Satoru, who intended to leave this world sooner or later, to bequeath the genes of a vicious soul to this world.

However, he wonder if he should even think about it that much. He could not help but think about the child that would be born, but Minerva would certainly give birth and raise it alone.

「Ahh.....But that's not a good reason to refuse. I don't know if it's a good idea to get rid of something just because it might be dangerous in the future. "Nip the danger in the bud," you say. I don't know about you, but I clearly don't like it.」

The three of them didn't know that the people who considered him dangerous were trying to nip it in the bud.

In the end, after much searching, they did not find what they needed, and the only results were the purchase of a magic book called the Special Magic Chanting Handbook and an up-to-date world map.

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A room on the outskirts of a Chalk Tower.

In a darkened room, a vague image of Satoru and Minerva is being projected by the "Mental Image" art. The image was secretly taken with an item called a "Heart Image Stone" when they left the tower.

Inside the room, there is a pair of men and women. One is a flaxen-haired woman dressed in white sheet metal with gold trim and a red cape - the symbolic equipment of the academy's patrol - Sheryl. The other had grayish-black hair, a fearless, deep-horned face, and a well-trained body. He looks like a warrior, but his eyes have too much cunning in him to be simply a warrior.

The man muttered to himself as he looked at the images from his "Mental Image".

「The target is this man?」

「That's right.」

「Also, ...... he's is quite huge.」

The man muttered, putting his own size up on the shelf. Well, it's true that Satoru is bigger than the man. He was only a little shorter than Minerva. He's about a fist taller than Sheryl. He's one of the big ones in this world.

「Do not touch him directly. Follow our instructions and follow him, but do not make direct contact with him.」

The threat left by Satoru before he left has remained in Sheryl's ears. If there is anything that catches Satoru's eye, what will happen? It is likely to do something like really destroying the Chalk Tower. The man she called for this case has no direct relationship with the Academy, but she doesn't think Satoru, who has always said that there was no excuse, will be timid about the Academy's relationship with this man.

「......That's a lot of trouble.」

「It's a direct request from the High Mentor. It's not an easy job.」

「Oh, ...... that guy again.」

The name of the High Mentor narrowed the man's eyes. Graham Coogan is an old magician with one of the most powerful souls in the world. It is easy to imagine that it would be a very unfashionable job if he were to call on this man directly. The man shuddered a little at the danger, but he squared his chin at the "Mental Image" of Satoru and the other person on the screen, a beautiful woman with long, dark indigo hair.

「This woman...」

「This one has a problem too.」

The man was annoyed with Sheryl's attitude, who just replied that she had a problem and didn't reveal any details.

「What kind of problem is that? Like the guy from earlier.」

「I haven't been told about that either, since it's a request from the High Mentor.」

In response to the man's question, Sheryl lied. It's more convenient for her to do so. It's not a big deal to use the High Mentor's name, as in the case of the hollyhock crest, but it's not wrong that it's a call for help. The man turned to Sheryl, sighing exaggeratedly at the fact that he had not received an answer to his question.

「All I know is that it's messy and dangerous, right? That's all I know.」

Sheryl frowned at the man's prickly words.

「That's right. ...... Sorry, Raymond is the only one I can ask to do this kind of work.」

「...... So it's a bad job to run the patrol directly?」

Raymond shrugs his shoulders exaggeratedly, not blaming her for calling him by his first name.

「Well, whatever. It's a request from my fiancé. I'll listen.」

Raymond Dantes is Sheryl Maylander's fiancé. They have not yet been married due to some complications in their respective homes, but the wedding is scheduled for the first of the year. Although he is dressed like a wild warrior, the Dantes family still holds a baronetcy, and Raymond is the person who is supposed to be the next head of the family. He is one year older than Sheryl.

「I think the target will be in city for the time being, but there's one job I need you to do before that. I'll give you this first.」

Sheryl placed a tablet in front of Raymond, about 20 cm long, 10 cm wide and 5 cm thick. Raymond's eyes widened at the sight of something unexpected and unusual.

「It's a message tablet. You've pulled out something quite rare.」

The message tablet is a magical tool that allows specific tablets to exchange messages with each other every hour (4 hours). It is an item from the ancient magic kingdoms, and unlike telepathy, which can only be used in close quarters, it is a tool that can be used to communicate with other people at any distance, making it a popular item, especially among nations. There are a surprisingly large number of them to be found, but they are often used for communication between nations because of their lack of immediacy in terms of being used every other second, so there are very few opportunities for ordinary people to get their hands on them.

「Just check it every koku except for the sixth koku (2 a.m.).」

Since it's midnight on the sixth koku, they are usually asleep. However, in other words, he have to report or ask for instructions every other koku, which is very troublesome. Raymond cowered his shoulders in disdain.

「Sigh. I don't know if they trust me or not. So, what is the work you want me to do first?」

「It is a messenger to the elves of the Dark Green Forest. As I recall, Raymond had a vassal who was an elf. If you can get him to guide you, you can get through the Dark Green Forest. As soon as the messenger's work is done, you will be asked to wait in the vicinity. Of course, the expenses will be paid by the Academy. I'll give you 30L (Librahm) for expenses first.」

「Oh, wow. That's a lot of money.」

A parchment letter sealed with beeswax is presented along with a sachet containing gold coins. The stamp on the beeswax is unmistakably that of the High Mentor of the Academy of Wise.　Raymond shoved a large sum of money (30L) carelessly into his pants pocket. It was a large sum of money that an ordinary citizen would never have seen, but Raymond was the heir to a baronial family, so he was not in need of money. In addition, his family is one that has risen quickly through business. It is rumored that his wealth is more than that of an ordinary marquis.

「That's how dangerous this job is.」

Raymond blatantly frowned at Sheryl's lecturing words.

「Shut up. I know you don't have to keep saying that.」

Raymond muttered to himself, "I'm not a child".

Sheryl is very serious, and Raymond is basically easy-going, which sometimes causes conflicts between them. Even though she is his fiancée, Sheryl thinks about it in her heart. She wondered if she would ever be able to have a happy married life in this state――Even though she was engaged to be married, the thought nagged at Sheryl.

「Well, you wouldn't want me to die before you could marry me, right?」

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He muttered sarcastically, then remembered and added.

「...... It's not you, but your house, huh?」

「That's not true.」

The expression was so blatant that Sheryl tried to kill her expression, but failed to hide it completely. Sheryl's father had offered his daughter to the emerging noble family of Dantes to make up for his own failure. They are well aware of this fact.

「Well, that's okay. If it weren't for that situation, it would be impossible for a nice girl like you to be my fiancée.」

Raymond liked Sheryl's looks, even if they were a bit backward. She is a bit older, but her beauty makes you think that it doesn't matter, and she has the sex appeal that only mature women have. If he thought that she would be him, he could put up with a little.

Sheryl could not answer immediately. She was a little lost for words and muttered weakly.

「I'm praying for your safety. That's for sure.」

「Thank you. Well, if I can make a name for myself here, it might even out the score a bit with your original family name.」

Raymond had his own refracted feelings about Sheryl. Simply because of her family background, the originally noble Sheryl would never have surrendered herself to the heiress of an upstart aristocrat. In fact, she was so talented that there was even talk of her becoming the wife of the current prince of Ares, who was now 13 years old.

In addition to the age difference, Sheryl's father got into trouble just as the idea was being discussed, so the proposal was dropped and Sheryl was forced into the patrol squad at the Academy of the Wise.

The old nobleman and the new nobleman will always have a love/hate relationship.

Sheryl didn't really care about that at all, but she knew that Raymond had a lot of mixed feelings about her, and that was another source of trouble for her. The truth is, it doesn't matter what your family background is, as long as you want to be yourself, that's all that matters.

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After leaving the Academy of the Wise, Satoru and Minerva bumped into Rico on their way back to the inn. It was rare to run into each other like this in this crowded city. Even if they had the same destination.

He whispered to Rico, who wanted to know how it happened, so that no one around them would notice. He was told that there would be no quarrel for the time being, though he was warned them, and Rico felt relieved. For Rico, it was honestly frightening to have to deal with the best academy in the world, the Academy of the Wise.

Rico observed her surroundings without being careless and then got on the other side of Minerva. She whispered that there would be no surveillance or tracking for the time being. She also told that she had gotten some information about the labyrinth, but it was not something she should talk about in traffic. "I'll tell you when I get back to the inn," she replied, and then, as if remembering, Satori told her.

「Oh, by the way. Let's have a look at the decorations.」

He remembered what Leia had said earlier about being able to create magic items by adding magic power to equipment. At any rate, they walked down the main street, found a store that looked like it, and entered.

It was a good idea to enter the store, but to be honest, it was tough for Satoru, a man, to go into an ornament store. Although he was able to ward off the shopkeeper who approached him as if he were a dupe for a big man with two beautiful women of different types, Rico and Minerva, he has no sense of taste in such things. As he looked at some of the necklaces hanging, he thought about Minerva's "Mimicry" ornaments.

「What about the size?」

『Oh, and if you add "Shape Shifting" to the object using "Grant" art, it will match the size of the object when it mimics or returns to its original state, so don't worry about that. But if you're talking about Minerva's "Mimicry," a necklace or bracelet would be perfect. When she return as a flying dragon, she can use her ring or wrist.』

「I see.」

Satoru looks at the ornaments in a daze, lightly echoing the advice from the shadows. From a magical point of view, there is not much to worry about, it is just a matter of design, but Satoru is not confident in his own aesthetic sense, no matter how many times he talks about it. On the other hand, he doesn't think Minerva, a flying dragon would have the aesthetic sense of a human being.

If Satoru had any sense at all, he could have purchased metals and jewels as they were and processed them with magic to create completely original ornaments.

「Right, Leia, I have a question.」

『What is it?』

「You can't reduce the effect of your "Life Force Absorption" to zero at will, right?」

『Indeed. I think I've told you before, it must be to sustain our lives. It can't be zeroed out.』

「Then either reduce your "Life Force Absorption" to zero, or I'll be fine.. Which is easier to "Grant", the one that makes other people fine like me?」 [TLN: sorry bit confused here, じゃあ、お前の“生命力吸収”をゼロにするか、もしくは、俺は平気だろ。俺と同じように、他人も平気にする術とだとどちらが“物品付与”しやすい？]

Leia thought for a moment before replying to Satoru, who mumbled out a thought she had been having for some time.

『...... The latter. It would be a bit risky to forcefully suppress my abilities, and I feel that it would seriously upset the balance of my magic. I can't say for sure about the latter, but it can't be done with a mere "Resistance" technique. It would be better if we knew exactly how my Lord endures it, but I think you'll be fine if I give you an "enhancement".』

「I want to try that too.」

『Hou』

Leia raised her voice in disbelief at Satoru's statement.

「You can't touch Rico or Minerva. I knew it would be inconvenient sometimes.」

『Is that really all you want? You just want to add a me to your multi-person affair.』

Ugh, Satoru groaned when Leia pointed out.

「I'm not denying it. That's certainly the reason.」

Satoru said it honestly. The reason for this was certainly that, but every time he saw Leia being careful not to touch Rico or Minerva, he also felt a little pain.

――Besides

「I just wanted to show you a little more of the warmth of strangers.」

『My Lord ......』

As they set off together, Leia learned how much the warmth of another person can make a person feel content.

It was Leia's warmth that soothed Satoru's fragile heart when Rico first betrayed his expectations and tried to seduce him.

The preciousness of human warmth that he feel from time to time is irreplaceable.

At first, Satoru was reluctant to ask Leia to accompany him, but now he is very glad that she did. He would not have been able to endure the loneliness of the trip on his own.

He wanted to give Leia a taste of that warmth, but not by himself. Satoru's consideration was sincere.

「Hmm.....I think I'd like earrings. I want something not too flashy.」

Thinking for a moment, Satoru turned to the earring section. He like it when things aren't flashy, simply because he's not good at that sort of thing. Satoru looked back at Rico.

「Rico, why don't you pick out something for Minerva? And one for yourself, too.」

「Ehh, you don't mind?」

Rico cried in surprise. She hadn't expected to be asked to pick one for herself as well. Satoru patted Rico's head, as if to say, Why are you so reserved?

「You can use it for "Search", but you can also have it for "Detection" in case something happens. It's better to have a design you like, anyway.」

「Yup!」

With great joy, Rico began to look at the ornaments carefully, one by one. Her face was slightly smiling.

「Ehehe.......I'm kind of happy.」

She can't believe she got to choose her own ornaments. Rico was completely elated.

Ornaments are basically a luxury item. Of course, there are cheap ones and the quality varies from one to another, but it is not common for ordinary people to buy ornaments. They only have the opportunity to buy ornaments when they get married.

「Choose two. Not too expensive, and not too cheap」

There were many one-of-a-kind items, but if the design was too common, it would not be a target for the "Detection" art. Rico has a tendency to be reserved and choose cheap items, so he warned her in advance.

「Okay」.

She may or may not have heard him. Rico replies in a daze. He think she forgot to mention that she can also choose for Minerva's as well.

「 ...... It's like a dream」

Satoru shrugged his shoulders as he gazed at the ring, and decided to wait. He already given up on the idea that shopping for women in this kind of situation is always long. Even Alice, who was only eight years old, took a long time to do her shopping.

The shopkeeper came up to Rico and recommended this and that. Satoru thought that although she seemed to be in a state of excitement, she had a good eye for things and was not prone to being influenced by sales talk, so she would be fine.

『By the way, my Lord. Can't you buy something for me too?』

Satoru replied mumbled to the voice from the shadows.

「Of course I don't mind, but ...... please don't make me choose. I have no sense at all.」

『...... That's a shame. It's important to know that my Lord chose it.』

Satoru just barely swallowed the words, "It was originally Leia's money”. He's talking to the shadows, so maybe a little bit of it of his words leaked out. It wouldn't be a bad idea to please the [Immortal King], who is in the strange position of being a magical slave but also a sponsor.

「......Don't complain, okay?」

He smiled bitterly, had no choice but to raise himself up and walk looking at the earrings.

He chose a pair of earrings made of thinly shaved white crystal. The design is a little larger, and looks like a slightly shaved half-moon. If you look closely, you can see the words engraved on them. 『To the Eternal You』――Leia asked in a pleasant voice as they looked at it together, which Satoru had chosen through sensory sharing.

『By the way, may I ask why you chose it?』

「For the color, I thought it would go well with your red hair. And the letters, I thought they would best fit you, who hasn't changed your appearance since you manifested (or became) the Immortal King. ...... Arghh, what do you make me say!」

He said the rest out loud. The customers and clerks in the store looked back to see what was going on, but at a quick glance, it looked like Minerva and him were just fooling around, and they just gave them a warm look.

Satoru's ears reddened, thinking that he had embarrassed himself unnecessarily.

And then Minerva tugged at the edge of his clothes.

「Is that, for Leia's?」

「Y-yeah.」

「I want Danna-sama to choose one for Minerva, too.」

Losing pressure from Minerva, who puffs up her cheeks, he choose a bracelet for Minerva.

Of course, it goes without saying that Rico also noticed and was forced to choose a necklace later.

Earrings for Leia, bracelet and earrings for Minerva. A ring and a necklace for Rico, for a total of 8L.

Needless to say, Rico's bargaining exploded.

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