Chapter 35. A Fateful Connection
White Wolf County—a territory where bitter cold persisted throughout all four seasons.
“That’s right. Are you familiar with the family?”
The bookstore owner followed his answer with a question.
Iliana gave a small nod.
“Ah, yes. Their family belongs to the same kingdom as mine....”
“The same kingdom? Come to think of it, Iliana, you said you were also the daughter of a noble family.”
“....Yes.”
The House of Marquis Segretus.
It was Iliana’s family and, like the House of White Wolf, a noble family belonging to the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
“In that case, Iliana, may I ask you for one favor?”
“A favor?”
When Iliana tilted her head, the bookstore owner immediately continued.
“Couldn’t you somehow cozy up to the Predator Merchant Company and obtain some monster meat?”
“What….?”
“I happened to get an opportunity to try it once, and its flavor was so incredibly intense!”
“What are you— Wait a moment. Mister, did you eat it too?”
“It was the finest meat I’ve ever eaten. I still can’t forget its taste.”
The bookstore owner wore a wistful expression, as though he were reminiscing about his first love.
That alone was enough to prove the safety of the monster meat.
“So, can’t you do something? I’ll let you use every book here for free for the rest of your life!”
“Huh...? Ah, well....”
“You’re both nobles from the same kingdom, aren’t you? I’ve heard that nobles from the kingdoms form connections with one another through high society and such.”
“Well, you see....”
“Is there really nothing you can do?”
“I’m, um….an i-illegitimate daughter….”
A daughter born to a concubine—an illegitimate daughter.
The child of a lawful wife was called a legitimate son or daughter. The child of a concubine was called an illegitimate son or daughter.
“But aren’t you still a noble?”
“Well....”
A common misconception was that every child born to a noble was also a noble.
More precisely, it was the mistaken belief that nobles were allowed to keep concubines.
However, that was absolutely not the case.
In fact, nobles refused to recognize the institution of concubinage.
Unlike commoners, nobles were a social class granted legal and customary privileges.
Because they believed their blood was “special”, they did not carelessly mix it with others.
Consequently, the Kingdom of Vatenberg, to which both the House of White Wolf and the House of Marquis Segretus belonged, did not recognize concubinage.
Monogamy.
The nobles adamantly refused to acknowledge the existence of concubines.
They believed that having multiple wives was conduct that damaged a noble’s dignity.
However, royal families sometimes maintained concubines known as “Royal Mistresses” because they absolutely needed to continue the royal lineage.
Even then, they amounted to nothing more than “officially acknowledged lovers”.
They were not formally recognized as the monarch’s wives or family members.
If even royalty treated them that way, ordinary noble families were naturally even stricter.
Taking a concubine was simply unthinkable.
Naturally, concepts such as illegitimate sons and daughters did not officially exist either.
Children born outside marriage were invariably treated as “bastards”.
And Iliana, the illegitimate daughter of the House of Marquis Segretus—
She had also been treated as a bastard by her family, enduring contempt and discrimination worse than that suffered by commoners.
It was because they considered her blood a stain upon the family’s dignity.
The House of Marquis Segretus held a higher noble rank than the House of White Wolf, which was a Count’s family.
However, the difference between a legitimate eldest son and an illegitimate daughter was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
“In practical terms….it’s like the difference between a noble and someone from the lowest class....”
The only benefit of sharing the family’s blood was that she had been permitted to grow up within their household.
Even then, she had constantly been forced to watch her every move.
That was why she had now left the family and lived in the Mage Tower.
“....I see.”
The bookstore owner smacked his lips awkwardly. He soon spoke with an immensely apologetic expression.
“I’ve lived in a Free City my entire life, so I ran my mouth without knowing how the world works…. I’m sorry.”
“N-No, it’s all right.”
“I’m an ignorant fool who knew nothing about your circumstances. As an apology, I won’t charge you for these books.”
“What?! No! These books are extremely expensive...!”
“No. Anyone can offer an apology with words alone.”
“Y-You really don’t have to do that....”
“I won’t feel at ease otherwise. Just take them.”
“B-But still....”
“Then I’ll throw them all away.”
The bookstore owner looked as though he genuinely intended to throw them away.
Iliana hurriedly wrapped her arms around the stack of books.
“I-I’ll take them...!! So please don’t throw them away....”
When she displayed her fierce determination not to let him discard them, the bookstore owner burst into hearty laughter.
This was why—
She loved this place.
In this Free City, everyone became an equal and free citizen.
A concubine’s child, an illegitimate daughter, a bastard—
She did not need to worry about any of those labels here.
It was one of the reasons Iliana always visited Orpheum whenever she left the Mage Tower every few months.
“More importantly, can you carry all these books? If necessary, I can—”
“Ah, that’s all right.”
Iliana waved her hand once.
Whoosh—!
The mountain of books disappeared in an instant.
“Subspace Magic...?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Isn’t that high-level magic?”
“It is, but the formula is merely complicated. Once you actually try it, it isn’t particularly difficult.”
“It isn’t difficult...?”
The bookstore owner’s astonishment practically ascended into the heavens.
He might not have known the first thing about magic, but even he could immediately recognize that Iliana’s talent was anything but ordinary.
“I’ll be going now, mister!”
“....V-Very well. Once again, I’m sorry about what happened earlier.”
“It’s all right! It doesn’t bother me at all, so please don’t let it bother you either.”
Iliana left the bookstore with a gentle smile.
When she stepped outside—
The City of Culture, Orpheum, appeared more lively and vibrant than ever before.
Countless people had gathered in Orpheum Grand Plaza and were enthusiastically debating something.
Judging from the fragments she overheard—
They seemed to be engaged in a heated debate about monster meat.
It was not limited to the Grand Plaza.
The entire city of Orpheum was abuzz with talk of monster meat.
‘Monster meat….’
No matter how much she considered it, it made no sense. Yet the evidence and phenomenon were plainly visible before her.
One of Iliana’s fundamental principles was that “no law exists without a phenomenon”.
If a phenomenon occurred that contradicted an established law, then the problem did not lie with the phenomenon.
It suggested that the established law itself was wrong.
In other words—
“I was mistaken.”
The theories and knowledge Iliana possessed had been wrong.
She found it utterly unbelievable, yet she could not refuse to believe it.
Once the impossible had been eliminated, whatever possibility remained had to be the truth, no matter how unbelievable it appeared.
“So it really was possible to remove the madness.”
It was an unprecedented event in the history of the continent.
If this matter were reported to the academic world, it was only a matter of time before the magical community was thrown into an uproar.
Not merely the magical community—the entire continent would be turned upside down.
After all, it suggested that many other things previously considered impossible might also be entirely possible.
For example, combining the traits of several organisms to create a Hybrid Lifeform.
Creating an entirely new species that surpassed the limits of natural evolution.
Or creating completely new biological abilities.
It meant that countless things previously declared impossible might actually be possible.
“I need to go and research it immediately!”
As a mage and Arcane Scholar who pursued the truths of the world, it was only natural for her curiosity to grow uncontrollably.
The Predator Merchant Company.
White Wolf County.
“Adrian White Wolf….”
The name of the man known as the Count’s delinquent.
Perhaps because of that, the name felt strangely familiar.
“What kind of person could he be?”
For some reason, the name became deeply engraved in Iliana’s mind.
* * *
The distribution of supplies throughout the entire County—
The process was completed over the course of several hours.
When all the supplies had finally been distributed—
◆The residents’ Affinity toward you has increased significantly!
A translucent message appeared, informing me that the residents’ Affinity had risen.
◆The residents’ Affinity toward you has entered the [Indifference] state!
◆Characters in the [Indifference] state feel neither particular interest in nor hatred toward you.
◆They do not care what you do, and unless you perform some special action, you will not earn their favor either.
◆But be careful! Excessive indifference can lead to “disregard”, which may provoke resentment!
‘Indifference….’
Affinity consisted of the following stages:
Hatred < Disgust < Anger < Conflict < Indifference < Favor < Friendliness < Trust < Affection.
In other words, unfortunately—
‘It didn’t reach Trust.’
However, rather than being unfortunate, it was only a natural outcome.
I had never expected their Affinity to rise to [Trust] in a single leap.
As the quest’s mockery had illustrated, my past treatment of the residents had been precisely what one would expect from a delinquent.
Still, considering that their Affinity had previously been in the [Disgust] state, I had managed to raise it by an astonishing three stages.
Most importantly, this was merely the end of the first distribution.
The second and third rounds still remained.
If things went well, I could reach [Favor].
If I was fortunate, I might even be able to aim for [Friendliness].
And honestly, this was not something I could have accomplished alone.
Although I possessed an Inventory, it had a weight limit.
The Inventory could assist with the work, but it could not replace actual workers.
In that sense, the merchant company members had been an immense help.
‘They performed even better than I expected.’
And it was not only the merchant company members.
The soldiers drafted from the Count’s Castle as escorts had also performed their duties exceptionally well.
In Freche, they had dealt with the local thugs on their own and promptly carried out my commands as my hands and feet.
Kai must have trained them exceptionally well, because every one of the soldiers was easily at the level of an Elite Soldier.
‘Come to think of it, the soldiers of the Monarch of Frost were remarkably troublesome in my previous life as well.’
Remembering that suddenly made anger surge within me, but….
I forced it back down.
What crime had these soldiers committed?
Their only crime was obeying orders from those above them.
“You lot.”
The soldiers froze at my sudden words.
Ever since the Gelu-Drake subjugation, their attitude toward me had changed completely.
“Answer me.”
“....A-Are you speaking to us?”
“Of course. Who else is here besides you?”
The soldiers glanced around.
After confirming that no one else was present, they snapped to attention.
“Yes, sir!!”
Their earlier confusion vanished, instantly replaced by strict military discipline.
“Here.”
I held out a plate containing Rex meat that had been cooked to a perfect golden brown.
I had grilled it in advance while the soldiers were distributing supplies.
Gulp. Slurp.
I could hear them swallowing and practically drooling from where I stood.
Rex meat was a product I sold exclusively to nobles at a premium price.
Its taste truly could not be compared to that of other monster meat.
“You can eat it.”
The soldiers’ eyes widened.
They blinked repeatedly.
“R-Really...?”
“Yes. You all worked hard. You deserve at least this much of a reward to make your efforts worthwhile, don’t you?”
Of course, there was not very much of it.
I had not hunted many Rexes, and I had already sold most of their meat to nobles.
However, word of it had not spread widely enough for me to sell all of it yet.
A fair amount of Rex meat remained—enough to satisfy their hunger.
“Ah, well….”
“W-We....”
Even so, the soldiers did not move readily.
Judging by their expressions, they seemed to think I was testing them.
Apparently, I had done something like that in the past.
I must have told soldiers to eat something, only to fly into a rage and demand to know why they had eaten it.
What atrocity could I not have committed when I had been known as the Count’s delinquent?
Of course—
....I could not remember any of it.
“If you don’t eat it, I’ll throw it all away.”
I picked up the plate, genuinely intending to discard the Rex meat.
The soldiers recoiled in horror and rushed toward me.
“N-No!!”
“Why would you throw away something so precious?!”
“We’ll eat it! We’ll eat it right now!”
The soldiers instantly swarmed the Rex meat.
Each of them tore off pieces and crammed them into his mouth.
“Woooow!! What is this?!”
“This chewy texture! It’s insane...!”
“It practically melts in your mouth! It melts!!”
They certainly ate enthusiastically with their unwashed hands.
Even though their fingernails were filled with dirt, they sucked their fingers clean, unwilling to waste a single morsel.
‘Anyone watching would think they hadn’t eaten in days.’
Then again, although they might not have gone several days without eating, they had probably skipped a few meals.
They had been that busy.
“I wondered why the nobles were making such a fuss over it...!”
“This must be what people in the central region mean when they speak of blessed rain after a drought...!!”
The soldiers acted as though they would live and die for a single bite of food.
As I silently watched them—
‘They’re just like the Special Task Force members.’
Memories of my subordinates from the Special Task Force resurfaced one after another.
They had suffered endlessly under an inadequate commander.
Most of them had lost their lives during missions, while those who survived had ultimately died during the final battle against the Emperor.
However, now that I had returned to the past—
Every member of the Special Task Force should still be alive.
‘I wonder if they’re doing well.’
I intended to establish the Special Task Force again when I formed the Coalition Forces anyway.
‘I should make some time to find them.’
Recruiting the Special Task Force members in advance might not be a bad idea.
Fortunately, unlike Ian, I had at least a rough idea of where my former subordinates were currently located.
Just as I was thinking about that—
A translucent message suddenly appeared before my eyes.
◆Seraphia’s Affinity toward you has reached its maximum value!!
◆The [Trust] Affinity state is changing!
◆Error: Seraphia is a character who cannot enter the [Affection] state.
◆Affinity Obstructions—Older Brother, Family, Incest.
◆Unless the Affinity Obstructions are removed, she cannot enter the [Affection] state.
◆Seraphia’s Affinity toward you remains in the [Trust] state.
‘....What the hell is this now?’
Why had something like this suddenly appeared?
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