◈ Episode 302. We Never Left to Begin With (2)
The Claudi mansion.
Its vast interior was gradually filling with guests. I had wondered just how many would come, but for now, it was beyond my expectations. Both in terms of sheer numbers and the caliber of each individual.
“It has been a while since we met face to face.”
“Has it?”
“You have certainly matured compared to before, Agentress.”
Polymorph.
He could not enter the mansion with the enormous body of an earth dragon. Kudhannax conversed with the elf, Agentress, in the mansion in the form of a horned dragonkin.
A conversation between a dragon and an elf.
The aura emitted by two beings beyond all standards.
Ordinary people would have had no choice but to watch their every move.
“As expected of a Claudi banquet, Assistant. We are getting quite the spectacle before it has even begun. Wouldn’t you agree? Don’t you think so too, you severely rough-looking red-eyed fellow over there?”
“Indeed. It would be better if you were in your proper place.”
“My proper place?”
“How about climbing onto the table even now?”
“Haha, another barbaric joke.”
And yet they were conversing relatively calmly.
Before long, the appointed time arrived.
Though the Claudi territory was not an easy place to find.
There were no exceptions to Grandfell’s knife-like punctuality.
Ding—the bell rang, drawing everyone’s attention.
A few people flinched in surprise and asked one another.
“If it’s a bell ringing on its own in midair, it must be a magic tool, right?”
No, it was not a magic tool.
The ones I had hired...
More precisely, the spirits Hiel had hired filled the Claudi mansion. After all, a mansion needed servants. But on the Arcana Continent, which had been turned into a complete mess, where would we find manpower?
‘Thank you, Hiel.’
{Unique Spirit}, Hiel.
As if that were not enough, thanks to the blessing of the World Tree, Hiel had become a being free from the hierarchy of spirits. I did not know much about the hierarchy of spirits, but Hiel herself had kindly explained it to me with an analogy.
“If compared to the ranks of the human world, it would be close to an archduke.”
If an archduke in the spirit world was not a Spirit King, then it was probably the rank immediately beneath one. You’ve really risen in the world, Hiel. No, in some ways, you might even be better than a Spirit King.
‘A Spirit King can only command spirits of the same attribute as themselves.’
However, as a {Unique Spirit}, Hiel, as you can see.
Could command spirits of every attribute.
The sight of those spirits was clearly visible to my eyes, eyes that had not lost the sensibility of when my head was a flower garden...
No, of when I was pure.
Ding ding—the lower wind spirit Sylphid shook the bell.
Fwoosh—the intermediate fire spirit Ifrit lit the candles.
Aside from them, spirits of various attributes were busily moving about.
They were preparing for the start of the banquet.
“...A-are they all magic tools?”
Apart from ability, only the chosen few could witness spirits in their natural state. To most people, it must have looked as though the bell rang and the lights came on by themselves.
But that was not what mattered.
I opened my mouth.
“I speak to all of you who have answered Claudi’s invitation.”
Even as I spoke, my mouth went dry.
Of course it would!
From this moment on, I had to wag my tongue as the head of the Claudi family, Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo. Yes, there was no helping it now that things had come this far, Hoyeol.
...Damn it, I clenched both fists and opened my mouth.
“I, Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, welcome you.”
I was truly glad this was not reality and that there were no eyes watching me.
Was it because of that, and I felt mentally stable?
Or was it thanks to my shameless, iron-plated face?
Without even a change in complexion, I met the gazes pouring toward me.
The first to open his mouth was a man whose face gleamed with oil.
“Gamond Phil, master of the Diamond Trading Company. I offer endless congratulations on Claudi’s return! I feared words alone would not convey my sincerity, so I have prepared something...”
The man who introduced himself as Gamond stepped forward.
Indeed, from his appearance alone, he practically screamed merchant.
The expressions appearing on his smooth face were also quite rich.
Thanks to that, I could tell immediately.
“I have prepared gifts in the hope that they may be of even small assistance!”
As expected, those carriages he had brought in droves were the gifts?
In truth, who in the world would refuse a gift?
I, Lee Hoyeol, was no different.
‘It’s basically like a housewarming gift, isn’t it?’
Did he say the Diamond Trading Company?
I did not know much about it, but just from the name, it sounded incredibly rich.
Above all, the fact that he had received Claudi’s invitation was proof of that. From the perspective of Gamond, the master of such a trading company, that level of gift might be nothing more than a roll of toilet paper.
‘Just close my eyes and accept it comfortably.’
It would be good for both sides.
But who was Grandfell?
A principled man who thoroughly separated public and private matters.
The mouth I had feared began to run wild.
“Is it truly a gift filled with goodwill?”
“Yes, of course...”
“Or is it a bribe filled with ulterior motives?”
You’re really asking it straight out, aren’t you? Straight out.
At my words, a small laugh could be heard.
The ones who would enjoy watching complicated human affairs were obvious.
The dragon and the elf exchanged their impressions.
“He’ll have to answer wisely here, won’t he?”
“An insult. Had it been me, I would have cut him down.”
“To think you would have at least warned him first. You have certainly softened, Agentress.”
There was no goodwill in the world without reason.
Inside Gamond’s head, there was surely an estimate sheet befitting a merchant. But who was he dealing with? No matter how many times he tapped away at his calculator, words and actions born from pride could not be estimated.
‘Even I can’t predict them.’
But was this what it meant to be a great merchant after all?
“Of course, it is a pure gift! I believe you will understand once you see the items. They are composed solely of things that will be of help in rebuilding the territory. Haha.”
As if there had never been an estimate sheet to begin with.
Without showing any change in complexion, he answered readily. Since he was smiling so brightly, I even felt sorry, as though I had suspected him for nothing. Now that the misunderstanding had been resolved, I spoke benevolently.
“I understand.”
It would have been nice if it ended there.
I told you, didn’t I?
But this damn mouth of mine never let anything pass half-heartedly.
I shifted my gaze.
This was not something I was saying only to Gamond.
“However, it seems all of you are misunderstanding one thing.”
“...?”
Questions appeared on the faces of those present.
There was only one person who was not flustered.
No, one dragon—Kudhannax.
That was because Kudhannax had already heard this once.
“Claudi has not returned.”
What did they mean by a grand “return”?
By Grandfell’s standards, Claudi had never left the Arcana Continent to begin with. The red-eyed man, the man who had introduced himself as Shahin Dune, bowed politely and spoke.
“Head of Claudi. Shahin Dune, leader of the Dune Clan, dares to ask a question.”
The Dune Clan, was it?
Unlike his rough appearance, he showed a courteous attitude.
From the standpoint of decorum, he passed.
When I nodded, Shahin continued.
“I do not dare to doubt the great family, Claudi. I merely have a question. If you say you have not returned, that would mean you never left... Then where have you been, and what have you been doing all this time?”
Where and what, you ask.
‘Not just Claudi, but the Lee family had fallen on hard times too, you see.’
I had been half-forced to quit Arcana Continent Chronicle and had been busy living my real life. But there was no way Grandfell’s famed style of speech would state such circumstances directly.
Thus, I answered proudly.
“I watched over the Arcana Continent from a completely different world.”
...Well, if you think about it, that wasn’t exactly wrong.
Even after I quit Arcana Continent Chronicle, I would hear major news related to it through the grapevine. However, it seemed difficult for Shahin and the others to understand.
“A completely different world...”
“Are you referring to a new continent other than Arcana?”
“Heh.”
Had I been alone, it might not have been easy to convince them. But in this place, wasn’t there someone who had experience gliding through that completely different world while shouting at the top of his lungs?
Kudhannax stopped laughing and spoke.
“A completely different world is one even we dragons must struggle to access. To put it a little more kindly, it is the homeland of all adventurers.”
Murmurs followed.
“Adventurers, as in those who possessed the authority of resurrection?”
“The homeland of those adventurers...”
“A world even dragons must struggle to access. For what purpose did you enter such a harsh world?”
Because I myself am an adventurer!
Because reality is the true homeland of me, Lee Hoyeol.
I wanted to say it openly and refreshingly.
But if I did, then despite having gone so far as to call myself Grandfell.
I would also have to explain Lee Hoyeol, wouldn’t I?
‘Ho, meaning great, and Yeol, meaning joy...’
Born as the fourth child in a family full of daughters.
A name my grandfather gave me because he was greatly delighted.
I imagined explaining that name before them.
If that happened, wouldn’t there surely be follow-up questions?
‘Then what is Grandfell, and who is Lee Hoyeol?’
If the conversation progressed that far...
I would no longer have any room for excuses.
It meant I might have to lay bare my cringe-worthy past...!
Fortunately, however.
“Claudi moved. Is it not obvious?”
“...Don’t tell me?”
“That is right, humans. The collapsing Arcana Continent and the world of adventurers. Claudi has protected both worlds. From a time even I and my kin did not realize it until now.”
Thanks to Kudhannax adding an explanation that was far more than I deserved, I was spared death by embarrassment. Since the king of all things, a dragon, spoke as though declaring it, no matter how unbelievable the story was.
“Indeed, it was only natural that I could not fathom it.”
Bow—Shahin, who had raised the question, had no choice but to lower his head.
Was it because I had let out a sigh of relief?
Only then did I become aware of myself as the host of the banquet.
‘Even so, I should at least follow the procedure of a banquet.’
I looked around the gathering.
Thanks to the spirits moving busily, everyone was holding a glass in their hand. Once all the glasses were filled and I raised mine, the banquet would truly begin.
‘We can share more detailed stories afterward as much as we like.’
Click—as I picked up my glass, the spirits busily filled every cup. The only ones who could see the spirits were Kudhannax and Agentress. The two lightly expressed their thanks to the spirits.
“Thank you, little friend.”
“Thank you.”
“...”
“T-thank you...?”
Since the dragon and the elf were speaking to empty air, those watching cautiously also offered words of thanks one by one. Did they find that funny? Giggle—the sound of the spirits’ laughter tickled my ears.
Yes, I felt like laughing too.
‘...This really ruins the mood completely.’
At last, what filled the glasses was neither red wine nor clear water. That’s right. By this point, someone must have guessed. What was contained in the luxurious glasses was a green liquid.
Yes, it was green tea.
They say that in Claudi’s territory, Claudi is the law, but... even so, isn’t this too much? Powdered green tea I brought after receiving it through rocket delivery in such expensive glasses?!
Innocence and integrity, and the dignity of a great noble.
The person who could realize such incompatible contradictions in this manner.
Across both reality and the Arcana Continent, it was probably only me. Seriously...!
...
The atmosphere of the banquet was not too bad.
“Haha, now you want me to get on the plate?”
“Is that not where a pig belongs?”
“Then will the Dune Clan be sleeping in the stables tonight? Haha.”
...Well, the war of nerves among the big shots continued.
But in the Claudi territory, my orders were absolute.
No matter how drunk they got, it would probably end at the level of childish wordplay.
More importantly.
‘As expected, they really are extraordinary people.’
As I conversed with them...
I felt as though I understood why they had not appeared on the continent even after the Arcana Continent had been turned into a mess. Just like how the Magic Tower had been unable to act due to complicated circumstances.
‘They were so strong that they were bound by the setting.’
Of course, I did not know how that setting had been realized. But what mattered was that Claudi’s invitation was stronger than even that setting. I couldn’t help but feel my shoulders rise with pride.
‘I said it would be an eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth, didn’t I?’
Whether it was the ominous star or Raymon Sean.
My cringe-worthy past would absolutely not be easy, so brace yourself.
It was at the very moment I was making a vow I could not tell anyone.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
Thump.
Out of nowhere, a shabbily dressed old man appeared in midair. For now, I did not show any surprise. Because of Grandfell’s dignity, I could not be surprised even if I wanted to, and wasn’t that the mana of a portal just now?
‘He knows the exact coordinates of the Claudi territory.’
That was as good as proof that he was not an uninvited guest.
However, soon after, when the old man raised his head and our eyes met.
I could not help but flinch.
The old man said.
“My. What I received was most certainly an invitation from Sir Grandfell, the youngest head of the Claudi family...”
He looked straight at me without avoiding my gaze and asked.
“...Who are you?”