75 – Episode 75
#75
Ian thought that Lady Serena had conducted a “johon.”
Johon is a term that means getting married quickly in one word. It was roughly a marriage with a girl of about 13-14 years old.
From a modern perspective, johon was a barbaric custom to an absurd extent.
At 13 years old, isn’t she just a child who has just entered puberty? And she’s getting married to someone like that?
But humanity always surpasses the expectations of modern people.
They did it. They did it indiscriminately around the world, regardless of region.
In the past, when lifespans were short, the standard for adulthood was faster than it is today, so there were many cases where people just claimed that the marriage, which seemed like a johon, was at a reasonable age and moved on.
There were cases of johon for cultural and religious reasons… but Lady Serena’s case didn’t seem to fall into any of those categories.
With brown hair and deep green eyes, she was a typical imperial woman, and her religion would naturally be Cheonsin-gyo.
No matter how barbaric the era was, pedophilia was not welcomed within the empire.
Ian thought that Viscount Debussy was an amazing guy.
But when he saw Lady Serena’s children, Ian’s thoughts changed.
“Please come in, magician.”
“Welcome, Mr. Magician.”
“???”
The first son was about the same age as Ian, and the second daughter was slightly younger than Ian.
“Galladin. Are those people really Lady Serena’s children?”
“Yes, they are. Is there a problem?”
“Well, Lady Serena’s age…”
“Ah, she does look quite young.”
Not just looking young, though.
Surprisingly, Lady Serena had not undergone any rejuvenation treatments.
She simply… defied the passing of time. If she were born in modern times, she would have been chosen as a cosmetics commercial model right away.
“Is she really the mother of those two children?”
Belenka was also shocked to hear Lady Serena’s age.
And unlike Ian, Belenka didn’t make any excuses.
“That woman. Did she make a pact with the devil?”
…”
Galladin looked perplexed but didn’t say anything. These knights of this era were impolite, but it was nothing new.
“I don’t think so.”
“Is there any solid evidence?”
“… None, I’m afraid.”
Lady Serena’s astonishing anti-aging, which would have been celebrated as a divine blessing under normal circumstances, now only served as an opportunity for attack, as Lord Devoche lay ill.
Lady Serena’s enemies claimed that she had purchased her youth from the devil and in return sacrificed Lord Devoche.
“You must be tired from your long journey. Rest well first, and then we can talk.”
Ian headed towards the Marquis’s castle, guided by the two wives.
#
The first thing he noticed was the sheer number of people.
All the territories he had visited so far were rural, with clear separation between the residences of the commoners and the nobles.
As a result, the overall atmosphere had been very quiet.
But the Marquis’s land was different.
Like Yeouido, it was a territory built in the middle of a river, forcing people to live in close proximity.
As a result, there were a considerable number of people visible at a glance.
It was a much busier land than River Ville.
Ian wasn’t the only one who felt the vitality of the territory.
“There are so many people. How many are actually living here?”
Belenka was also slightly surprised by the bustling atmosphere. She had traveled a lot, but she was originally from the Winz Baekguo, a land known for being cold and sparsely populated.
Galadin replied enthusiastically.
“We’ve already surpassed 2,000 people last year.”
“Wow. 2,000 people?!”
“That’s amazing.”
“No wonder it was said to be extraordinary!”
At Galadin’s explanation, the people from Talien were startled.
Wow! There are 2,000 people living here!
Are we going to sink the island at this rate?!
However, unlike the shocked medieval people, Ian remained calm.
Ah, a population of 2,000? That’s quite decent for the medieval era.
In fact, Ian had a rough idea of the pitiful population of the medieval fantasy world since he was young.
The population of the busiest city in the Empire, located in the Duchy of Hastria, was 70,000. The source was the walking Wikipedia, Teacher Eredis.
To modern people, 70,000 is a meager number, but in this era, it was an enormous figure.
The population of a city-state located in the Coral Sea in the south was about 100,000, so a single city in the Imperial Duchy had a population comparable to that of a city-state…
…even if you package it nicely, it was still pitiful.
For reference, the population of Seoul is 10 million.
If the citizens of Seoul just spit once, the residents of Duke Deborci’s castle would drown.
But compared to well-developed modern cities, it wasn’t that bad, considering it was the post-apocalyptic era.
A survivor group of 2,000 people after the apocalypse?
Oh, not bad, huh?
Galladin hoped that Ian would voluntarily settle down, impressed by the grandeur of the castle. But Ian was not impressed by this mini-residence that resembled a drama set.
It must be when they get to the big city managed by the Duke. They’ll think, “Wow, this looks like a medieval scene from a movie.”
As Ian chatted with people, he was momentarily taken aback when he turned a corner.
No, until just now, it still felt like I was in a castle.
Over there is a fish market.
No, it feels like Line 1 of the subway?
The reason Ian was taken aback was because the corridor was filled with people.
Not only were there people muttering something, but there were also people sitting on the floor.
This is possibly a shelter for the homeless-
“This is the Marquis’s bedroom.”
“…”
Ian, who was about to ask if this was a homeless shelter, was at a loss for words after hearing Galadin’s answer.
Why are there so many homeless people in front of the Marquis’s bedroom?
But the identity of the homeless people was quickly revealed.
“Oh! Brother! Long time no see!”
“Brother…?”
The Talien priest pretended to know them.
Now that he thought about it, they were clergy who had come from various places to cure the Marquis’s illness.
There were priests and monks…
They were aspiring adults who came here to cure the Marquis’s illness through prayer and miracles, in order to become famous as healers.
“Excuse me, do you have any tea?”
When the Talien priest asked, the other clergy members shook their heads.
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“I’m not sure. It seems that maps and prayers have no effect.”
“Perhaps it’s not the work of demons after all…”
“It’s because our desperation is lacking.”
It is said that the clergy members mobilized every possible method to cure the Marquis’s illness.
They fed him holy water, burned medicinal herbs, and even fed him foods that were said to be good for the body…
From morning till night, they stayed by his side 24 hours a day, reading scriptures to him.
However, there was no hope of improvement in his condition.
“Isn’t it useless to do that nonsense?”
Ian looked at the clergymen with a skeptical gaze.
The clergymen seemed to have treated the viscount diligently in their own way…
But in Ian’s eyes, they were all ineffective methods.
If the viscount was really sick enough to die, would eating good food cure him?
It would have been better if it was a curse. Maybe prayer magic would work.
“But what about that person…?”
“That is Ian Eredis Raven. A diligent and reliable magician.”
“Magician Raven! The magician who made potions with the help of the heavens!”
“???”
Ian tilted his head at the sudden enthusiasm.
He did make potions (or rather, saltwater) to boost the morale of the soldiers before.
But how did the clergymen know about it???
One of the clergymen warmly shook Ian’s hand.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Helping the Holy Order of Santiago and hunting a Manticore?”
“That’s right.”
He didn’t really do anything.
As far as Ian remembered, all he did during the Manticore hunt was a few flicks of magic from the back.
The result of that magic flicking was so remarkable that he easily forgot about it. Ian didn’t really suffer at all. The Holy Order did all the hard work.
“The Knights of Santiago praised you so much!”
“Do you know the Knights?”
Ian asked, and the clergyman replied with a pretentious tone.
“Of course I do! How could I not know those faithful brothers! They even defeated the troll that appeared in the forest not long ago!”
Ian nodded his head upon hearing news about the Knights after a long time.
They were still hunting monsters. It was good to see that they were still strong.
“Everyone gathered and said that the magician Ian is a very faithful magician! They said you studied the scriptures together…”
“It was just studying the scriptures together, nothing more.”
As Ian finished speaking, the clergymen approached him with shining eyes.
Ian felt a chilling threat along with a sense of danger.
Although Ian himself was unaware, in the eyes of the clergymen, he appeared as a very provocative newbie.
Look at him! He’s a newbie who has just entered the mysteries of religion!
Look at him, hopping around! Why is he so adorable?
There weren’t many people who simultaneously pursued magic and religion. Since the soul of the heavens rarely responded to the call of humans, it was a mystery that severely dampened the enthusiasm of magicians.
Because one had to patiently and consistently approach it with strong perseverance and firm faith, the soul of the heavens was a mystery that could not be handled without deep faith.
And religious people didn’t bother to study Maronius language.
After all, they believed that they could communicate with the heavens through their faith in their hearts, even without the strange language created by the ancients. They thought it was a waste of time to learn the obsolete magical language.
There was even a tendency to ignore Maronius language users.
I performed miracles with just my sincere faith. Did you request miracles with Maronius language? Isn’t that cheating?
Conclusion: Your faith is fake.
From a religious perspective, it was a provocation that scratched at their beliefs, so there were people who were disgusted and refused to learn Maronius’ language.
However, like Ian, they thought it was very generous for someone who had already learned Maronius’ language to join the religious community.
You’ve done a lot of public service and know a lot about the mysteries of the world, right? But there is no mystery as great as the soul of the heavens, is there?
You’ve become immersed in the Celestial Faith.
Satisfied. Content.
In fact, Ian studied the scriptures because the goddess or whatever kept boasting about it.
The priests didn’t know about this fact.
“Oh, by the way. Did you come to check on the Viscount’s condition?”
The priests wanted to have a serious religious discussion with Ian, but seeing Galadin’s expression, they quickly made way for him.
“Ian, I sincerely ask you. Please take good care of the Viscount.”
Galadin held Ian’s hand and spoke.
He had forgotten that his usual behavior was foolish, but he was one of the esteemed individuals of this temple.
The fact that such a person was sincerely asking for help was proof that he was genuinely concerned about the Viscount.
Ian didn’t dislike people like Galadin who put in effort.
Even if it meant thoroughly examining the Viscount’s condition, as seen by the effort he had put into escorting Ian out of the territory, he had every intention of doing so.
“I promise. I’ll do my best.”
Galadin began praying with the priests.
Ian entered the Viscount’s bedroom with Kira.
“Why am I…”
Kira cried, but Ian ignored her.
She was not a wanderer by birth, was she? She might have acquired knowledge from somewhere.
“Why. You’re a magician too.”
“I told you to stop using magic so recklessly! You should stop pretending to be a magician!”
“It was a joke. But just in case, you should also see it.”
“… I’ll trust only you, Ian.”
Ian took a deep breath and smelled the scent of the bedroom.
A faint scent of perfume. No other smell. It was evidence that the viscount took good care of his body.
Except for his emaciated cheeks, the viscount had no peculiarities to be found.
He simply seemed to be asleep, breathing as if he were tired.
But he didn’t look like a healthy person.
Even in Ian’s eyes, the viscount was deteriorating.
“He looks as if he has aged rapidly.”
As soon as Ian saw the viscount, he thought of an old man.
An old man who couldn’t move due to lack of energy, waiting for the day of his death.
If his face had been wrinkled, it would have been a believable sight that he was dying of old age, not a disease or curse.
Ian focused his mind and listened to the voice of mystery.
“…”
But all he could hear were the murmurs of the usual voices he had grown tired of – the mystery of the wind, the mystery of the earth, the mystery of darkness, and so on. He couldn’t hear the voice of a special mystery.
Either Ian’s abilities were lacking, or the mystery hadn’t come to him. It was one of the two.
But Ian was a cheat ability holder in this world. If he had discovered a new mystery, the status window would have immediately shown his progress.
If that’s the case…
“It’s not a mystical feat?”
It means death caused by a physical phenomenon, not magic.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t Ian’s area of expertise. He could barely imitate a diagnosis by the time he became a medical student.
“I’m sorry, Galadin.”
Ian made up his mind.
After observing the Count’s condition for a few days, if he still couldn’t figure it out, he would just continue the journey.
“Kira, any opinions?”
“…I have none.”
He had expected as much. Kira also knew nothing.
However, she did talk about the Count’s appearance.
“He looks like someone whose vitality has been drained.”
Ian reflexively thought of a certain face.
Lady Serena, with her surprisingly youthful appearance-
At that moment, they heard a commotion in the hallway.
As Ian and Kira stepped outside, the sound of a heated argument reached their ears.
“Is that how you speak to me now?”
“Why? Does it bother you?”
It was Lady Serena and Lady Catherine.
Ian found himself unknowingly cheering for Lady Serena…
Mrs. Serena was cuter and prettier than Mrs. Catherine, to be honest. With her fresh hair and sharp features, Mrs. Catherine had a rather fierce appearance. Ian couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at Mrs. Catherine. “Wow! An evil noblewoman! She’s like a typical villainess you’d see in an anime!” Even Serena seemed to have a stepmother-like atmosphere, as she looked too young and tormented her adopted daughter. However, unlike Ian, the other medieval people cheered more for Mrs. Catherine. The reason was quite reasonable. “Even though there are rumors that the lady is stealing the Marquis’s youth, it’s very suspicious that she must meet the Marquis…” It wasn’t just one or two people who doubted Serena’s super anti-aging. When Catherine mentioned that fact, Mrs. Serena immediately launched a counterattack. Smack! A counterattack (physically). Mrs. Serena’s delicate jade-like hand slapped Mrs. Catherine’s cheek. “Who spread the rumors?” “No, my lady!” “Calm down!” The priests rushed out and separated the two. If they were going to intervene, they should have done it earlier. These priests were pretending to intervene now after watching all the interesting parts.
Ian felt a sense of regret.
Ah, if only they had fought a little later. He missed the early part.
Ian put his regret aside and spoke.
“Both of you, please stop.”
When will be the nxt chapter?
Thanks for the translation