My Lord
“……My lord.”
“…….”
“……My lord!”
“…….”
“My lord!”
“Huh? Yeah?”
Stefan jolted awake in surprise.
His attendant had turned and was shaking his shoulder.
“Are you all right, sir? You’ve been sitting in the carriage all day without saying a single word.”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
Fine enough.
Stefan turned his head and looked out the window.
They had left Herman Pascal’s house and were already on the move.
“When did the carriage start moving?”
“Thirty minutes ago, sir.”
“Thirty minutes……”
He had no memory of those thirty minutes—nor even of finishing the meal.
Stefan’s mind felt as if it were wrapped in a thick, hazy fog.
And no sooner had that fog begun to lift than it threatened to swallow him again.
That fog was woven entirely of Herman Pascal’s words.
It was clear that the man had openly tried to interfere.
For someone like Herman Pascal—
A great merchant, a respected merchant—to do such a thing meant something.
Had anyone ever actually shown interest in the east?
Stefan fretted and fretted.
But fretting would not solve the problem.
“Where is the carriage headed?”
“Where else but home, sir?”
“Ah, right. Of course……”
It was such an obvious question.
Why had he even asked it?
Stefan questioned himself.
Deep in his heart, he had been thinking he must not go home.
Then where should he go?
The destination was clear.
“How are the horses?”
“They’re fine, sir.”
“Then let’s not go back. Take us somewhere else.”
“Where to, sir?”
“To Baldrova Castle.”
“It’ll take several days, and we haven’t prepared a thing. We need to pack clothes and send letters first, don’t we? Why not just go home?”
“Stop complaining and go.”
Seeing his vacant expression, the attendant could not bring himself to argue further and redirected the coachman.
The hazy fog filled Stefan’s head once more.
For the time being, he simply walked through that fog.
The Far East.
What was the Far East?
An unexplored wasteland where those dreaming of a gold rush occasionally ventured, only to be thwarted every time.
It was only natural.
Magi was a calamity even the immortals could not handle—how could mere humans overcome it?
Like moths flinging themselves into a furnace, the result was inevitable.
Knowing that obvious outcome, what was he relying on to do this?
Is it because of the magic stones?
Stefan had latched onto those magic stones and caught their scent.
But his father Herman had not.
Neither Tilda nor Merchit seemed interested in the item either.
If they had caught the scent, they would have done everything in their power to obstruct or seize it.
Stefan asked himself.
Then am I wrong?
He wanted to believe in himself, but that was always how he was.
The self, clinging to the belief that it was objective, grew arrogant and fell.
Father Herman Pascal had always made him witness with his own eyes the miserable ends of such merchants.
As a merchant who had seized wealth, as a father, he had advised Stefan.
Was he being arrogant?
Had he simply been blinded, seeing the man as a savior?
Was he just another con man?
The thought that he might end up exactly like those who believed in themselves, grew arrogant, and died would not leave his mind.
Was he someone prepared to devote his life to him?
He was afraid.
Afraid of being unable to leave the empire because of the tolls, slowly dying within its confines.
He needed something to make him forget that fear.
Drink? Women?
Or else……
“My lord!”
“Ugh! You startled me! What?! Why?! What?!”
“We’ve arrived, my lord! Snap out of it already!”
“What? Arrived at Baldrova Castle? In just a few minutes?”
“What are you talking about? It took four days, sir.”
He had been out of it for a full four days.
Unable to wash properly, he reeked, and even his finest tunic was stained yellow with bodily fluids.
Why had he come here?
He realized the question itself was odd.
Hadn’t he come here to find the answer?
Stefan walked into the inner castle looking for Ferda.
He was with Bernel, the chief researcher.
They seemed to have just finished some conversation.
“What is it?”
Ferda asked.
“I, uh……”
What had he come here to say?
The only words circling in Stefan’s mind were these:
I’m pulling out of this.
I can’t trust myself. I’m afraid of ending up a beggar, so I’m cutting my losses here.
He was about to say that, but Ferda spoke first.
“I happen to have some good news. The headmaster of Escoleia made Bernel a major proposal.”
At those words, something else rose in his throat.
“O-oh? What kind of proposal?”
“In two weeks, at the exhibition to be held in Halim, they offered him the main stage.”
Stefan felt as if he had been struck over the head.
The fog cleared, and a single ray of light poured in.
“Congratulations! Being the main attraction at the Escoleia exhibition is huge, isn’t it?! From what I know, it is!”
“Yes. It’s a place of honor for every scholar.”
Being recognized among those picky scholars held great meaning.
It was also noteworthy among merchants, and nine times out of ten, it meant money.
“We can’t just let this pass, can we? How about celebrating with food and drink today?”
“Haha, I worry we might be counting our chickens before they hatch……”
“Who cares?! Even if I have to pay out of my own pocket, I’ll throw a big banquet. Haha!!”
Stefan laughed heartily.
It was an exaggerated gesture unlike his usual self, but they let it pass, thinking it was because the news was so joyful.
“Stefan.”
“Yes?”
“Weren’t you about to say something?”
At Ferda’s question, Stefan scratched his head and answered.
“Ah, that…… I just came to say let’s do our best! Haha!”
The fog that had blanketed Stefan’s mind was gone.
Believe in myself.
Even if I end up a beggar.
I’ll move forward without regrets.
One week later, Iorga and Baldrova officially declared an alliance.
The Serdes Continent was turned upside down.
A guardian dragon and an evil dragon that mixed like water and oil.
Though they had exchanged opinions several times through the contact point of the Grand Council, their conflicts always concluded unresolved.
An alliance between such an evil dragon and a guardian dragon.
Suspicion grew that Iorga’s side must be under some misconception.
Her position was as follows:
“Although Baldrova caused the second disaster, her regent has shown the will to settle the past and conquer the Land of Evil, and thus I support his intent and have decided to join him.”
On the surface, it was the best-looking pretext.
Her support lent strength to the bold declaration of the young regent.
Even so, most public opinion held that the subjugation would fail.
“Even if Blue Eye supports it……”
“How could a mere human succeed at the purification work where everyone has failed?”
Since Godwin’s death, no one had approached the Land of Evil, and those who had all died.
Yet there were also those who placed considerable hope in Ferda’s intent.
“Perhaps the subjugation of the Far East is truly possible?”
“Reclaiming the beautiful lands of the Far East that existed only in history would be a great feat indeed.”
In any case, the wind had begun to blow.
For a lone drifting sailboat, it was a fair wind either way.
Halim.
A city counted among the foremost for gambling and entertainment, and a place they had visited once before to recruit Jed.
They had come again for the exhibition.
What was different was that Ruri was not accompanying them this time.
There were already enough people around Ferda, and another Dragon Spawn was stationed in the inner castle.
Ruri still held a small belief that Isabella had come for sabotage.
Since keeping her in check was not a bad idea, they left Ruri behind.
On the way to see them off, Ruri said only one short thing.
“Do not gamble.”
“Aren’t we short on funds? It’s perfect for drawing in money—”
“Do. Not.”
Her silver eyes glared filled with murderous intent.
It looked as if Magic Blasts would pour out at any moment.
Seeing that, a rebellious feeling rose.
What expression would she make if I dumped my entire fortune into it?
But since he did not have two lives, he had no choice but to engrave those words in his heart and head for Halim.
Stefan said he would go ahead to prepare props needed for the main presentation and would join them in Halim.
Bernel was organizing his presentation materials inside the carriage and could not relax even a bit.
As it was an important occasion, they spared no support and created an environment so he would not have to worry about anything else.
Other companions included the knights Jed and Malcolm.
“Hwaaaa, I’m really okay, right? I am okay, right?”
And Penelope as well.
She was howling like a marmot standing on the prairie.
Just as they arrived at Halim’s entrance, got down, and were about to go through entry procedures, they were one step away from the magic circle protecting Halim.
“I’m fine, so let go of this arm, you crazy woman.”
Jed pushed away Penelope’s head as she clung to him and forcibly peeled her off.
She clung tenaciously and would not stop whining.
“I heard it when I was in hell! Demons can’t enter Halim! If you try to go in, your body melts! My half-brother actually died that way, you know?”
“No, I told you it’s fine. That’s just a lie they told to scare you, so trust me and come in.”
“It is fine, right? I’m not gonna die, right?”
Jed, no longer wanting to answer questions, shut his mouth.
Instead, he grabbed the arm of Penelope, who was holding on tightly, in reverse and dragged her along.
Penelope began to howl like a cat being dragged to water.
“Aaaah! What are you doing?! No, I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna diiie, ugh my stomach’s turning…… Huh? Nothing’s happening?”
Upon entering the magic circle, Penelope confirmed there was nothing wrong.
The face that had been crying and fussing was gone, and she stood up abruptly as if it were no big deal.
“Human anti-magic circles are nothing special.”
“…….”
Jed looked at her with pitiful eyes.
The others did the same.
Was bringing this one along a good idea?
Penelope possessed Sitri’s Life Vessel.
Just in case, they had brought her along this time to keep her in a visible place.
Moreover, they still did not fully trust Penelope.
He had worried that accompanying a demon might cause noisy incidents around them, but that was a rainy-season worry.
When she held Sitri’s Life Vessel, a special ability had arisen: ordinary demon-detection magic could not identify her.
As long as she maintained human skin, she was essentially the same as a human.
And the noisy one was herself.
He had expected her to be frivolous and loud, but it exceeded expectations by far.
She was a storm-like existence.
The kind where incidents happened even if she just stood still.
How had Sitri lost her Life Vessel to someone like her?
Still, there must be something.
Everything has a reason.
Ferda, not wanting to overlook it, asked Penelope.
“Tell me about your abilities. As Sitri’s spawn, do you handle illusion magic?”
“Yes, lightly some illusion and a few magics for tricks and deception.”
“An Arcane Trickster, then.”
“Oh, that name’s cool. Yeah. Something like that.”
As she nodded with a triumphant posture, Jed snorted.
“Arcane Trickster my ass. More like Trouble Maker.”
“What did you say?!”
Her light pink eyes glared at Jed.
Jed did not back down and shoved his face into hers.
“Did I say anything wrong? There’s never a quiet day when I’m with you!!”
“That’s not my fault! Who told you to stand out to that kind of witch? It’s because you go around picking up this woman and that woman!!”
“You think I did it because I wanted to? I know perfectly well not to touch what’s off-limits!!”
The two bickered noisily.
Ferda left them behind and thought about the abilities Penelope and Jed possessed.
Arcane Trickster Penelope and the great thief Jed.
“When all’s said and done, you two seem like you’d work well together.”
“Huh?”
Jed looked at Ferda as if it were absurd.
“I’m sorry, but please don’t pair me with this empty-headed crybaby.”
“Isn’t she the type of woman you like?”
“You make it sound like I pick up just anything, but I pass on hanging around with a walking disaster who causes accidents by existing.”
“I don’t want to be tied to a violent guy like this either? I like women. And among women, only beauties! I want to suck the essence of beauties without restraint!”
“You sucked my essence yesterday, and you’re saying that?”
“I have to eat too, you know, eat! I only snack lightly enough to maintain myself in the human realm! That’s why I can stay like a human like this!”
So noisy I could die.
Ferda decided to retract what he had said.
“If you want, I’ll find you a new partner.”
“Eh?”
“What?”
The ones who had been about to eat each other just moments before began to make subtle expressions at those words.
What’s with these guys?
“Ahem, w-well, I’d like to maintain the status quo for now.”
“Why?”
“It’s hard to find another tall, handsome guy with this much smooth talk who’s good at hitting on beauties……”
He decided to let Penelope’s reason slide, but he could not quite grasp Jed’s.
“She said she’d suck the essence and erase the memories of the girls I hit on……”
Hearing that, Ferda realized he had been wrong.
They’re both the same kind of bastards.
A match made in heaven.
No releasing them into the wild.
The Escoleia exhibition was being held by renting out an entire casino in Halim.
It was one of the largest casinos even in the city of entertainment, and a suitable place to accommodate many nobles, merchants, and scholars.
When Ferda arrived, it was the first day of the exhibition, just around the time they had finished preparing for the opening.
“Ohh, Regent! You’ve arrived safely?”
Stefan, who had been pacing around, walked over to Ferda and greeted him politely.
“I have. And you?”
“I’m fine as well. We’ve built the exhibition booth as planned. Would you like to take a look?”
“That’s why I came, so of course I should see it.”
Stefan guided Ferda along.
Ferda roughly surveyed how the exhibition operated.
Scholars arranged their items in booth form at the exhibition, allowing merchants and nobles to pass by and view them one by one.
And the scholars participating in the exhibition were each burning with fighting spirit.
What researchers always lacked was money.
This exhibition was a critical moment for continuing their research lives.
Those who filled that money were the merchants and nobles touring the exhibition.
If lucky, Ferda could also become their patron.
From the entrance, Ferda roughly examined the scholars’ items.
Nothing particularly appealing.
What met the eye were only things that existed in theory alone or had poor marketability.
So of course it felt isolated out here on the periphery.
But the further they went toward the center of the exhibition, the larger the booths became, and the items grew more splendid.
Among them were even items that would prove useful in the future.
Bernel’s booth was at the center.
Built with the power of the Pascal Merchant Guild, Bernel’s booth was as splendid as the large booths sponsored by other enterprises.
“How is it?”
“Well made.”
“Right? We brought in our decoration specialists to make these, haha.”
Being eye-catching, it could draw many people’s attention.
The booth was ready, but there were no items to display yet.
Those were to be brought by Ferda’s side, so they were waiting.
“By the way, where are the magic stones we need to prepare?”
“Bernel seems to have them. Where did Bernel go?”
“I think he went to the lodging first.”
“Without a word?”
Having gone several days without proper sleep, was he trying to get some rest before the main stage?
Having been by his side, Ferda knew how hard Bernel had worked.
“I’ll go fetch them.”
“No, I’ll go.”
Since he had nothing else to do anyway, Ferda decided to go himself.
Despite Stefan’s attempts to stop him, he steadfastly set off toward the lodging.
Contrary to the expectation that he would be sprawled out at the lodging, the place Ferda found Bernel was in the corridor leading to the lodging.
There, Bernard, the headmaster hosting this exhibition, was also present.
The two were in the middle of some conversation, and Ferda eavesdropped on them.
“Bernel Marquis.”
Headmaster Bernard said, looking at Bernel.
“I cannot help but be disappointed in you.”