Chapter 180
M87Inside the academy, with the start of the new semester.VWbc
KhoPA young man with platinum blond hair and blue eyes, the third prince of Alprosen.HSa
orAZA second-year mage in the faculty of magic, ranked 6th.Lcwey89
WdGAint watched Daniel’s back as he focused on the class.d1Wrb
yuHRS5U“They’ve found traces of corrupts in the Kingdom of Alprosen. Very soon, a great catastrophe will cover Alprosen.”JWheEU
o4XAHe recalled Fernan’s words. Since he wasn’t someone who lied about such things, he could consider it certain—that would really happen.KG9
2bJ5N— Getting close to that guy means that, when problems arise in Alprosen, he’ll come to you for help.AU2E
ZBX— If, as Fernan said, it’s confirmed that the corrupts are moving in Alprosen, the first one he’ll think of is you.ZrSBIy
LAP1Zb‘It’s hard—I know what the senior says isn’t a lie, but this is the first time I’ve approached someone with such a clear motive.’iR6Np
yc4y— What’s so hard about it? This academy exists for that from the start.BUhlkz
GFQUXIOf course, receiving top-level education was also a fundamental part.9TJEgO
FMB6v2bBut without the “networking,” the academy would never have flourished as it had.LNojzZf
9HBO— Here, the most elite of the continent gather. Nine out of ten students come to forge ties with such people.RwFw
gXsKakAnd those connections made in youth spread like webs that dominated the continent.VzeX
eHu— More than anything, you are now not just “the heir of the fallen House Armian.” You’re the “hero” who defeated corrupts. Rather, that guy will want to get close to you.UeujuH
gnY‘I understand what he says. It’s not that I can’t do it—it just feels awkward because I’ve never tried before.’qQqs
W5JxCIHe realized he had been living quite carefree.7rDfXHd
6D4aEven his connections at the academy were, essentially, the ones Fernan had woven for him.xFKaI
m22Without him, how would he have survived in the academy, and how would he have fought corrupts?NVnb
gbcdNot to mention the money to rebuild the house.mn82
9JtTeDY‘I can’t always rely on the senior.’P1z
uSlIt’s not that he had no friends at the academy aside from Aria, Verian, and Varus.cBmreP
qFcaZHBut none of them had fought demons by his side.7E3
EsQgDTaking a deep breath, Aint stood up.zQ0IwEb
QTgS“Why are you getting up all of a sudden?”kwjWXYd
HElVrUR“I just want to talk for a bit.”weT39
tKfIgnoring Aria’s question, he went straight over and sat next to Daniel.VuVc
cf0obF“Hey, Daniel.”LzGD
k0Pc9H“Aint?”q5dB
1GyThe prince’s blue eyes widened in surprise.tPG
fZU“Do you want something from me…?”LrjP
1VPVHm“No, nothing in particular. It’s just that we’ve been at the academy for a year and a half and hardly talked.”2b3I0
yl3C0EAh, maybe he shouldn’t speak so informally, since he was a prince?XZpiP
Y8BUk7c— That’ll sound sarcastic, Aint.1qhtndC
4bCtTjR‘Eh? But I meant it seriously, how is it sarcasm?’Sact2
OIYT— Because it sounds like you’re acting as if you’ve been close your whole life.KWT9
3EtqVYLuckily, Daniel didn’t take it the wrong way.Hlt
NcG“Don’t be so weird, you’re making me uncomfortable.”YEDr
iF6Eatm“What’s going on, Aint? Why are you talking to Daniel?”raavodc
RHcAt that moment, someone else came over.NTWegBX
EV1I“Varus?”gg13
nedMAint recognized the face.i7Dx
JlrOlaD“No, it’s nothing. We were just chatting a bit. What about you?”3LO
lxG0“Temporary pair-up. You know, with so many from Esrin not coming back to the academy…”vsAb
XyDBG8“Ah, so now you two are a pair.”anvN
YeDshUeThat’s how it turned out.tPj
C0KC37With the mood more relaxed, Aint began to talk more naturally.YkN
qFTjqr“What were you talking about?”nWrhwP4
bdQAria joined the conversation a bit late.OP4zrFk
ZLDvR5R***R6t
YwKzVMeanwhile, Fernan had insisted Aint get close to Daniel, but his own expression was far from calm.utFZPJ
seK“We don’t have time.”IbcfD
OQh3According to the prophecy book, the flood would happen right before harvest, and that was just days away.gOOxe9
oTEPiThe vision had come too late, leaving no time to prepare countermeasures.jl0
N8g3kd“The harvests being lost to flooding can’t be prevented now. What’s important is reducing the chaos it’ll cause.”q3q3o9B
AghfW3h“Will that be possible?”UFORh
8qta“In Esrin, due to the civil war, companies have been buying up huge quantities of grain, right?”Gq1OZi
6Ts10War devours everything—weapons, men, and also tons of food.FUd
suC4fMa“If we redirect those reserves toward Alprosen, we’ll make a fortune.”w9iAir
nXdEp“Money, you say?”2mU4WH
tqi7“And at the same time, we’ll reduce the confusion in Alprosen.”ocM1Z
oOn6S“The problem is how to convince the duke.”WU9RqWr
5lQThe Hopen plains hadn’t seen floods in centuries.731g
SE93DQWho would believe that a torrential rain would suddenly destroy the harvest?MUEF
AytvO“Can’t you just tell him you saw the future?”9KhJ2EP
FVv“My father would cut open my head to check it.”n1uG
Li7oj7Z“You’ll have to reveal it someday. Depending on whether he knows or not, it changes what you can do drastically.”zKK
OkNvHyde was right.uqNN9Hz
AjWMIf he managed to convince the duke that he could see the future, he wouldn’t need more excuses—everything would go more smoothly.S3CDm5
A2T“But will he believe me?”JiuE
BJQNP“I ended up believing.”7VTQpU
t1a“That’s different. Right now, the future has diverged quite a bit from the prophecy book. I can’t guarantee it confidently.”iVxRmC2
TvPMU9“But this time, you yourself believe it will happen, right?”NPwqnlr
YFH9J“…”c0jep
FBQFernan pondered for a moment, then took paper and pen.uYCBo7t
0bZ0JXOHyde, always by his side, understood. The duke would end up believing, if he was shown enough proof. And that would make everything easier going forward.wzulnR
Ue1vN“While I’m at it, I’ll write another letter.”iCDOl
zOT3Zz“To the duke?”ncjaEZ
c4RWLRF“No. To the crown prince of Alprosen.”LO3
6mYesThere was no connection between Fernan and that prince.vsz
jn4Although he had made deals with all sorts of nobles as a member of the Pellenberg family, most were within the Empire.A1nlZHG
vr2lZFHis age was a hindrance, and international business was only scheduled to begin after graduation.Hp71
wss“He’ll think it’s a strange letter.”ocOCB
LAeO8“But he won’t throw it away.”iDh52
MNXVsBecause it bore the Pellenberg seal. No sane person would reject such a letter, even from a stranger.DdV1z
KWl“There’s not enough time until the downpour. Waiting for Daniel to serve as a link would be too slow.”0ZiFfb
14e“So what do you plan to write?”VBXeMqW
rMRix“Something unexpected.”nEP
UGfBut something that, at the same time, would strike right at the prince’s heart.zKD
LBmogOoThe answer lay in the prophecy book.iBF
hcTIT‘Forgive me, professor.’UExdUwy
nac58LI’ll have to use your name.xTB
NZOog5fAs an investor, I hope you’ll understand.CVrZJIW
lNiXl***siUTzNH
Ky70Jo5The gigantic vault of House Pellenberg.img0SE
zH4RNwDuke Yvon was sitting in front of a mountain of gold coins, counting them one by one.5du
e1Itcip“Seven hundred twelve, seven hundred thirteen…”HD7N
I3fmmZgThe countless coins kept moving from his left side to the right.sBjxI
PnuiD“They said you were busy because of this?”7ikee
3OzFWith the sound of heels clicking, someone entered. The duke slowly raised his head, familiarly.aOHL
NI6YQThere weren’t many people who could enter the vault so casually, despite his explicit prohibition.w0wfr65
4Pds“…Wife.”BEF
Q14Cz6MA soft hand caressed his cheek and jaw.NDMSG8
hRoay“Why are you here, doing this?”3op
2RyeYkwThe duke kept counting a few more coins without responding.xRoN
IYrw“Who was it? Who made you this uneasy?”4bMKHu
zUMHxVFrom the dark bluish hair, softly glowing red irises contrasted.GD3A
yZk8s“…Fernan.”5BueGU
phL“What did that boy do now?”2v7c
vHS“Does Fernan seem like a kid who goes around causing trouble? He’s more like a son who brings in money, not loses it.”iqzta
9aFvkoiThe duke firmly shook his head as the pile of coins on his right kept growing.PNcw6
6PSVOb“He’s always been good, but since entering the academy, he’s become even more admirable.”UAwK
vmDh69When he suddenly proposed waiving Bercheff’s interest for three years, he thought he had gone mad.pRgdKX
CAIIBut he even handed over a massive mana stone mine to enforce his decision. And now Bercheff was a stronger ally than ever.5erH
Ym6P“He not only knows how to anticipate where and when the corrupts will appear…”1r3
nABSuddenly, he became top of his class.sah5
0k5LdKG“The same with the Fridian matter. It seemed like he’d been tricked by the elves, digging through those worthless rocky mountains, and he ended up finding an entire dwarf city.”0JT
X7wTAnd not only that—he turned the dwarves into subjects of the Pellenberg domain. The profit was immeasurable.wtWvCiK
ZYV9“But this—this I can’t believe.”9Ldod
Bz1rMjt“What is it about?”v3N
JwkV3dThe duke picked up a letter lying in a corner of the floor.OVz
Lz1“I always told Fernan to foresee the future. But this isn’t foresight—it’s prophecy.”7ha1k
45dkHelena Pellenberg, after quickly reading the letter, wore a strange expression.uCr
dvDK“Seems like Fernan got into gambling and lost all his money. He’s lost his mind.”ebSOz
MVdK“I thought the same. But the problem isn’t that he’s my son—it’s that he wouldn’t make up nonsense like this without a reason.”wmM76qO
PuxTrQ“What if he just got obsessed with some play?”VfAKb
7wB9“Fernan wouldn’t get swept up in cheap drama. Unless someone paid him to watch it.”RVmqWcc
ACgJThe duchess read her son’s letter carefully again.KX8aOc2
sTFH“A prophecy book? I’d rather believe he found a mountain of gold.”7lQc
FHfMe4D“I thought the same. That seems more plausible.”dcgBo
R2HQSometimes, when things go too well, people lose their minds.HCNoa0N
rZuBut he was sure that wasn’t the case here.1O03
UYOQoG“The strange thing is, ever since he entered the academy, sometimes he does things I don’t understand. And yet, it always ends up working in our favor.”E6I
hJtrlIf the prophecy book Fernan mentioned was real, everything fit perfectly.eRp
QbCAnd for that very reason, Duke Yvon felt even more confused. He couldn’t fully believe it, nor fully reject it.EUYxk
xGT0D“How about we call him and speak directly?”wLsU6K
PzMo3H“I plan to. But before that…”sQb7zIA
RenK“My lord, urgent news!”6Smm
8cXXpTRThe butler came rushing in. He was one of the few with permission to enter the vault in case of emergency.UNP
In0“What is it?”SZiLy26
3tP5wOk“An urgent reply from the Alprosen branch to the order His Excellency sent.”TPJs
qnib“Give it to me now.”9sN
v9CThe duke snatched the letter from his hands, tore open the envelope, and unfolded it.Di9JmZ
q0xl“What does it say?”eOqh
lKHxumg“After receiving Fernan’s letter, I sent immediate orders to the Alprosen branch to report on the weather in the north and the Hopen plains. Whether it was raining, or if there were signs of rain.”l8MMc84
dHWW5“And the reply?”sgCPf
OAHThe duke let the letter fall.hLOI
0sJGO“…They say it’s raining across the entire north. And it hasn’t stopped for three days.”7nU4oTL
BsvxXaGThe previously clouded eyes of the duke regained a sharp focus.bNQ
3yc“…One thousand.”DPA
U5Zp5iThe hands that had never stopped counting reached exactly one thousand coins.DxmBBZH
mqwRrHe stood from his seat.wxz
AU2fs“What do you plan to do?”WNwcWP
MgF3“I was confused, unsure whether to believe it or not. But if it’s true, there’s nothing left to think about.”9G48
qUwThe duke’s eyes hardened.dPe
VtGWm“If the heavens want Pellenberg to buy out the whole continent, so be it.”suglpz
fZXqqqThe hundreds of consequences and ripples of the prophecy ran through his mind.EEgn
0Ma8Even if it was just a small detail, if it came from the future, its value was astronomical.Ri0l
u9IoIt was as if the heavens themselves had given wings to House Pellenberg.GVlPU
XiO“Order an immediate redirection of all grain and food originally bound for Esrin, and send it to Alprosen.”kZ6u9
Qe18u4DA castle of gold, untouchable by anyone, was about to be built.BoldbuH
OT8QAnd no one could stop it.nRvfdLo
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!