Chapter 153

As soon as I returned to the star palace, I peeled and ate a “life gem.”

The life gem was a red bead, about the size of a human eyeball, and slightly elastic, but it was too hard and chewy to chew in my mouth. However, it melted as soon as it went down my throat.

“Ugh…”

I felt a warmth inside my body like a fireball entering.

Unlike when I had eaten “Fire’s Heart,” this time it felt like my body itself was heating up.

Rudi was taken aback when he saw my skin turning red.

“Valen, are you okay? Is it really okay to eat one at a time?”

I smiled faintly and nodded.

“It’s refreshing.”

When I ate the Fire’s Heart, it felt like flames were burning inside me, but this time it felt like my entire body was being forged in fire.

My limbs felt light, as if I had relaxed enough to sweat.

It seemed as though my body, which had been somewhat slack since the dragon ceremony, was tightening up again.

Having received 27 of these gems, I thought I wouldn’t need to hold back for a while.

…Is it possible that I won’t reach enlightenment in this life either?

“Let’s go to bed early. I want to go shopping tomorrow after a long time.”

Rudi nodded with a bright smile.

Her green eyes, framed by her brown bangs, sparkled with life, like a flourishing plant.

“Yes, Valen. I’m happy to do anything as long as it’s with you.”

For a moment, a look of anxiety appeared on her face.

“But I heard you took on another long-term mission today. Are you going out again right after coming back after a month? You’ll wear yourself out. How about taking a few days off?”

I had also considered the idea of taking it easy for a while.

After living almost entirely on horseback for an entire month, my pelvis ached, making it hard to sit or stand.

Lady Trentia even skipped training today and went straight to the common room.

But this was an urgent mission that required immediate action.

If I wanted to gain the loyalty oaths from the great lords this year, I needed to quickly eliminate the opposition and issue decrees to summon them to the capital.

“Having received 27 gems that money can’t buy, I should at least do this much.”

“…You seem to have become diligent again. You look good.”

“…I see you noticed that I recently received a bribe via carriage.”

“….”

Rudi was left speechless, mouth agape.

I said goodnight and quickly entered my bedroom, throwing myself onto the bed.

* * *

Before I reincarnated, the Ivory Tower had fallen.

Soon after I regained my senses, the elders of the Ivory Tower had all become Infiltrators, and the autonomous district of the Ivory Tower had turned into a cave with several Magical Realms opening up.

Jeilliris had given up on rescue, search, and grimoire recovery, calling in battle magicians to rain spells, magic tools, and scrolls from the outside.

Even after defeating a considerable number of various intruders and Infiltrators, over fifty knights had perished.

Considering that Jeilliris had taken the lead, showcasing various spells and sword techniques, it was a tremendous loss of life.

Of course, in this life, nothing of the sort would happen—and it would never happen.

The ‘Penpoint of Urglim’ still remained in the Imperial Court, and the ancient elvish grimoires had either been sealed away or burned after being transferred there.

In other words, in this life, as long as I had money, I could acquire a decent quality of magic tools in any quantity I desired.

Remembering that before my reincarnation the Ivory Tower had vanished, causing the entire continent’s level of magic to regress by about five hundred years, and that Jeilliris had even drawn the blueprints for creating knights’ magical weapons, I felt incredibly fortunate.

“The speed bracelet is 300 gold coins, and the invisible power ring is 350 gold coins.”

I remembered a time when purchasing magic tools for the proper price had suddenly become an oddity after forty years.

“Oh, the counter-spell ring? That one’s a bit more expensive. 700 gold coins?”

So hearing those amounts didn’t make me tremble or grind my teeth, nor did I break into a cold sweat.

“Why are you acting like that?”

… I had received a formal introduction from Sererassie and had come as a guest to the Ivory Tower for the first time with Rudi and Lady Trentia.

Just as any high noble guest would be treated, the Ivory Tower assigned a magician to guide and explain things to us, and I started shopping for magic tools with the familiar guidance of Niar.

Knowing that the magic tools from the Ivory Tower were as expensive as their quality, I was prepared to splurge all the wealth I had compiled through corruption.

Still.

“Niar, if you engraved a magic circuit that could build a fortress onto a single ring, why would it cost so much?”

The magician had long red hair with a cream color at the tips and mixed red and cream-colored irises.

A disciple of Gestarte and a junior to Sererassie.

She raised the corners of her mouth with a nonchalant smile that bordered on arrogant, as if to say, “Go suck on this.”

“It costs that much because the magic circuit used for a fortress was engraved onto a ring. This is truly a rare technology. Only the magicians of the Ivory Tower can enchant it with just a command!”

“I know that invisible power is quite a high-tier spell, and I know that the counter-spell is extremely dirty as well, but is it worth 700 gold coins?”

Niar immediately waved her hand and recited a lengthy incantation while holding the counter-spell ring.

Then, complex lines and shapes, a blueprint of the spell, appeared in the air like a mirage.

How dense the blueprint surrounding the inside and outside of the ring was; the mirage mirrored the shape of the ring itself.

When Niar enlarged the mirage to the point where she could read the inscriptions, it grew large enough to fill an entire room.

The ‘counter-spell’ magic circuit had to be intricate and detailed enough to recognize the elvish words and formulas inscribed within it.

Niar shot me a sidelong glance.

“You knew it was such a dirty spell, didn’t you?”

Usually, Lady Trentia or Rudi would have gasped in surprise, but this time they just looked astonished with their mouths agape.

Niar scattered the mirage and spoke.

There was a profound fatigue etched on the face of the young girl.

She reminded me of an artisan who had been asked, after ten years of creating a sculpture, how it was any different from something cast in plaster or made with earth magic.

“Counter-spells are truly, truly difficult magic tools to make. What you buy on Magic Street only contains completed spells, and using them about ten times is usually the end of their usefulness. This one, however, absorbs mana from the air to support its activation, so the user doesn’t need a lot of mana.”

With the dignity of a duke, I couldn’t complain any further, even with her saying that.

Moreover, the value of the magic cannon and grimoires I had plundered from the Ivory Tower thus far would have cost thousands of gold coins.

I reached out my hand to Lady Trentia to receive a leather pouch.

“Just give me one counter-spell ring, one invisible power ring, and one speed bracelet.”

Niar asked.

“What kind of speed bracelet would you like?”

“What options are there?”

“The basic one is magic based on wind, and then there’s the life enhancement, which uses blood magic and electricity to boost physical abilities. There is also a time acceleration type, but that one isn’t for sale.”

Then why did you even mention it? I swallowed my doubts and looked at Lady Trentia.

“What do you think would be the best choice for you?”

* * *

Lady Trentia glanced at Rudi with her red eyes and said.

“The reason I’ve been against Rudi using magic tools until now is that if one gets used to relying on them to draw out power, they will neglect training. This is especially true in terms of mana control.”

Despite having started training after becoming an adult, Rudi had become a mana user partly due to Lady Trentia’s harsh training methods.

“That’s true.”

Even though I had the money, I hadn’t been able to buy her any magic tools that would provide direct help until now.

I had tried to secretly buy them, but Lady Trentia had nearly beaten me down with her words.

“Now that you’re a mana user, I think you can afford to look at things from a broader perspective. Personally, I would recommend speed using life enhancement. It doesn’t directly aid the body through magical means; instead, the current generated by magic stimulates the muscles appropriately to accelerate, you see.”

“Umm.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, I asked Niar.

“I know it’s dangerous to wear two magic tools of the same type, but are ‘life enhancement’ and ‘wind blessing’ of the same type?”

Niar shook her head.

“Type classification is fundamentally based on the process rather than the phenomenon. Both accelerate the body alike, but they do so through different principles, so there’s no issue whatsoever.”

“Then give me both. Use life enhancement when charging forward, and say to use wind blessing when retreating.”

Niar opened her eyes wide in surprise, and Rudi looked flustered, as if it was too much.

I lowered my voice and said.

“Rudi, come and choose a desired shape. Decide which finger to wear it on. I want one counter-spell and one invisible power. You’ll need to wear two speed bracelets, so choose well.”

This time, I didn’t want to hear, “There’s no need for you to spend such money on me~.”

As if sensing my intent, Rudi smiled brightly and sweetly, like an angel.

“Thank you, Valen. I will use them well.”

The counter-spell ring was made with a thick platinum band embedded with a blue diamond, while the invisible power ring was a silver ring that wouldn’t be noticed unless you looked closely.

The life enhancement acceleration bracelet was made from Drake bones and silver, and the wind blessing acceleration bracelet was crafted from a thoroughly preserved Ent sprout.

The wind blessing acceleration bracelet and the invisible power ring suited Rudi’s wildflower-like impression well, while the life enhancement acceleration bracelet looked decent as well.

However, the counter-spell ring seemed more suited for a knight in their fifties rather than a maid in their twenties, and despite being minimized, it was still too large, so it had to be worn on her left thumb.

Seeing the thick ring on Rudi’s white hand, more fitting for a gauntlet, Lady Trentia eventually chuckled, and Rudi’s face turned bright red.

…Next time, I should get her a thinner ring.

If something like that ever comes out.

While leaving the Ivory Tower, Rudi asked, “Valen, how much did it all cost?”

I hesitated before answering.

“1,750 gold coins?”

Rudi covered her mouth with her palm and let out a suppressed sound.

Her green eyes shrank and trembled.

“That’s my salary for 145 years.”

“Haha.”

“Still excessive, but… I will do my best so that you won’t feel that way.”

Lady Trentia nodded.

“That’s a good attitude. Maid. Our knights live like that too.”

Her full-body armor, if I had to put a price on it, would be worth more than an entire barony.

It was covered in intricately engraved magic circuits crafted by dozens of magicians and artisans, all doing their utmost in their specialized fields.

Lady Trentia watched Rudi, who was adjusting to her lighter body by flexing her fists, with an affectionate gaze before turning to me.

“However, Your Grace Valen, you’re soon heading to the ‘Black Wall’ of Duke Gremoryus, so why did you buy her such magic tools now?”

There was a hint of unease in her mighty voice.

“I heard she won’t be accompanying us on this trip. It’s just you, Princess Sererassie, and several administrative officers. Of course, I’m prepared to die alongside you, Your Grace. But if those items were left to her as a sort of keepsake or inheritance, it would certainly be best to convey that feeling…”

There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in uttering those words regarding dying alongside the princess.

Having understood my father’s true feelings, there seemed to be no lingering regret in my heart about serving my lord.

I trembled at that devotion and shook my head firmly.

“Not at all. It’s something I need to ask of you. Neither you, nor I, nor Princess Sererassie can do it. I need you to take the carriage and head to Wyvernfit. I’ll join quickly with Rudi.”

Lady Trentia’s expression grew even more anxious.

“Where do you plan to stop by?”

“I need to pick up one more person.”

* * *

“The damned Duke Valencius has kidnapped the Saint again!”