Chapter 97. The End of the Long Winter (1)
Iliana leaped in surprise at the word “sponsor”.
Combined with her light-blue hair, she truly resembled a green frog springing into the air.
“S-S-Sponsor me?!”
“That’s correct.”
In truth, recruiting Iliana would have been the surest course of action. After all, I was already planning to establish the Coalition Forces.
However, I temporarily set that idea aside.
For now—
‘It’s too early to recruit her.’
It was still too early to bring Iliana into my faction. There were several reasons for this decision.
The first was—
‘She still lacks too much.’
The current Iliana was not yet the Mage of Truth.
She was merely an Apprentice Mage who had only recently completed her training period.
Of course, her actual ability was not that of an Apprentice Mage.
Iliana had already surpassed the level of a full-fledged mage and reached that of a High-Ranking Mage.
Nevertheless, she remained woefully lacking compared to her previous-life self.
In other words, Iliana was not yet complete.
Isolde was nearly complete. Iliana, however, was not.
Of course, her genius remained unchanged, so completing her development was only a matter of time.
However—
‘I can’t complete her development myself.’
I could not teach Iliana. Nor should I attempt to teach her.
Iliana might currently be astonished by my knowledge, but that knowledge did not truly belong to me.
They were things I had learned from Iliana in my previous life. Even that limited knowledge had now been completely exhausted.
Iliana needed to acquire much more profound magical knowledge.
‘She still needs to remain in the Mage Tower.’
The Langrid Mage Tower, to which Iliana belonged—
The origins of all magical knowledge on the continent lay dormant there, which was why it was now called the Cradle of Mages.
Only the knowledge within the Langrid Mage Tower could currently teach Iliana.
Until she acquired all its knowledge and her talent fully blossomed, Iliana needed to remain in the Mage Tower.
That did not mean I intended to stand by and leave her unattended.
There were plenty of things I could do to help her talent blossom more quickly.
First, I could provide her with financial support. Through that support, she could freely conduct magical research to her heart’s content.
“Why....? Why would you....?”
Iliana’s blue eyes trembled ceaselessly as she questioned me.
“Why would you sponsor someone like me....? I-I’m merely an Apprentice Mage....”
“That may be true at present, but through our conversation, I was able to recognize your extraordinary potential, Lady Iliana.”
Iliana’s eyes began shaking wildly.
She appeared utterly bewildered, as though she had never received praise before.
“M-M-M-Me?!?!!”
I could see it clearly without even using Find Weakness [U].
“That’s correct.”
“Someone like me....? You mean someone like me....?!”
She evaluated herself far too poorly.
However, unmistakable joy showed through her reddened face.
“No one has ever said that to me....! That I....that I possess extraordinary potential....!”
Iliana stamped her feet, not knowing what to do with herself.
Just as an involuntary chuckle escaped me—Iliana appeared to contemplate something seriously.
“I’m truly g-grateful for the thought, but....”
She suddenly returned the money pouch in her hand to the table.
“I....cannot accept your sponsorship.”
“......”
It was unexpected.
No, it went beyond being unexpected. I could not understand it.
“May I ask why?”
“W-Well....”
Iliana nervously moved her small lips.
Her blue eyes rolled from side to side in hesitation, as though she did not want to reveal something shameful about herself.
However, Iliana soon made up her mind and gently bit her lower lip.
“The truth is, I am an illegitimate daughter of the House of Marquis Segretus....”
I already knew that.
An illegitimate daughter born to a concubine.
Monogamy was widespread among the noble families of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
The position of an illegitimate daughter was little different from that of a lowborn commoner.
“If you sponsor me, the House of Marquis Segretus will surely....”
I now understood why Iliana refused the sponsorship.
The House of Marquis Segretus and the House of Count White Wolf—Both were noble houses of the Kingdom of Vatenberg.
“I-I cannot cause you....any trouble.”
She was worried that the House of Marquis Segretus might retaliate against me.
That meant—
‘They continued interfering with her even after she left the house.’
Iliana rarely spoke about her past in my previous life. In particular, she never discussed her time with her family.
Whenever the subject happened to arise, her expression would darken, so I never deliberately questioned her about it.
I did not possess particularly pleasant memories of the White Wolf family either.
Neither Iliana nor I spoke about our time with our respective families.
However—
Now I understood.
I finally felt as though I knew why the Iliana from my previous life was so different from the Iliana before me.
Iliana’s extraordinarily developed Peak Human Intelligence [A+].
It did not provide only benefits.
As its description stated, Peak Human Intelligence [A+] accelerated aging.
It made brain injuries far more damaging and dramatically increased the risk of developing mental illnesses.
Because her intellectual senses were so extraordinarily sensitive, everything and everyone in the world became a source of mental stress.
Her talent, Insight [L], accelerated the process even further.
In other words—
‘Had she been broken?’
The Iliana from my previous life had been broken.
She possessed a genius that surpassed even Dragons. However, that extraordinary intelligence had slowly devoured Iliana herself.
“Is that why you entered the Langrid Mage Tower?”
The title of Marquis was a higher noble rank than Count.
Marquis Segretus, in particular, was the Chancellor and the second most powerful political leader after the King.
No organization within the Kingdom of Vatenberg could withstand pressure from Marquis Segretus.
The Langrid Mage Tower, the Cradle of Mages across the entire continent—only an institution of that caliber could withstand the pressure of the Marquis’s house.
“H-How did you know....?”
Iliana became startled and flustered.
“That wasn’t....the only reason.”
Of course, she must also have genuinely loved magic.
However, her greatest motivation had ultimately been her desire to escape the House of Marquis Segretus.
“Is that also why you refuse to leave the protection of your Endowed Chair Mage?”
The authority of an Endowed Chair Mage—
The Langrid Mage Tower’s system for protecting Apprentice Mages—
“You deliberately remained an Apprentice Mage.”
By using both, she could remain free from her family’s interference.
“......”
Iliana said nothing.
I placed the money pouch back into her small hand.
“Please accept it.”
“....What?”
“I will withstand all the pressure from the Marquis’s house.”
Iliana’s sapphire-like blue eyes trembled violently.
“Wh-What....?”
“Use this money to freely purchase whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and research whatever you wish. I will shoulder all the responsibility and pressure on your behalf.”
“N-No, wait....!”
“Additionally, I will sponsor you with one million gold every month from now on.”
“O-One million....?!”
“If you need more money, contact the Predator Merchant Company at any time. I will provide as much additional support as you require.”
“Whaaaaaat?!?!!”
“Financially and politically, the Predator Merchant Company will become your unconditional sponsor in every respect.”
Iliana stared at me in bewilderment, not knowing how to respond.
“I-I have n-nothing I can give you in return....”
Iliana lowered her gaze.
Support of this magnitude should have required her to pay a corresponding price.
However, both now and particularly in my previous life, I had received an extraordinary amount of help from Iliana.
Even though I had never offered her anything in return—
Even though it must have been incredibly troublesome for her—
Iliana, you had shared your knowledge with me without holding anything back.
Therefore, Iliana—
Just as you helped me for no reason in my previous life—
“No compensation is necessary.”
In this life, I would help you without requiring any reason.
Iliana blinked her blue eyes.
Her expression became completely blank, as though her thoughts had stopped functioning.
“Why....? Why would you go this far for me....?”
That expression resembled a delicate flower that had struggled to bloom from frozen soil.
I had seen that face once before. It had been during the final battle against the Emperor.
—Please....please survive....
Iliana had sent herself into a rampage to save me. She ultimately lost her sense of self and died as something no longer human.
It was because of Iliana’s sacrifice—
That I had ultimately survived. That I had been able to remain with Ian until the end. And that I had been able to return to the past.
Therefore, if she asked why I was doing so much for her—
“Because you saved the continent in my previous life.”
Strictly speaking, she had failed to save it. However, I would make that become the truth from now on.
“I should be leaving now. There is somewhere I need to go.”
I left my seat.
Iliana remained seated as though her soul had left her body.
The place where Adrian had been sitting was now empty.
Iliana continued sitting there without moving. Her mind remained hopelessly blank.
Iliana had always been alone within her family. She had never heard even a single affectionate word. No one had ever called Iliana by her name.
—You vulgar bitch. How dare you show your face here?
—I heard your lowborn mother seduced the Head of the House.
—Filthy blood never changes.
—Get lost! Even breathing the same air as you is disgusting!
Iliana’s place had always been in a secluded corner of the estate. She existed within the darkness, outside everyone’s attention and sight.
Her only happiness had been sitting alone in a secluded attic and reading books.
Whenever she immersed herself in their knowledge, she could forget all her worries and concerns.
As a result, she became accustomed to loneliness. As a result, she stopped expecting warmth from others.
Whenever someone extended a helping hand, suspicion came first.
....She could not trust them.
Was it another cruel prank?
Help without compensation—
Such a thing did not exist in this world.
The law governing this world was Equivalent Exchange.
The total amount of energy within an isolated system did not change. Obtaining one thing meant losing another. Receiving help meant paying a corresponding price.
That was the law of the world that Iliana had learned throughout her life.
The same law remained valid within the Mage Tower.
Naturally so.
After all, it was an absolute and immortal truth that permeated the entire world.
However....
That law had now shattered into pieces.
It had been destroyed by the appearance of Adrian, an unconditional sponsor.
The weight of the money pouch against her fingertips—
The numerous money pouches resting upon the table—
They were almost impossible to believe.
However, they were indisputably a “phenomenon” appearing before her eyes. And no law existed without an observable phenomenon.
If a phenomenon contradicted an existing law, it did not mean that the phenomenon was wrong.
It indicated that the existing law was wrong. In other words, Iliana’s beliefs had been mistaken.
Help without compensation—
Pure goodwill like that truly existed in the world.
The moment she realized that—
Something began stirring inside Iliana’s chest. It was as though the ice frozen deep within her heart had begun to crack.
It was as though the emotions she had concealed to avoid attention were finally overflowing.
They poured out uncontrollably and soothed the pain and loneliness Iliana had accumulated over many years.
A violent storm of emotions swept through her. However, it did not destroy Iliana’s heart or mind.
Instead, it released her restraints one by one and melted away her accumulated sorrow and anguish.
Magic was the study of interpretation.
It was a continuous process of identifying and understanding the principles underlying phenomena.
Iliana could determine the cause of every phenomenon in the world and explain its underlying principles.
At least, that was what she had always believed.
But for the first time—
“....Sob.”
Why were tears suddenly flowing from her eyes? Why did her chest feel so warm?
“Sniff....”
Iliana could not explain this phenomenon at all.
* * *
A Free City possessed no absolute ruler, such as a monarch or a lord.
Various classes and factions coexisted within such Free Cities.
They included ordinary citizens, merchants, adventurers, mercenaries, mages, and many others.
Since there was no fixed hierarchy, many different social classes existed. Each class had established a guild to represent its interests.
“As you instructed yesterday, Lord Adrian, this humble servant investigated that Endowed Chair Mage with help from the Mages’ Guild.”
Edlen took a deep breath.
“He was complete fucking garbage!!”
He shouted, his face twisting with fury.
“The Endowed Chair Mage named Craven is infamous even within the Mages’ Guild for being utter trash!”
An Endowed Chair Mage was an elder who had achieved outstanding accomplishments in the magical world.
They were High-Ranking Mages who received support from the tower and authorities responsible for instructing and supervising Trainee and Apprentice Mages.
“And yet his behavior was no different from that of a ‘Vister Mage’!!”
Most of the corruption within the Mage Tower originated from its Endowed Chair Mages.
“He deliberately restricted Lady Iliana’s access to the magical texts, research materials, and experimental equipment she required!”
Whenever her research failed to advance, Craven blamed Iliana’s incompetence.
“Whenever she managed to produce results, he deliberately undervalued them, raised pointless objections, and then stole them as his own research achievements!”
He assigned Iliana an excessive workload and forced her to handle personal errands unrelated to her research.
“He even publicly criticized and humiliated her in front of the other mages!”
He used that humiliation as an excuse to prevent Iliana’s achievements from receiving recognition.
“Then he blamed her supposed incompetence, refused to teach her magic properly, and failed to provide adequate research funding!”
Because of that, Iliana had always lived in poverty.
Nevertheless, she carefully saved what little money she possessed.
“Once every two or three months, she purchased magical texts and research materials from Orpheum and taught herself magic!”
In other words—
“He is nothing but garbage that should be disposed of immediately!!!”
There had never been another mage so utterly deserving of being called trash.
“Damn it....!!”
After finishing his report, Edlen breathed heavily and clenched his fists. He was furious as though he had personally suffered Craven’s abuse.
“How could anyone possibly do such a thing?!!!”
“......”
Somehow, Edlen appeared even angrier than I was.
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