5CKdyNFC

1Envoy Krilos
2
3
4Three days passed quickly. Early in the morning of the 17th of the 8th, Auguslo sent a messenger to bring Lorist to his tent. Lorist took a simple bath and washed himself. After donning some fancy noble-military robes, left with Reidy and Jinolio and a thousand guards. Auguslo most likely wanted to impress the envoys with military might. Two rows of soldiers lined the road for five kilometers out of the camp. Their equipment shone like spit-shined cutlery. The  people wearing the equipment, however, were less pruned. Lorist had no right to comment, however, feasting was a tradition and even a custom. The sludge called a road had been pressed and covered with sawdust and fine river sand. Lorist had no idea where on earth Auguslo got the supplies and materials necessary on such short notice. Or had he prepared it months earlier?
5
6The white dragon curled through the landscape. According to Lorist's education on noble customs, this was the highest courtesy possible. Its use was only recorded seven times in all of history. The treaties signed in conjunction with its use were never less than 20 years long and often lasted much longer.
7
8Haha, looks like Auguslo really wants to have peace... He's pressuring them with his one hand, and offering a path to peace with the other. If this were anyone else, they might be touched, but our opponents aren't nobles in anything other than name -- I don't think this means anything to them.
9
10The entrance of the path of peace was guarded with soldiers who blocked the way with wooden barricades. Lorist brought his horse to a halt. A sergeant ran over and explained everything. Lorist nodded and took the detour. He couldn't complain since the path could only be used by the envoys. He knew that if he insisted on crossing the path with a thousand men, not only would everything be wasted, it might even make a haughty impression on the guests.
11
12He arrived 20 minutes later. Lorist knew the main gates were off limits too, so he headed to the other entrance. As expected, there was a smaller gateway not far away with people traveling in and out constantly. He finally noticed how prettied-up the fence was when he got closer. Not only were the damaged parts filled up and repaired, even the uneven parts of the upper fence were trimmed to uniform level. Auguslo truly put lots of effort into this project. He had wanted to make sure the camp was in perfect condition before the envoys arrived.
13
14As for the outside of the military camp, it was clean. Hygiene was the baseline and Lorist noted a red-feather-wearing patrolman pushed to the ground and given ten canes for spitting on the ground.
15
16The only thing that didn't fit with the atmosphere was the colorful flags all over. Their sizes were not uniform, and they were almost everywhere, making Lorist feel like he was in a children's theme park. When he arrived, he realized the colored flags outside were simple decorations in comparison.
17
18Other things aside, the wooden fences themselves were wrapped in multi-colored silk and covered in a myriad of tones, just like a bouquet. As for the insides of the central areas, the tents were all taken down, replaced by a majestic and grand palace at the center of it all.
19
20Is that a palace?! thought Lorist his shock. He squinted for a closer look. A breeze blew, and he caught the roof of the 'palace' wave about slightly. Oh, so it's still a tent, it's just larger and drawn to look like it has a real roof.
21
22A royal guard came over. He dismounted, and a servant took his horse away. He walked to the huge palace-tent with Jinolio and Reidy while the guards behind him went to their respective resting areas while they were being briefed on what they could and couldn't do to not disrupt the envoys' visit..
23
24Upon entering the tent, Lorist saw that the internals were also decorated to make them look like those of a real palace. However, Lorist could tell that it was all looks. He was quite curious as to how Auguslo managed to convert the tent to look like a palace though.
25
26Auguslo was at the center of the main hall with many other nobles. The main hall really did look like a palace's assembly hall, complete with steps covered in black and gold carpets. On the carpet was one gleaming seat which looked to be the throne.
27
28Auguslo wasn't seated in his throne and was instead chatting idly with the other nobles beneath the elevated platform. As he was wearing a golden crown on his head, he stood out exceptionally from the other nobles who wore no hats.
29
30All the nobles within the hall were clad in formal attire with their ceremonial swords. That was a tradition left behind from the time of the Krissen Empire. Formal wear accompanied with a ceremonial sword symbolized one's courage and remembrance for those that came before to build up the Krissen Empire. There was also an unofficial saying that claimed that the ceremonial swords were carried around back in the day when dueling was very commonplace. That way, the nobles could respond to duels at a moment's notice to settle their disagreements.
31
32Seeing Lorist, Reidy and Jinolio entering the tent, Auguslo waved for them to come over to him. After the greetings, Lorist noted Auguslo's bloodshot eyes. He looked rather fatigued, so Lorist asked, "Your Majesty, did you not rest well the night before? You don't look too well."
33
34"Is that so?" Auguslo rubbed his face and said with a smile, "The mere thought at the envoys of the Union coming to sign a peace treaty with us and the realization of my ambition of the empire would stir me from sleep. I haven't got any shuteye for the past two days. However, that wouldn't pose to be a problem. I have more than enough time to rest after today."
35
36All things aside, Auguslo was still a rank 1 blademaster, so losing sleep over a couple of days wasn't something that could affect him much, apart from making him seem gloomier than usual.
37
38Lorist advised, "Your Majesty, it's still rather early and the envoys of the Union might take another hour or two to come. Perhaps you might want to shut your eyes for a light nap during this time. That way, you'll look much better in an hour or two. At least, your eyes won't look that bloodshot."
39
40Auguslo was convinced. "Alright, I'll heed your advice and take a short rest lest the envoys come see all the veins in my eyes and get a bad impression. Go about as you like here and ask the servants if you need anything else."
41
42By the time Auguslo left, the nobles within the ten felt much more relaxed than before. Some found places to sit down at, some drank away as they chatted while others flirted with the maidservants beside them. However, they all knew that it was a momentous day and neither of them were willing to let Lorist see their debased states.
43
44Kenmays and Shazin popped out of nowhere and made their way to Lorist's side. They shoved Lorist into a smaller partition of the tent where many small tables were laid out filled with food, juice and other beverages.
45
46"What are you guys doing here? Where's Felim?" asked Lorist.
47
48"Felim hasn't arrived yet. I brought you here for something to eat. You don't wanna be hungry when it starts," said Kenmays.
49
50"How did you know they'd be food here?" asked Reidy. He hasn't eaten anything yet before following Lorist, so he began wolfing down a roasted goat thigh without hesitation the moment he saw that there was so much to eat.
51
52"How did I know?" Kenmays said gleefully, "I laid this out, that's how. It's no problem for me to get the kitchen to cook something up for us."
53
54"You're saying that you were in charge of this whole palace tent thing?" asked Lorist with surprise.
55
56"Naturally. His Majesty had wanted to tear the main tent down to make a simple pavilion to receive the envoys, but he didn't have much time to do so. Seeing his trouble, I offered help as the representative of salt merchant committee and rebuilt it into something more appropriate with the help of some designers and artists to make it look like a palace. This is good business. I actually earned nearly 20 thousand gold Fordes doing this," replied Kenmays excitedly.
57
58It could be seen from his expression that Auguslo was once more put onto a chopping board like a juicy sheep to be slaughtered. However, it was his own fault for liking grand spectacles. It's no wonder Kenmays didn't hold back at all when it came to pricing.
59
60As they munched and drank within the small partition, Felim soon came to join them, followed by the thick-skinned Duke Fisablen as well. Duke Fisablen did complain to Kenmays for not having prepared any good wine, however.
61
62An hour or so later as it was approaching noon, a loud horn could be heard from outside, startling all of them alert. The envoys from the Union finally came. Lorist and gang hurriedly straightened their robes and exited the partition.
63
64Auguslo was also there. After a short nap, he seemed far more energetic and his eyes were no longer bloodshot. There was also a healthy glow to his face. He was listening to a scout's reporting on the arrival of the envoys.
65
66The scout reported that the envoys brought a hundred guards with them and had already entered the path of peace in their luxurious carriage. It should take about 20 more minutes for them to reach the main tent.
67
68Auguslo then excitedly called for the rest to wait for the envoys outside the tent.
69
70Duke Fisablen stepped forward and said that it was inappropriate for Auguslo to make the reception, as he was the king of Andinaq himself, so he couldn't lower himself to do such a thing. The king should be sitting in his throne, waiting for the envoy to arrive, as is fitting for a king and so on.
71
72Auguslo humbly accepted Duke Fisablen's criticism. He gave it some thought and made a compromise to receive them at the entrance of the central area. After all, he wanted to show his sincerity and desire for peace too.
73
74So, the lot of them waited at the entrance for around half an hour before they finally saw the carriage before them. A thin and lanky middle-aged man got off from the carriage, followed by a white-bearded old man who carried a small wooden case in his hand.
75
76The tall man was called Krilos, a count of the Union as well as the vice president of one of the big six guilds, Twinhead Dragon Merchant Guild. The old man beside him appeared to be his attendant who followed him everywhere.
77
78Krilos's abilities were of the gold rank, but he mentioned that he was only training to keep fit and that he abhorred and feared jumping into a slaughterfest. He jokingly said that the ornate ceremonial sword he carried was only for show and that he hasn't even drawn it before. The old attendant on the other hand seemed to be a normal person who didn't train in battleforce and was in charge of tending to the count for his daily needs. Krilos joked that since he was born in a rich family, he was used to being spoiled and required the help of his servants for the easiest of tasks.
79
80The hundred guards on the other hand caught everyone's attention. There were actually four blademasters and ten gold-ranked swordsmen among them, with the rest being all silver-ranked.,
81
82Auguslo looked rather happy about that as the elite nature of the guard meant that Krilos was of high status. He wasn't the slightest bit worried about the guards causing any trouble. Other things aside, there were ten blademasters of the kingdom there. Even the four blademasters among the guards wouldn't dare to mess around.
83
84Auguslo greeted Krilos really warmly and chatted to no end. The two of them even held hands like they got along exceptionally well with each other. In the end, Lorist could no longer stand watching that and he cleared his throat and reminded, "Your Majesty, shouldn't you talk after going into the tent first?"
85
86"Ah, that's right," said Auguslo as he snapped out of it and invited Krilos into the tent. He then asked whether the envoy would like the blademasters and guards to follow him in as well.
87
88Krilos laughed and said, "There's no need. Let the guards stay outside with the other guards. All I need with me is my old attendant over here. I'm here to sign a peace treaty, not to pick a fight. So, I'm quite confident in my safety here."
89
90Auguslo was all the more gladdened by that and hurried the two into the tent with incredible hospitality.
91
92Chapter 1051: Azima's Discovery
93Translator: TransN  Editor: TransN
94
95Cage Mountain area, northeastern border of the Kingdom of Dawn.
96
97The path became rougher as they climbed. Tangled vines and giant trees were seen everywhere. The thick trees formed such a dense canopy that they could only catch a glimpse of the grey sky between the leaves.
98
99The only thing that comforted Azima was that at least they did not have to walk through the knee-deep snow. With less influence of Months of Demons, the mountain was not covered by heavy snow like the Impassable Mountain Range; otherwise, they would have to wait until the beginning of spring and summer.
100
101This did not mean that walking through the mountains was an easy task.
102
103When they stood at the foot of the mountain, Cage Mountain was just a smooth slope, not steep at all. After they actually entered, they realized that there was no path inside and that it was not suitable for troops to march. On the first day, three people were injured before they climbed for less than two kilometers. In desperation, Sean, the king's guard, had to order the troop to be stationed in the small town at the foot of the mountain and selected several elites to go with Azima.
104
105Knaff, a local guide; Rother, a God's Punishment Witch; Marl, a contact from the Tokat family, Sean, and Azima, formed this weird exploration team.
106
107—Of course, it was weird!
108
109The God's Punishment Witch was said to be sent by His Majesty to look after her. After all, she had to work with men all day, and there would be some inconvenience. Nevertheless, Azima was sure that as long as she tried to run away, the witch would definitely break her legs without hesitation.
110
111Although Marl Tokat was a contact sent by the King of Dawn, what could he do in the mountain? He did not stay in the town but insisted on climbing the mountain together. Obviously, he had other purposes. He was on behalf of the Tokat family, and indeed helped others a lot; otherwise, he would have been thrown away with a sack by Sean long ago.
112
113Not to mention the exploration team, this "not hostile" team could be even said to be armed to the teeth. Even their shovels could be used as weapons. When they were followed by knights of some lords, they behaved as if they were prepared to destroy the opponents at any time. They had nothing in common with ordinary miners at the bottom of society.
114
115Nobody in the team knew exactly what they were looking for, including Azima. It was not gold or silver, or copper and iron. The only guide was nothing but a small piece of coin in her hands.
116
117"Wait... wait," said the guide, who was walking in front of the team, raising his hand to indicate them to stop. "Be careful, there are traps!"
118
119Azima immediately heard clicks behind her. She knew they were the sound of firearms loading. For the past month, Sean frequently talked to her about the legendary records of the king, and she had a basic understanding of the combat capabilities of this troop. In fact, she came to understand that she preferred staying with these common people like Rother, who was once a witch.
120
121Rother was much calmer. Without even pulling out her sword, she walked steadily to the guide and asked, "Oh, is this... a spear tripwire?"
122
123"Yeah," said Knaff, pointing to the top of a trunk. "Look, the spear is hidden there. Once we accidentally touch the trigger, that stuff will shoot holes all over us!"
124
125Azima looked in the direction of his finger and saw several sharpened wooden sticks between the branches and leaves, which were coldly overlooking them. If the sticks fell on them, their heads and necks would inevitably be severely hurt. This was definitely not a hunter's trap for animals, but more like for human beings.
126
127"Where's the trigger?" Sean asked in a low voice.
128
129"You can't find them," Knaff shook his head. "Every vine under our feet and every branch may be part of the tripwire. Unless we burn it with a torch, it's hard to completely destroy it."
130
131"What should we do?" Marl muttered.
132
133"We have to make a detour, my lord."
134
135"No, step back, all of you." Rother said suddenly, "Let me have a try."
136
137"What... did you say?" Knaff looked at the God's Punishment Witch in surprise. "Hey, it's not a joke—"
138
139Before he finished, she had already strolled into the danger zone.
140
141With the dense weeds, they could not see what was under their foot unless they cut them. After Rother walked for a few steps, Azima heard a slamming sound as if something had been snapped. Then there was a squeaking friction on the top of the tree, just like a viper flicking out its forked tongue.
142
143The tripwire which was hidden somewhere was straightened and ejected the sticks from the top of a tree! At the same time, Rother pulled out her sword!
144
145"No..." The guide immediately closed his eyes as he could not bear to watch the woman dying in front of him.
146
147Still, Azima witnessed everything that followed—
148
149The God's Punishment Witch held the sword with both hands and bounced the sticks shooting toward hers as if she was swatting flies. Under the giant force, most of the sticks were broken and shattered. She did it easily as if it did not take much effort!
150
151When she stopped, the grassland around her became a mess.
152
153"The trap is removed," Rother withdrew the sword and shrugged. "Let's go ahead."
154
155After realizing what happened, Knaff fell to the ground in astonishment.
156
157...
158
159"Aha... I knew my lords are superb and have extraordinary skills. No wonder you're great men from the king's city!" The guide finally recovered from the scare and immediately spoke with another tone, "Especially this warrior, your art of fencing is legendary!"
160
161"Save your breath." Rother interrupted, "You'd better explain why there are such traps in the mountains. The wooden spears aren't meant for the beasts, are they?"
162
163This was also what Azima wanted to ask.
164
165"It's indeed used to deal with people,"Knaff replied honestly. "The higher you go into the mountains, the more traps you'll encounter, so Cage Mountain is also called Trap Mountain. These things were set by the past lords. The only purpose is to guard against the Kingdom of Wolfheart."
166
167"Wolfheart?" Sean echoed.
168
169"Yes, this mountain range extends almost from the seashore to the old Holy City and is regarded as the natural dividing line between the two countries. Since the Kingdom of Dawn is lower in terrain, the mountain is like a cage which surrounds the country. That's why it's called Cage Mountain." Knaff explained, "But the problem lies in the shape of the mountain. You should have noticed when you were at the foot of the mountain. The south side of Cage Mountain is like a smooth slope. High as it is, it's very easy to go down. Therefore, the robbers, hunters, and refugees from neighboring countries often invaded the border domain of Dawn through Cage Mountain. At first, they only plundered resources in the mountain, but later ran into the villages to steal and rob, and caused a panic among the local subjects. The lord was also annoyed, so he figured out a solution once and for all and that was, to give up Cage Mountain."
170
171"Oh, I see..." Marl Tokat said as he seemed to suddenly understand, "I never knew such things happened on the border."
172
173"The lord naturally did not want it to be known by the king," Knaff said. "What's more, unlike those poor people over the mountain who could not live without the mountain, we could earn a living in other ways. After the mountain pass was sealed, the lord sent people to plant fast-growing weeds and vines, and also set up lots of traps. This practice was handed down from generation to generation. Then Cage Mountain became what it looks like today."
174
175"So you turn it into a real cage. Although you block the opponents, you also confine yourself," Azima thought. "If it were Roland Wimbledon, he would not choose to do so. That man always looks into the distance. Even when explaining the task to me, his focus did not always fall on me."
176
177No, why should I think of him at this time?
178
179Azima shook her head.
180
181His Majesty is merely my employer.
182
183What I should do is to quickly complete the task and get back to Doris and other sisters.
184
185...
186
187As the guide said, they encountered several traps afterward, which basically did not have any effect in front of the God's Punishment Witch. As the night fell, Azima suddenly saw the green light on the coin brighten!
188
189A dazzling light source also appeared behind a dense forest. Between them were countless light spots traveling back and forth to form a bright bridge of light.
190
191This was the reaction of the source material!
192
193She finally managed to find another source!
194
195When the exploration team went through the forest following Azima's instruction, they were shocked by what they saw.
196
197It was an abandoned building halfway up the mountainside. The dilapidated stone gate led to the mysterious depth. The pillars on both sides were marked with weird signs. They were obviously not naturally created.
198
199Azima's eyes widened in surprise.
200
201Did His Majesty not tell her to look for a strange ore?
202
203Why did the source appear in a relic that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time?
204
205Chapter 1052: Protective Measures
206Translator: TransN  Editor: TransN
207
208"Ha, interesting..." Rother said under her breath.
209
210"What?" Sean looked at her. "What do you mean?"
211
212"I'll let you know, common people." Rother grinned. "The ruins of the underground civilization can be seen in many places of the mainland, and Taquila certainly spent a lot of time studying them," she said, walking up to the mottled column, and then swept the dust off it. "These symbols are not their characters and they have nothing to do with the magic characters the Union once made, either. Keeping in mind the history of the four kingdoms, isn't that interesting?"
213
214Azima was still confused. Although she understood every word Rother had said, she could not comprehend what the words exactly meant when she put them together. However, she felt relieved as she saw the same confusion on both Marl's and Knaff's faces.
215
216Sean revealed a thoughtful look.
217
218"His Majesty once said that in the past, the four kingdoms were only a collection of scattered villages and small towns, located in a small corner of the mainland, and had no real history. If this ruin wasn't left by the civilizations during the Battle of Divine Will, then it means..."
219
220Sean paused suddenly.
221
222"There were people who used to live here and were unknown to us?"
223
224"We're not sure about that," Rother said with great spirit. "No one knows whether the underground civilization could breed any new tribes and create new tongues. We have to enter the ruin to find more information."
225
226"Lord Sean, there seems to be a stone tablet here," the soldier, who was examining the stone gate, suddenly shouted. "The words on it are written in our characters."
227
228Everyone immediately approached the tablet.
229
230A block of granite rested in the weeds. The moss had grown all over it and only one side of the tablet had been sanded by men so that it was easy to be ignored. It took the soldiers a long time to clear it up before the engraved words could be easily made out.
231
232"This is a place cursed by Gods. You'll die if you enter."
233
234Knaff gasped as he saw the warning on the tablet.
235
236"Is this the rumored... Temple of the Cursed?" He stepped back and stammered.
237
238Sean and the God's Punishment Witch glanced at each other. "You know what it is?"
239
240"I just heard it from other people. It happened more than a century ago..." Knaff stared at the black hole and swallowed. "The lord of this area had ordered his men to set up a lot of traps in the Cage Mountain to prevent the Wolfheart people from crossing the mountain. It was said that a team led by a knight came across a heavy rain when they were performing a mission. The rain in the mountain was variable and transient. The knight commanded his men to find shelters and they discovered a strange temple by accident."
241
242"Oh?" Rother said, raising her eyebrow. "Did they find any treatures in the temple? And the greedy people who stole the treasures were cursed by deities and died a terrible death in the end."
243
244"You've heard that too?" Knaff was surprised.
245
246Rother laughed out. "The nature of common people seems to have stagnated. They've played this kind of trick centuries ago and it still worked. I bet it was the lord who started the rumor. He must have wanted the treasures for himself. The poor villagers were just used to prove the existence of the curse and were slaughtered secretly."
247
248"But... they didn't die right away."
249
250"What...?" Rother frowned.
251
252The guide cringed and said warily, "They died one by one ten years after the incident, even the knight. It was said they all died painfully. The skin on their faces was peeled off, leaving the rotten flesh exposed. They looked hideous and horrifying. That's what the curse stems from. The lord had to forbid everyone to enter that place to stop the spread of misfortune in his land, so no one knows its actual location."
253
254"Are you sure?" Rother walked over to Knaff and put her arm on the guide's shoulder.
255
256Knaff paled as he looked at the arm that was thicker than his thigh. "I heard all of them in the tavern. I swear I tell no lies. My lord, you can ask someone else if you don't believe me. If there's anything wrong, then the rumors must be wrong."
257
258In Azima's opinion, if the people died so long after the incident, it was unlikely they were killed by the lord. Moreover, it would make sense if the knight and the lord plotted together to murder the villagers, but it was unreasonable to see the knight killed as well. The nobles could not be executed without trial, no matter how insignificant their families were.
259
260Could it really be... the deities' curse?
261
262"Ugh, why don't we... return to the town first and then decide what we're going to do after we collect more information?" the liaison Marl Tokat suggested.
263
264"Decide what we're going to do next?" Knaff looked at Sean in disbelief. "Was the Temple of the Cursed your aim from the very beginning?"
265
266"No, they happen to overlap." Rother let go of Knaff. "What about you? Since you're King Roland's trusted guard, I believe you won't chicken out, will you?"
267
268"Of course not," Sean replied calmly. "Our priority is to finish the task given by His Majesty. Now the target is just before us. Certainly, we won't retreat."
269
270"Good. Let's enter and meet the so-called 'deities'," Rother said with a hideous smile.
271
272"But we can't enter with no precaution." Sean shook his head. "In fact, His Majesty warned us to be careful of the danger we would possibly encounter in the source."
273
274"Did he... even foresee this?"
275
276"Yes." Sean looked over his shoulder at Azima and said, "That night, after you left, His Majesty told me something in private. He said there might be two possibilities we would run into. One is that the source is exposed on the surface, and in that case, we don't have to do anything but seal the place and return to Neverwinter where we can directly report it to him. The other is that the source is located in an underground cave. The deeper the cave is, the more dangerous it will be. So we need to take protective measures beforehand. It may be inappropriate to call this place a cave, but the temple is in line with all its characteristics."
277
278With that said, he snapped his fingers at the soldier. "Bring up the thing."
279
280Two soldiers unloaded their packages and pulled out five white coats.
281
282Rother squatted down and spread the clothes out curiously. "These're just plain leather coats."
283
284"They won't be if used with the masks." Sean picked up one and slipped himself into it. Azima could only use the word "slip" to describe Sean's movement, for the coat was one-piece designed without even a button and was more like a sack that was cut in human shape than a garment. Now Sean only had his face exposed and all of his limbs were hidden in the coat, which made him look very weird.
285
286Subsequently, he put on a transparent mask to protect his face. A fist-sized can was fixed on the mask, shaped like a pig's nose.
287
288"Five in and the rest stays," Sean said through the mask. "In addition to Miss Azima and Lady Rother, who else wants to come?"
289
290Eirinn’s Plight
291
292The rooster’s crow rang loudly in Eirinn’s ears. She slowly opened her eyes to greet the morning. She was greeted by the same cramped storage shed as yesterday, the before, and the before that, going back several years. Surprisingly, however, it was incredibly clean inside. The storage shed served as Eirinn’s quarters as well, so she cleaned it attentively every day. Summers dawns were really comfortable. Eirinn stretched herself lazily like a cat would and washed up. She filled a basin with cool water. Leaning over it, she stared at her nightmarish reflection.
293
294It’s a brand new day! Let’s work hard as usual! Go, me! thought she joyfully as she looked at her ugly face.
295
296The weather was great and bolstered her mood. Though her appearance was displeasing and she lived in a wooden shed, she cleaned herself as well as she could. Her apron had some oil stains, but it was still the cleanest mong all the servants.
297
298“You’re up early again?” The tavern owner, a pudgy middle-aged woman with a friendly smile asked.
299
300Eirinn knew her otherwise, however. The woman was incredibly cruel to those who made even the slightest mistake, Eirinn had suffered her ire a few times. So, she replied carefully in spite of her jolly mood.
301
302“Madam is up early as well.”
303
304You’re grooming yourself as though you’re some noble lady? thought the woman silently.
305
306Truth be told, the girl her husband had bought was decent; cheerful, honest, and hard-working. A little too hard-working, in fact. She didn’t just wash a thousand of dishes every day, she actually had energy left to clean her room and wash her clothes. Seeing her sparkling attire always made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t the only one either. The other servers felt the same. So, though Eirinn was bright and cheerful, she didn’t get along with her owner and fellow slaves. Many would happily mock or tease her at every chance they got.
307
308“Go wipe the tables when you’re done grooming. The weather is good today, so we should get a lot of customers. A cleaner shop won’t hurt.”
309
310“As you wish, madam.”
311
312Eirinn was the dishwasher, cleaning the shop wasn’t her responsibility, but she agreed without hesitation.
313
314“Alright, go do your own thing,”
315
316The owner appreciated this about Eirinn more than any other quality. She never had any complaints and always did what she was told obediently. Finished her morning routine by tying her long silver hair into a ponytail before beginning the day’s work. Though the other servers had wiped the tables the night before, their haphazard cleaning didn’t make much difference. She clasped her cloth tightly, slightly annoyed, and carefully wiped every table until each practically shone.
317
318“I’m finished, Madam.” she reported at ten.
319
320The owner had just returned to the tavern with the day’s supplies.
321
322“Not bad!” the woman commented, gazing her the tables, “I heard Kensen is sick today. Fill in for him, but make sure you wash the dishes as well.”
323
324“Ah?! About that…” Eirinn hesitated.
325
326The last time she took someone else’s place as a server, the customers chased her away.
327
328“I’ll add ten coppers to your salary if you do this.” She waved and considered the matter settled.
329
330Eirinn sighed helplessly. She undid her hair and let it cascade over her face.
331
332……
333
334Noon eventually came and Eirinn started work as a server. She was scrupulous when she carried the dishes around, mindful not to attract any attention to herself. She made sure her hair was always covering her face. Unfortunately, that was exactly her downfall. Her was could not be more eye-catching, and hanging it over her face made things only worse. Everyone stared at her as she passed them by. The gods must have had a great party the previous evening, as they were uncharacteristically kind today; no one harassed her. She could not wait for the afternoon to come around so her work in front would be done. Most of the customers were locals, so they came in in the morning and went home in the afternoon. But poor Eirinn had to tackle the mountain of dishes.
335
336The owner sat by the entrance where it was coolest, watching over the tavern. A group of men approached. They looked around before pointing at the tavern. Five burly men, the leader sporting a large scar on the corner of his mouth, all clad in worn-out leather, their exposed skin criss-crossed by scars.
337
338“Esteemed guests, please come in!”
339
340Though it was three in the afternoon, the owner called out warmly. Those who had been there for years knew what these men did for a living. In a chaotic and disorderly town like this, bandits were a common sight. Fortunately, all they asked was that locals pay a ‘protection fee’. Though they were a scary bunch, they didn’t act too wildly. She would not get a dime out of them for whatever they took and used today, but she was used to it and she considered the loss part of the fee. The men bumbled towards the tavern and demanded food and drink in a quick ramble. The owner quickly agreed and had the cook make them something decent.
341
342“Damnit, I didn’t think they would be mid-ranked warriors. We suffered badly,” complained one in a dejected tone.
343
344The operation was supposed to have been completely usual and uneventful. They would go up to the travelers and demand their usual protection fee. This time, however, their customers had three mid-ranked warriors. The three had no respect for their business and beat them up. They didn’t just walk away without their dignity, but without the money they had taken with them.
345
346“Hmph, I remember their faces. I doubt they can stick it out for much longer now. i wonder how long they’ll last once Bloodhand makes a move,” a second grunted.
347
348“Here are our signature dishes: beef with sauce, honeyed-sausages, and some red wine. Please enjoy!” Eirinn offered fearfully. One look was enough to know they weren’t friendly. If she accidentally offended them, she would suffer. She lowered her head the best she could and placed the dishes on the table gently.
349
350She worked year round, but, thanks to her dark-elf bloodline, her hands stayed fair and fine. One of the bandits saw her cute hands and was a little moved. He grabbed one and whispered huskily.
351
352“I’m interest in some… special services. Have a drink!”
353
354“N-no… I’m sorry, we don’t serve anything of that sort…” Eirinn drew her hand back. Unfortunately, the motion parted her hair enough to reveal her face.
355
356The five stared at her blankly for a moment before they screamed.
357
358“Motherfucker… Why are we so unlucky? Every time we think we will get our hands on something good, that thing takes a bite out of us! I thought we’d finally met a beauty, but nooooo… she’s a monster! The gods must hate us!” roared one as he slammed the table and stood up.
359
360“S-sorry… for being so ugly…” muttered Eirinn, lowering her head frantically.
361
362Things had been bad enough these last two days already, but not he had to see this wench… Watching the pitiful beast, the man felt a dark idea crawl into his mind. He lunched forward and slammed his palm into the girl’s face.
363
364“Since you know how ugly you are, why are you out here terrifying people?! What’s going on in that fucking head, huh?!”
365
366“Oh my, what’s wrong?!” the owner yelped as she ran over.
367
368“Are you the owner?” barked the bandit.
369
370“Yes. What have we done to upset our guests?”
371
372“Upset?” The bandit smirked and pointed at the little monster in front of him, sprawled on the ground. “Is that thing the one you had serve us?! Are you trying to upset our appetites?!”
373
374“She… She’s only a dishwasher. Our usual server is absent today, so we had her help out–”
375
376“I don’t give a shit. She’s stolen our appetites. What you’re going to do about it?”
377
378“Whom do you serve, sir?”
379
380If they were just a bunch of hooligans, she wouldn’t bother with them. She’d just have the local gangsters kick them out; but if they were part of a huge gang, she couldn’t offend them.
381
382“Aren’t you a smart one?” One of the bandits waved his thick arm around. Near his wrist was a tattoo of a red devilish hand.
383
384“Bloodhand!” yelped the owner.
385
386She couldn’t afford to offend them no matter what. Everyone knew the local gang was part of Bloodhand. Even the boss couldn’t compare to these five.
387
388“At least you know your stuff!” the bandit said gleefully, “How you plan to make it up to us, hmm?”
389
390A trembling smile instantly covered the owner’s face.
391
392“Ah, I didn’t think Bloodhand would patronize my humble establishment. It is a great honor. To celebrate, everything is on the house. Eat as much as you like.”
393
394“That’s better.” The bandits knew there were rules when it came to turfs. Since their goal was to get a free meal to begin with, they didn’t really want to stir up too big a commotion.
395
396However, the fallen Eirinn still caught their attention. One bandit turned to the owner.
397
398“This wench spoiled our appetite. What are you going to do about her?”
399
400The owner glanced at the collapsed girl.
401
402“I leave that up to you fine gentlemen. She’s a slave, since she offended you, we leave her to you gentlemen to make it up as you see fit. Please just don’t kill her. We would have to buy and train a new one if you did.”
403
404“Since you know how to do things, I will consider how her death will affect you and not kill her.” the bandit drew his dagger and approached Eirinn with a sinister smile. “So, she’s a dishwasher, huh? I’d like to see how dishes are washed without fingers!”
405
406My brother standing in front of me was a genuine genius.
407From the point in time he heard about the story of my previous life until now, David-niisan had already demonstrated his sharp wit.
408
409For example, he uncovered the real identity behind the notorious 「Slashing Demon」 in the royal capital.
410He noticed the correlation between the number of slashing demon occurrence and the weather condition in that time of the year. He conducted several experiments and uncovered its real identity.
411The winds in the royal capital winter were strong enough for it to be called wind season, which overcharged the wind spirits. These excess power inside the wind spirits and the terrified citizen’s delusion created this phenomena called the slashing demon. A magical phenomenon with power equivalent to the advanced 【Wind Magic】 called 《Wind Thrust》 occurred naturally without anyone’s intention. This was the real identity that he uncovered.
412
413 
414
415In addition, using his superior intellect, he had solved unresolved mysteries several times in the past. He solved the murder case of Lord Arthur Waynback and the robbery case of the goddess Kosta’s statue, just like in the mystery novels back in my previous world.
416
417In other words, David Zafran Chrebl was a young genius, Natural Phenomenon Behaviorist by day and great detective that solves impossible cases in his spare time. If I consider his brain a cheat, than his cheat is way more cheat than mine. Compared to him, I was no more than a Watson in front of Sherlock Holmes.
418
419By the way, his middle name 「Zafran」 was the name of a wise man that played an active role back in ancient times. The name was bestowed upon him by his majesty the king when he became a librarian in the Royal Library.
420
421 
422
423「Come to think of it, Popurus-san said that he wanted to improve the chemical used in paper manufacturing process. Have you heard about this?」
424
425David-niisan asked.
426His long dark brown hair that was combed neatly shook, some got into his glasses.
427Inheriting father’s bloodline as an elf, Chester-niisan’s appearance was well-featured. But the eyes behind his glasses were possessed by a blazing and intense curiosity.
428He combed his hair back and fixed the gap in his glasses. If any glasses-boy loving women saw him doing it, they may squeal in a high pitched voice.
429
430 
431
432「Yes, I’ve heard about it… Since we’re going to dissolve wood, should we use alkali? Or maybe sodium hydroxide? I wonder if we get some by electrolysing sea water…」
433「Electrolysis, was it? I’ve read about it in your notes so I know how to do it, but isn’t it difficult to gather electricity in the first place? Based on your knowledge, don’t we need battery or power supply to do that?」
434「Don’t we have the more convenient 【Lightning Magic】 in this world?」
435「Hiring a mage will cost us some money, but I guess this can’t be helped. There are only a handful people who have aptitude in 【Lightning Magic】 to begin with, so……」
436
437「Then we have no other choice beside building a generator, do we?」
438「Generator… It’s the one that uses electromagnetic induction, was it?」
439「Exactly. When we wrapped a coil around a magnet and move it, we can use the current that flows through the coil. We can use the steam for boiling water to turn the turbine. Oh right, turbines are long boards that looked like feather that can turn in circular manner. The other way to achieve it is by amassing a huge amount of water in a dam and use that water to turn the turbine」
440「The latter one is basically a water mill, right? If we attach magnet to the water wheel and surround it with copper coil, it certainly can generate electricity.
441It is an unexpectedly simple mechanism」
442
443David-niisan said in disappointment, maybe he expected something more complex.
444I think he was the one who simplify it way too much.
445
446 
447
448 
449
450「There are quite a number of water mills in Monokans. Since they are the kind that utilizes the fast current of the lake, they are widely used to grind flour and for smithing. We can repurpose one of those kinds. Is there any other way we can generate electricity?」
451「We can also use volcano heat, the ocean current, sunlight, or wind current」
452
453Let’s keep quiet about nuclear for now.
454Considering this world’s technical skills, the result would be too absurd.
455Looking at how thoughtless they use magic, I’m afraid about how it will be implemented. Besides, there were also the consideration that Kizaki will also use nuclear weapons.
456
457 
458
459「I see, as long as you can turn the turbine, anything will basically work. Even though it’s limited in winter, I think we can utilize the winter wind to generate electricity」
460「However, since electricity is convenient, a lot power station were made and caused a lot of pollution to the surrounding」
461「Pou lotion…?」
462「For example, when we burn a large amount of coals, it will result in a lot of soot, right? That soot will drift along the air and soon cover an entire city. It happened a long time before I was born, but pollution problems still happened in developing countries」
463「Makes sense, I guess those are things that you won’t believe unless you experience it yourself.
464There will be disputes between the power plant owner and the surrounding resident if we spread contaminants through the air, isn’t that right? Like how even in the areas around the『New City』, there are several concerns around the leatherworkers workplaces regarding the smell from the surrounding neighborhoods」
465「I see niisan has understood well…… That is exactly the reason」
466
467Aside from that, I also explained about the global warming issue caused by carbon dioxide emission.
468
469「If we light too much fire to increase the amount of carbon dioxide, it will heat the entire world, is it?
470That’s something beyond imagination」
471
472He said it as he gathers everything and wrote them onto his own note.
473
474 
475
476「But leaving that aside, I still need more information regarding the chemistry field」
477「Since I honestly don’t know even the basics of it. I expect to find them at the lower level of the labyrinth」
478「Even so, understanding the foundation despite not being an expert is quite amazing feat. I don’t think it’s possible to do so in this world」
479「It’s not like I’m special or anything. It’s all thanks to the compulsory education in my previous life」
480「The obligated 9 years of education, was it? Just imagining the number of school that we need and how to secure enough lecturers made me dizzy」
481
482I used Melby’s newly acquired skill 【Hypnotism】 to try writing everything that I learnt from my compulsory education into a collection of notes. David-niisan read the notes thoroughly and repeatedly, and by that process also ingesting the knowledge from my previous life. I also handed the copies to the other family members and Popurus-san, who we entrusted the Chrebl Firm to.
483
484 
485
486「When I think about the other reincarnator, I feel irritated because I can’t spread this knowledge recklessly. But I can raise the living standard in this world at once if I do that……
487I’m sure that 『Other guy』 would like to know about some certain specific information in this note」
488「Definitely… Just in case, I asked His Majesty the King for help in gathering information, but with Sonorat pestering us, we can’t really gather information in the northern-side of the continent」
489「By the way, it’s not about reincarnator, but I heard a rumor」
490「What is it about?」
491
492David-niisan spent most of his time inside the library, but he seemed to have acquaintance from various places, so he’s quite well-informed.
493
494 
495
496「There’s a rumor that the hero Alsheraut had disappeared…… or so it says」
497「Hero…」
498「I thought you already know about it since you are also spending time in the library. Shall I explain it once more?」
499「Yes please. I think there are things that I overlooked」
500
501My brother nodded and explained.
502
503「A hero is someone chosen by a sacred sword.
504The difference between the sacred sword and a normal enchanted sword is that the sacred sword is an ancient artifact. It was said that the sword was given by the gods themselves.
505The sacred sword can somehow detect the nature of its wielder. Basically, it will pick a good hearted person as its wielder. However, it’s not like there are no corrupted heroes among its history. In that case, the sword will be called the cursed sword instead, not the sacred sword. In other words, the sacred sword are not those swords that had chosen its wielder, but the swords that is wielded by the good hearted person. That is why, the Sacred Sword has a certain political value」
506
507It was the first time I heard about the latter half.
508So according to this definition, our Steph couldn’t be called a hero despite being called the 《White Frilled Hero》 since she wasn’t selected by the sacred sword.
509
510「Similarly, the heroes themselves has their own political value. In other words, there is a tendency to take a person with 『Good Heart』 as a hero material.
511That being said, most people who were selected by the sacred sword has a strong sense of justice and honestly wish to protect and help the weak. That is why heroes are respected by ordinary citizens.
512Incidentally, the name 『Al』 is inserted onto the hero’s name. The current royal family of Santamana Kingdom tried to imitate it and attach the name 『Il』to their names, though」
513「Why didn’t his majesty Visgard the First has the name 『Il』 attached to his name?」
514「His majesty is an illegitimate child. At first, he didn’t have the right to succeed the throne, but the crown prince contracted a disease at the time and passed away」
515「What about Alfred-tousan?」
516
517I asked since our father had 『Al』 in his name, but I was given cold look instead.
518
519「That is a coincidence. Leaving that aside, about the hero rumor」
520「About the hero’s disappearance… was it? Why wasn’t it confirmed yet? Someone like that tend stick out like sore thumb wherever he goes」
521「The hero Alsheraut is famous for hiding his identity. It was said that he was in charge of helping the refugees during the conflicts that is still happening in Sonorat, but there is a talk that he’s hiding because he was sick of being pushed around by his political enemies. His sacred sword is called 〈Space Ruler〉 which seemed to amplify space related skills. That is why if Alsheraut wants to hide, it will not be such an easy task to find him」
522「What’s with that? Then let’s say he wanted to hide himself, what is his intention for hiding himself?」
523
524My brother shook his head as an answer.
525
526 
527
528「That is actually the strange thing about his disappearance」
529「Strange?」
530「 This is something I just heard from his majesty yesterday. Apparently his majesty asked the hero Alsheraut to check the situation of the places northward of Sonorat」
531「That is… very suspicious」
532「But this is not the only times a hero had disappeared. Since long time ago, heroes are known to hid themselves sometimes. Being 『Pushed around politically』 is just one of the reasons. He might also suddenly pop up in the middle of the royal capital, or so His Majesty said」
533
534「……Is that okay for a hero to do that?」
535「As a result from hiding, the heroes tend to be stronger than before they went to the trip. So it’s not like the heroes are skipping work to laze around. This is not limited to Alsheraut. It was said that the heroes tend to move according to their own justice and judgement. And they also have the tendency of being an oddball among oddballs」
536
537David-niisan explained, which sounds weird since he was the weirdest oddball in our Chrebl family.
538
539 
540
541「The other reason for his sudden disappearance is he probably encounter 『Something Bad』 in Sonorat. And suddenly in the middle of pursuit he…… well there is a chance that it might happen」
542「If that’s the case then what he found is probably……」
543「It’s probably the reincarnator Tooru Kizaki. Even though it’s not like there’s a high chance that it will happen」
544「What did his majesty say about that matter?」
545「Taking consideration of the possibility, his majesty ordered the spies in Sonorat to do an investigation」
546「Since that’s the case, then we have no choice but to rely on them, right? As much as I want to, it’s not like I can just march towards Sonorat right now」
547
548 
549
550「I understand your anxiety, but do you understand our parent’s feeling if you really did that?」
551「Of course I know about it. I know that they will worry. But I can’t help but to think that it will be impossible for us to take a step back if something bad really happened」
552「In my opinion, there are cases where people should worry, and there are cases where the worry is way too unreasonable. However in either case, that feeling will snatch our ability to make a calm judgment. What you should be doing now is becoming stronger together with the people around you. And not doing anything too reckless」
553「I know but……」
554「I understand your anxiety. For you, this reincarnator is your greatest adversary. However, like I said before, you get nothing from your feeling of anxiety. For that reason, shouldn’t you focus more on the things that are in front of you?」
555
556「The things in front of me?」
557「There are a couple of them, but for now how about breaking through to the 5th floor of Royal Library Labyrinth?」
558「In other words, I should study the knowledge sealed on the 4th floor, is it?」
559「Since you’ll be okay even without sleeping, you often have too much free time, right? Your anxiety will crawl around that kind of times. Read books, train together with father and mother, and tutor Steph and Elemia. It’s a healthy, reliable, and effective way to use your time. After all, as you get older, time will be a luxury and it will be harder for you to use it」
560「Niisan……You sure you haven’t reached 21 years old?」
561
562David-niisan said weird mature stuff sometimes.
563Maybe because he spent most of his youth being buried in the books written by sages of old times, he matured more than his actual age.
564
565 
566
567「Even though you should be in the age where you fall in love」
568
569I said it unintentionally. When I was his age in previous world, my love life was also……
570ugh…
571
572 
573
574「I am in love. To the beautiful and extraordinary woman in form of the knowledge that this world contains」
575
576Oya, he declared it without hesitation.
577………It was unexpected but maybe, this person was maybe beyond saving. And somehow, I got the feeling that he was getting worse day by day.
578
579Even though he’s an ikemen……
580
581 
582
583 
584
585「……hm? What’s wrong? I can feel the pity from your eyes. Personally, if a suitable woman appeared, I will fall for her. However, I haven’t meet the right person so far」
586「What is your ideal type of woman?」
587「I guess she has to be as quick-witted as I am and has a deep understanding of knowledge. Her noble soul must be attracted to the mystery that lurks behind everything in this world. Her heart and soul was what written by the poems of the old poet, Aeroz, himself. Our love will be like a match made in heaven…」
588
589Does she even exists!?
590I think this brother of mine were too drunk to the idea of love from the old books around him. Asking for a woman whose heart and soul were like what the old poet described is basically the same as spending his whole life in seclusion.
591
592 
593
594「Those kinds of women don’t exist. Even if they are, how would you even catch her attention?」
595「Catch her. Seduce her. Those cheap techniques should come later, shouldn’t they? If I fall in love, of course I want our souls to be attracted to each other naturally like what the fates has decided」
596「……You are surprisingly romantic, aren’t you , David-niisan?」
597
598Even after considering his position as the young and smart ikemen of the Royal Library, does he set his standard too high?
599
600And so I prayed.
601Let this unworthy little brother pray that David-niisan goes against the odds and finally meets the girl of his dreams, as impossible as it may be.