Located not far from the city center of the Capital, it was a prime piece of land that embraced a lake and a stream, not to mention a rear hill.
The grounds of Yukline Mansion were vast.
Vast enough to be too vast. Thanks to the recent explosion in land prices in the Capital, the saying that selling the mansion grounds alone would yield the annual budget of a small-to-medium fief was no longer a joke.
Even Yulli, who took pride in having purchased a three-story mansion in the capital suburbs through her own efforts, seemed to enjoy each day at Yukline Mansion quite a bit.
And for good reason: a morning jog ended after a few laps around the rear hill of the estate, swordsmanship training could be practiced without any worry thanks to the expansive training grounds, and the three daily meals served at the mansion were on par with those of a three-star restaurant.
Originally, Deculein had maintained extremely strict standards for the estate’s vast grounds, but as long as things were kept tidy, I didn’t care what the servants did, so I more or less approved the “import permits” they cautiously handed over.
The servants, with their exceptional ears, caught wind of exotic pottery and tableware, coffee beans and ingredients, flower seeds and carpets from distant lands, and imported the lot under the Yukline name.
Thanks to that, the estate’s gardens and flower beds bloomed with beautiful flowers and trees from all over the world, the mansion’s interior swelled with all manner of charm and fragrance, and clear spaces perfect for summer vacations were created by the pristine lake and stream.
Yulli loved the lake most of all, so whenever she seemed to disappear, she was inevitably lying on that grassy field. Along with her newly obtained pet, Kkamang.
...A place where luxurious coziness and unburdensome abundance embraced its people.
A place where all who visited, even briefly, lavished praise without restraint.
A paradise as tranquil as Paris Hell.
That was Yukline Mansion.
“When it comes to physical combat, basic stamina is the most important.”
Yulli said this in the estate’s training grounds. It had been a very long time since she had not been dressed in light armor.
A gray tracksuit.
“Therefore... Professor? Why do you look like that?”
Yulli tilted her head. I shrugged.
“I haven’t seen you out of armor in a while, and that’s all there is to it.”
“Ah, I see.”
Taking my complaint as mere fact, Yulli tugged at her clothes.
“I’ve worn this since my knight order days. It’s quite good. The material is Pmuren, so it’ll easily last another twenty years.”
“I see.”
“Yes. When it comes to physical combat, basic stamina is the most important.”
Right back to the main topic.
Yulli gripped a wooden sword.
“First, allow me to demonstrate. It is the simplest ‘spinning movement.’”
And she swung—whoosh! Twice.
The first strike traced a diagonal line to the front, and the next spun around to trace the rear. The combination was almost simultaneous. At a glance, one might suspect there were two of her.
“A spinning movement. It is also called a ‘Spin-Move.’”
“Spin Move.”
“Spin Mo-ove.”
“...Spin Move.”
“Hmm. In any case, it is a very basic movement in the world of knights, but the strain on the waist and knees is considerable, so if one’s basic stamina and muscles are insufficient, there is a risk of injury.”
Yulli handed me the wooden sword. I took it and copied the movement.
Swish—! Swish—!
To me, it didn’t seem all that different.
“?”
Question marks sparkled briefly in Yulli’s eyes. Blinking a couple of times, she spoke again.
“Please try it once more.”
Swish—! Swish—!
I repeated it identically.
“?”
A second question mark. Yulli glanced at her curriculum script placed in the shade of a tree.
“You seem to do it well at a glance... Please try it one last time.”
I performed the Spin Mo-ove once more.
“?”
When a third question mark rose in her pupils, I spoke.
“Admit it. I can do it.”
“...You may be able to copy it. But the risk of injury is high.”
“I won’t get hurt.”
“You may think so, but the risk of injury is high.”
“Are you a parrot?”
“That is why basic stamina is essential.”
Beads of sweat formed on Yulli’s forehead as she said this. In her mind, she had likely thought of me as a frail mage like any other and planned to start from the basics.
“For today, we shall start with running. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Yes. Let us go!”
Yulli ran, and I followed.
Hup-two— Hup-two—
Yulli’s running was rhythmic.
I ran while maintaining a gap of about two paces from her.
Hup-two— Hup-two—
Hup-two— Hup-two—
Yulli, glancing over, spoke mid-run.
“You’re keeping up well.”
“That I am.”
“Yes. Keep doing just that!”
The running continued.
I didn’t know to what extent my stamina compared to that of a knight. However, 「Ironman」 was quite a high-tier trait, and I hadn’t neglected my muscular strength training either, so I should be fine.
“Are you alright?”
Yulli asked, turning around.
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
She nodded as if impressed.
The basic training continued like that.
“I shall increase the speed a little!”
“Okay.”
Perhaps because I was keeping up better than expected, Yulli increased her speed as if trying to dampen my spirits.
Hup-two-hup-two— Hup-two-hup-two—
Hup-two-hup-two— Hup-two-hup-two—
Before I knew it, we had run about ten laps.
“...Professor. Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“Oh...”
Yulli seemed astonished that I was still perfectly fine.
The basic stamina of 「Ironman」 felt like it had grown significantly compared to before. Probably thanks to 「Mana Quality」 rising to Grade 4.
“Shall we stop now?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“...Yes.”
The running continued.
The speed was close to a full sprint, and before long, I lost count of how many laps we had run.
“...”
Suddenly, I looked at Yulli’s profile. She was sweating. She looked to be in pain.
I realized belatedly.
When one has a heart injury, the biggest problem is basic stamina.
And among that, cardiopulmonary endurance.
I stopped.
“Let’s stop. It’s getting hard now.”
“...Is that so?”
Yulli smiled bitterly. Her complexion was dark, perhaps because she herself was not pleased with her physical condition.
“Your basic stamina is sufficient, Professor. It seems you have been exercising separately.”
I looked at Yulli without a word.
Suddenly, she was beautiful with sweat.
“...Yulli. You are a knight.”
“Yes. I am, but...”
Yulli tilted her head as if asking why I was stating the obvious. I answered with a slight smile.
“I wanted to become someone befitting of you. So I worked hard.”
“...”
Yulli said nothing. However, her hair stood on end, and her ears flushed crimson.
It was a cute reaction.
“It’s a joke. I did it to save my life.”
“...Y-yes. Is that so.”
It had truly been exercise to save my life, but a shy flush had already risen to Yulli’s face.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Yes...”
I went into the dining hall first, and Yulli followed hesitantly.
Throughout the meal, Yulli kept glancing at me, reading my mood.
When the meal ended, a servant brought out Luwak coffee, and Yulli’s eyes sparkled brightly as she gazed at the premium beans.
“Thank you~”
Watching her savor it sip by sip, I hid a smile.
“Yulli. We’d best prepare. Today is the Imperial Palace lesson.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Time to resume escort duty.
Yulli’s expression changed like that of a hunting lioness.
* * *
...The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace.
The day of the exceedingly troublesome tradition known as the ‘Emperor-Presided Council.’
Sopien sat upon the throne and looked down upon her subjects. Her hands were full of petitions written by them.
“Your Majesty, we are concerned about the problems the opening of Marik will cause. It is right to reverse it even now.”
“The suppression of Jeokgwe is timely, and we believe it is right to focus solely on Jeokgwe for the present.”
“Suppressing Jeokgwe will surely provoke resistance. If chaos and problems occur in Marik at that time, the Empire will be caught between internal and external...”
Sopien’s head ached. She didn’t want to hear a word from those damned bastards. She was so annoyed she felt like killing herself right then and there.
“The opening of Marik is already decided. I will hear no more of it.”
“““It must not be, Your Majesty!”””
A vein bulged on Sopien’s forehead at the subjects’ collective outcry.
‘The previous Emperor always said...’ ‘He never ignored subjects’ petitions so thoroughly...’ ‘If adventurers recklessly prowl Marik, demons will emerge...’ and so on.
The bastards spouted one thing after another like madmen, and just then, Keiron approached and whispered in her ear.
—Your Majesty. Deculein has arrived.
As soon as Sopien heard those words, she broke into a grin.
“Perfect! It is time for my lesson. Now be gone!”
“It must not be, Your Majesty! Nothing has been decided yet—”
“It is a lesson in the Rune language. Do you not know what I am learning from Deculein?”
The Rune language.
Sopien’s invincible trump card.
On the days she studied the Rune language, not even the subjects could touch her.
“Or do you mean to say I should waste that precious lesson time? Can you bear the consequences?”
“...”
“It is the Rune language. The Rune language. Do you not know what it is?”
Only then were the subjects rendered speechless, and Sopien rose from her seat in satisfaction.
“I am leaving. The council ends here.”
...
“You have come.”
The Imperial Palace of the Empire, a place of learning.
The Emperor welcomed Deculein, who was especially welcome today, with a smile.
“Yes.”
“Today there was a truly shitty council. It was a traditional Emperor-Presided Council, so I could not skip it. Those bastard-like subjects pried into this and that. It was revolting to see them nitpick my every word.”
“I see. Let us begin the lesson. Today’s Rune is ‘טִיסָה.’”
“...”
Deculein started the lesson the moment he sat down, and the Emperor’s eyes sharpened like an axe.
“Please try saying it. ‘טִיסָה.’”
“Be.”
“Not be. ‘טִיסָה.’”
“...”
Sopien rested her chin on her hand. Then she looked at him quietly.
The sigh escaping between the Emperor’s teeth signaled her listlessness.
“טִיסָה.”
“...By the way, Deculein. You do not ask me anything about my policies?”
“טִיסָה.”
“You just mutter that damned Rune.”
Harassed by her subjects, her motivation to learn today was close to zero.
Deculein realized this as well and reluctantly focused on Sopien’s words.
“Those damned subjects were desperate to know why I opened Marik. They would oppose it whether they knew the reason or not, yet they welcomed the suppression of Jeokgwe—the very extension of that policy—with open arms...”
Sopien stopped and looked at Deculein with a languid face.
“Deculein. What do you think of my policies? Why do you think the subjects oppose the opening of Marik?”
“...”
The reason the Empire’s subjects opposed the opening of Marik. The reason they desperately tried to close that door even though Marik was already open.
Deculein answered without a moment’s thought.
It was an immediate reply.
“They are likely opposing it on the basis that magic stone supply is already sufficient, so why must we take the risk of opening Marik. I think there is some merit to that argument.”
Sopien’s face stiffened. She then twisted her lips.
“Hmph. Is that so. You are no different after all.”
She leaned back against the chair in obvious disappointment, but Deculein’s words were not yet finished.
He slowly continued.
“However, it is strange. Why is the supply of magic stones sufficient? Mines are clearly finite, yet mining has continued for hundreds of years.”
The space between Sopien’s brows sharpened once more.
“Magic stones keep popping out of mines that should have naturally been closed by all calculations. The merchant guilds that own the ore claim the reason is ‘advances in mining technology.’”
“...”
Those words of Deculein.
She subtly straightened her back.
“Furthermore, the merchant guilds set the price of those magic stones among themselves. Not just the price—”
“They decide the supply as well. 「Ropallasia」, 「Vermonia」, 「Crumakto」. These three guilds are the main players. Because of that, the previous Emperor also tried to maintain an amicable relationship with those three.”
Deculein nodded. Then the body of Sopien, who had been sitting arrogantly, leaned toward him.
“An Emperor reading the mood of mere merchant guilds. It is laughable.”
The inner workings of the continent as Sophien understood them were simple.
More than seventy percent of the mana stones currently distributed by the great merchant companies, in truth, originated from the “Altar.”
For mana stone mines existed even in the Desolate Lands, where human crowds had not set foot for centuries.
Sophien watched Deculein’s mouth.
Hurry. She wanted to hear what this man would say next.
“Yes. However, once Marik is opened, the countless mana stones within it will be mined. The mana stones produced in Marik leave no room for the merchants’ distribution networks to intervene. They fall solely under the authority of the Imperial Family.”
“Thanks to that, those worthless bastards are in a state beyond emergency right now. Marik’s mana stones are a fatal threat to them. That is why the retainers who have been paid off by them keep making a fuss.”
A smile spread across Sophien’s entire face.
Deculein answered that smile.
“Yes. Therefore, opening Marik is a means to strengthen Your Majesty’s power. Also, if among the heads of the great merchant companies there is a Jeokgwe—”
“Indeed. There is a Jeokgwe among them. I know. I also know that if I crush the Jeokgwe like this, the ‘Altar’ will be dragged out from somewhere along with it.”
“The Empire has many internal enemies, not merely external ones.”
“That is precisely why it is an empire.”
The exchange between herself and Deculein continued as if it belonged to a single person.
For Sophien, it was a sense of understanding she had never experienced in her life, but the most crucial part came next.
If he did not know this core point, Deculein would not be able to satisfy her expectations.
“Knowing that, Your Majesty declared to me that you would not campaign internally, but instead against the Desolate Lands outside.”
The Emperor had said that despite knowing the enemies within, she would point her blade toward the external Desolate Lands. She had said that, for that purpose, she would suppress the Jeokgwe.
The flow of that logic was slowly reaching the depths of the Emperor’s heart.
For the first time in a very long while, Sophien was excited like a child. Unable to wait for Deculein’s words, she opened her mouth first.
“Yes. Mana stones are only the first button. Once the opening of Marik starts eating away at those Altar bastards’ insides, I will personally declare an ‘expedition into the Desolate Lands.’”
“Since the Desolate Lands are the Altar’s base, they will feel threatened.”
“If they feel threatened, what those vermin will do is obvious.”
“They will attack the Empire, which will ‘appear’ empty because of the expedition.”
“──Then, at that very moment.”
Sophien looked into Deculein’s eyes.
The straight pupils of one who perfectly understood her will. Those blue eyes were as beautiful as crystal.
“You will annihilate them.”
“I will annihilate them.”
Words uttered almost at the same time.
Already, the Emperor’s smile hung at the corners of her mouth.
To Sophien, the incarnation of ennui and indolence, such insight came naturally.
She had not expended even a shred of effort. She simply came to know it as naturally as breathing.
Her wisdom was that kind of thing.
Perhaps this professor called Deculein was the same.
“Correct. However, I informed you of the conquest of the Desolate Lands from the very beginning. Why did you tell no one?”
“Had I divulged it, I would have become Your Majesty’s enemy. Though Your Majesty would rather have wanted me to wag my tongue.”
“……Oho. You knew even that.”
Deculein nodded.
Naturally, because all of this was part of the “storyline.”
“Ahaha.”
Sophien habitually tested those around her. Until now, the only ones who had not failed that test were Keiron, and the Deculein of today.
“Then, I shall ask. What is Your Majesty’s purpose? Is it merely the strengthening of imperial authority and the annihilation of the Altar?”
“……”
The Emperor’s smiling face sank at once.
Her joy at Deculein’s understanding of her did not even last five minutes.
“I do not know.”
Sophien leaned back against the chair again.
That terribly languid figure somehow seemed sorrowful as well.
“I do not know either.”
A low murmur.
Words returned like an answer to that complaint.
“Then let us find it together.”
“……?”
For a moment, she doubted her ears.
……Let us find it together?
It was something no retainer, not even Keiron, had ever dared say to her.
“……”
Sophien silently stared at Deculein.
Strangely enough, he was filled with a certain “sense of duty.”
Her ennui was not only Deculein’s task, but the task of this entire world, though the Emperor, not knowing that, was simply bewildered.
“This lesson is for the sake of finding that purpose.”
“……”
The Emperor said nothing for a while. Even in that silence, Deculein did not back down.
At length, Sophien waved her hand.
“Enough. Leave now. I am starting to grow tired of your handsome face as well. You seem to have lasted somewhat longer than the others, but from next time, come in disguise or something.”
“The lesson has not yet ended. Please repeat after me. ‘טִיסָה.’”
“……What?”
“‘טִיסָה.’”
Deculein was persistent, and the Emperor shook her head before complying with his will.
─טִיסָה.
The rune manifested.
Its meaning was “flight.”
The entire space rose with a voooom─, and after confirming the response, Deculein stood from his seat.
“Well done.”
“Yes. Go.”
……
The “Hall of Learning” after the teaching mage, that is, Deculein, had left.
Lying on the hard floor, Sophien stared up at the ceiling and murmured.
“Not a single word of falsehood.”
Unconscious lies.
Empty flattery.
Habitual denial or affirmation.
If one were human, one ought to have done such things at least once.
“And there is nothing he does not know. If an encyclopedia were turned into a human, it would become that man.”
Sophien found Deculein’s self-certainty interesting.
He knew her thoughts, her plan, her reasoning, all of it.
From the very moment of their first meeting, when she had said, “I will conquer the Desolate Lands,” he had seen straight through her entire heart.
“And that arrogant nonsense about finding my goal for me…… Hey, Keiron. You heard it too.”
She lowered her eyes, which had been glaring at the ceiling, and looked askance at Keiron.
The man was smiling.
“What are you grinning about?”
“Well, Your Majesty.”
“What.”
“When will you hold your wedding?”
“……Keiron. Do you wish to be executed?”
Sophien glared at her knight. Now, with lethargy encroaching upon her entire body, anger rose in her for once.
“If you intended to provoke me, you have succeeded. I commend you. Add it to one of your tasks.”
“That is not it. Your retainers are worried.”
“Idiots.”
Sophien was in her early twenties. It was precisely the proper age for marriage. Of course, the years she had lived were likely twice that, but in any case, her physical age was so.
“There cannot possibly be a man capable of handling me.”
“……”
Keiron said nothing.
“What.”
“……”
He merely looked toward that door. The closed door.
Sophien grasped his meaning at once.
“Deculein?”
“……”
“Are you insane? I have no hobby of taking what belongs to others.”
“I did not say anything.”
“Your political skill has improved, Keiron. Despite being a knight.”
Keiron merely shrugged his shoulders.
“You are annoying. Get lost as well.”
“Yes.”
Keiron left as if he had been waiting for those words.
After driving him out, Sophien thought quietly.
“Deculein, is it.”
That man looks at the world from the same perspective as I do.
So she could understand why he had such a personality. The world was full of stupid fools, and when one dealt with such idiots, there was no way one would not grow heated and twisted.
“Should I be glad that I am not alone?”
Sophien let out a small laugh.
At the very least, she had found one man she could call “of the same kind.”
Until now she had been half in doubt, but today she was certain. Thanks to that, she might be able to enjoy herself for a while.
For the present Sophien, that much was enough.
“Pft. Insolent bastard. What, find my purpose together? Lessons for that?”
Sophien chuckled as she recalled the conversation from moments ago.
And then, one hour later, she grew tired of it.
……One hour.
For her, it was quite a long time.
* * *
Meanwhile, Epherene was preparing for a trip.
“Towel, toothbrush, soap, shampoo, emergency rations, review book, and……”
The most important thing of all.
Epherene’s eyes widened as she looked at it.
“Aged Loahawk!”
Four pieces of Loahawk that Julie’s father had given her as a gift, telling her she absolutely had to pass. At present, they were her most precious food.
She intended to grill one and eat it whenever she was most exhausted and sad during the exam.
“Hoo…… Shall I go now?”
Wearing her backpack, Epherene took a deep breath and stepped out of the dormitory.
First, she stopped by the administrative office to send a letter to her sponsor, then walked across campus.
These days it was the rainy season, so the weather was not particularly good.
“When will she come……”
Epherene waited beneath the clock tower on campus. At that promised meeting place.
Today, there was a friend with whom she had decided to go to the Floating Island.
“Miss Epherene~ Over here~”
Just then, a gentle voice called to her.
It was Head Maid Lethe. From the driver’s seat, she honked the horn—beep beep.
“Yes~”
Epherene smiled brightly and sat in the back seat. Sylvia beside her looked thoroughly displeased, but she did not stop her from getting in.
“Sylvia, let’s both do well. I want to make it to stage three too.”
“……Insolent Epherene.”
“Hehe.”
Without that line, it just didn’t feel like a proper day.
Epherene simply smiled, and Sylvia, recoiling as if she were looking at some kind of pervert, quietly stuck herself to the window.
“Now then, we’re going~”
“Yes!”
They set off together for the Floating Island.
Booooom─
Watching the scenery flow past outside the window, Epherene thought about her future.
The things she would do under Deculein. Her father’s past and his death.
From now on was the real beginning.
Epherene clenched her fist.
“……”
On the other hand, Sylvia thought only of Deculein. Every time she recalled him, her heart ached, but she could not stop.
Thus, within her heart—perhaps according to Giltheon’s plan—there came to be a person who would serve as firewood.
That firewood was so enormous and so dry that it likely would not burn out even after she became an archmage.
“Huh? That man over there?”
At that moment, Epherene pointed somewhere. Sylvia looked there as well.
The married man they had met before, Karixel, was standing by the roadside. Karixel also seemed to have spotted the two of them, and he approached with a bright smile.
─Oh! Miss Epherene, Miss Sylvia! What perfect timing~ Could you give me a ride as well~?
Lethe glanced at Sylvia to gauge her mood. Sylvia let out a sigh, and that meant permission.
After all, he was someone they would meet at the exam site anyway. There was no need to treat him badly for no reason.