Among the four adventurers hired as bodyguards, Lane’s rating was the lowest. The other three were all silver level adventurers.
Spearman Willis.
Rogue Brienne.
Wizard Yanar.
Although they were excellent fighters, I thought they were one step below Bart or Rem, who were of the same rank.
However, when I heard the story of the adventurers, they said it was because they were superior in skill but still lacking in contribution (relatively new).
Each of them made a statement and rode the carriage back to ＜Golden Rose＞ comfortably, and met the family guards commander at the inn.
“I am Bardwell, the captain of the escort. I heard that the lady hired them all on the spot, but since she has a clear eye, there is no doubt about her skills.”
“… … .”
“To put my duties lightly, it is all about escorting the young lady while she goes to ＜Reducable＞, while staying in ＜Reducable＞, and finally while participating in the black market of ＜Reducable＞.”
He was a middle-aged man with a nervous impression, but other than that, he was a very kind person. Bardwell glanced out and said.
“Of course, you must have known that this was illegal, right?”
“of course.”
“But it’s better to prepare properly. Originally, the church knew about it and left it unattended, but rumors circulate that it might be different this time.”
It is probably because of the ‘Golden Children’, a heresy interrogation agency. Maybe for the same reason, he could be in trouble in the magic department.
– Lane Ludwig forgery.
Imagining that narrow-eyed person who approached me with a dark heart made me feel a bit uneasy… … Hey, what’s the big deal?
“Do any of you have something you would like to buy on the black market?”
“I am.”
“Is it Lane? to purchase at your own expense. Of course, if the price is equal to or lower than the remuneration, this side can pay instead of the remuneration.”
No need to.
‘Cause I’ve got enough money
A few small explanations followed, and when Lane couldn’t overcome his drowsiness and yawned, Bardwell finished.
“The entire inn is rented, so you can sleep in any room you want. Go to sleep today and leave tomorrow morning.”
“How long will the journey take in total?”
“If everything goes according to plan, we will be back here in nine days. Are you done now? Disband then.”
* * *
Belwyn, the Ludwig family’s mansion.
A heavy silence fell in the small banquet hall used by the family for light meals.
Ludwig the Skalge sat at the head of the table, where a sumptuous dinner had been set, in an unusual way, his son and wife sat to the right, and the tax collector and Bran sat to the left.
“Now, read it again.”
The youngest, four-year-old Bran Ludwig, who had been washing his hands, looked at the stationery again and began to mumble.
“Lee, Rain, Ludwig, Zunggangotta, I’m just as good as I am.”
“This time, the tax collector should read it.”
“Lane Ludwig has been dropped as the top cadet for the midterm exam.”
The look on Scalzi’s face as he glared at the candle with his pods on was even grim. But the next moment his mouth twitched and laughter leaked out.
“Whoop whoop.”
“Hmmm.”
“hehehehe.”
Not only Scalzi, but also Kavan, Brim, and Sherry began to flirt and laugh. As Kavan clapped his hands once, the banquet hall was brightly lit.
The house’s family members and guards all took their seats at each table filled with a sumptuous dinner, and started clapping in unison.
“Congratulations, master!”
“Congratulations, head of the house!”
“Congratulations, madam!”
This was a celebration party.
As soon as he received word that Lane had become head cadet, Skalge hurriedly returned to Belwyn Manor from Livarden School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a homecoming after 19 years.
Skalge, enjoying the applause, raised a hand to stop the commotion.
“Feel free to listen! The credit of you guys who sincerely supported Lane so that she could grow wonderfully is also great.”
Today, not the Ludwig family’s family members, but daily hired servants were busy making food and carrying drinks to and from the venue.
When the hall was buzzing with the rattling of cutlery, Kavan smiled.
“I thought it might be difficult to aim for the top cadet, since the Warden’s third daughter and many other outstanding lumber came in this time, but I guess I was wrong.”
“What are you saying so seriously?”
“Is that so?”
“What I was worried about was the part about Marhena being the examiner, but fortunately, it seems that personal grudges were not included in the grading.”
“is that so? I heard that the two of you have been close friends since school days… … .”
When Brim carefully spoke to her father-in-law, who had never had a proper conversation with her, Se-ri opened her mouth.
“Grandpa, if I go to ＜Deleiten＞, I will also get the top spot there! Just like my older brother!”
Seri was currently the top cadet of the Middle School of ＜Livaden＞ Magic School. Some people were calling her a genius girl who succeeded Christa.
Naturally, Seri, who learned magic from Rain, gets angry whenever she hears such gossip, telling her to correct it as a genius following her older brother… … .
Scalge laughed heartily as he looked at such an excellent granddaughter.
“Ahahahaha! of course. You are the blood of me, Skalzi. He is a talented person who will add glory to the family name as brilliantly as Rain!”
And he gave Brim a deep smile.
“For giving birth to such great grandchildren, you owe the most. She deserves to be called the daughter-in-law of the Ludwig family.”
At that moment, the emotions that warmed up in Brim’s heart… … It was such an indescribable feeling.
Brim, who felt his eyes watering, lowered his head for a moment, then quietly left the place a moment later.
She didn’t come after a long time, so when Kavan went to find her, her eyes were wet as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief in the corridor of the mansion.
“Na Won, why do you cry so much on such a good day?”
“It was my first time.”
“?”
“Today is the first time my father called me daughter-in-law.”
Brim was the daughter-in-law of a baron family who had fallen, low status, and no means. There was a gap in status that could not be achieved with the successor of the Sedo family, Kavern.
That’s why Skalji, who was trying to find a wife from the royal family of the Elector Count or the same Madose family, vehemently opposed marriage to Brim.
However, when the son did not give up his will, he left the mansion with cold words, “You are not my son”… … .
“I was always sorry. because of me you… … Because I became like that with my father who was close to me. He was also your teacher.”
“… … .”
“If I hadn’t come, you might have married someone of high rank and got along well with your father by now,” he said.
Kavan smiled and approached Brim and nodded.
“Of course it was. Princess Sion was so pretty, she might have been by my side now as my wife.
“… … !”
“But if I had, Lane would not have been in my life. Same with Seri and Bran. All of them are a gift from you to our family. Even my father acknowledged that.”
In the moonlight shining through the arched window, Kavern kissed the back of Brim’s hand. A muffled cry escaped from Brim’s mouth.
“Don’t cry already over this. Isn’t that child’s life just beginning? He will give us more amazing gifts in the future.”
* * *
The journey to ＜Reda Cable＞ was not difficult. It was enough to go southwest along the Sun Road that runs through the southern part of the empire.
The escort adventurers formed a team of two and moved from the front and rear of the moving ranks.
Lane kept hoping for the time to be in the same group as the wizard Yanar… … On the first day, during the night shift, the time came.
“You want me to teach you Yin Ball magic?”
“Yep! Where can you learn that?”
“this… … It may be rude, but I can’t use it without musical knowledge. So, to teach you a little… … .”
“I can’t use it. I was just curious about the principle.”
I thought it was pretty cute to see Lane nodding her head with her eyes shining innocently.
The face is also flat… … .
Yanar cleared his throat and answered as he brushed off his mind that fell in love with handsome men.
“First of all, my geomungo has four strings. Each produces a different sound, and you can choose a magic square as the first string plucked.”
The first line is water, the second line is fire… … In this way, the properties were selected.
“And with the trembling of the hands and the trembling of the strings, we make runes and math formulas with the combination of melodies. It’s hard to explain in words… … .”
“You mean mentally calculating math expressions while playing music? Is it huge?”
“no. So, are all Yin Gong series Yorchen types? There is a way of playing that connects mathematical expressions.”
Suddenly, Yanar’s eyes lit up seriously, and a round and clear melody resonated in the night forest.
“This is a first-order function. This is a quadratic function, and this is a cubic equation.”
wow… … This is a completely nonsense way. Even after hearing the explanation, I still don’t know.
Even when I was young, I tried to study it once, but I gave up right away, and the explanation in the book was too difficult.
Yes, let’s give up the Rigwind type. I really wanted to try it at least once, but I can’t help it because I’m so tone-deaf.
“What are you talking about so much fun?”
It was then that Hirpien approached.
From noble mtl dot com
As if the trip was quite tiring (I didn’t get on the carriage and chattered next to the adventurers all day), I stretched out with a yawn.
Yanar stopped playing and replied politely.
“I was just telling you a little bit about the magic of music.”
“okay? Can you play me a lullaby if you don’t mind? I am so sleepy.”
“I can’t sing a lullaby, but… … I will play the magic as quietly as possible to keep the beasts away and raise an alarm if there is an intruder.”
Then Willis the spearman whistled.
“Please take care of me, Mage.”
“It is music. I’m homeless, but I’ll sleep comfortably.”
The thief Brienne said, covering her cloak like a blanket.
Amidst everyone’s expectant gazes, Yanar began to pluck the strings gracefully, feeling a little embarrassed.
‘Ahh… … .’
Listening to the pleasant melody next to him, Rain felt a comfort in his heart. A new fever for exploration was thrillingly passing through his brain.
‘The world of magic is really big and vast.’
There are still so many magics I don’t know about. The horizon of knowledge that I have yet to go to is so wide.
‘The world of knowledge really has no time to be bored… … There is no end to learning and learning.’
* * *
It was a place where only starlight shone through the cracks in the ceiling. Inside, revealed in the dark, evil statues of ancient Albrazum were weeping.
The Albrazic style refers to an art style prevalent in the era of the Tersian B.C., when the lords of the abyss ruled the world.
This is the temple of the forgotten kings who are out of sight of the Three Gods… … Currently, it was a hideout for the ‘crows’ pursued by the ‘Golden Children’ and the Magic League’s special forces unit.
“so?”
In the narcotic smoke of ancient myrrh, a strangely alluring voice resounded.
“There is no problem with the school. If you wait about half a year, ‘No. 1’ will graduate as a senior cadet. At that time, the operation to secure Rin’s body is perfect.”
At that moment, the flow of magical power that filled the area was twisted and started to blow like a blizzard. As the myrrh smoke dissipated, the majesty of the woman seated on the throne was dimly revealed.
“A dead body?”
Her hair, which once contained the light blue of the sky, was eroded by the abyss and dyed dark blue… … It was not unreasonable to say that her features and body shape, which stood out above her bronze skin, were of a heavenly white color.
“I’m sorry, Miss Tureina. Please forgive me.”
The prostrate man realized his mistake and immediately hit his forehead on the floor. As the woman exhaled cigarette smoke, the suffocating runaway of magical energy subsided.
“So what about ＜Reda Cable＞?”
Only then did the man carefully raise his forehead, dripping with blood.
“‘Number 3’ and ‘Number 6’ are moving.”
“Liveni is on her way.”
“yes. As well as securing the goods, due to its nature, it will stage a massacre, so it will definitely divert attention from the ‘Golden Children’ and the Special Affairs Division. All you need is Turaina-sama’s approval.”
In the midst of the myrrh smoke that even the son-in-law could not fathom again, the woman sucked in the smoke with an old smoking pipe engraved with the dragon’s crest in gold.
ha… … .
And whether it was a sigh of hesitation, or just a sigh of smoke, she answered in a sigh that only she knew.
“Tell me you can do whatever you want.”