Chapter 98. The End of the Long Winter (2)
Edlen was furious about Craven’s tyranny. His rough, indignant breathing showed no sign of calming down.
“Isn’t a Mage Tower supposed to be a sanctuary of knowledge where people learn and research magic?! That should be especially true of the Langrid Mage Tower!”
The Langrid Mage Tower had been established by the First Mage, Arcanis Rilsein. Its founding purpose was to create an environment where anyone could freely research and create magic.
However, after many years passed—
Arcanis’s pure aspiration was forgotten.
Those who should have devoted themselves to discovering the world’s truths monopolized knowledge for their own benefit.
They colluded with those in power and formed their own privileged class, depriving other mages of opportunities.
It was not as though I had been unaware of that fact.
‘Still, I never imagined it would be this bad.’
I had not known the corruption had progressed this far.
I had experienced only one Mage Tower.
The Coalition Forces’ Mage Command—
Mage Command, where Iliana served as Commander, could be considered the only remaining Mage Tower on the continent at the time.
Anyone in the Coalition Forces could enlist if they possessed the will to learn, and the pursuit of truth and knowledge was open to everyone.
There was a reason Mage Command’s slogan had been [Seek Truth at the Edge of the Battlefield].
Because of that, I had assumed every Mage Tower on the continent operated similarly.
However, I had been mistaken.
The current Langrid Mage Tower was significantly corrupt.
Perhaps Iliana had strictly controlled Mage Command because she did not want it to repeat the corruption of the Langrid Mage Tower.
“Still....it doesn’t appear that he ever laid his hands on Lady Iliana.”
Edlen said it as though Craven were at least recyclable garbage.
Garbage, however, remained garbage.
‘I need to deal with him.’
I had to deal with the Endowed Chair Mage named Craven. I could not leave Iliana under a garbage mage like him.
However—
‘It would be difficult for me to intervene personally.’
Unlike the territory of House of Viscount Venenon, the Langrid Mage Tower would be difficult to attack by surprise.
To put it bluntly, assassinating Craven would be impossible.
The security of the greatest Mage Tower on the continent—
It could never be underestimated.
The authority of an Endowed Chair Mage could not be underestimated either.
No matter how much he resembled recyclable garbage, he was still an “Endowed Chair” Mage.
His abilities were not something I could take lightly.
Suppose I somehow managed to assassinate Craven. I still could not be certain my identity would remain hidden.
If it were exposed, the matter would not end as simply as it had with Viscount Venenon.
In truth, even the Viscount Venenon incident had not been overlooked. The royal investigation team was still thoroughly investigating it.
The Langrid Mage Tower would likewise investigate the assassination of an Endowed Chair Mage thoroughly, and investigations conducted by mages were more meticulous than one might imagine.
Therefore, assassinating him personally would be difficult.
In that case—
There was only one method.
Thud—!
I retrieved a large chest from my Inventory and placed it on the counter.
“Five thousand platinum coins. That makes five million gold in total.”
“Eeeeeek?!?!!”
Edlen sprang into the air as though he might faint.
As an officer of the Merchants’ Guild, there was no possibility that Edlen did not understand the value of five million gold.
“Use this money to establish a Ghost Merchant Company and contact Craven.”
“You intend to operate behind the scenes....!”
“That’s right. Gather evidence of Craven’s corruption piece by piece.”
However, that alone would not be enough.
Just as people who reeked tended to gather so that their individual stench went unnoticed, the Mage Tower was probably filled with people who covered up Craven’s corruption.
Evidence of his corruption alone would not be enough to bring Craven down.
Thud—!
I retrieved another chest containing ten thousand platinum coins.
In other words, it held ten million gold.
“Use this money to cooperate with the Mages’ Association and bribe the elders of the Langrid Mage Tower.”
“D-Do you mean....?!”
“First, isolate Craven politically within the Langrid Mage Tower. Then—”
I did not intend to stop there.
The fundamental problem was the corruption of the Langrid Mage Tower.
This was not merely Craven’s problem.
In other words, if Iliana was to live comfortably without mental stress, the Langrid Mage Tower itself needed to be completely transformed.
“Along with the elders you bribe, gather as much information as possible about the Langrid Mage Tower’s activities, external contacts, exchanges, meetings, and transactions.”
“You mean the entire Mage Tower....?”
“That’s right. Don’t forget to maintain meticulous ledgers.”
“W-Why are you doing this....?”
“When the time comes, we will make the Ghost Merchant Company self-destruct and expose all of the Langrid Mage Tower’s corruption at once.”
Gulp....!
Edlen swallowed as his eyes trembled.
Apparently, he had not expected me to go this far.
However, I was the man who had erased Violess, the Lawless City, from the map.
Of course, the Langrid Mage Tower was an incomparably greater force than Violess.
Nevertheless—
It was not impossible.
“B-But, Lord Adrian....!”
“......”
Edlen had fainted while foaming at the mouth.
After recovering, Edlen carefully watched my expression and raised a finger.
The chests of platinum coins were resting on the counter.
Together, they contained fifteen million gold.
It would have been stranger if he had not watched my reaction.
“Even after handling everything you instructed, this is far too much money....”
“Whatever remains is your payment. Use it however you find useful.”
“Squeeeeeeeak?!?!!”
Edlen’s body trembled as though he had been electrocuted by lightning magic.
“This will be difficult to handle alone, so cooperate with the Mercenary Guild and proceed with trustworthy mercenaries.”
For some reason, Edlen did not answer.
Sure enough—
“G-Garararararagh?!?!!”
After considerable difficulty, I managed to explain every detail of the operation to Edlen.
When I finally left the shop—
The sun was already setting, bathing all of Freche in the tranquility of twilight.
The sky burned with reddish-golden light.
I organized my thoughts as I walked through the streets of Freche.
‘I can leave the matter of the Mage Tower to Edlen.’
The problem was the pressure from the House of Marquis Segretus.
I had spoken boldly, but dealing with it would not be easy.
Marquis Segretus, the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Vatenberg—
The authority and influence wielded by the Chancellor as a political leader were tremendous.
A mere County, especially a remote place like the White Wolf County, could not contend with that kind of power.
‘I need to strengthen not only myself but also the County’s power and influence.’
In many respects, I needed to focus on expanding the power and influence of the White Wolf County.
‘The timing is perfect since I was already planning to establish the Coalition Forces.’
I summoned the information concerning my Territory Quest.
A standing army referred to a military force dedicated exclusively to preparing for combat.
Unlike a conscript army, which forcibly imposed military service upon the territory’s residents, a standing army did not disband during peacetime and continued training.
Simply put, the quest wanted me to transform those criminals into soldiers.
The completion reward was a large amount of experience. It was an extremely important and necessary reward.
However, the penalty for failure was likewise extremely significant.
‘Come to think of it....’
== [Accept the Recruits!] ==
[Objective]—Train the Visters into a standing army.
[Reward]—A large amount of experience
[Upon Failure]—Restrictions imposed upon 「Management Mode」 features.
Now that I thought about it, there was another Territory Quest I had not yet completed.
== [A Lord’s Authority Stems from Responsibility and Duty] ==
[Objective]—Raise the territory residents’ Affinity to [Trust] within 90 days.
[Reward]—<Lord> authority
[Upon Refusal]—Revocation of the 「Management Mode」 feature
I had received this quest two months ago.
‘Does that mean I have approximately one month left?’
The territory residents’ current Affinity was at [Friendliness].
Only one stage remained before reaching [Trust], the completion condition.
Feature restrictions and feature revocation—
Naturally, revocation was the more severe penalty.
However—
‘I can resolve both at the same time.’
I merely needed to complete both quests.
I strode through the streets of Freche beneath the setting sun.
At that moment—
“Lord Adrian!”
In the distance, a member of the Predator Merchant Company was running toward me in great haste.
He stopped before me and breathed heavily. It appeared that something had happened.
“What is it?”
“Haa.... N-Nothing has happened, exactly....”
The merchant company member paused to catch his breath. He then retrieved a rectangular object from his coat and handed it to me.
“What is this?”
“It is a letter left behind by a woman named Iliana.”
“....Iliana?”
I accepted the letter from him.
It was securely sealed, confirming that no one had opened it along the way.
When I broke the seal and examined its contents, I found the page densely covered in carefully handwritten letters.
===
Hello, Lord Adrian.
I originally wanted to say goodbye to you in person.
But you seemed busy....
I didn’t feel worthy of facing you....
And even if we met again, I didn’t think I would be able to speak properly....
So I’m leaving this letter for you.
I’m still worried that sending you a letter like this might be impolite.
When I return to the Mage Tower, I’m going to take the full-fledged mage examination!!
To be honest, I thought about it a lot.
Whether someone like me deserves to receive such assistance—
Why you would sponsor someone like me—
You said that I possessed extraordinary potential, but I wondered whether I could ever live up to your expectations.
However!!
I’ll study hard and continue growing every single day, and I’ll do my best to become such an outstanding mage that you can be proud of me!!
My efforts and passion may be insignificant.
Even so, I’ll work hard in the hope that they can become a small repayment for everything you have done for me!!
If you are ever curious about something, require any research, or need my help with anything else, please tell me at any time!
I’ll solve it even if I have to stay awake all night!
Even if it involves researching Infinity, I’ll gladly do it! I want to repay your faith in me, even if only in this manner.
Of course, you said you wanted nothing in return, but still!!
And finally....
Please make sure you remain healthy!!
Every single day, I will sincerely—truly, truly sincerely—pray that you remain healthy and that your days continue to be filled with happiness!!
—From Iliana—
P.S. I-I’ll contact you and send you letters very, very often!!!
===
It happened immediately after I finished reading the letter.
A translucent message concerning Iliana’s Affinity suddenly appeared before my eyes.
◆Error: Iliana is a character who cannot reach the [Affection] state.
◆Affinity obstacle—Father-Like Sponsor
◆The [Affection] state cannot be reached unless the Affinity obstacle is removed.
◆Iliana’s Affinity toward you is at [Trust].
....This was rather bewildering.
It was only natural that she could not reach the [Affection] state, but the Commander of Mage Command thought of me as a father?
Of course, the amount of money I was sponsoring her with was considerable, but still—a father?
....Then again.
Iliana had grown up without ever experiencing paternal love.
Her mother had died after giving birth to her, so Iliana had never experienced the unconditional love of a parent.
At present, Iliana was only sixteen years old.
Unlike her previous-life self, she was still a girl who needed parental care and affection.
Moreover, Iliana’s intellectual senses were extraordinarily sensitive, causing everything and everyone around her to become a source of mental stress.
However, conversely—
It also meant she could understand and empathize with everything and everyone more deeply.
‘It isn’t too late.’
If I took proper care of her from now on, Iliana would not become broken.
If I helped her better understand and utilize the innocence and emotions she currently possessed—
If I provided her with a proper environment in which to grow and a reliable foundation she could trust—
Iliana could become someone who illuminated the continent with her unique light. She could grow into an Archmage who surpassed even her previous-life self.
After all, Iliana had become a hero of the Coalition Forces for the sake of others despite being mentally broken.
I carefully folded Iliana’s letter and stored it in my Inventory.
At that very moment—
◆Seraphia’s Affinity toward you has reached its limit!!
A translucent message concerning “Seraphia’s” Affinity suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Moreover, it said she had reached her “limit”, not the maximum Affinity.
◆The territory residents’ Affinity toward you has increased tremendously!!!
Now a message appeared saying that the territory residents’ Affinity had increased as well.
◆The territory residents’ Affinity toward you has reached [Trust]!
◆Characters at [Trust] believe in and rely upon you completely and will follow you in anything.
◆The territory residents will willingly accept personal losses for your sake.
Their Affinity reached [Trust] in an instant.
◆You have completed the Territory Quest [A Lord’s Authority Stems from Responsibility and Duty]!
◆You have acquired 1,714,500 quest experience!
The Territory Quest completed itself without my involvement.
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
My level rose by three.
“What the hell?”
....My head was already beginning to throb as I wondered what they were doing in the County this time.
* * *
A soft, ticklish sensation brushed against her eyes.
Feeling that peculiar sensation, Seraphia slowly opened her eyes.
However, something about the feeling was unfamiliar.
She felt strangely refreshed and invigorated, as though awakening from a deep and prolonged sleep.
When was the last time she had slept so peacefully?
Even the memory had grown faint.
More importantly, this was the first time she had awakened without pain anywhere in her body.
“Huh....?”
For some reason, her body felt extraordinarily light and warm.
In other words—
‘H-Huh....?’
....She was not in pain at all?
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