Chapter 85
hOMvIWhy wasn’t it there?8rmYL
alh0Why had it disappeared?4QCHbP
NP0ntWhy?9kjVqs
8Brwo3WWhy the hell?njhi
qU4lwQJ‘…….’7fvlEBi
goJUntil now, the prophecy book had never been wrong.Own
2fOdhWell, yes, once or twice—but that had only been due to the butterfly effect Fernan himself had triggered.PdAEg9f
4H5YBut this time was different.NUGp
MieGfMThe elixir should have been firmly rooted in the rock, and there was no reason for it to suddenly vanish.6eE
lomr8Had it never existed in the first place?XFQ
kLNT‘Does that even make sense…?’OsOWnH
FqMeQLately, he had been relying too much on the prophecy book, and he knew it—but how could he not?Rwn4CvW
i2JlGhEven when altered a little by his own actions, everything it narrated was true.p6k
XOq2o‘Could it be…?’YHrIe
xgaFernan hastily infused mana into his eyes.UjJC
50ZCIxAnd then he understood.rP5ak
cPby6mBIt wasn’t that it wasn’t there.Qf749
knQ28wOn one of the rock walls, there was a hole—a crevice that ran deep, as if roots had grown there.0Oz4cr
LvaabNot only had the leaves and fruit been taken, but even the tiniest root. Nothing remained.JHWv60v
9r9fu‘Which damned bastard dared to steal what’s mine…!’nRW
BSza“…Is something wrong?”SUUc2
6iAQOSeeing Fernan staring silently at the destroyed rock, one of the patrol members asked, puzzled.Z2pem7s
eJ8“…Looks like there are strange marks over there.”roD
Py9“Over there…?”N3q
kDtt“It’s true, looks like something was embedded and was torn out. Could it be a monster?”HVKon
zQ9fPvThe soldiers began to examine the traces, but beyond concluding that something had been rooted there, they couldn’t deduce anything else.7UhK7
xiK“Looks more like a plant had taken root… but how could a root pierce through rock?”Hnx0w
o4Q8“Then it must have been torn out by a monster or a beast.”xVmRY0Y
63dp4w7Since the Itarium was an extremely rare plant, none of the soldiers recognized what had been there just from the marks.894zLXN
IlA“We’d better head back. We’ve checked enough.”nvGVq
eYq“Alright.”Jz8
HP1And with that, the patrol ended.e4Dd
U10r***ouD
vAFadvSEveryone was asleep.Gjf
5eZrc3Professor Grad had ordered rotating watch duty so the students could also experience that part, and Fernan immediately volunteered for the first shift.1l4X0r0
51VF8Sitting by the fire, he watched the flames dance as he thought.Uygib
LGFThe disappearance of the Itarium could only be due to two possibilities.jyr
Emy‘Either my actions caused a butterfly effect and someone else found it first…’Kfof
myvvOr—bnTS
ArlNwHu‘For the first time, the prophecy book was wrong.’hlL
8wTWThe marks on the rock proved the Itarium had existed.CVHtruP
6VjCCBut what if the book didn’t follow the normal flow of time? What if Aint had found the Itarium much earlier, and because of my interference, it was delayed so much that someone else took it first?AyIEX
XJHI‘But then, wouldn’t it be stranger that up until now, everything had matched the timeline…?’sfbod
kbeJiA sharp pain pierced his head.MZeY
YlVv‘It’s another variable. But it’s not the first one.’Qun
Dl5The sudden summoning of Andromalius had been one.4QNZ3
2rthZ7The unexpected appearance of Gismond Ert, which ruined my wager plans, had been another.nOIl
PitCgR6‘…Wait.’YNNxkk
MEiGismond?okTxL
VuUdAA‘They said his sudden rise in power was because of the elixirs, right?’M6Y0F8
zVQ4XRHe had always believed it was due to demonic energy. That he had become corrupted and powered up instantly.47O
t6L7haThat was the only explanation possible at the time.gLTr
GDG6U83But Aint had told him it was actually because of the elixirs. That his body had been saturated with mixed energies from various origins.pZC
UipVy‘What if one of those was Itarium?’aqA5c
QyXdb36The probability was low, but not impossible.qB3i6LU
wszW‘The final report on Gismond should arrive soon—I’ll have to go over it carefully.’qk3
Upn92XVAt that moment, he was interrupted.1CMS
Tunshv“It’s time to switch shifts. Wake up the next watch and hand over your post.”rJGj3
HOcTnd“Right.”TChU
LuqroChCoincidentally, the next was Aint.VmImZ9J
HD8UPOS“Aint, wake up. It’s your turn.”dL4d6u
uIo“Ah… yeah.”k40ZR
H81hRWith sleepy eyes, Aint got up and started getting ready.Fy8VN
f3MFernan watched him silently, then asked in a low voice:Tcr
Cbaf“You said no demonic energy was found in Gismond, right?”EokB4
teuoe0“Eh? Ah, yeah. Senior Gismond wasn’t corrupted. He had just consumed too many elixirs. Though no one knows how he got so many and took them to the limit.”W7zPJ
FeE1wsh“Rare elixirs, then? Do you know exactly which ones?”zjscYsj
gssen“Not all… but some, yeah.”pTs8vO
wMtDAint nodded.y2x
zJ2“Then, can you confirm if Itarium was among them?”OVlz
G1hs“Itarium?”qeub
tZMz— It was.9YbrM
yRwZyAint furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and answered confidently.hbh9ZT
tLE“Yes, it was.”UeB
RZJ3Cra“…Really?”Ahcku4
FTa6Ejl“Yeah. But why do you ask all of a sudden?”wuFauxn
amRin“…Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”OujET7
WpISo it was. It was there.ZWm9KAU
5xvvAs Aint finished preparing for his watch, he didn’t notice Fernan’s expression.gNR
yqS***auz2
oLLE6The next dayd7udThs
s4J7PPAside from the loss of the elixir, the night passed without incident.1w3VqFd
ot2AIn the morning, they broke camp, and by noon they reached the great wall of Altrierc.JuRj
HO1iB“This is the pride of Altrierc—its wall.”MwKQ
BOPQMXBefore their eyes stood a colossal fortress, like a wall that split the world.t7IYUK6
keRgSsBut that construction wasn’t the entire wall—just one of its segments.mN1
gym9jgSeven fortresses, built at strategic points, joined together as a defensive line to protect the Empire.NKi177
vmlreu3And the one they had reached was the closest to Artc, the capital: Medierc, the largest of them all.JI45X
svVWC“Welcome. Medierc welcomes the Academy students.”SBv5
igyBFThe gates of the fortress opened wide.CLl
rafuBl8***49CE
sjg“I’ll show you where you can rest.”NS6
t5R6Right after arriving at the fortress, the Academy’s delegation separated from the Iron Knights.ZbGm
xAhsThe fortress didn’t have as many amenities as the feudal lord’s castle in Artc, and the Academy students were assigned an entire annex.QlhA8
DTucI“Young master.”VJ6II2
0FI2dfAs they headed toward the annex, someone slipped in beside Fernan.aMCcNwb
uxlbTh“Rapelle?”w4FIOXD
H0n“Young master, a moment, this way.”yu4Ea
ceUYwRapelle discreetly pulled him aside. Professor Grad noticed but said nothing.IHD2bi
QntsA4“It’s been a while, young master.”4RdsHm
bMe“Rapelle, yes, it has been a while.”XdLbm
YkIB9JAltrierc and the Pellenberg family had maintained commercial relations for a long time, and because of that, Fernan had some familiarity with various people there.LDN57A
6GFWZdWRapelle was one of them—a knight of Altrierc.qTUqCd
rsU“It’s nothing urgent, but His Lordship wishes to see you before meeting the others.”3dD0Jlf
lqQuX“Oh, really?”Xi394M
eg9RHe already knew this moment would come.edPJsLM
cK8lowI“Let’s go.”wyRGM
dwgX“Yes.”4yC
8HpnxuRapelle escorted him to the entrance of the office in the fortress.ViP
6IXELpN“My lord, young master Fernan has arrived.”YfLe
I8FY8“Let him in.”J2rYAFa
IJnn0CA voice responded from within after the guard’s announcement.Tkvd
uileIzTCreak.rVY0Zy6
LDjFYThe count of Altrierc was a middle-aged man, with a sober and solemn appearance.Ixvnp
xcHHis brown hair was neatly combed back. At that moment, he was reviewing piles of documents and signing them one by one.g1pCRuK
NZ9ZyFernan bowed respectfully.QOkTl
3421bwl“It’s an honor to see you again, Count.”M0W5pK
EXjlF31“What do you want?”pI6RSd
dZRXOThe count didn’t look up and spoke curtly.ose
LwJ9ry“Straight to the point?”KZNhi
MMQLd“Wasn’t that the reason you handed this note to the steward?”xiz3e
sNpkIt8The count pushed the papers aside.UNgfbs
zdSTap. The note fell in front of Fernan.xho9yC
DACSCvIt was the same paper he had handed to the steward, the message in which he requested a transaction concerning the Inquisitors.R2FzR6
Pxw1dD“So you believe me?”aUk
SxD“Only a fool would use a lie that can be easily uncovered to deceive others. And the more one has to lose, the more one knows how foolish such a risk would be.”REN
r26bX“I didn’t think you held me in such high regard.”IsDbJx
zj4M“It’s not you I hold in regard, but the Pellenberg family.”0AZmKXb
8iJFernan gave a half-smile. The count claimed it was different, but both knew the truth—Fernan would one day be the head of House Pellenberg.5D0ule
Po4HOQj“Then tell me, what is it you want?”rcajB65
cZP23“I want the Order of the Iron Knights, the Order of the Wildblood Knights, and one thousand soldiers.”HMSMOO
cHdThese were Altrierc’s proudest knightly orders.g1Jo9
JHfjL“And what for?”Z7Sz2mF
T44jIhThe count didn’t say no.q33f73
CLZwzg“I want to lead them to eliminate the target of the transaction.”OuMtJwj
bq8y“So Altrierc puts in the effort and Pellenberg takes the glory?”V917zI5
9hc“No.”3tbozid
JnM5Ay1Fernan shook his head.zXiB
H6W“I have no ambition for glory. For money, perhaps, yes.”ltyYy
qbT7Dho“Glory becomes money.”wtSS2
P3r2s“In this case, glory would bring more trouble than wealth.”Z2f
49AAZqIt would be the first open confrontation with an Inquisitor. It would save Altrierc, even the Kingdom of Alprosen. That would make someone a hero. And heroes always attract as many expectations as enemies.hoSHV
hIjkXgM“Then?”yroi0e
PE5jhiK“I won’t be the one to lead.”2eg00P3
cwCt“Who then?”5A4UNn
9QJQ0I“Aint Armian.”STW
IYmOThe count’s hand, which had been stroking his chin, stopped. A slight furrow formed on his forehead.zyja8
IkYcXA second of silence. Then, the conversation resumed.L2EDM
f11“Boy.”LeEWSF
xteHis gaze turned cold.3wXc680
1GfDMqO“You’re coveting too much.”OSBK9
gXzK“No.”DEQV
FSfeh“How not?”c4qm
sbNf91“I have no grand plans of putting Armian on the throne.”ec2
Tvb“Don’t play word games. We’ve supported Schwaben in the last three elections.”vhAej
d8eLLmj“So have we.”aZAcYZ
ld5HBb“We’re not unhappy with the situation. Schwaben promised us more support, and they’re delivering.”2xtVA
J1XpWar consumed resources. Even if most were minor conflicts, sustaining such campaigns for over half a year was no small feat.Fih
LGwo4aj“We also gained great benefits from Schwaben. Thanks to that, we’ve profited even more.”E7NOF
ePfDgE“And now you say you’d abandon Schwaben for a ruined Armian.”vjk5f
y8LHc7g“As I said, I don’t plan to make him emperor.”oQHjF
YnIZ“Speak plainly.”OmAyvZV
U88“This continent needs a hero.”NKVYmwl
PJ0BoFXThe count watched him silently, prompting him to continue.SzD1P7u
ABKh2M“Do you think this wave of monsters is just coincidence?”spO7
VNfak“I’m well aware the Inquisitors are behind this.”m5e
BqPIk“But that’s only a supposition. You don’t know how many there are, or how long they’ve been gathering strength.”FRk
cmwTseThere was no proof. Altrierc had not unmasked a single one. But Fernan had.VLWt
Haf“The academy’s headmaster must have already informed you that demons and corrupted were discovered in the academy.”tJX
IYL“That’s correct.”1h1v8gd
KW7Q“Twelve in total. They had three bases there. Do you believe that’s just coincidence?”T1FF
843QlR8Fernan held his gaze. A subtle pressure filled the air.KlCpDC
TtOkxsv“Then…”hOI5NI
c583EzThe pressure vanished as if it had never existed.6TsSzQv
65X“What you’re claiming is that demons will descend upon this land once more.”z1l
Wk6j“The Inquisitors, who remained hidden for a thousand years, are now rising as if they’ve been waiting. Would they do that without preparation and a common goal?”uabLM
QGfuA“And you think the dog should be unleashed against its own master?”q0f5sR
coxz“Knights know better than anyone how to fight. How can you expect to hunt a bull with a chicken knife?”v9XQ6Z2
PvXDzny“Usually it’s the other way around.”4S2
oOuTFhK“The world doesn’t always flow in one direction.”eUc
PNghFernan shrugged boldly. The count stared at him silently for a moment.JSLP
kC1“…Fine.”7j4w3
ZjIThe count nodded.ldHFa
uFBs1w“Since the academy has sent students, I’ll make all of them participate.”Llya
pJwXA“A wise decision.”0aG
Laa“You’re not asking why not only Aint Armian.”OB2Y
wvd“And you’re not asking why I’m not arguing with you.”rjh
KUTh“Don’t you think that strategy’s too cliché? It’s an old method—it stinks.”PEsiV
WvT3LN“If it still works, it’s because it’s proven. And it just worked again, didn’t it?”3EpE
eqBp“How shameless.”aH3Vl
BGwBXFernan already knew it couldn’t be just Aint who stood out.EVuBx
ats06v0The count let out an incredulous chuckle.q1Dl
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