There were others elsewhere who had set their minds on winning Damon over.
“What? You mean you failed to find even a trace of the black mage? How can that be?”
“My apologies. Out of concern for the capital, I had no choice but to decide on a return march.”
The one repeatedly bowing his head in embarrassment was an imposing old swordsman. Though well advanced in years, he was an old man whose sharp gaze called to mind a finely honed blade.
He was none other than Philberg, commander of Terbia’s Royal Guard Knights. Along with the vice-commander, Edward, he was one of the central figures leading Terbia’s powerful Royal Guard Knights. The reason such a man was now reduced to stammering in distress was because the person seated before him was an existence he could never dare approach lightly.
The person before him was none other than Rosimus I, King of Terbia. He was the ambitious king who was obsessed with elevating Terbia to the position of Arcadia’s second power. Rosimus I’s face was flushed red, as if he were furious.
“You mobilized two hundred Royal Guard Knights and searched for the black mage for a full week. With two-thirds of the Royal Guard Knights’ strength that our nation possesses, no less. And yet you still failed to find the black mage—does that make any sense at all?”
“M-my apologies.”
Philberg could only bow his head again and again. In truth, he was not unaware that the remaining Royal Guard Knights had suffered considerable hardship because of it.
The remaining Royal Guard Knights, including Vice-Commander Marquis Edward, now had to stand several times their usual duty. All because he had mobilized as many as two hundred Royal Guard Knights for the search. But his efforts had amounted to nothing. Though they had combed the area around Dontrel thoroughly, the black mage had already vanished without a trace.
Since it seemed the black mage had moved elsewhere, he ultimately gave up the search and decided to return to the capital. He had thought it wholly undesirable for two hundred Royal Guard Knights to remain away from the capital for long. But he had never imagined that this decision would bring him face-to-face with Rosimus I’s wrath. That was why Philberg was so flustered now.
Rosimus I glared at Philberg with displeasure.
“That black mage is a person capable of exerting an enormous influence on our Terbia. I cannot even dare imagine the possibility of failing to draw him to our side.”
“B-but he is a wicked black mage. If we accept him, there is a high chance we will draw condemnation from other nations.”
Rosimus I’s eyes blazed.
“I do not wish to hear it. How can you be so thoughtless? Have you not considered this possibility? The possibility that the black mage might join hands with Pencelot or Tezeros and attack us. Because of that fool Bertek, the black mage is surely harboring resentment toward us. If a great army of Pencelot or Tezeros were to come, with a Ninth Circle black mage and mighty Death Knights at their forefront, do you truly have the confidence to stop them?”
Philberg’s complexion changed at once. He had not thought that far.
Pencelot and Tezeros were great powers whose superiority or inferiority to Terbia could not be easily determined. A taut balance of power was being maintained. In such a situation, if a black mage who had hunted an Ancient-class dragon were to join either side, that balance would be broken in an instant.
The strength the black mage possessed was that powerful. Philberg lowered his head deeply, as if he had no face to show.
“M-my thoughts were shortsighted. Please punish me.”
“There is no time to punish you. So hurry and find the black mage. Of course, keep in mind that your objective is strictly to win him over. Therefore, if you find him, treat him with the utmost courtesy and bring him to the capital.”
“Understood.”
“Go at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Commander Philberg hurriedly turned around. However, he had not the slightest idea that Philip, one of the Royal Guard Knights under his command, had already made contact with the black mage.
Immediately after he left, a middle-aged man dressed in splendid attire hurriedly approached Rosimus I. It was Duke Geliones, the prime minister of Terbia. But Rosimus I’s anger seemed to rise toward him as well, without fail.
“With what face have you returned to court? I told you never to come near the court again……”
Duke Geliones, like Commander Philberg just moments ago, had no choice but to stammer in distress.
“B-but I came to report that the execution of the criminal Bertek has been completed……”
Rosimus I cut off Duke Geliones’s stammering words with firmness.
“I do not wish to hear it. I do not want to see your face for the time being, so confine yourself to your residence for one week.”
“U-understood.”
Duke Geliones backed away, trembling all over. Rosimus I glared at him with an exceedingly displeased gaze.
In truth, Duke Geliones was in a state of having committed a very grave offense against Rosimus I. Namely, after receiving the report from Bertek, who had been dispatched to Dontrel, he had thoughtlessly ordered that the arrested black mage be escorted to the capital. Just thinking that the black mage must be harboring ill feelings toward Terbia because of that made Rosimus I’s anger boil. However, Duke Geliones, who was being rebuked, also had something to say for himself.
‘Damn it. Who could have known the black mage was that extraordinary? I merely made a decision according to established procedure……’
Duke Geliones was grumbling inwardly without end. Strictly speaking, Bertek’s crime was not one grave enough to warrant execution. The act of arresting a wicked black mage according to the law of the nation was entirely proper, and although many soldiers had been lost as a result, since it had occurred in the course of carrying out a mission, there was ample room for extenuating circumstances.
And as for the most important matter, Bertek’s alleged conspiracy, a considerable debate had already taken place. First of all, the words of the black mage that Wilkerson claimed to have heard were markedly lacking in credibility. The very question of how Bertek had known in advance of the black mage’s existence and abilities and approached him was full of holes.
No one had imagined that Sebain’s black mage would possess such tremendous ability. They had merely thought he had defeated Krosen’s punitive force through sheer luck. It was a fact no one would have known had he not hunted an Ancient-class dragon.
Since Terbia’s judges were no fools, Geliones had expected a reinvestigation of Bertek to take place. But unexpectedly, once Rosimus I intervened, the situation changed rapidly.
“By royal command, Bertek, who has committed a grave offense, is to be executed immediately.”
Rosimus I’s edict was handed down, and pitifully, Bertek ended up being hanged in the square that very day. Without even a clear charge being established. However, as prime minister, Duke Geliones knew the inside story well. As he withdrew from before Rosimus I, Duke Geliones gave a bitter smile.
‘To execute a mage under his command for the purpose of appeasing the black mage’s resentment……’
But it could not be helped. To Terbia, the black mage was that important a person. One who could determine the rise or fall of the kingdom in a single moment…… Duke Geliones had no choice but to let out a sigh and head for his residence.
Left alone, Rosimus I was lost in thought.
‘How can I draw the black mage to our side? If he possesses the magical treasure troves of the dragons, money will not be enough to win him over…… Could power perhaps work?’
Rosimus I’s honest feeling was that nothing would be too precious if only he could recruit the black mage. The black mage was that enticing a figure to Rosimus I.
‘Wilkerson is a Sword Master who ranks within the top ten in our country. If such a Wilkerson could not hold out for even five minutes and was defeated, then those Death Knights must truly be tremendous supreme masters. Moreover, if Wilkerson’s words are accurate, their identities are certainly the Four Great Knights of Icarot from the past. If so, that leads to the conclusion that they are stronger than Philberg, the commander of the knight order. This is truly unnerving. If such beings were to stand on our side…… No, even if only a single Ninth Circle black mage joins us, the likes of Pencelot or Tezeros would be no problem at all. This is maddening. Somehow, no matter what it takes, I must draw the black mage to our side.’
Rosimus I sprang to his feet and continued to pace restlessly. From his position, he had no choice but to feel uneasy. If by any chance the black mage joined hands with rival nations like Pencelot or Tezeros…… The mere thought was horrifying, and Rosimus I shuddered.
“No.”
That outcome alone had to be avoided at all costs. It was a matter that could bring about Terbia’s destruction.
At present, Arcadia’s political situation was extremely unstable. This was because the Krosen Empire could no longer act as Arcadia’s judge. With pride as Arcadia’s suzerain state, the Krosen Empire had thus far mediated disputes among the various kingdoms. Though it allowed small-scale local wars, it had thoroughly prevented large-scale total war from breaking out. Because of that, Arcadia had been able to enjoy peace for a long time without a major war. The overwhelming military force possessed by the empire made that fully possible. Before the name of the Krosen Empire’s five hundred thousand troops—or even setting those aside, before the might of the powerful Krosen Knight Order—no kingdom could insist on war. That was why countless small kingdoms with populations of fewer than fifty thousand could exist in Arcadia.
But that balance was now on the verge of breaking. Because of the power struggle between the emperor and the nobles taking place within the Krosen Empire. Most kingdoms’ intelligence agencies had already grasped the fact that the true power of the Krosen Empire had almost entirely passed into the hands of Duke Fershtein. For that reason, each kingdom was eager to start wars and expand its territory whenever an opportunity arose.
Among them, the most aggressive king was none other than Rosimus I. That was why he was now so desperate to draw in the black mage. To realize his ambition, the black mage was an indispensable person. Rosimus I circled around the throne with an anxious expression.
“Duke Fershtein is an ambitious man. If he seizes power, there is not no possibility that he will invade our Terbia. Even in preparation for such a case, I must recruit the black mage. If only he stands on our side, even if our opponent is the Krosen Empire, there is nothing to fear.”
Rosimus I quietly steeled his resolve. He would draw in the black mage without fail before the other kingdoms realized the inside circumstances.
Unaware that two distant nations had been thrown into chaos because of him, Damon was leisurely humming as he devoted himself to cooking. In the pan, vegetables and meat mixed with all sorts of seasonings were being stir-fried together. As a fragrant smell spread out, Damon’s nostrils flared.
“Ah. This is killer.”
It had truly been a long time since he had cooked. When he had been living in seclusion in Sebain, he had had to cook almost every day, but after joining the mercenary band, Damon had not cooked even once. First of all, the fact that he would have to cook for more than ten people was the greatest burden, and also, the cooking skills of the cooks on duty, Gerald and Heinrich, were not all that bad. Since their food was at least tolerable enough to eat, Damon had thought there was no need for him to show off his own skills.
But circumstances had ended up forcing him to cook.
The mercenaries were all knocked down at the moment. Their sparring with Mitchell had been that exhausting. Because she had been harshly trained by her father, Mitchell likewise trained the mercenaries, quite literally, without mercy. Each person had undergone a full hour of brutal sparring to the point of reaching their limits, and the mercenaries were all sprawled out, limp as wilted greens.
Of course, Mitchell, who had faced all of the mercenaries, could not possibly be fine either. All of them had become little different from corpses, groaning in pain.
Because of that, Damon had unavoidably ended up in a situation where he had to cook. Gerald and Heinrich, the cooks on duty, did not even have the strength left to lift a finger. The thought had crossed his mind that he might cast Healing on them and make them cook, but Damon changed his mind. He wanted to enjoy food he had made himself for the first time in a long while, and he also wanted to see the mercenaries’ startled expressions. Beside him, Juliana was casting him a doubtful look.
“Do you actually know how to cook?”
“Just try it once. You’ll start asking me to cook for you whenever you get the chance.”
“Hmph. That will absolutely never happen.”
Damon shook his head from side to side as if dumbfounded.
“Well, now. To think you would look down on my cooking skills……”
But Juliana was not the only one sending him a doubtful gaze. The sprawled-out mercenaries, too, all wore anxious looks.
The reason was simple. It was because of the plates of food that had been placed in the place where they had been confined when Damon first captured them in Sebain. Those plates had been filled with grotesque foods Damon had created through magic. From whole boiled snakes to stir-fried maggots, they had all been foods that made one feel nauseous just by looking at them.