Chapter 128
(Kyle
Calendar Year 508: Age 15)
Temporary
Return (Strategy Meeting)
Translator : PolterGlast
As autumn deepened and
winter's arrival seemed imminent, I applied for a temporary leave of absence
from the academy and returned to Teigun. The official reason was for the second
joint supreme tournament; the underlying reason was for countermeasures
regarding the Royal Command Mage Corps.
It had been several
months, but without savoring the feeling of being back home, I immediately
entered a meeting with the key members. Present were Anne, Miseri, Claire,
Yoltia, Christoph, Elan, Bart, Gale, Marianne, and Raphael – ten individuals in
total.
"I believe
everyone here has already heard about the Royal Command Mage Corps. First, I'd
like to hear everyone's opinions." The meeting began with my question.
"The Royal
Capital has come up with something troublesome again. This could potentially
lead to a decrease in our combat strength," Christoph sighed first.
"Not a single
Mage from the Solis family wishes to serve anyone other than Lord Takuhir. I
can say that with pride. After all, you have always chosen such
individuals." Everyone nodded at Claire's opinion. That's right, we
haven't simply been turning talented individuals into Mages.
"But if
high-ranking nobles in the Royal Capital use their political power and resort
to forceful means, Lord Takuhir will be in a predicament. They must have
understood that when they created this countermeasure, right?" Everyone
fell silent at Gale's words.
"Anyone who knows
our past achievements in utilizing Mages on the battlefield would want to make
use of them, wouldn't they? Especially the outstanding contributions of the
Wind Mages." Raphael was right. In the Southern Gate Bloody Battle (as
that battle was called), their contributions were outstanding. However,
although no one in the Royal Capital knew, the Teigun defense line was also an
all-out battle that brought together the powers of various Mages.
"Yes. Probably,
the Wind Mages are the most targeted right now, that's for sure. Besides them,
perhaps the Holy Mages and Earth Mages, who are immediate assets and in demand
everywhere. As an exception, Lady Yoltia, if her existence were revealed, they
would immediately try to seize her, so they'd surely devise various
schemes..." Elan's words met with everyone's agreement.
Yoltia seemed a little
flustered and looked at me. It's okay! I'll definitely protect you, I conveyed
with a nod, though I didn't speak the words.
"Currently, 26
individuals are confirmed to have leaked information. Among them, Sister Claire
would be difficult to seize in practice, so that leaves 25 individuals. And we
are currently concealing 11 individuals, including Sister Yoltia. However,
information could eventually leak through rumors or spies, too." Bart continued.
Of course, those present knew about my four wives.
"We only think of
protecting Lord Takuhir, Teigun, and the Solis Viscountcy. For that, we can
face any enemy, but we have no other ambitions. Regrettably, this sentiment
isn't conveyed." Yoltia's words perfectly encapsulated the Mages'
feelings. They weren't fighting because they liked the battlefield. It was
because they had something to protect that they fought desperately, sometimes
even ruthlessly.
"If they learn
that there are a total of 37 Mages, they will definitely try to seize them. If
it's simply a statistical number, it already exceeds the potential number for a
Duchy; I have to say that. For those in power, regardless of our intentions, we
will surely appear as a threat." Miseri's words made everyone realize once
again the abnormality of the Solis family.
"It feels a bit
vicious, but... we probably have no choice but to accept the Royal Command Mage
Corps. For us right now, that's our only salvation." Christoph uttered
regretfully.
"Yes, you're
right. All of us would gladly follow Lord Takuhir to any battlefield he
ventures to. Even the youngest members like Tiara, Mia, Kinia, and Catarina
share that sentiment." Marianne's words addressed everyone's main concern.
Holy Mage Tiara was only 14, Mia was 15, Ice Mage Kinia was 15, and Wind Mage
Catarina was 16. Besides them, there were others who, for reasons other than
just age, I would be reluctant to take to the battlefield due to their
personalities.
"That's right, is
that the only solution...? No matter how we try to cover it up, there's always
a possibility it will be exposed eventually." Raphael also murmured
regretfully. As the one in charge of intelligence, he keenly understood the
difficulty of completely preventing enemy spies.
"How about we
convey our intentions, and then leave the rest to Lord Takuhir?" Everyone
nodded silently at Anne's words. Thus, the discussion leaned towards a single
direction to some extent.
"Everyone, thank
you. I'm happy to know your feelings, and I share your concerns. I've thought
about this a lot on the way here, and I'm planning to make a deal with the
Headmaster regarding this matter."
This was the first
time I participated in the discussion.
"Officially, I'm
planning to apply for 26 individuals, and unofficially, all of them, to become
Royal Command Mages. It depends on negotiations with the Headmaster, but I
intend to devise a plan so that they don't treat us as mere errand boys.
Ultimately, I want to proceed after talking to each individual and confirming
their willingness. Everyone, I'm sorry. Will you entrust your future to me? You
don't have to answer now. I want you to tell me your honest feelings when I
have a chance to speak with each of you individually later."
Thus, the general
sharing and opinion confirmation meeting concluded. Afterward, I met
individually with all the Mages who had not attended this meeting, confirming
their intentions and future aspirations. And all the Mages entrusted their fate
to me. Incidentally, for those Mages currently remaining in the Royal Capital,
such as Rosa, Sasha, Mary, and Gold, their intentions had been confirmed before
our departure.
Now, all that remained
was for me to negotiate with that sly old man, the Headmaster, on how to
protect them.
Afterward, I held
separate sub-meetings with each person in charge, confirming their progress.
For epidemic countermeasures, in particular, I continued to work late into the
night, finalizing the manual I had created to share information with my mother,
and arranging materials and actual samples.
My stay in Teigun was
only four days. Travel from the Royal Capital takes seven days by horse at a no rmal pace, so round trips alone consume
many days. This was my biggest headache. In an emergency, receiving a report
might be too late.
※
There was one more
person I needed to properly address. I needed to share the circumstances and my
thoughts with Father Grace, in a sense, paying my respects. As I made my way to
the church, I thought again. Initially, I had thought of him as a small-time
operator motivated by money, but with the Royal Capital faction list, the
concealment of Mages, and Rosa's recommendation, Father Grace consistently
delivered results beyond expectation when paid. I believed him to be a trustworthy
individual, simply because money was involved in his requests.
I recalled a certain
conversation with the Headmaster in the Royal Capital.
『Do you understand why the Church desires money? The
Church was originally composed of the clans presiding over Holy Magic. The
other clans expanded their influence by pioneering new lands and establishing
their families as nobles. But their clan was only permitted to expand its
influence within the confined space of the Church. This was due to the secret
role the Church held. Therefore, in place of territory, they demanded
compensation. That's how it is.』
For them, gold coins
were the blood necessary for the Church to maintain its existence and
demonstrate its presence. That's what I believe now.
Father Grace, who
greeted me, had his usual beaming smile, but as our conversation progressed,
his face paled, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Should anything
be revealed, we will protect Father Grace with all our might. I swear this to
God. And I intend to continue to work to benefit Father Grace in the future.
Please use this as contingency funds, in case of an emergency."
Saying that, I handed
him a bag filled with gold coins.
"If additional
contingency funds are ever needed, please don't hesitate to ask."
After I said that,
Father Grace sighed in relief and regained his composure.
With this, for now,
everything that needed to be done in Teigun was taken care of. All that
remained was to settle things with the Headmaster (that sly old fox).
I thought this to
myself, far away in Teigun, unaware of what was unfolding in the Royal Capital.
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