3. A Chance of a Lifetime (千載一遇)
The next day.
After exchanging light greetings with those who had come to meet me, I boarded the carriage heading to the Evolgue family.
The Evolgue family. One of the so-called Ten Great Houses (十).
It was a great house ruling the northeast of the continent.
The imperial family that once ruled the entire kingdom was gone now. The imperial line had been severed, and its splendor had vanished long ago.
Except for the Boryion family, which had proclaimed itself the Emperor's bloodline on the grounds of being the closest relatives to the imperial family on the continent.
But no one recognized the head of the Boryion family as Emperor.
An Emperor must be the monarch of a unified empire, someone with the so-called "Iron Power" capable of reaching to the ends of the continent.
Because the Boryion family was lacking in many ways,
the loyalty owed to the imperial family was naturally retracted.
In other words, the ten houses had become independent.
An age of chaos and blood.
It was the beginning of the Warring States Period (戰國時代).
The worst era in history, where fighting and war occurred across the entire land.
'And that began 182 years ago already…'
182 years since the Emperor had disappeared.
Roughly seven to eight generations for the powerful houses. A span of time that, for many, exceeded ten generations.
The Five-Rank Nobility system decreed by the Emperor had long since become meaningless.
A title that had grown hollow over time had completely vanished as the world was restructured by the power of the Ten Great Houses.
The territories ruled by each of the ten houses were no different from kingdoms divided between the ten houses and their vassal families.
A period when the order dividing the continent was being reestablished.
Only the Sanctuary of Knowledge, Tylop, remained serene.
Even now, large and small wars, political marriages, non-aggression pacts, betrayals, and covert struggles frequently occurred between the houses.
The Abanas family, which had been my family, was also a weak vassal family serving the Evolgue family of the northeast.
Isaac, who had been reading my thoughts exactly, nodded.
[Aha… I see. So he made such a fuss about eradicating magic and alchemy, and this is what became of him! Emperor, I knew it would end this way! Kuhahahaha!]
Not that he had any right to talk, considering he was someone who had sealed himself away out of fear of that Emperor.
[What?! It wasn't because of the Emperor, it was pure curiosity while researching homunculi…!]
He was so noisy that I felt like chewing sleepweed and falling asleep, if only to escape it.
* * *
I had thought it might steal or share my eyes or sight.
But alchemy was more rational and inconvenient than I had expected.
The old man's goal was "to see the world."
Mine was "to gain the knowledge of alchemy."
He had become a ghost bound to my body, able only to "see" my surroundings whether my eyes were open or closed, while I could recall the knowledge of 『Al-Khazaf』 at any time, yet could not obtain Isaac's knowledge.
If there was something I was curious about, I had to ask him directly and get an answer.
Isaac said that if we formed an additional contract, he could probably open up other senses like touch and smell as well. But as a novice alchemist, that was something I was reluctant to do.
And so, at Isaac's request, I was in the middle of explaining the history and state of affairs from ancient times to the present.
.
.
.
"Though at that time, the Evolgue family actually abandoned us."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
At some point, the window between the driver's seats had opened.
I had been talking with Isaac in my head, but in my excitement, it had slipped out of my mouth.
He couldn't read all of my thoughts; it seemed proper communication only happened when I muttered to him as if speaking.
Fortunately, the sound of the carriage running was loud. If the coachman had heard properly, I might have been arrested for insult. Since the coachman was a servant of the Evolgue family, I needed to be careful.
"Ah, no. It's nothing. I dozed off for a moment and talked in my sleep. Aren't you hungry? I brought a few things."
The coachman, turning around, broke into a broad smile.
"Hahaha! The new Magistrate is generous of heart as well. Worrying about even me. I've already eaten my fill, so I'm fine."
"I see. Very well then."
"Goodness, did you pack that big bag full of food? Hahaha! If you feel motion sick or want to rest, please tell me anytime."
"I will."
[Hoo, you're quite the actor. A very convenient talent.]
Of course, what was in the bag was not food.
The bulging bag was stuffed full of all sorts of alchemical ingredients. And various bottles clinked in the inner pocket of my modified coat.
I had expected him to refuse in the first place; I only asked to earn some goodwill.
'I need to reach the clan as soon as possible. To prepare for the war…'
I closed my eyes and continued my deep pondering.
I had succeeded in being assigned to the Evolgue family as planned.
But since I didn't yet know the exact situation, I was establishing plans based on various assumptions.
Just then. The carriage stopped without my command.
Thinking a herdsman might be blocking the road, the moment I stuck my head outside.
I couldn't help but frown.
The coachman shouted in a frightened voice.
"M…move aside! This carriage carries the Magistrate!"
It was a band of bandits.
"Magistrate……? Stop talking nonsense! Why would a magistrate ride in a carriage like this without any escort?"
"There's no coat of arms either!"
It was something that had happened during my previous appointment as well, but I had been too preoccupied with more urgent matters to think of it.
Partly because it was so humiliating that I had deliberately forgotten about it.
[Hmm… bandits…]
Isaac and I clicked our tongues simultaneously in our minds.
We couldn't force our way through with the carriage either.
They had already blocked all passable roads with a barricade of junk.
If we tried to go around and the wheels got stuck in the mud, that would be a disaster in itself.
'What should I do…'
[Hmph. Arhan, …surely you aren't going to die here? Run away at least. You're young, so you can run. Even that trash stamina enhancement potion you made would be useful in a situation like this! Drink it quickly and run! This is why you only make such useless potions—]
The old man in my head was chattering noisily.
His rambling and muttering in a seemingly calm voice was even more distracting.
"Quiet down, old man. I'm thinking."
[You mustn't die here! Hmm… A quest! I'll give you a quest!]
Oh.
[A quest?]
[Th…that's right! Damn it, I need you alive to see the world! With your pale white skin, and you don't even know how to fight! You should have hired mercenaries at least!]
"That's a stereotype, sir."
And then.
Just as when an alchemical recipe would flash through my mind in an instant. A spark streaked across my thoughts.
'There is one.'
An incredibly groundbreaking method.
A way to survive while also preserving the honor of the Tower of Knowledge that had dispatched the Magistrate.
A very good opportunity had arisen from an entirely unexpected place.
'With this method, it's possible. No…… I dare say it's the only way to minimize the risk.'
But,
before that.
[Run away quickly!]
"Surviving is fine. But will you give me something in return? Gramps, I don't have enough passion to want to survive at any cost."
Of course, it was a lie. I had no intention of suffering like a dog only to die like a bug, as I had in my previous life.
My goal was to overturn at least one continent.
'Still, I should get what I can before I go.'
[Alchemy… I'll give you alchemical knowledge!]
"Good, it's a deal. I wasn't planning on dying anyway, after all."
He asked what I was thinking and such. Isaac's words were so noisy that I closed the inner window connected to him.
Then, I could focus solely on my own thoughts.
'A skill my head instinctively realized in order to survive, so as not to go mad… perhaps.'
I glanced around at the bandits and grinned.
Then, the trembling coachman cautiously called out.
"M…Magistrate? What should we…… huaack!"
Instead of answering, I flung the carriage door open and jumped out.
The flustered coachman clung to me as if pleading.
"Magistrate! Please get back in! It's dangerous!"
Danger? There would be some danger.
But….
Nothing gained without cost holds great value. If you want something, you must pay the corresponding price.
That is, the law of equivalent exchange.
I hummed a tune and looked around. I was curious about the faces of the ruffians blocking the road.
They were shabby bandits, but in my current mood, I felt like dressing them in silk.
To the extent that I could believe hope had appeared in human form. Intense joy raced through my head.
"Greetings, gentlemen. Truly… I'm so glad to see you that all the worries I've had until now feel foolish."
"Wh-what?"
"What's he saying now? That… crazy bastard?"
"In thirteen years of banditry, I've never seen someone like that. What? He's glad to see us? Is he nuts?"
The bandits wore bewildered expressions. Even though each of them aggressively raised their axes and spears as if they would charge at any moment, I smiled round and round.
Of course, if this were my previous life, I wouldn't have been glad. Seeing their faces, I finally recalled the journey of my past life where I had been beaten black and blue.
I had all my travel money stolen and entered Evolgue Castle looking like a beggar.
I should have realized it back then.
What it meant for bandits to be roaming inside a family's territory, and in broad daylight at that.
How weakened the Evolgue family had become.
The situation was similar to the past even now.
Our side's fighting force was me alone.
The enemy was a band of thirteen bandits.
The only thing that had changed was me.
As battle approached, the voice of my swordsmanship teacher, Maise, vividly came to mind.
'A knight can easily face ten regular soldiers.'
They weren't even trained common soldiers.
I had needed to loosen my stiff body from the carriage before entering the castle anyway.
Revenge for the humiliation of my past life was a bonus.
"Hmm. Shall we give it a try?"
"Magistrate! Please get back in! Let's try to push through somehow with the carriage…!"
"No. Wait here."
The coachman, on the verge of tears, pleaded with me.
"If you go out unarmed, Magistrate…… outside the Tower is not the place you knew as a scholar!"
"Good grief… Quiet down. That's an order."
Despite the coachman's sincere warning, I paid him no heed.
I had long since realized what kind of place lay outside the Tower. That nothing could be achieved by burying oneself in books.
From the storage pocket inside my coat, I smoothly pulled out a potion.
A small flask filled with a dark red liquid.
'Low-grade body strengthening potion. This should be enough.'
It was an enhancement potion that, instead of tailoring all ingredients specifically to me, minimized the side effects and maximized only the pure functions of the drug.
I pulled the stopper out without hesitation and downed it.
"Uhh… th-that, what's that guy doing?"
"Ah, boss, who cares. Look at his clothes! Kehaha, if we fence that, it'll definitely fetch some coin."
Greed surged in the bandits' eyes.
They seemed to judge that since there were thirteen of them, they had the advantage if they rushed him with numbers.
From my perspective too, it seemed that way.
A body with white skin and no muscles, looking flat and frail.
White hair, a clean coat, and even a handsome face.
An appearance that anyone would judge as a hot-blooded young dandy.
I smirked and casually clenched my fist.
Despite skin so pale it seemed like it would melt under the sunlight. I could feel power densely filling up within.
The so-called potion effect was starting to kick in.
As I approached while cracking my stiff neck from being trapped in the carriage, the bandits murmured, sensing something unfamiliar.
"Wh…what is this."
"Why isn't he scared?"
"Damn… something's weird."
Then, the one who seemed to be the leader, standing at the front, rallied his subordinates.
"Don't chicken out. It's just one guy! He doesn't even have a weapon. Hey, greenhorn. If you leave everything you have and go, we'll let you live."
Threats followed by despicable laughter.
Of course, I had felt so glad to see them that I wanted to hand them money, but I couldn't do that.
They were going to become my tools.
As I kept walking even after leaving the safe distance, the bandits falteringly drew their weapons. It was obvious they hadn't received proper training.
I reined in my relaxed mind and glared.
Even though I had taken a body strengthening potion.
It was still one against thirteen.
'I must be careful. Above all, I can't kill a single one of them.'
It had been a short period, but because I had been the magistrate of this land.
I knew that bandit groups were rampant throughout Evolgue. It was the aftermath of excessive taxation and conscription in the process of preparing for war.
'In other words, there will be more bandits at their base.'
And I intended to use every last one of them without leaving anyone behind.
The bandits were subtly widening the distance behind them.
About thirty seconds had passed. The distance had closed to within a few leaps.
"Does this bastard… really want to do this…?"
The man who appeared to be the leader gnawed on his lips and glared, then suddenly forced a smile.
"Keh… keuk. Uh, sir? We suddenly have some urgent business—"
He was the quickest-witted one among them.
After checking my face.
"Stop."
They froze. The bandits' movements halted instantly.
"It's already too late."
The bandits looked at me with uneasy expressions.
"It's time for Scholar Arhan's physics lesson. Everyone, stand up."
* * *
"Students, take a break."
The bandits were a wreck.
I had left the one who seemed to have the highest rank relatively intact.
Of course, I couldn't kill any of them since they were valuable, so I hadn't killed a single one. None were seriously injured either.
"W…we were wrong."
"We have… committed… a mortal sin."
"Why would I kill you? Didn't I say? I'm glad to see you."
At my words, the bandits still wore expressions of utter disbelief.
"You don't need to know the details. I will carry out a summary execution by the authority of the Magistrate."
Then, the bandits sprawled everywhere simultaneously flipped over, pressed their heads to the ground, and begged with their hands and feet.
"P…please spare us!"
However fast a fist might be compared to the law….
I recalled the past when I, powerless, had met them.
When I had told them I was the magistrate and to clear the road, only to be met with mockery and ridicule.
Still, this much was enough revenge for my past life. From now on, they would have to crawl like dogs under me.
"You. Name."
"P…Pako, sir."
"Are you the highest rank here?"
"Yes, sir…"
"Very well, Pako. Guide me to your boss."
The most bewildered was not the bandits, but the coachman.
The fellow who had been clapping and cheering while I thrashed the bandits from behind froze instantly.
"Hu…huh? Magistrate…?"
"There is no time to explain the details. Wait and trust me."
I took my bag from inside the carriage, put it on, and urged the bandits on.
I pushed the coachman, who was clinging to my legs, back into the carriage.
"Move quickly, Pako. We have no time."
The bandits staggered with difficulty into the forest ahead.
I followed behind, reviewing the plan I had reestablished.
Two more steps ahead.
[Well. Quest clear?]
[You wicked boy… shutting me out like that!]
"There are times when I need to concentrate, sir. Anyway, what will you give me as a reward?"
Isaac hesitated and chose his words.
I hadn't tricked him; he had been the one to fall for it first, so it must have been quite a loss for him.
[Hmm…… Since you weren't planning on dying anyway. I'll teach you the recipe for a lowest-grade healing potion. It seemed quite effective…… but you only make strange potions.]
"Double."
[Huh?]
"You have to teach me one with twice the efficiency of the current healing potions, Gramps."
[You absolute thug…… Very well!]
Grumbling, he acquiesced.
Inside my head, 『Al-Khazaf』 unfolded, and I could feel letters being engraved on a newly added page.
[Very well. But… what do you intend to do with those bandits while they're alive?]
"You'll see when you watch."
[Hmph. Now that I know your skills, I won't easily tell you my secret art even if you threaten to die!]
I hadn't thought of that yet.
It was a good method.
"Of course, sir. I'm an alchemist too; I have no intention of mooching off you like that."
[In any case, you're quite the smooth talker.]
Since even if I extracted alchemical secret arts now, I wouldn't be able to understand them anyway. The alchemy from the middle to the latter parts of Al-Khazaf was impossible to follow with current tools and technology.
While half-listening to the old man's endless chattering.
I finished my preparations.
Suddenly, the voice of my swordsmanship teacher, Maise, brushed past me.
'Arhan, remember. The path to victory can be found even in extremely trivial places. You must take interest in everything and never stop thinking at any moment. That is the same as saying you will fight with your eyes closed.'
And now, my head and all my senses were shouting.
Meeting this band of bandits now was a chance of a lifetime (千載一遇).
That is.
An opportunity sent by God, the only one that would change my future.