Chapter 39: 46

Chapter 46

The Battle for the Sage’s Seal (1)

My peaceful daily life passed by like a fleeting spring. It wasn’t until the season got cold that you came to realize how blessed you were by the clear skies and warmth. 

Though I couldn’t really say it was all that mild of a life for me, with my busy schedule, compared to when I first started living in the wild it had gotten a lot better.

Since my cabin was finished and ready for me to lay in, I had gathered quite a bit of meat, vegetables, and spices up in the storage. I even had a bunch of firewood piled up. I had managed to solve my homelessness issue. 

The waves that shook my somewhat stable life… It all came from the senders of three different letters.

* * *

Keeping up with the school’s curriculum had slowly started to pay off.

Even with a body that wasn’t exceptionally talented when it came to magic, I was starting to maintain an above-average performance. It was especially so in the written subjects, and it seemed that I was starting to stand out. My name was being passed around amongst the teaching assistants.

Lessons that only required simple memorization and theoretical arrangement could be accomplished at any time with just a bit of effort.

By cutting down on sleep and using any spare time to practice repeatedly, I was able to shove all the information into my brain. That was completely different from having talent in magic.

My training had also made considerable progress.

I’d already increased my stamina quite a bit, to the point that it wasn’t far behind that of an average adult male. It was quite an impressive development when compared to the spring, when I was skinny and as weak as an anchovy.

On the other hand, my combat-type skills still seemed to be a bit slow… But there were plenty of ways to help with that.

[Newly Finished Product]

—

Ceremonial Dagger: Explosion

A ceremonial dagger that has been infused with explosive magic.

The infused magic can be activated within a certain distance.

As it has been infused in advance, the activation speed was quick and the magic power efficiency is excellent.

Spiritual Infusion: Spirit-Type Magic – Explosion (Low-ranking fire spirit Mugg)

Magic Power Accumulation Capacity: Medium

Resonance Distance: Narrow

Production Difficulty Level: ●●○○○

[Production completed. Production skills have increased.]

A pattern of flames glistened on the surface of the dagger.

It was the ceremonial dagger that had been with me for a long time, ever since I started living in the wild. After setting things up and imbuing the dagger that I loved with magic, I felt a sense of pride.

[The magic has been infused with the dagger quite smoothly. The more the user has used the equipment, then the more efficient it becomes. I can clearly tell that you have been with this dagger for a very long time, young master Ed!]

Sitting on my shoulder, Mugg caught my attention by speaking to me.

[You’ve taken another step forward, young master Ed! This joyous occasion makes me so happy! Though I may be unworthy, let me sing a joyous song for you to express my pleasure! This is a shepherd’s song, passed down for generations by mouth in the Pulan region… Eghk!]

I grabbed Mugg’s wing as I put him down on the tree stump next to me. As I sat staring at him, it seemed as if he was uncomfortable, his body shifting around.

[Y-Young master Ed! I have made a mistake! Please allow me to pay the price for my sin! The most embarrassing thing is, I am unsure what I have done wrong! Please, tell me the sin I have dared to do so I can sincerely reflect on it, correct it, and grow from it…]

“Hey. Speak to me casually.”

[… I’m sorry, what?]

As expected of a spirit carefully selected by Yennekar, Mugg was quite the amazing low-ranking spirit.

He was proficient in mana resonance, and he constantly called me young master. In an instant, the infusion of spiritual magic was completed. His way of thinking was flexible, and he was quite nimble—which was helpful while hunting.

Not to mention, he also acted as my portable heater and was a great companion in my social life. Thus, he was worthy of a perfect score.

But if I had to label just one fault of his, it would be that he was overly polite.

“I said speak casually. It’s uncomfortable for me to keep listening to you like that, seriously.”

[Th-there’s no way. There’s no way I could do such a thing!]

“Why?”

Originally, the relationship between an elementalist and a spirit was a simple contract, rather than one between a master and servant. 

The lower-ranking spirits that dealt with Yennekar were excessively respectful towards her, as she was an exceptionally strong elementalist.

A spirit that moved away from being a fluid spirit and was on the path to becoming a lower-ranking spirit gained magic power through contracting with an elementalist, which raised their status.

If they could make a contract with a competent elementalist with a high level of resonance, then… It was customary for the spirits to thank them by becoming subservient. Therefore, if you wanted to have equal footing in a relationship with an elementalist like Yennekar, who had a massive amount of resonance, then you would need to be a high-ranking spirit.

The reason that Yennekar was surrounded by so many spirits all the time was simply because it was her nature to attract spirits… After all, it was her high resonance that was extremely attractive for the spirits.

In particular, the fact that Yennekar had decided to sign a contract with a lower-spirit like Mugg was very appreciated… So of course, he had no choice but to bow his head.

However, as I was only a novice elementalist that had just started out on my journey, there was no need for him to be so polite. There was a high possibility of running into communication issues if we established me in such an unnecessary position of authority.

“Try calling me Ed. It’s only two letters.”

[Young master Ed! This really is not right!]

“Isn’t it weird in the first place? There’s no reason to be this respectful, since signing a contract with me isn’t that big of a deal. What was the deal with all those interviews and the election process?”

[Uh… Um…]

I must have hit the nail on the head, as Mugg flapped his wings and struggled to respond.

“Did you make some other type of promise?”

[Well, that’s…]

“Just relax and forget about all of that. It’s not like we’ll only see each other for a day or two, right?”

As I said that, I looked down at Mugg.

He shuddered as he suddenly began to wail loudly.

[Oh my, young master Ed! What’s the point in me hiding it anymore?! If I sign a contract with you and am recognized for my ability, I will be guaranteed nearly double the amount of refined magic power from Lady Yennekar than the other low-ranking spirits… In the end, this was all a means for me to speed up my growth…!]

“……”

As I thought.

[That’s right! This overflowing respect and loyalty towards you, young master Ed, didn’t come out of pure awe. It was because of my lust for success, engraved on this dirty unworthy body of mine! I am deeply ashamed of myself!]

“Alright… There, it’s good to be honest like that. Is there anything else you want to let out?”

[Other than that… I’ve been looking into your reputation here at the academy, and I have heard quite a bit about your strong authoritative tendency… So, following that, I was trying to please you…]

“Is that so?”

I lifted the dagger with the spiritual magic infused in it. I turned it over, swinging it around a few times. It didn’t feel any different from before.

If the spiritual infusion were poor, it could affect the quality of the equipment itself by making it heavier or lighter. That would make it difficult to manage. However, the spiritual infusion that Mugg had completed was clean and showed no notable change.

I threw the dagger into the wooden stump nearby.

Thud!

With the connected spiritual magic, I gave it a little push, creating a small explosion. With that much magic power put into the explosion, it could also work as a small explosive if I wanted it to.

As the rising smoke spread out, I could see the dagger stuck in the stump. It was completely fine, not a scratch on it. It seemed that even the fire resistance had been implemented well, as it hadn’t been affected by the explosion. It was perfectly done, up until the very end.

“Well, thanks for being honest about it all. Why are you apologizing so much, to the point you’re wriggling around like that?”

It was said that, when creating relationships with other people, a pure heart was only maintained until elementary school. After all, once people started to mature they had no choice but to put their self-interests, no matter how big or small, first. This was the case even when dealing with others.

The old-fashioned way of thinking, the one that claimed a pure heart must be maintained in a relationship, had long since ended. In the end, one’s skills and attitude were all that mattered.

The spiritual magic itself was neatly infused into it.

Though asking around about my reputation before we even signed a contract could have been seen as rude… From another perspective, it also proved that he had done some preparation and shown a level of sincerity. 

As for me, I was also the type that tried to figure out people in advance, putting in the time to get things right… So, from my point of view, I could see that he was the type to be thorough about such things.

As long as you didn’t treat everything as too materialistic, it could also be considered a useful way of thinking.

“Alright, I got it. You can speak casually already.”

[Th-that’s…]

“I told you I understood, so you can speak casually with me. Your circumstances all make sense to me, so what’s the issue?”

[Young master Ed…!]

Mugg was touched by my words, speaking in a grateful voice. I wondered how much guilt and shame he had been feeling.

[To be honest, it was so hard for me! Waaah! In the first place, the hierarchy of spirits is unfair! Just because you were born earlier, you can take advantage of others? Does that make any sense…?! Waaaah!”

“……”

[Well, I’ll continue speaking politely towards you. It’s more comfortable for me to do so!]

I was about to say something when it occurred to me.

I think I heard before that it’s quite burdensome to tell a new employee or recruit to ‘take it easy’ or ‘speak casually’.

It was only natural to be uncomfortable with such a thing. In some cases, forcing someone to be comfortable would just make them more uncomfortable. So being uncomfortable meant that you were comfortable… It was all too complicated.

Well, he’d figure it out and take care of it. From what I could tell, it seemed that his social life was already at its max level, so he must have had a good sense about how to behave.

I pulled out the dagger, put it in a leather case, then tied it around my thigh with string. With that in place, I could stand up and reach down to grab the dagger at any given moment. Plus, it didn’t look all that bad.

[By the way, what do you want to do with these letters? Do you want to read over them right now, or should I bring them over to the cabin?]

Mugg flapped his wings, sitting down on a wooden stump across the campfire. He was biting three letters, waving them around. 

One was delivered in a clean, business-like envelope that was folded roughly and lacked a seal. It was delivered to me personally by one of the teacher’s assistants, Anise.

The second one was decorated with a golden border and a clean wax seal. A middle-aged employee of the Elte Store had delivered it.

The last one was a magnificent, flashy, high-class piece of paper that was written with brilliant and luxurious ink. Claire, Princess Penia’s lead escort, had personally delivered it.

“I’m going to read through them now.”

Each letter spoke of different topics, but the most shocking was in the last letter. 

* * *

Translator – Plumper

Proofreader – Harley

* * *

Silvenia’s royal residence was quite a magnificent mansion, but compared to Ophelis Hall, the size of it couldn’t even compare.

However, even though the size might have been smaller, the overall construction cost was quite similar. It was impossible to imagine just how luxurious the interior of the residence must be unless you were someone who had entered before.

A woman with a ponytail and an upgraded set of light armor opened the door to the princess’ room.

“I’ve just come back from the northern forest. I have delivered the letter, just as you instructed.”

“Well done, Claire.”

Claire, the lead escort of third princess Penia Elias Kroel, had been feeling quite troubled of late. For her, as someone who was solely dedicated to Princess Penia, the recent situation had not been very pleasant.

The first time the princess stepped foot in Silvenia on her journey to study, she had felt rather pleased by it all.

The life of Princess Penia, who was constantly watched by the royal household, on the outside looked splendid. However, if you knew her full story… None would envy her.

Ever since Emperor Kroel’s only son—Lindon—had declared that he would give up the throne, the war of nerves between the royal ladies became suffocating to watch.

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Both Princess Selah and Princess Perscia had their suspicious eyes on Princess Penia for quite some time.

No matter how much she expressed that she wasn’t coveting the throne, because of Princess Penia’s position and the support of the people, she could have reached out and taken the throne at any given moment.

In the process of it all, some measure of secrecy and fighting would be necessary. Though influential people that wanted to support Princess Penia were widely available, the order of succession could be ‘adjusted’ at any time. 

One way or another. 

Of course, Princess Penia wouldn’t make such a move. That doesn’t mean people wouldn’t still be suspicious of her.

Her entrance into Silvenia Academy was a clever move to convince people of her honesty.

It was only possible for those who had no desire for the throne to declare that they would leave the royal household, seeking academics at such a crucial time. That was because she would have to stay in school for at least four years.

What kind of place was Silvenia?

Wasn’t it a land of academics, where the virtue of learning was greatly emphasized above all else?

She thought it would be a good time to get far away from the Kroel Royal Family’s authoritative atmosphere, and to spend a few years making memories and gaining knowledge… Though such plans didn’t always work out the way you wanted them to.

“… You don’t look pleased, Princess. I’m sorry to be intruding, but… Do you perhaps have any concerns?”

“… I’m not sure.”

Princess Penia bound her platinum blonde hair back as she let out a deep sigh, burrowing herself into the luxurious sofa.

She decided to come clean and admit it.

She had made the decision to step away from the Kroel Royal Family to instead focus on her studies in this land of learning, but… she also had a fervent desire to escape.

Getting into a secret battle whenever there was time, gaining authority, proving her talent as a potential sovereign or else risking dying off… She had escaped from the cruel fate that came with being a part of the royal family.

Having lived her entire life like that, she had asked herself, ‘Wouldn’t it be okay just to take a few years off?’

That was because she had thought that, after a few years, the tedious dispute over the succession of the throne would end on its own.

However, even after escaping all the way to Silvenia, in the end that was what happened. As a human being, it wasn’t possible to escape from her true nature. Whether it was intentional or not.

“I… thought that, for the rest of my life, I was destined to live while fighting a dark battle.”

“Princess.”

“You don’t have to try to comfort me, Claire.”

The night before, Principal Obel came to visit her, whispering in her ear.

The financial situation of Silvenia Academy was already quite a severe problem. They desperately needed money to even make the payment dates for that quarter.

Even though he went all the way to visit Princess Penia personally, there was nothing that she could do to help immediately.

Although Princess Penia’s influence would allow her to receive some funds, there was no guarantee that the money would arrive in time for the payment. But most of all, there wasn’t any justification for it.

Although the school was partially supported by the royal family, ultimately Silvenia Academy was a private education institute that was founded by the great sage Silvenia. If such an institute needed further funding from royalty, there would need to be a reasonable justification.

The third princess did not control the treasury of the royal family, and at that moment she was in no position to be a part of the royal family.

In the end, she had no choice but to turn down Principal Obel’s request. Considering the sheer size of Silvenia, the educational budget wasn’t just a matter of a simple coin or two. It was an issue that couldn’t be dealt with through mere sympathy.

That was where the problem should have ended.

“It seems that the sale of the Sage’s Seal will become a reality.”

“Yes. Of course, there will be strong opposition coming from the students and the academic staff… Though more than a direct sale, it will just function as a guarantee or collateral.”

“That’s pretty sly. Ignoring the rights to possess it and instead focusing on buying the rights of ownership, then taking the product step by step. As expected of the Elte Company.”

The concept of possession and ownership were entirely different.

When news got out that the Sage’s Seal, which was the heart of Silvenia, had been sold for money… There would be a great deal of opposition from the school. In the matter of possession… That was just a case of acknowledging the right to keep storage of the seal. 

As time passed, and the attention around everything all started to cool down, they would create some sort of justification to move the Seal from its exhibit at Trix Hall over to the warehouse. Claiming that it was to further research regarding the seal seemed like the most appropriate excuse.

The day that Seal would once again be on display would probably never come to pass.

“Princess Penia… As I thought, you don’t look well.”

“Thank you for your concern, Claire. I’m fine, so you can go rest.”

Princess Penia pressed on her temples as she loosened her shoulders.

Penia had been living in a world of secrecy for many years. Seeing the data that Obel brought, along with the way things had been going, it started to seem like there was a black curtain behind it all that she couldn’t see.

Her gut instinct pointed to the young Lortel Kehelland, the authority behind the Elte Company.

That girl, with her bound reddish-brown hair, always smiling like a fox playing among gold coins. She never seemed to speak honestly.

According to Penia’s Insightful Eyes, that girl’s true colors were those of a con artist that plotted and extorted others as naturally as she breathed.

She couldn’t get the image of her during the Glasskan Summoning. As the entire sky lit up and buildings collapsed, Lortel sat in a corner and smiled softly. It was truly a level of strength that transcended humans.

Thinking of that same girl, plotting to buy the Sage’s Seal as everything played out in the palm of her hand.

She decided to admit it.

She was scared. It was extremely frightening.

In Penia’s eyes, Lortel was a demon covered in gold coins. She was someone that, if wanted to, might even be able to deceive God.

She was surely going to end up at the top of the Elte Company. She couldn’t picture Lortel taking orders or being under someone else’s leadership.

Someone that could make Lortel follow their orders… Did such a person even exist?

“I don’t need to be hostile towards her yet, but…”

Buried in the sofa, Princess Penia silently spoke her last few words.

In any case, the suspicions between the school and the Elte Company regarding the purchase of the Sage’s Seal was strictly an internal matter. It wasn’t an issue for Princess Penia to personally intervene in.

Nevertheless, Princess Penia couldn’t help but take out a quill as she began to compose a personal letter.

A ‘new party’ had joined the negotiations for the Sage’s Seal.

As for that third party’s actions, it was because they couldn’t leave the situation alone.

* * *

Ed! Ed!

It felt as if I had fallen into water, faintly hearing sounds coming from outside. I wondered if someone was calling my name, but I didn’t have time to pay attention to that.

The reason that my head was all mixed up was because of the letters I had received.

The first and second letter didn’t say much.

They didn’t say anything that important, it was just information that I needed to know.

The third letter, however… it was something I needed to read with my full concentration.

I couldn’t be taken aback by a change of flow in the timeline, even if it was different from what I had originally thought it would be.

It was only natural for that to happen. It couldn’t be helped, as the story had been twisted from the very beginning. I just had to keep an eye on the situation and try to make the progression of it follow a similar course.

Either way, if Taylee followed the proper course, everything could be solved… There wouldn’t be anything else that I would have to get involved in.

In Act 2, all that needed to happen was for him to use the second technique of the Swordmaster Skill and prepare his Celestial Magic resistance.

But that method would not be allowed. The flow of the story had already slowed down quite a bit.

The evidence was right there, in my hand.

“Ed.”

Looking at the cause, it came from Elte’s early dismissal.

Elte, the Golden King, was originally meant to be defeated by Lortel during the battle for the Sage’s Seal event.

However, for some reason the flow of the story changed, and he was dismissed earlier into the story—during the occupation of Ophelis Hall.

Because of that, just what kind of changes did it cause?

The reason that Elte tried to purchase the Sage’s Seal was so he could resell it at a higher price.

In other words, there was another person who asked him to procure the Sage’s Seal.

That person’s name was… Sadly, I’d already heard it so much now that I was sick of it.

I quickly realized why the princess had sent me a personal letter. It was because I was a man on the inside. Her ulterior motive was to ask me if I had any information regarding that person’s actions or intentions.

“Ed!”

I suddenly came back to my senses.

Yennekar was pushing her face in front of mine with a tearful expression. It seemed that she had been shaking my shoulder.

“Ugh.”

“Get a grip on yourself! What’s the matter?!”

“I’m sorry, Yennekar. There was something I was thinking about, so I was distracted for a bit.”

At some point, Mugg had moved to Yennekar’s shoulder as she let out a sigh of relief. Then, as she seemed to realize that the distance between our two faces was too close for comfort, she quickly took a step back.

“Don’t push yourself too hard! It’s good to be working hard, but… It’s best to stay healthy!”

Looking at Yennekar, who was bubbling over in rage, I put both hands by my side as I bowed my head in apology.

As I mentioned before, the one who had commissioned Elte Kehelland to purchase the Sage’s Seal was the head of House Rothstaylor, Krepin Rothstaylor.

For Krepin, who was researching the magic of eternal life, the Sage’s Seal—which dealt with Celestial Magic—was well worth looking into.

But with Elte dismissed… that client now had no choice but to roll up his sleeves.

“Ed, you don’t look so great right now.”

Yennekar spoke with a worried look on her face. It was understandable.

The letter from the princess said that she had a lot to ask me about the head of House Rothstaylor, which I used to be a part of, so I should visit her royal residence. Additionally, she wrote down some of her suspicions regarding Krepin’s actions.

Originally, the Sage’s Seal negotiations was a tug-of-war between the school and the Elte Company.

However, now it has become a three-way race between the school, the Elte Company, and the Rothstaylor family.

The head of house, Krepin Rothstaylor, was a boss that appeared in Act 4 of ‘Silvenia’s Failed Swordmaster.’

He was a boss in the later half, who was exposed by Princess Penia, who had both internal power within the school and the power of royalty, as the one behind all the evil deeds that had occurred. There was no need to explain his difficulty level. 

It was safe to say, at that moment, there was no way to take him down.

The good news was that his goal was simple: the Sage’s Seal. If he got his hands on the Seal, he would go back to where he came from peacefully.

However, there was no way for me to know what would happen after he got his hands on the Seal… It would be a completely unknown world.

It wasn’t just a matter of no longer having the advantage of knowing all future events. It was also a matter of whether it was possible to clear.

In the first place, the confrontation between Princess Penia and Krepin Rothstaylor was a storyline that shouldn’t even have been happening that early on.

Krepin Rothstaylor. If it was true that he planned to join in on negotiations for the Seal, then I would have to do whatever I could to try and keep him out of it.

He couldn’t be on the main stage of the storyline yet. As a character that came out in the second half meant that he really shouldn’t come out until later.

“I’m sorry, Yennekar. I shouldn’t have made you worry.”

I relaxed my expression as I threw a few pieces of firewood into the fire.

I lowered my head as I quietly began to organize my thoughts.

Yennekar sat holding her knees with her arms across the campfire. Suddenly, her expression soured as she continued to stare at me.

“I’m not going to move from here until you tell me what you’re worrying about.”

That stubbornness didn’t suit her at all. I almost let out a laugh.

____

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