Chapter 322

“There’s news that Konel’s temple is being built well. It seems they’ve focused on health rather than the church, and have avoided accusations of heresy as much as possible. It’s also said that warriors capable of full metamorphosis are being nurtured stably.”

Rudi reported while we were in the carriage heading to the Magic Guild.

I nodded with satisfaction, smiling at the news.

“Indeed. I knew he was a capable young man. Any troubles?”

“It seems there’s a lot of pushback from the bourgeois councilors. They think the power we’ve nurtured could take away their businesses.”

“Then we need to move the badge councilors to help.”

Originally, the policy was one where the nobles opposed it and the commoners supported it, but now the positions had completely reversed.

“I will mention it at the tea party the day after tomorrow.”

Rudi nodded kindly with a smile.

“Please do. Count Consecratus.”

I called Rudi by his title.

Instead of blushing, Rudi bowed politely.

“Yes, Lord Valencia.”

Now, when Rudi accompanied me, he wore a dress instead of a maid’s outfit.

He carried himself as if he were a powerful court noble.

I pointed to Sayah Yan, who was seated across from me, with a pleased expression.

“Oh, and if there’s any infiltration work to be done in the future, let him handle it.”

Although Rudi was skilled with magic tools and swords, he was not someone who was trained in infiltration or assassination.

Since he needed to act as my eyes and ears, it was better to leave the frontline infiltration to a real expert.

“Huh? Oh, the assassin, right?”

Rudi clapped lightly, looking at Sayah Yan.

Seeing her smile so brightly, Sayah Yan looked puzzled as if to say, ‘What’s going on here?’

On the surface, Rudi looked like someone who couldn’t even swat a fly; his gaze was very soft, and his eyes were big and clear.

He wore a dress that looked uncomfortable, projecting a classical beauty with a gentle impression.

In contrast, Sayah Yan appeared strong and harsh at first glance, her gaze sharp as a blade, with short hair.

She wore a stiff black shirt and had an exotic, androgynous look.

However, being an astute assassin, Sayah Yan did not allow herself to underestimate Rudi.

She had also witnessed the night Rudi fought the elves.

“Nice to meet you, Count Your Excellency. My name is Sayah Yan.”

Of course, there was a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes, but one couldn’t reasonably expect a heartfelt smile from someone who had been separated from their lover and cursed.

Rudi reached out a hand toward Sayah Yan.

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Sayah Yan. I am Rudi Consecratus, the maid of Lord Valencia. Thank you for your hard work coming this far. May I call you Sayah?”

Sayah Yan bowed respectfully and took his hand.

“Of course, Your Excellency.”

At that moment of the handshake, Sayah Yan flinched.

‘This isn’t a maid’s hand?’ is probably what she thought.

“What’s wrong, Sayah?”

Rudi asked with a cheerful smile.

“Nothing, Your Excellency. There’s no problem.”

Sayah Yan bowed her head once more.

It was a beautiful sight.

Just before getting off the carriage, Rudi gave me a questioning glance.

“Lord Valencia.”

“What is it?”

“What’s with Sayah’s tattoo on her neck?”

There was a thorn vine tattoo on Sayah Yan’s neck.

“It’s an enslavement contract. If she tries to intentionally injure her master, it tightens around her neck. You will also need to register as my master at the Imperial Magic Guild tomorrow.”

“Isn’t that a curse-type spell?”

“Yes. It was engraved by a black mage working at the Imperial Guild. They can’t allow a top assassin to roam freely around the capital and the Imperial Palace. The duration is ten years.”

Even though I was merely fulfilling a necessary task, I felt like I was making excuses.

Rudi seemed worried that he would be seen as someone who captures people and uses them as slaves.

Fortunately, Rudi didn’t say anything of the sort.

He also didn’t ask how an assassin from the East ended up here.

“Yes, Lord Valencia. Thank you for pairing me with such a capable person. For Lord Valencia and for her sake, I, Rudi, will work even harder!”

He only said what I wanted to hear.

No matter how I thought about it, I had truly good maids.

* * *

Bang! Bang!

The moment I stepped into the first-floor hall of the Magic Guild’s high stone building, flames erupted from both sides.

“What the—!”

As I reflexively reached for the hilt of my sword ‘Typhoon’ to draw its blade, colorful confetti and flower petals began to flutter down from the ceiling.

“Your Highness!”

“Duke Your Highness!”

“We did it!”

The hall was filled with Rudi’s assistants and Lady Sorelazie’s apprentices, who were happily clapping their hands.

“We succeeded in the end!”

“It took so long!”

“It was hard, but we didn’t give up!”

Clerics of the God of Radiance were also clapping in a corner inside.

“It was a victory for humanity.”

“They fought with the schematics like knights blessed by the deity.”

“May blessings be upon their path.”

Lady Sorelazie ran towards me with a childlike smile.

“Brother! Look what I’ve achieved! I knew I was a genius!”

Her blue eyes sparkled like the sea, and her yellow ones shone like the sun.

She looked healthier now than when I saw her a few days ago when she seemed to be dying.

Her fair skin was full of elasticity, her dark blue hair shone with luster, and a lively smile graced her lips.

“Wow!”

She hugged me tightly, and despite my reputation as the Bandit Duke, I let out a scream that didn’t match, and she paid no mind, pulling me along.

“Come, come!”

In the center of the hall stood a table.

The magic tool, shaped like a golden lotus bud, was too large to hold with one hand, but slightly small enough to lift with two.

Each petal had an incredibly detailed incantation circuit drawn on both its front and back.

“How can there be hundreds of circuits within one petal?”

There were dozens of such petals attached to the magic tool.

Lady Sorelazie placed her hand on the lotus bud and infused mana into it.

Whoooom!

With a gentle red glow, the petals began to unfurl, revealing a space in between.

Inside lay the crystal of Cuith Az that I had extracted.

There were two pieces of the crystal, each about the size of two fingers.

Lady Sorelazie smiled like a cleric welcoming a saint.

“If you leave the crystal in here for about a week, it will be marked, and once it’s marked, the crystals will serve as coordinates. And if you have the coordinates, you can open a door through this magic tool.”

I lifted the crystal in awe.

“So if I hold onto this marked crystal…?”

“You can open a door leading to the opposite crystal set upon the magic tool. Let’s try to activate it once.”

She said, smiling like a child showcasing her drawing, handing me the crystal.

I stepped toward the entrance and infused the crystal with mana.

Whoooom!

Light flickered along the markings.

Soon, I felt that the two crystals were connected by an invisible thread.

“Ah.”

It was a sensation similar to when I resonated with Az’s fragments.

Originally, it was merely about breaking or locating the opposite fragment, but now it felt like I could indeed use that thread to convey something.

I spoke to the crystal.

“Lady Sorelazie.”

Sssss—

Red mist flowed out from the magic tool on the table, coalescing inside the lotus petals to form my silhouette.

From that form, my voice emerged.

—”Lady Sorelazie.”

It seemed that by conveying my voice and situation, and infusing more mana, a door could be opened.

“My goodness!”

“Indeed!”

“This is a success!”

Rudi exclaimed, Marcus clenched his fists, and Lady Sorelazie cheered once again.

I too could not hide my smile at this wonder.

“You truly are a genius, as expected.”

—“You truly are a genius, as expected.”

* * *

This would be a historic discovery.

Lady Sorelazie and I burst into Jeilliris’ office.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty—!”

“What is this commotion—”

“Duke Sorelazie has succeeded in restoring the space-traveling magic tool!”

“…First, sit down.”

Jeilliris surveyed the magic tool closely, murmuring as if it were absurd.

“To be honest, I didn’t believe I would succeed either.”

“I thought so too, Your Majesty.”

“I have no desire to create something like this. Mass production is simply impossible.”

Lady Sorelazie rarely smiled concerning magical matters.

“I think part of it was luck. If you ordered me to recreate it, I wouldn’t be able to.”

Jeilliris mumbled with satisfaction.

“Well then. Truly well done. Indeed, picking you up was a great decision.”

I took the opportunity to flatter.

“It is the virtue of Your Majesty to recognize an exceptional talent like Duke Sorelazie.”

Lady Sorelazie looked at me as if I were a huge caterpillar.

Jeilliris showed a fleeting expression of surprise, then shook his head.

“How sweet. Duke. Yes, I’ve missed your flattery. Of course, I have also missed your scornful expressions, Sorelazie. For the time being, you may conduct your desired research at a leisurely pace. I won’t burden you with excessive work moving forward.”

Lady Sorelazie also withdrew from magical matters for a rare occasion.

A slightly embarrassed smile adorned her lips.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Honestly, I think I should rest for three days.”

“Three days?”

Did I hear wrong?

“No, sister. You should rest for three weeks.”

“Duke, you may just die if that continues.”

Both Jeilliris and I recoiled in disbelief.

Lady Sorelazie offered no response.

After that, we enjoyed the honor of drinking coffee personally brewed by the Emperor.

“Your Majesty?!”

“I had no idea you could brew it so well.”

The flavor was completely different from the last time, leaving me astonished.

The bitterness and acidity almost didn’t emerge, leaving only the roasted aroma and a pleasant cleanliness on my palate.

It felt like I was served coffee by the best barista in the finest coffee house.

Jeilliris smiled contentedly.

“Yes. I am someone who can learn and do well at anything.”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

“When you look at the sky, you grasp the principles of the heavens, and when you look at the earth, you comprehend the principles of the earth, don’t you?”

“Even I had to learn to understand the principles of coffee.”

“Then I shall never understand the principles of coffee.”

Lady Sorelazie, observing us, elegantly tilted her cup.

The sunlight streaming through the window poured over her pointed hat.

The fingers holding the glass and the wrist tilting it softly were graceful, and the way she savored every drop, making no noise, resembled a legendary sorceress in a painting.

I even felt a slight embarrassment.

“I thought you would drink coffee from a big metal bottle like some sort of beast… but this is quite stylish?”

She spoke coyly.

“Didn’t my master occasionally brew it for me at the Ivory Tower? I used to drink it this way back then.”

“Ah.”

“That flavor is nostalgic to me. I thought I’d never taste it again.”

There were longing notes in her voice.

Jeilliris clicked his tongue slightly, looking at Lady Sorelazie.

“I’ve already said this, but you are free to conduct your desired research. The Marquis will handle the commercialization himself.”

“Actually, I was thinking the same thing.”

“I’ve heard the High Priest of Corruption is collaborating on a project with the Ivory Tower. I believe you are also in charge of hosting an academic conference.”

“That is correct.”

“I don’t expect you to conspire with the Ivory Tower to dream of rebellion or plunge yourself into corruption under the pretense of seeking the truth. Yes, you may visit your hometown comfortably without worrying.”

As always, the Emperor was unyielding and sovereign, like a god.

However, as I looked into his eyes, bright and dark like a sun obscured by clouds, I felt he was somewhat remorseful.

* * *

“Even so, it’s not polite as a person to say you’re going right away upon hearing that! Can’t you read the atmosphere, sister?”

“Shut up! You naughty little brother! Do you have any idea how many years I’ve waited for this?”

“Right. It’s my fault for expecting courtesy from a mage.”

“You know very well. Yet you still seem to have some self-awareness.”