Chapter 48

Chapter 48

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Lucia, all the way there?

Yeah. Thats why Im asking you, Ian.

Ian fell silent for a moment.

He couldnt find any connection between Lucia and the temple of the furnace beyond the unpassable Abyss.

Is there a reason for that?

There are several reasons. Well it might be a long story, are you okay with it?

Start with the most important.

Ian picked up the bottle of wine that had been on the table.

It was indeed a bottle of grape wine.

Would you like a glass?

Yeah. That sounds good.

Certainly not an ordinary day.

Ian poured wine into the glass.

Maeve looked at the glass.

Her voice continued.

After a while, Lucia will be sent to the Empire. As you predicted before, His Majesty wont give up on the war.

To the Empire?

Yeah. Surface-level adoption, but essentially a puppet. You could call it hostage.

The Empire wouldnt care about Agellan.

Youre right. But the situation might be different regarding the war. Of course, they could continue to stay uninvolved as they have. But there will be enough justification for them to intervene now.

Hmm

Ian recalled a game moment.

The Empire had no interest in the distant kingdoms. As long as they didnt refuse tribute or raise a rebellion, they were largely ignored.

Their focus was solely on the Black Wall and what lay beyond it.

Inter-kingdom wars were the same.

The Empire had never gotten involved.

But whether it was due to tribute or just their usual disinterest, he couldnt tell.

Maybe this time theyll just conquer the kingdoms altogether. So, His Majesty decided to have the powerful royal family offer a separate tribute.

.When was this decision made?

Before I returned. As they began preparing for war, they would have seen the need for an ally within the Empire to protect Agellan.

A bunch of fanatics about wars, those guys.

Ian let out a chuckle.

But why Lucia, of all people?

Thats

Maeve took a sip of her drink and looked at Ian.

Because the royal bloodline flows within Lucia. Her biological mother was His Majestys younger sister.

Ah, a strategic marriage.

Not surprising at all.

There werent many surefire ways to solidify a bond, apart from mixing blood.

Her Ladyship gave birth to Lucia and then passed away. Her stepfather died a few years later. His Majesty didnt consider Lucia as a niece. He saw her as the enemy who took his sisters life.

Hmm

Selling off the hated niece.

It made sense, though.

If His Majesty had asked, Lucia probably would have refused. But they wanted Lucia on their side. So, she didnt have a choice.

There seems to be more to the reason for Lucias necessity.

Lucia is a blessed child.

Blessed?

According to the words of the family elders, she received the grace of Luenter.

!

Surprise finally appeared on Ians puzzled face.

The origin of this worlds magic users was the imitation of divine power.

Among those discussions, those born with extraordinary talents were considered to have received the grace of the gods.

Luenter, the god of passion and madness.

Receiving his grace meant being born with the talent to control red magic.

It was probably similar to the Elemental Affinity trait.

When using magic of that element, it reduced magic consumption while enhancing performance.

The exact differences were unknown without personal experience.

Youve personally witnessed her control fire?

Yeah. When she was around two years old, she conjured fire in midair. No one had taught her magic, and Ian, youd understand the significance better than anyone else.

I get it. Seriously, Im envious.

Ian let out a dry laugh.

A truly remarkable lineage. Producing both a divine knight and a mage.

Thats the influence of the royal family. The first king did it, and afterward, there were descendants who received his grace across generations.

Ians dry laughter deepened.

As magical talents and abilities were very much real in this world, bloodlines couldnt be ignored.

When you traced the bloodline of those called nobles, more often than not, the progenitor had possessed some unique ability.

And they ascended the throne. Until the twilight of magic sets in.

Ah, now its come to this point.

It was as if she wanted to express her gratitude in the only way she knew how. Quite a surprise.

In a flash, a quest window appeared before Ians eyes as he grew larger in her embrace.

[Flame of the Hearth.]

As he closed the window, Ian whispered.

But theres still something I havent said yet.

Ah.

Maeve finally stiffened.

With her ears burning red, she awkwardly untied her arms and backed away.

Ian added.

I havent told you the most important thing yet.

.? Oh yeah. You havent decided on a paycheck.

In addition, I havent received the reward from the previous request yet.

Although the king gave a reward, it was kind of a bonus.

Her gaze became determined.

Ill give you anything I can give. What do you want?

It might be the most worthless thing to you right now, but

Ian, who had paused for dramatic effect, finally spoke up.

It was enough to make Maeves large eyes widen even further.

After a brief frozen moment, she blurted out.

Are you serious?

Would you accept it?

If thats what you want Fine. Ill give it to you. Absolutely.

A satisfied smile crept onto Ians lips.

The contract is established.

***

Ippotranslation

***

The next day.

Ian, who had woken up quietly, learned as soon as he left his room that Maeve had already spoken to Miguel about the situation. It was evident from Miguels face, which was quite literally as pale as death.

You are awake

Miguel spotted Ian and spoke in a sigh-laden voice.

Ians lips curled into a wry smile as he asked.

So, whats the plan?

What else? Who else would guide you on that long journey but me? Damn it. I was finally thinking of settling down here for a while. But now Im supposed to head back to the North Im pretty sure Im destined to die as a wandering vagabond.

Miguel sighed.

Ian, who chuckled lightly, interrupted him.

Make some preparations before you start spouting nonsense. You have a lot to do.

Well, I thought you had to recover before making any preparations Dont tell me youve recovered already?

Thats right. Im just pretending not to.

Thats impossible The doctor said it would take a few more months for your injuries to heal. I thought so too. But youve recovered this quickly?

I have pretty good regenerative abilities. Besides, Im not the only one whos fully recovered.

No way Arent you the apostle of the gods? Did you become like this without me noticing?

Dont talk nonsense.

Miguel let out a sigh as if he couldnt believe his eyes.

He had definitely thought that Ian would stay here for a while longer.

A day and a half at most. Get ready properly.

Damn it Alright, I got it. And Lucia is waiting for you in her room. Its been about an hour.

Then let her wait a little longer. I really need to have breakfast now.

After just a few days, he had started missing the food here so much.

Having finished his meal, Ian leisurely headed to Maeves room. Maeve, Lucia, and even Philip were there to greet him. Ignoring Philips gaze filled with complex emotions, Ian spoke.

Did you have a productive conversation?

Yes. Lucia wants to go.

Ian turned to look at Lucia, who was sitting calmly in a chair. Her expressionless face almost looked like a carefully crafted porcelain doll.

A genius magician, that one.

Thinking that, Ian spoke.

Its going to be tough. You wont get any special treatment for being young. Youll encounter many near-death experiences. You wont be able to turn back. There will never be an instance where you can come back midway, so make sure youre prepared for that.

After staring at Lucias eyes for a moment as if flipping through her thoughts, Ian added.

But even with all that, do you really want to go?

Even if I go to the Empire, it wont be much different.

Lucias voice had that characteristic monotone. She turned to Maeve.

If I go to the Temple of Furnace, at least I can keep my name. I want to live as Liurel. Not Larmuth.

Maeve smiled faintly.

Quite a grown-up statement.

Ian reached out and lightly swept away Lucias long red hair, revealing her face.

That being the case, well start by cutting this hair short. Really short.

Lucias head snapped back to him.

Translator; ippo

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