Chapter 59: - Carriage Driver (1)

༺ Carriage Driver (1) ༻

[Does that mean the next Ice Sovereign has been chosen?]

In the northern region, the Whiteclark Duchy.

The Whiteclark family had several secrets that could shake the Zelver Empire to its core. The family magic [Sight Synchronization] was one such example, but even that was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Aichel Whiteclark, the eldest daughter and heiress of the Whiteclark Ducal family was a person of interest. She had a strong backing that solidified her position.

In reality, even her apparent position was not sufficient enough to evaluate her.

There was a roundtable conference room in the basement of the Whiteclark mansion.

Despite the lavishly decorated exterior, the space was dark, with only a few luminescent lamps on the walls casting a faint glow.

There, Aichel stood upright at one end of the roundtable, head bowed.

One of the luxurious seats was particularly bright, illuminated by the figure of an adult man formed of lightning mana.

Noble in demeanor, he propped his elbows on the armrests and lightly rested his chin on clenched fists.

“Yes, Lightning Elemental King.”

Aichel’s voice rang softly. She had an eyepatch over her right eye, which had yet to heal.

The lightning-formed figure was an Archwizard and the Elemental King of Lightning.

It belonged to the man called the ‘Lightning Sovereign’, given his position as the ‘Lightning God’. It was like a remote-controlled puppet.

The sovereigns of each element were known as the Elemental Kings, and each person was like a nation, military, and law in itself.

They have built and governed their own country, their influence so strong that it could shake the entire world through sheer military might. The Zelver Empire was no exception.

For this reason, throughout its centuries-old history, the Zelver Empire had maintained a friendly attitude whenever Elemental Kings appeared.

There had been various conflicts throughout history, but it had become a fully entrenched tradition.

[I was puzzled after seeing the letter... How did the other Elemental Kings react?]

“It appears that they consider it a mere agenda item for the next Council of Kings. They see it as nothing more than a noteworthy human with exceptional magical talent in the ice element, paying it little attention.”

And if it were known that the Elemental Kings gathered for a roundtable meeting every three years...

The world beyond the Empire would be terrified. The Elemental Kings were the pinnacle of all wizard affiliations. In this world, wizards were the strongest existences, and within the Zelver Empire, Archwizards were above the law.

Among those scattered around the world, the people served by demihumans and monsters of each element naturally came to be called Elemental Kings, and ended up founding nations of their own.

Due to the immense power and potential danger associated with the Elemental Kings, they had agreed to hold periodic meetings under the pretext of fostering harmony. In reality, however, these council meetings served as a means to check and balance each other.

Aichel, the next heiress to the Whiteclark family who could stand as a neutral party, was chosen as the host.

She was competent, had excellent support, and had a high noble status, all while being a promising candidate for the next Grand Duchess of the Empire’s northern region. Above all, her love for peace had garnered the unanimous support of the Elemental Kings.

[I had the same thoughts at first, but my curiosity got the better of me. A new candidate for the ‘Ice Sovereign’, a position that has been vacant for a thousand years... you must know the significance of this.]

“Yes, I do.”

[Will you show me? I want to see the Ice Sovereign candidate you spoke of with my own eyes.]

Aichel meekly nodded and placed a finger on her forehead.

Mana slowly emanated from her finger. The process was akin to pulling a video out of her head.

Then, Aichel flicked her finger towards the center of the roundtable.

The memories in her head began playing in front of the Lightning Sovereign, the Elemental King of Lightning.

「Sight Synchronization Playback (Neutral Element, ★0)」

They were the memories seen through the eyes of a man via the Whiteclark family’s bloodline magic, [Sight Synchronization], which had been stolen from Keridna a few days ago.

In the video, the vision’s owner held the Frostscythe in his hand.

The mythological white dragon, Frost Dragon Hilde, had become his familiar.

The Lightning Sovereign’s eyes widened in astonishment at that scene.

Then, as the man was fighting a roughly four-meter tall demon, he activated [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty].

In a flash, the video disappeared.

Silence lingered for a while. The Lightning Sovereign stroked his chin, lost in thought, before finally opening his mouth to speak.

[Is he...?]

“His name is ‘Isaac’, the next candidate for Ice Sovereign that I talked about. A commoner with silver-blue hair, red eyes, and no family name. He is currently a first-year student in the Zelver Empire’s Märchen Academy.”

She had no idea who Isaac was, his hobbies, ideal type, or favorite foods, and she didn’t care.

Aichel only looked at the objective truth.

The fact that a man named Isaac was killing demons and saving people.

“If Isaac is what I expect him to be... It is my personal hope that he rises to the position of Ice Sovereign and stands shoulder to shoulder with the noblest Elemental Kings of old.”

For a thousand years, the position of Ice Sovereign had remained vacant.

So, on the day Aichel was struck by [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty], she was delighted to learn about Isaac, a promising candidate for the title of Ice Sovereign, and also a means to restrain those monsters of ice.

[...I understand your intention.]

The Lightning Sovereign calmly answered.

[This was good information. I’m glad I let my curiosity get the better of me.]

Having said so, the lightning mana forming the Lightning Sovereign dispersed into the air.

Aichel bowed her head.

Meanwhile,

The Lightning Nation, ‘Zabrok’.

In the grand hall of the majestic castle, there was a luxurious purple and gold throne, colors that symbolized Zabrok.

Wearing a sleek robe, the man sitting on the throne opened his eyes. His purple hair was neatly swept back, his eyes glowing with dense lightning mana.

“Balkan.”

[Yes! Lord Lightning Sovereign!]

As the man’s dignified voice rang through the air, the lightning mana in front of throne condensed, taking the form of an indigo gorilla. It was Balkan, a 6-star familiar with lightning mana constantly flowing from its shoulders.

Balkan bent a knee and lowered its head, saluting its master.

“I shall go to the Zelver Empire, to Märchen Academy. Go through the necessary formalities immediately.

The dignified voice of the Lightning Sovereign subsided.

Isaac. He wanted to confirm with his own eyes.

The Lightning Sovereign had made a decision.

* * *

“Eden, will you please not call me ‘Rider Isaac’?”

[Kyuuu!]

I was feeling excited and tried talking nonsense with Eden, my little golem familiar. I was grateful when he responded with a smile.

Now that I had the Frostscythe, I began my part-time job as a ‘carriage driver’.

As mentioned earlier, a ‘carriage driver’ in this context referred to a profession that used mana to operate a magical carriage.

That was not to say that there weren’t basic horse-drawn carriages. It was just that mana-powered carriages were favored on the grounds of the Märchen Academy.

By the way, when the students returned home from vacation, they probably took a basic horse-drawn carriage for its reliability.

Anyways, I was wearing rugged carriage driver attire and had rented a small carriage.

Carriage driving was a job greatly affected by [Elemental Efficiency] while simultaneously improving [Elemental Efficiency] itself. It was the perfect side job for a Märchen Academy student like me.

Of course, I had to practice driving the carriage for a few days and gain the recognition of the stablemaster in order to work as a carriage driver, so I diligently drove the carriage for the past several days. Since I was familiar with the layout of the academy grounds, finding my way around was not a problem.

“It’s the summer vacation, so there are few people.”

Eden chimed in with a playful ‘Kyuu!’ sound from the side.

I was at the carriage station. It used to be bustling during the semester but it was now quiet. There were only a few carriages available. Most of the students left the Academy during the vacation, so there was no reason for the coachmen to stay here either.

In other words, the supply of carriage services was very small.

However, with the several commercial districts on Academy grounds and significant numbers of students remaining at the Academy, the carriages would be in demand.

But for some reason, the carriage wasn’t getting any customers.

“Well. Eden, let’s get to business.”

[Kyuuung!]

My worries were short-lived.

After all, business is originally something you had to work hard for.

So, I decided to make my move.