Chapter 166
r4x“…It’s not a bad idea.”Q7njWYl
MsiuAfter finishing his conversation with Adolf, Count Daniel Kool returned to his tent and fell deep into thought.Gdgl
ahF3IuCasting hypnosis on Fernan Pellenberg was an excessively risky move, but if it worked, it would be a masterstroke.liQcKK5
qlYThe heir of the Pellenbergs. The hero who, alongside Aint, had eliminated countless Corrupteds.JwPNiV
dmtTojyIf he managed to place a hypnosis spell on him and turn him into a spy, the summoning of the demons would accelerate even more.NkD
rNo“Above all, the location is perfect…”lQJRmdn
GVxNUnder normal conditions, at the Academy, he would never have dared attempt it.UIYjZ
KAhgjeFernan was always surrounded by powerful escorts.6RUZgzW
2ChUEgBut now it was different—the one leading those escorts was Adolf Fridian, and Adolf was on his side.ZZ3n
cezMp0“This is the moment. I myself served liquor to everyone, and now they’re relaxed.”gPHR
isslEIt was the ideal opportunity to seize Fernan’s mind—perhaps one that would not come again.2TP9
dscntM“Let’s see…”N6Bgh7U
MKjVHlCount Daniel pulled out a book from his chest that he had kept hidden.km5cZUO
h3KdCasting hypnosis wasn’t easy. The stronger the person, the more solid their mental walls; in someone of Fernan’s level, it was normally nearly impossible.wPne3
1v0GBut with the power of that book, it wasn’t entirely so. In exchange, much of the grimoire would burn, but it was worth it.aaTN
cuRU“Count Daniel.”CGzu
XuMSomeone called from outside.heLB
UaPd“Young Fernan?”gNKlWW
1irlX“Is something wrong? I saw you enter in such a hurry…”NcyIADp
VJ6H“It’s nothing. The atmosphere was lively, and I fancied a good whisky.”hXqW
aeFPjWjThe Count pulled out a bottle and opened the tent.STTZb9v
ICV“What a coincidence. Would you like to drink with me in my tent?”wam6mbS
kLz“Arbang from the year 55… A great liquor. How could I turn down a free glass?”qi4ok
z0kp3rFernan entered smiling. Daniel poured whisky into the glasses, adding ice created with magic.V1Xe
JYsIYi“The aroma is excellent.”3Xn8M0R
0Da3zXz“It’s top-tier liquor, naturally.”2C92S8
LfNThey clinked glasses with a soft chime.hCWE
ZgC6Daniel tapped his glass with his fingers.H0k4j
oqI6“What do you think?”ruTw
rv3“Magnificent. Being friends with a distillery owner has its perks.”WLGjIV
fvSx“Jaja, but you can get anything you want.”SLgN
hb1“Free always tastes better.”zoyCRAK
OC3TgQFernan smiled.9GC
qnOu“Another glass?”b7Vpfu
Keq3Y“Please.”DCjsL
rn49uWhile serving more liquor, Daniel dropped the book on the floor as if by accident.UfEq
GbYlI9T“Ah, clumsy me. Did I splash you?”LTc
CutAA“No, I’m fine. Though, what kind of book is that? The binding looks rather old.”U8DEGcH
KBoBS“Would you like to see it?”IZDJ
yih1O“May I?”0wjQN
aMWKHz2“It’s just a common book.”meECq
QcNB6vhFernan opened it.ivvkUHx
vhr“Doesn’t look like anything…”dmxy
UbArnfrAt that moment, his eyes clouded, and his body froze.msZd
wkD5QbFive seconds passed.XeGt
ZPQr“Thank goodness—he has many artifacts, but none for mental defense.”noF2i
RUMB2eAIf he had, the effect would have dissipated instantly.TFxFPYa
BJZbaConvinced he could proceed, the Count recited a spell.GYt
rOrzgaBlack flames rose. The book burned while a dark, subtle magic seeped into Fernan’s body.I4Hun
I4JmSome time passed.Hjx
Xjb“…Not easy at all.”e7J
ezyDaniel’s clothes were soaked in sweat.SYoe
f4pThe pages kept burning in the dark fire.LHJd2kC
BwR07kc“Fernan Pellenberg, you saw nothing. You heard nothing. Adolf Fridian has no relation whatsoever to the Corrupteds.”QVeOiEt
i8jJp8WEven so, he smiled.2YVx7b
LdleDo3“You saw nothing… You heard nothing… Adolf Fridian is not a Corrupted…”uDU
FmO3sVCThe hypnosis had worked.8mBDUks
NHPThe grimoire was half-destroyed, and the effect was limited to a small hypnosis, but it was enough.EZmUh2
Sfax“Who heard what Jeffrey said?”pvW8hj
MJsNkJ“Me, Aria, Gismond, Hyde…”BnIia
nMA2C“Bring Aria and Gismond here.”EDn
qVz“…Aria, Hyde, and Gismond… I’ll bring them.”QWLDIm
gQ0FAria entered first.zcbM
GipNi“Senior? Why is Count Daniel…?”roReq
oBiLJO“Ah, Lady Aria, I thought I’d share a fine liquor with someone special.”niT
KbNuB“The senior wanted to drink with me? He’s finally making connections…!”HNUfw
3psDaniel opened the book in front of her eyes. Aria’s gaze turned glassy.SgNwr
s5gH“Did you call me, young master?”dQ0QHS
EmBv7eThen Hyde entered.CmkF
Hhjfd“Drinking together? I’m curious. What kind of liquor do wealthy nobles drink…?”t5Xjhg
UpkALastly, Gismond Ert.J2vr9jI
lHIDV“…What is this?”7Dl
QJeThe Count’s expression tightened as he tried to ensnare him too.wK8T1jq
Uul“What kind of mana is this…?”Mnzqok
qPkThe strength of a mental wall didn’t depend solely on the amount of mana, but it did influence.8uaXf
LEtP1JqAnd Gismond’s was even more resistant than Aria Fridian’s.K8N
YUxAL“…I’ll have to burn the whole book.”3C0M6h
MT6Finally, the grimoire was completely consumed.QATnMZR
Wa23gAt least he had achieved his goal—planting the seed to continuously use Fernan Pellenberg.1YSN
OMPRT***PVZ61
UZWnDnEUpon waking, Fernan felt like his head was going to explode.wwGY
J4AoK9HWhat had he done last night?j5UOD38
8v6orHe drank with Count Daniel, yes. Before that, he accepted every drink offered by Aria.Ulm
H0hTZf‘It’s not like me to drink that much.’G9NtLlD
vWpukbfAnd before that…kfKaR5M
Am9‘What did I do?’pPgb6
N4Nj3He had found the dwarves.TWp
Zav9SHe had secured a one-week deadline to return with evidence.4PZH
ybotAfter that…aI8bR
5pD3‘After that… what happened?’HKJz
3lIzuNothing in particular. Clearly, Jeffrey had been mistaken.GZpruWH
XyDnBnThey had simply unjustly suspected an elf.2eH5
xH20C4N“Young master, are you awake?”QbiTRS2
KPNZAKI“Yes.”6pTAK
hs1Hyde entered.hvGNf5t
BpH“Do you feel better?”cu0tsGM
5G3et“I feel like my head’s going to split.”GLK
yXv“You drank too much last night—it’s normal.”0zEsP
PHF“I drank that much?”r8I
5bBz“You drank for hours with Count Daniel. You even called Lady Aria and Gismond, and insisted I join…”FsM
BXE“Enough.”kJSDO5
2uPQ7Last night, he had drunk like a man possessed.Xhv
wq57“Nothing strange happened, right?”2qoi
rRBa“Nothing. By the way, what do you plan to do now? Adolf Fridian turned out not to be a Corrupted after all.”1I89x
oCDO“I’m thinking about it.”Alfk
xhP“Already have an answer?”xNlk
fh3culs“I’ll send a letter to the Marquis saying it was a simple misunderstanding. I need to close this quickly.”WD5
uDTS8Normally, he would’ve tried to buy time and gain an advantage.QV1XEX
sWp1xLC“But the dwarven city is more urgent.”sOB
hxt2kaBecause there, it wasn’t just Corrupteds—there was a high chance a demon would be summoned.Ei8npdl
KQJr“Understood. Here, young master, honey water.”vvQ
Aqw8NvThe warm sweetness eased his discomfort slightly.fqopHT
pl3T“I also brought water to wash up.”lU8M
Qii“Thanks.”IrSLV
WyQn6Fernan rolled up his sleeves and began washing his face.9nM
mQNlAbQOnce.nf6ECT
866kIfaTwice.pZa
smeAnd on the third time.ievDRim
6VCXb“……?”ILr
mLsHis movements slowed down.SpF1
P12Sb5“Young master? What’s wrong?”Wn1l44b
8EUiOHyde, noticing something odd, asked, but got no response.2zko
Vm8yqAt that very moment, Fernan plunged his head completely into the washbasin.tHKzIF
G7wsRP“Young master!?”MR4X
L23LfWHyde panicked, but Fernan, without lifting his face from the water, waved his hand to signal he was okay.E0sON
DFwAnd after a moment—bASt
BGl“…Those insects dared cast hypnosis on me.”1zL46LL
HWVR“Hypnosis? What do you mean?”TOk4m
eq4nH“Hyde. Stay still.”NuPUJ5
sZ66MFFernan approached with long strides and dunked Hyde’s head into the same water.UdQxm
wExHe looked up.uIwrcH
bEvw0“Indeed, just as the young master said. Preparing the water as holy water in advance was the right call.”9FH
6A5His eyes shone coldly.tFQ5
NgM“Now I’ll kill everyone who dared go against you…”JNE
2jxB“Don’t. I let myself get caught on purpose.”9MP
lKF1HFernan had worn Wooden and the bracelet that strengthened his mental barrier just in time.5jtULOg
M2GThanks to what had happened, he had obtained very valuable information.2O8O
0po“That book…”SKokNP
mIEnxQThe very same one with nothing written in it. It undoubtedly hid something.iO6hN
3qtThe same thing had happened with that Corrupted they’d seen alongside Professor Rosalia—Daniel Kool had also amplified dark magic through a book.NMU
t0X“But it had nothing written inside.”Sce
v8uYKUWhat Rosalia had said about blank pages was true.0bVSju
nnwk2A4A grimoire should emanate the energy it contains, but in this case, nothing could be sensed until the Corrupteds invoked their magic.iaT
LMgnP“…Next time, I’ll get it—no matter what.”LdX6r
25woIf he could discover the principle behind how it enhanced the power of the Corrupteds, he could prepare more effectively for the future.v6r
4qaKHe might even be able to create a new artifact.H6C4bT
ZT5S“I’ll write a letter right now. Send it to the marquis.”ACyKG
CN4Du2EFernan put on his cloak.KOP
EiFS“Where are you going, young master?”bdZrfY
7w9T“I’ll tell Adolf Fridian there are no profitable resources here and that I’m pulling out.”IuUydEY
RuaThat way, during the remaining days, he would ease his enemies’ minds and secure the path back to the dwarven city.oXUe14
asM3oG“And what about Aria and Gismond?”sgWacz
a0tRe“Leave them for now. We’ll have a chance to free them later.”Hlt1n3
cBjB“Understood. I won’t give away anything.”W93yl7
6NG“Good.”NkfG
vFQFernan and Hyde left the tent.wLZ
hOKdOi***GRoND6
DyEN“Then I’ll take my leave.”sgVi
q4qRO1R“It was a pleasure having you here.”q0ta
LrUwAt dawn, Count Daniel Kool departed.SP5
K74kIn just four days, it was enough to shut down the camp under the pretense that there were no exploitable resources.bDf1r0
V8XCgB“I’m very grateful for all your time. It was a big help.”w0NU
ZHaf“I was just doing my duty. It’s a shame—I was hoping for a good mine.”vM2O
56aSHfD“It’s not that there wasn’t one, just not profitable enough. Extracting from pure rock takes too much money.”Ln0j
QDZHWith Adolf Fridian’s withdrawal, the knights and spiritists returned to their respective posts.83DmP
Tg9L“What a relief that Adolf oppa had no ties to the Corrupteds.”Xs40vW
zUP0yF2“Yes, a relief.”KtwC
dSRwhs“I’m planning to stay at the family estate until the break ends. I want to keep studying spiritism. What about you, senior?”yHh6jAw
pnLu“Good idea. I’ll go back to the Academy.”d9nA
7hTZaya“Thanks for helping me!”HBY
j0pHIL“It wasn’t for free. Send me the agreed payment. If you try to dodge it with just words, I’ll show you how effective the Pellenberg collectors are.”ZZ0
jR0EC5o“…Fine, fine.”PBp2
rQFVb4In the end, Aria handed over licenses and exploitation rights on her lands as payment.rwm4
Up2After that, they parted ways.fuNA98h
Be6dVBut—WEcu
cY0c“…Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the Academy.”MwIsKyd
YnuaNx“Just follow me.”OJo5
Y911J1iFernan wasn’t heading to the Academy.3Gc
2CP4VTp“Isn’t this the exploration site? Don’t tell me we’re going where I think we are…”rNJ
T4REL“Probably.”0CLuiYh
77gTogether with Gismond and Hyde, he arrived at the agreed location with Ahgrot.1bg
7JXNg“You’re late!”WtVQB
cijh“At least you’re still here. I thought you’d left.”iAj
DY7H9“The deadline was one week, and ten days have passed!”rLtW
0FGDespite the deadline passing, Ahgrot was still waiting.AIuCwJ
Yqvqnq“I had my own matters to handle.”e4x
Qozo“The mayor will be furious—ugh, I was planning to wait only until tomorrow, then leave.”z3m
rhnlQq“In that case, I would’ve dug my way in myself.”HNP
N3It0TThe location of the dwarven city was etched into Fernan’s memory.aETEywp
C1bB3The dwarves thought they had hidden it with labyrinthine tunnels, but Fernan was a great earth mage.xw7C
Q4KOnce he stepped on land and smelled money, he never forgot it.12tCaf
RjwjS“…How can you say that so casually?”DLKWU
efTl“Enough, guide us inside.”h3NogY
pcyQAN“And why are there more people? I told you you couldn’t tell anyone!”SgjB
H0Wdm“They’re not just anyone. One’s my trusted aide, the other is my senior at the Academy.”otUgn
h1VvTV“But…!”uF2NX4g
6QjmAhgrot was angry.Ggo
evAqF“If the mayor finds out, he’ll be furious!”PGPALMX
E6CdX“Convincing the mayor is my problem. You just guide us.”89jK3v7
5YUUbtFaced with Fernan’s insistence, Ahgrot had to give in.Cp6hO1
vhCYtKq“…Fine. But for the record, I objected.”OUOPMh
Hgw“Perfect. Ah, and from now on, Gismond senior is your senior too, so treat him with respect.”32Ckio
kif7A9b“Hold on, I never agreed to join the Academy.”LeC5K0U
FoQueB“I already submitted your application.”saBVdV
uaw“What?”I1nZ2
ISHD00Ahgrot’s eyes went wide.lYWKGrv
vuw“So you’re Ahgrot. Wow, you really do look old.”93w
TED“…What did you just say?”NjVGK
Vm8y“Ah, sorry. Seeing you in person surprised me, I thought it without meaning to.”yuo6hP
HyM0And so, one dwarf and three humans descended into the underground city.vW3h
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