Chapter 8 Part 38
Translator : PolterGlast
In order to get away
from Arcazam, Triforium had brought Shina to the southern commercial district.
Numerous horses and people pass by the south gate and its surroundings, loading
and unloading all sorts of cargo.
The south gate, as it
were, is the main entrance to Arcazam. On the outer rim in front of the huge
gate, unlike other areas, there are spaces for loading and unloading cargo for
logistics, warehouses for storing cargo, and management offices for delivering
cargo to various parts of Arcazam.
The outer rim and the
south side of the commercial district, which is a kind of logistics base.
There, Triforium, wearing a hood so that no one would know he was an elf, was
looking around with Shina by his side, looking for a carriage that would carry
them.
"We have to get
out of this town as soon as possible ... the spirits are starting to get
agitated ..."
It took him longer
than he expected to get to this place. This was due to Shina's occasional
attempts to stop and other resistance even as he was pulling her arm along.
Although her mind had
been suppressed by Triforium's spirit magic, [Whistle of Manipulative heart],
her heart still resisted the old elf's magic.
Even though he had
mixed feelings about his great-granddaughter's resistance, Triforium, while
disguising the impatience that welled up inside him, called out to the driver
of the carriage nearest to him.
"Hey, human over
there, can we take a ride in your carriage?"
"Oh? I'm sorry,
but you'll have to find someone else."
The carriage was large
enough to carry a large amount of cargo, and there were two horses pulling it.
The back of the wagon had a large platform, and there was plenty of room for
Triforium and Shina to sit on it.
Arcazam is located in
the middle of a forest, and the only way to get to the nearby town is by way of
a road.
The traffic on the
road is busy, there are always carriages and other vehicles on the road, and it
is easy to get to the neighboring towns where Arcazam's influence does not
extend.
However, Triforium had
more trouble securing carriages than expected.
Not only because of
the fact that all the coachmen were displeased with his condescending and
pompous tone but also because of the suspicious appearance of the two hooded
figures in spite of the sunny weather, which made them wary of him.
(We've got to get out
of this town fast before Rauls notices us!)
"No other choice.
How about this?"
He took out a gold
coin from his pocket and put it in the coachman's hand. The face, which had
been wary, turned surprised, and then the corners of his mouth turned up in a
grin.
"It looks like
there's a reason why you're here. Well, as long as you don't make a scene,
you're welcome to ride along."
"Hmph……"
While snorting at the
coachman, who changed the color of his eyes after having shown him a little
gold, Triforium moved to the rear of the wagon with Shina in tow.
The back of the wagon
had already been loaded with crates and burlap sacks, and Triforium pulled
Shina's hand and sat down, placing their bodies in the gaps in the cargo.
After confirming that
they were on board, the coachman shook the reins and steered the carriage
toward the south gate.
There are two main
roads leading from the commercial district to the outer edge and to the south
gate. Each is a one-way street, designed to ease traffic congestion.
Once passing by the
logistics base on the outer rim, it was a short walk to the south gate.
But then, a guard on
horseback rode past the carriage in which Triforium was riding.
Nearly ten guards with
spears were posted in front of the gate as gate guards.
The guard on horseback
reported something to the gatekeeper, and the gatekeepers began to move in a
hurry. The old elf frowned at the sight, for it was clearly an attempt to
respond to some unforeseen situation.
"Did Arcazam make
a move? Hmm, just to be safe..."
In order to enhance
the connection with the spirits, Triforium gradually channeled a little magic
power into the surroundings and called out to the spirits to keep them at bay.
At that moment, a
guard, sensing the slight magic power leaked by Triforium, turned his gaze to
the carriage in which he was riding.
Triforium's mouth
twitched at the slight magical power that was immediately sensed. In the
guard's hand was a small, faintly glowing stone.
The old elf had no way
of knowing, but the guard was holding a magic tool. It was an instrument to
indicate that the magic barriers placed throughout Arcazam as a countermeasure
against the violent incident caused by Ken Notis had reacted.
Normally, these magic
tools did not show any particular reaction. The fact that it glowed raised the
guards' vigilance at once.
"Hey, you there!
What are you doing!?"
The four guards in
front of the gate rushed to the carriage in which Triforium was riding.
"W-, what? No,
nothing serious. I was just a little startled by a rat."
"Although you
said so, you didn't seem particularly surprised... Where are you going?"
"To the next
town..."
Triforium tried to
keep his tone as calm as possible, but the vigilance of the guards did not seem
to disappear.
They were originally
on high alert because of the arrival of Vitora from the Empire. Naturally, they
would not have missed the duo sitting in the back of the wagon with hoods over
their heads.
"I see. But why
don't you at least take off your hoods when you talk? It's like telling me
you're being suspicious."
Upon hearing these
words, Triforium gritted his teeth.
If they took off their
hoods, it would be obvious at once that they were elves. And the guard in front
of him did not miss the slightest hesitation displayed by the old elf.
The guard's eyes
turned from suspicion to questioning.
"What's the
matter? Is there a reason you can't take it off?"
Triforium fell silent.
The guards' vigilance raised another notch, and the four guards moved to
surround the carriage.
Having no other
choice, Triforium put his hand on his hood. At the same time, he commanded the
spirits to change his face into that of an old, featureless human man.
"~! A stronger
magical reaction than before! This guy is using some kind of magic!"
However, this action
was immediately detected by the guards.
The guards with magic
tools shouted loudly as they sensed an even stronger magical power, and the
guards surrounding the carriage suddenly became highly agitated.
"You, what was
that magic you just used!?"
"Behave
yourself!"
"It can't be
helped ... -O spirits of the earth. Bind
them with chains of stone."
In the face of the
guards who were ready to confront him with their spears, Triforium chose to
force his way through. He increased his magical power and gave the order to the
spirits he had contracted in advance.
The next moment, the
paved cobblestones swell like jelly and become countless chains that attack the
guards.
"Uwa!"
"What!?"
The chains of stone
bind the guards' bodies and sew them directly to the ground.
"Uwaaa!"
"What the
hell!"
"Get out of here!
Someone is using magic in the town!"
Panic broke out all at
once, starting with the coachman abandoning his carriage and rushing out in a
panic at the sudden occurrence.
Among those who came
to Arcazam, many came from far away as peddlers.
Naturally, many of
them have been attacked by bandits or demon beasts, and they react very quickly
to any kind of disturbance. To the point of being hypersensitive.
Even if the magic used
by the Triforium was intended to restrain them, the merchants who were present
at the scene began to evacuate at once, as if a powerful magic had been used.
Once the commotion
broke out, the rest was like a big rock rolling down a slope. The commotion
grew chaotically, and the guards in the vicinity rushed to the scene at once.
"Tch~, we're in
trouble!"
Triforium moved to the
coachman's seat and quickly swung his hand with magical power.
The spirits of wind
and earth cleared more than a dozen carriages in the direction they were going.
*Burururu, Burururu!*
*Hihi ―― n!*
"It's all right.
We're not going to hurt you. We just want you to get out of here and run a
little bit."
*Burruru...*
*Fushuu~...*
The horses, who had
been agitated, instantly regain their composure upon hearing Triforium's voice
filled with magic power.
Communicating with
animals is one of the unusual abilities of the elf species. The two horses that
communicated with the old elf, with the cart carrying them attached, galloped
to the south gate that had been left open.
"I won't let
you!"
The carriage, which
had begun to accelerate, headed in a straight line for the south gate, just as
they were about to leave the town. A shadow jumped out between the carriage and
the gate with a loud voice and swung a great sword on his back.
With a single
left-handed strike, the blade blasted away the stone floor.
"Hihi ―――
n!"
The horses pulling the
carriage came to a sudden halt, neighing due to the whirlwind and the stones
that flew up in the air.
"Tch~, they've
already caught up with us!"
"My bad. This
road is closed."
A large, blonde-haired
young man, Mars, intervened in the path of Triforium's carriage.
Since he had realized
that Shina had been taken by his great-grandfather, the first place he would go
would be this south gate, the entrance to Arcazam.
He smiled fearlessly
as he carried the greatsword he had struck down with his left hand on his
shoulder, while his right hand was still wrapped in the triangular bandage.
"It was a bit of
a hassle to run all the way here. Stop running around, old man."
"You pretentious
human! Get out of my way!"
Triforium, raging with
magical power, commanded the horses to gallop past, ignoring the people in
front of them. The spirits that he had contracted with also enveloped the
carriage, bestowing all kinds of blessings upon it.
He alleviated the
horses' fears, further attuned their minds to their master, Triforium, enhanced
their physical abilities, and strengthened all the components of the carriage.
It also created a
barrier of wind, enveloping the entire carriage in protection.
Then, the carriage,
which had received the blessing of the spirit, began rushing toward Mars, which
was blocking the road, while being cloaked in a tornado-like wind and smashing
the ground with its drastically increased leg strength.
"Phew..."
Mars exhaled calmly
and lowered the sword on his back, preparing it to be swung.
He did not look
particularly perturbed in the face of the carriage that came charging at him, cloaked
in a tornado.
On the contrary, he
even showed the leeway to smile.
"Let's test it
out."
The next moment, a
huge blade of wind was generated on Mars' great sword. A huge blade of wind,
perhaps two or three times his height. What was most bizarre was the density of
the compressed wind.
The wind was far more
powerful than the wind barrier created by Triforium with the help of spirits,
and it clung to the blade of the great sword he was holding.
“Zeeei~!”
A single sword strike.
With a single left-handed
strike, Mars' wind blade easily cut through Triforium's wind barrier, slicing
through the harness connecting the two horses, and crashing to the ground.
It created a shockwave
and a storm of wind that blew away the carriage in which Triforium was riding.
The carriage jumped up, and the piled-up cargo flew up into the air along with
the old elf.
"U, ooooo!"
Triforium hurriedly
commanded the spirits to try to cushion the falling momentum of himself and
Shina.
The spirit's power
protected Shina, but his own body was slammed to the ground with a great force.
"Goho goho,
goho..."
While groaning,
Triforium got up. The carriage had flipped over and the horse was knocked
unconscious from the impact of being knocked to the ground.
The other horses that
had gathered at the south gate had also started to flee, which meant that he
now had no means of escape.
Triforium ordered the
spirits to retaliate, while gnashing his back teeth from humiliation.
The earth and sand
that had been shattered and flying through the air gathered in the air and
formed countless stone arrows. They were shot simultaneously toward Mars.
The stone arrows
rushed toward Mars, aiming to pierce his body. However, the arrows did not
penetrate Mars' body, but were broken apart in mid-air.
"That's enough,
Triforium-sama."
"As I thought,
it's you, Rauls."
From the side, Rauls
appeared.
His body exuded magic,
and particles of light danced around him. He was the one who disintegrated the
stone arrow that was shot at Mars.
"Yes. As
expected, your actions this time cannot be tolerated. For the sake of my
people, I will stop you."
Triforium's mouth
contorted as Rauls came in his way, and he raged his magic as fast as he could.
His dark-green magical power prompted him to raise his hand in order to command
more spirits.
Reacting to the old
elf's movement, Rauls also thrust out his arm, his magical power raging.
Rauls' magical power
interfered with Triforium's magical power, preventing it from communicating
with the spirits.
"Tch~!"
"As expected, I
can't strip you of the spirits you've already contracted with, but I can
obstruct you from giving new commands. And it is enough to buy some time."
"What?"
"You let your
guard down!"
"Give me back
Shina!"
The next moment,
behind Triforium. Two shadows jumped out from the billowing smoke. They were
Feo and Mimuru, who were waiting behind him.
They jumped on
Triforium from behind and pushed the old elf to the ground.
Feo then pulled out a
talisman from his pocket and attached it to him, and the magic that had seeped
out of the old elf's body dissipated in the blink of an eye.
"It's a magic
sealing talisman. Now you can't use your spirit magic anymore."
"Shina!"
"Guuu!"
To begin with,
Triforium was not physically strong. There was no way he could shake off a
beastman, who had excellent physical abilities and had received more than
enough training.
Mimuru, on the other
hand, left Feo in charge of restraining Triforium and rushed to Shina's side.
"Shina are you
okay? You're not hurt, aren't you!?"
Her mind was sealed by
her great-grandfather, and she stared up into the air with an empty expression
on her face.
When Shina did not
respond to her calls, Mimuru recalled Rauls' words, "He has sealed her
will".
"... Return Shina
to her original state!"
With a voice tinged
with anger, Mimuru looked down at Triforium, who was bound and pinned down on
the ground.
A scorching,
rage-tinted gaze directed at the old man who had harmed her best friend. But
the light behind her eyes was frighteningly cold.
But even in the face
of Mimuru, who exuded hostility, Triforium did not lose his attitude.
"... I refuse.
You must leave this city as soon as possible. This city will be destroyed
sooner or later. By the hand of the Dragon Slayer."
"Damn you!"
"Calm down. Can't
you undo this, Rauls?"
While stopping Mimuru
from raising her hand, Mars glanced over at Rauls. But he shook his head.
"Impossible. The
spirit that maintains the technique is refusing to talk to me. He must have
made a very strong contract."
"Then what will happen
to Shina!"
"Unless
Triforium-dono undoes it, it will remain like this for several decades."
"... Then, what
should we do?"
Now that Shina is in
this state, Mars looks up to the sky as the only ally who can use spirit magic
has given up.
Before he knew it, the
sky, which had begun to be covered by thick clouds, was beginning to sprinkle
with white flakes.
"Snow? But
somehow..."
Certainly, it would
not be surprising if it were to fall during the season. However, there was a
slight residue of magic in the snow.
At that moment, Mars,
who was frowning at the unusual snow, saw a pillar of light rising into the sky
in the distance.
"What the hell is
that?"
"A pillar of
magic power? Even so, a magic power of that magnitude is inconceivable.
Besides, the direction where that pillar is ..."
The pillar could be
seen coming from the direction to the north from Mars and the others. It was
precisely the direction in which the Francilt mansion was located.
====================================
The reception room of
the Francilt mansion. In a room decorated with chalk marble and elegant
furnishings, a silver-haired beauty was sitting on a leather sofa, sipping a
glass of wine.
On this day, Vitora
visited the Francilte mansion to formalize the agreement in question.
Outside, the sun was
already over mid-south and gradually beginning to tilt to the west.
The air was cold, as
winter had already set in. However, unlike back home, Vitora looked up
contentedly at the sunny sky.
Behind her, Rugato
stood in wait, quietly filling his Lord's wine glass with crimson grape wine
whenever it was empty.
As Vitora gazed out
the window, the door to the reception room's entrance slammed open.
"I am sorry to
keep you waiting, Vitora-dono."
The one who entered
was Victor, who has been delegated full authority for this negotiation. Behind
him stood Mena, the maid who served him.
"You don't need
to worry about it. I was able to enjoy a very good wine. But still, it's a
pretty quiet mansion. Are there no other servants?"
Saying so, Vitora
raised the wine glass in her hand.
The wine Rugato had
just poured was already half gone.
"Considering the
importance of this matter, I have sent them away from this mansion for a short
period of time. That said, the wine is a special one that can only be obtained
in the Brûgne region. Once our two countries have established diplomatic
relations, we will be able to deliver enough wine to satisfy Princess in the
future."
"Enough of these
gibberish pleasantries. Let us begin."
The vampire princess,
without looking at Victor, leaning her elbows on the table and playing with her
glass, then began to talk about the conditions that had been proposed by the
Francilt family in advance.
"What you are
asking for is the purchase of mithril ore in our territory. You will be
responsible for ensuring the imports, expanding the port facilities at the Ijen
port, and building the necessary road for the trade, is that correct?'
Ijen Port is located
in the northern part of Forsina and is currently the most northerly ice-free
port in the country.
It is close to the
border of the Dizzard Empire and is a suitable place to collect goods for
trade.
However, the port
facilities are not sufficient for large vessels loaded with imported goods to
enter the port, so it was necessary to expand the port.
In addition, road
construction was also essential. The Francilt family will fully cover the cost
of the road construction.
"The goods that
the Waziart family demands, we will collect and store them within the Ijen
port, and the transaction will take place at the border crossing. The security
of the collected goods will be guaranteed up to the border by the Francilt
family."
There are deposits of
high-purity mithril within the Empire.
The purity of the
mithril is undoubtedly the highest on the continent, and it was the resources
that the Francilt family sought.
On the other hand, the
Francilt family offered to the Waziart family the expansion of the Ijen port,
road construction, and assurance of the quality and safety of imported goods to
the border.
The assurance of
imports also includes insurance for maritime transport.
In maritime transport,
such as shipping, many shippers insure their goods in case of loss of value.
Given that the ship is designed to transport large quantities of goods, it is
not surprising that the insurance is not sufficient to cover the loss of value.
In addition, when
transporting cargo by ship, there are always various fees at the port.
These include dockage
fees, facility fees, warehouse fees, and so on. These, too, are to be
accommodated by the Francilt family.
This places a heavy
burden on the Francilt family.
In addition, the
Francilt family must also provide extensive maintenance of ports, roadways, and
border crossings.
On the other hand, the
Waziart family would be the sole diplomatic contact within the Dizzard Empire,
and would be in a position to monopolize profits through trade.
The reason is that
there are no large ports in the Dizzard Empire, and because of the cold
climate, all ports are covered with ice during the winter, rendering them
unusable.
The other problem is
the exchange rate of money, but this has already been discussed.
In addition, cargo and
money will be exchanged at the border, and the Waziart family will rarely enter
the Forsina Kingdom
Although the initial
investment is enormous, the stable supply of mithril is a major military and
diplomatic advantage.
However, the
fundamental significance of this agreement is that "two countries that had
never had diplomatic relations concluded an agreement, albeit a conditional
one."
When money flows,
human resources flow, and ties are formed, resulting in friendship, which in
turn suppresses wars with other countries.
This was Victor's
ultimate goal.
"Yes, if I may
..."
"No need. Rugato
has told me everything. There is no need to repeat it again. Let me conclude
briefly that I have no objection to signing the agreement."
"Thank you very
mu-..."
"However, I would
like to add one more condition."
Interrupting Victor's
words of gratitude, Vitora turned her meaningful gaze on him, toying with the
glass of wine in her hand.
"Son of man,
fulfill your duty. Fulfill the contracts you made with my family in the past,
and fulfill your obligations. That is the condition of this agreement."
Vitora now brought up
the secret agreement from the past once again.
Victor, on the other
hand, had already anticipated this turn of events, and he did not seem
particularly perturbed, but replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I am sure that
we have already discussed the past secret agreements. The Francilt family will
bear all the financial burden for your country in concluding this treaty. I
don't see any disadvantage to your side in concluding this agreement."
"Yes, right. I
see no disadvantage for us. But it won't do, unless you fulfill your past
agreements."
However, Vitora was
also unwilling to back down.
In the face of a
favorable treaty that could be taken as the deference of the other party,
Vitora was acting out of the ordinary by attempting to break the current
agreement herself.
"I cannot accept
it. Now that the contract itself has already disappeared, the secret agreement
itself is invalid..."
"Does not
matter."
"Pardon?"
"I said It
doesn't matter. I don't care whether there is a contract, or whether it was a
past head of the family who made the secret agreement."
As she drained the
wine remaining in her glass and let her attendant pour wine into the empty
glass three times, Vitora looked out the window.
Her indifferent eyes
did not see Victor. In the first place, from the very beginning of the
discussion, nobody in the room was reflected in her eyes.
"To put it
bluntly, I don't care what you have to say, nor do I care about this agreement
itself. The reason I came to this city in the first place was not to have this
talk. Such trivial matters can be left to Rugato."
"Is it Nozom
Bountis?"
The moment he mentioned
Nozomu's name, a strong light flashed in Vitora's seemingly inorganic eyes.
The eyes of Dead Demon
Princess, who has been paying attention only to the Dragon Slayer outside the
window and in the distance, finally turned to Victor here.
"Yeah, that's
right. Hand that man over to us. Otherwise, hand over the beloved daughter of
the Francilt family and fulfill our past agreements."
Hand over Nozomu
Bountis. As she spoke so, a look of ecstasy appeared on her face.
Magic power began to
rage from Vitora's body as if she was considerably aroused. A cold sensation,
as if his whole body was immersed in ice, hit Vitor.
The glass in Vitora's
hand froze and cracked, and the cold air that gushed out of her body gradually
began to spread throughout the reception room. The entire room creaked and the
atmosphere began to scream.
The oozing magic power
eventually became dense enough to be seen and began to engulf the entire
Francilt mansion, not to mention the reception room.
Victor glanced out the
window and saw that it had begun to snow, perhaps under the influence of
Vitora's magic.
Truly a witch, or even
more than that, an existence literally of a different dimension, separated from
the rest of the world. A transcendent being who can spread misfortune as if she
were breathing.
While desperately
trying to keep his heart from breaking, Victor spun his words as if he were
trying to choke them out.
"... I can't do
that. He is now a student at Solminati Academy. I do not have the authority to
make a decision regarding his status."
Despite being
intimidated by the overwhelming presence, Victor uttered words of rejection.
Vitora, who had
expected him to hand over Nozomu in exchange for his daughter, turned her gaze
of interest for the first time to the mature gentleman in front of her at his
unexpected answer.
"Hou~, then, hand
over the beloved daughter of the Francilt family..."
"I can't do that
either. I already have no daughter."
I have no daughter.
Vitora's mouth turned up slightly as she realized what was behind his words.
"I see, I see. So
they have been kicked out of their homes. Certainly, if they are already cut
ties with you, then I will not be able to touch them under the contract. But
you think I will back down because of that?"
"No, I don't
believe so. However, I have a better offer for you. At least, a good enough one
to relieve your boredom..."
Vitora's magic is so
powerful that even her own people are afraid of her, hence the only subordinate
in her castle is Rugato.
Even though he was
exposed to her magic, the man in front of her looked straight back at her. With
an intense desire in his eyes to achieve absolute victory.
In the face of
Victor's eyes that seek victory, Vitora's eyes finally began to take on the
color of enjoyment.
As an individual, his
strength is not worth mentioning. But Vitora was beginning to take an interest
in Victor to the extent that she was willing to listen to his offer.
Then, Victor slowly
opened his mouth.
"Vitora-dono, I
would like you to marry me."
"... Ha?"
From the mouth of the
famed witch, a dumbfounded voice, not befitting a place filled with tension,
escaped.
