Chapter 136: Preparation (1)

I decided to leave the mountain range immediately.

There was no reason for me to stay here now that a plan had been decided.

I would return to my territory, learn more about the Academy, and make the necessary preparations.

The hero said he would stay here for now and take the heir with her when the time was right.

She said she would keep me informed as soon as she could, but I found this part of the conversation difficult.

“We can’t risk sending information about the Holy Sword back and forth, so why don’t we arrange a meeting point?”

This fantasy world, strangely enough, lacked almost any instant long-distance communication means.

For long-range magical interaction, each magic stone needed to contain the same type of magical power. Like the teleportation magic circle reserved for the Chief of Staff in the Overlord’s Castle.

However, magic stones were extremely rare, and an enormous amount of magical power was needed for communication to be possible, regardless of the distance. Such long-distance magic could only be used by those who possessed that particular talent.

To my knowledge, the Holy Sword did not possess any means of long-distance communication.

It would be inconvenient for the hero to come to my castle with the heir.

So, it would be easier for me to go and find them instead.

“Oh, there is a way.”

The warrior suddenly pulled something out of thin air and handed it to me.

It was an old rolled-up parchment. When I unfolded it, it was completely blank with nothing written on it.

“What is this?”

“It’s an ancient magical tool with communication capabilities.”

The hero said that and then pulled out another object that looked exactly the same and held it in her hand, unfolding it.

“When you manipulate the magical power on this paper and write, as you can see..”

When the hero infused magic into her finger and wrote on the paper, the same writing appeared on the paper she handed to me.

“No matter how far apart we are, the characters we engraved on the paper we have would appear on the other’s paper. Let’s use this to communicate with each other.”

“Huh..”

I was amazed and examined the paper. It really had all sorts of magical properties.

“Then I will wait for your message.”

Anyway, after finishing the conversation like that, I bid a light farewell to the hero and hopped onto Ti-Yong’s back.

I would see her again soon enough.

***

Back in my territory, I looked up information about Elphon Academy.

Things like the general admission process, the teaching style, the rules, and profiles of key personnel.

I also investigated the headmaster that the hero mentioned.

As she had said, he was a powerful magician who played a significant role in the Demon War and was also famous as a close friend of the hero.

After sustaining severe injuries in the final battle with the Demon King, he retired and was now pursuing the path of an educator.

I prided myself on knowing most of the major figures in this world, but seeing this, I realized there were still many things I didn’t know.

As I delved further, I discovered an unexpected fact: Calderic also had the authority to recommend admissions.

Each Lord received recommendation letters every year and had the ability to recommend talented individuals to Elphon Academy.

I wondered why such a trivial authority existed, but I thought it might be a symbolic system to demonstrate the apparent alliance between the two nations.

And indeed, there were Lords who made good use of this authority.

Unlike other Lords, the noble family of the Second Lord, which suffered from a decline in power, regularly sent family members to the academy to strengthen their position in Santea.

“..”

And as I became aware of that fact, a sudden thought came to mind.

Rigon.

It was about Rigon.

Rigon was a genius no less than the heir, and his age was roughly the same.

So, what if he became close to the heir and became her comrade?

What I needed at the moment were as many variables as possible. Not in a negative sense, but in a positive sense.

To fulfill the conditions for inheriting the Holy Sword, the heir needed a lot of experience and interaction.

That was not something I could control, so it would be good to assign someone to the heir for now.

Even if Rigon didn’t contribute to the succession, there was nothing wrong with simply becoming a comrade of the heir.

..Should I recommend Rigon to the Academy?

It wasn’t a difficult question, as I knew that I had the power to recommend someone for admission.

Of course, Rigon’s will was the most important.

I tried to call Rigon and his sister to ask for their opinions. But..

“Currently, Sir Reef is heading to the Mazlak Canyon for the Enrock Base Expedition.”

“..Expedition? Why?”

“Newly recruited knights of the Ironblood Knights Order are sent on expeditions to the treacherous areas of Enrock as part of their training..”

I see. So, she’s working hard.

“If you command, I will immediately arrange for her to return to the Lord’s castle.”

“It’s fine. There’s no need for that.”

I decided to leave Reef alone and call Rigon for now.

【Lv. 29】

“You called, my lord?”

Rigon, who had come in response to the summons, greeted me with a pleasant expression. It had been a long time since I last saw his face.

Level 29?

Wasn’t he level 21 the last time I saw him?

During that time, Rigon had rapidly grown and was now on the verge of reaching level 30.

“How have you been these days?”

“Thanks to the Lord’s care, I’ve been doing very well. Thank you.”

After listening to a brief update on his situation, I immediately got to the point.

“Rigon, do you happen to know about the Elphon Academy in Santea?”

Rigon tilted his head in confusion.

“I’m not quite sure. What is it?”

Considering that Rigon and his sister were originally from Calderic, it was understandable that they didn’t know much about Santea.

I briefly explained the concept of the academy to him.

After hearing the explanation, Rigon nodded as if he understood.

“Oh, I see. So it’s a place where people are gathered to be taught. That’s interesting.”

“Are you interested in it, by any chance?”

“Huh? Yes, a little.”

“Well, then. Have you ever thought about enrolling in the academy?”

“..What?”

Rigon blinked his eyes, seemingly taken aback by the sudden remark.

“As I said, the Elphon Academy is the premier educational institution on the continent. While it’s good for you to continue learning the sword from Asher, it suddenly occurred to me that it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to learn and experience a wider range of things there.”

“But I want to be a knight of the castle, like my sister, no, like Sir Asher–“

“I have no intention of forcing you to do anything. Encouraging you and your sister to become knights was just one path I suggested.”

I crossed my arms and spoke.

“You have numerous choices. Among them, you can do whatever you want. It’s fine to become a knight like your sister, or enter the academy as I just mentioned, or consider a different path.”

“....”

“Regardless of your sister, is it entirely your will to become a knight? If not, then take some time to deeply think about what I just said.”

“Yes, I understand. I will think about it.”

Seeing that he couldn’t respond immediately, it seemed that Rigon wasn’t wholeheartedly committed to becoming a knight.

Since I was the one who brought up them being a knight, and since Reef had become a knight, he probably assumed that he should be one too.

After a few days, Rigon came to me again to share his answer.

“I’ve thought about it, and going to that academy doesn’t seem like a bad idea, as my lord mentioned.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I think it’s great that my lord is thinking of me and giving me this opportunity, and I’m curious to hear that it’s a place where all the kids my age go to learn together.”

Thinking it went well, Rigon scratched his head and continued.

“But.. if Sister opposes it, I’d prefer to stay in the castle. It would be too uncomfortable for me to leave for a distant place and upset Sister.”

I nodded my head.

For Reef, his little brother’s matters were more important than anything else, so I naturally thought of asking her too.

But since she’s not in the capital.. sending her a message would..

I didn’t know when the warrior would contact me, so I needed to make a decision and be ready.

But it would take too long if I waited until Reef returned to the castle.

At the same time, if I called for her, it would be troublesome and time-consuming.

It will be fine if I just go where she is.

Even if she’s at Mazlak Canyon, it wouldn’t take even a day if I rode on Ti-Yong.

I decided to go find her myself and immediately prepared to leave.

“Rigon, I’m thinking of meeting your sister. Will you come with me?”

Rigon replied with a tense expression, “Uh, by any chance, are we going by Wyvern?”

“Yeah.”

“I will go! Please take me with you no matter what!”

Come to think of it, this guy had wanted to ride a wyvern even before this.

Tyongyi seemed uncomfortable with the idea of carrying someone other than the familiar Asher, but it didn’t complain too much.

With the excited Rigon on board, they immediately departed for the Mazlak Canyon, where Reef was said to be.

***

Runkelcid Base in Mazlak Canyon.

The knights stationed here were tasked with searching and surveying the canyon on a daily basis.

Mazlak Canyon was inhabited by various species of monsters, including some that caused disturbances. If they didn’t regularly investigate their activities, a disaster might suddenly strike from beneath the canyon.

“Well, shall we give it our best today?”

A man hummed as he checked the gear on his body.

“I never understand why you’re always so cheerful.”

The woman standing beside him already complained with a tired expression.

The man chuckled and said, “But isn’t it a bit easier these days? The newcomers are here, so we have less work to do. It’s fun to teach them a thing or two as well.”

“What’s fun about teaching? It’s lucky if we go without any accidents caused by those scatterbrained idiots.”

“They may lack experience, but their skills are not inferior to ours, Mamelas. They are talented individuals by nature. Didn’t you hear about the incident in the previous investigation that could have gone wrong if it weren’t for Reef’s intervention? That guy risked her life.”

Mamelas’ expression hardened as soon as the name Reef was mentioned.

One of the men, who had been humming a tune, lowered his voice slightly and spoke again.

“By the way, there have been rumors about her connection to the Seventh Lord. Could it be true?”

A secret rumor had been circulating among the knights of Runkelcid.

The rumor suggested that Reef had some ties to the Seventh Lord.

However, most dismissed it as baseless gossip.

The idea that a Lord would pay attention to a single knight was an absurd notion, and if she were truly favored by the Seventh Lord, she wouldn’t have come on this mission with such a change of scenery.

“It’s nonsense. Do you believe in such baseless rumors?”

The man sneered inwardly at Mamelas’ curt reply.

It was obvious to anyone that her dislike of Reef stemmed from her own feelings of inferiority.

In a few months, they would finish their training and return to the lord’s castle, walking the path of elite knights.

So it would be wise to build friendly relations with the members of the Ironblood Knight Order whenever there was an opportunity. It was pointless to waste emotions on something so trivial; it could only be seen as pathetic.

“Oh, Reef.”

At the mention of Reef’s name, the man raised his hand to someone walking towards them from the other side.

Approaching Reef, he nodded in greeting.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let’s go. Let’s work hard today as well.”

With a tap on Reef’s shoulder, the man walked out first.

Mamelas glanced at her and then followed, taking slow steps.

Thud.

The bump on her shoulder made Leaf take a step back.

She turned her head and watched Mamelas, who was moving away, with an expressionless face.

In fact, Reef was famous to the point where almost everyone in the Lord’s castle knew about her. But here, the rumors about her only reached as far as vague gossip with uncertain sources.

That was because Reef had personally asked the officer in charge to keep it a secret.

It was unthinkable to receive special treatment for training under the name of the Seventh Lord.

She didn’t want to disappoint the person who had given her and her younger brother a new life.

Compared to the days when she was a slave gladiator in the city of Actipol, this was nothing more than a minor dispute.

Reef fell into step behind the two of them.

***

“Haam..”

The soldier standing guard yawned in boredom.

Due to the geography of Runkelcid, it was not uncommon for monsters to descend upon the base.

So when he first started his shift, he’d been on edge, shaking with anxiety, but now he was so used to it that he could sleep if he wanted to.

“Don’t space out and stand properly. The knights will be back soon.”

“Don’t act all strict just because I yawned. Are you my wife?”

As the soldier responded to his colleague’s remark, he turned his gaze forward again, suppressing his drowsiness.

“..?”

The soldier’s eyes narrowed at the tiny dot in the distant sky that was getting closer and closer.

“Hey, what’s that over there?”

“What?”

“Can’t you see that in the sky? Uh, uh?”

When the identity of that thing became discernible as it approached, the soldiers turned pale.

A gigantic wyvern was flying towards the base at an alarming speed.

“Emergency! Emergency!”

The soldiers panicked and sounded the alarm.

Even the knights who rushed out from inside the base were wide-eyed upon discovering the wyvern.

“What.. What is that?”

Why was a wyvern here?

The commanding officer of Runkelcid couldn’t hide his perplexity as he looked at the wyvern approaching at a close distance.

Then he realized there was someone on the wyvern’s back, and he gasped.

“Halt! Do not attack! Everyone lower your weapons!”

The mages, who had been preparing to intercept, canceled their spells.

A wyvern descended from the sky, landing slowly on one side of the base.

The commanding officer couldn’t help but gulp as he watched the man descend from the wyvern’s back.

Crazy.

..It’s really the Seventh Lord.

The new Seventh Lord, whom he had only heard about in rumors, had actually walked onto the Runkelcid base.

The commanding officer hurriedly ran towards the man, who was looking around, and lowered his head respectfully.

“It is an honor to have you visit Runkelcid Base, Seventh Lord!”

The knights and soldiers, who belatedly grasped the situation, also bowed their heads in panic.

The man, the Seventh Lord, opened his mouth.

“And who might you be?”

“I.. I am Zakran, the commanding officer of Runkelcid!”

“So, you’re the commanding officer. You’ve worked hard to uphold the base. My visit has no special meaning, I just came here to meet someone. So, relax.”

Upon hearing those words, the commanding officer felt a sense of relief and a thrill surging through his body. Even if it was just a word, who would have the chance to personally serve the Lord in their lifetime?

The next thought that came to his mind was curiosity. Why did the Lord personally travel to this remote region to meet someone? Who could it be.. Ah.

“Is Reef currently at the base?”

As the commanding officer realized and had his epiphany, the words of the Seventh Lord continued.

While the other knights might not know, as the person in charge of the base, he knew a bit about the situation.

He had received a message from someone on the castle’s side, directly from the leader of the Iron-blood Knights.

Among the newcomers coming to Runkelcid this time, pay special attention and observe the knight named Reef. Without drawing attention.

The commanding officer only heard from the messenger that the reason behind it was simply the fact that she was a person associated with the Seventh Lord, and he was instructed to keep quiet about it.

..So, it was true.

The commanding officer felt a chill running down his spine for no reason and glanced at the knight standing behind him.

The knight, catching his gaze, spoke.

“S-Sir Reef is currently conducting a search in the Mazlak Canyon.”

“Is that so? The timing is unfortunate.”

The commanding officer said hurriedly.

“I will have her returned immediately, my lord.”

“Never mind. I’ll just go there myself. Is Mazlak Canyon in that direction?”

With that, the Seventh Lord rode back to the wyvern with the boy he had brought with him.

Flap!

With the powerful beat of its wings, the wyvern quickly disappeared in the direction of the canyon.

The commanding officer absentmindedly stared at the scene, then suddenly regained his senses and gave orders to those around him.

“Start tidying up the base immediately. Summon all the knights and mages in the base. We need to clean up as neatly as possible, without anything catching the eye, until the Seventh Lord returns.”

“Yes!”

“And place the guards more densely along the outer wall. If you don’t want to die, stay on high alert.”

The entire base was put on high alert due to the sudden visit of the Seventh Lord, which was like a storm passing through.

***

“It’s the trace of Gargari.”

The deputy leader muttered as he examined the blue fluid on the ground.

Currently, the knights were conducting an investigation at the entrance of the canyon.

“The blood hasn’t hardened much, so it must be close by.”

“Yeah. Let’s hurry and find it to take care of it.”

“Sigh, it looks like today’s search will be long.”

It was a frog-like monster with a thick body and a deadly venom.

Since it had a habit of spreading its poison continuously in the area it chose as its habitat, if it wasn’t dealt with quickly when traces were found, it could descend to nearby villages without anyone knowing and cause a terrible disaster.

The knights divided into teams of two and started searching immediately.historical

Reef formed a group with Mamelas and moved towards the direction of the forest.

“Keep an eye on the rear. Don’t miss any small traces and report everything.”

“Yes.”

Mamelas glared at Leaf, who complied immediately, and then turned away again.

It was after a while of silence while moving.

“..!”

Mamelas spotted a large frog-like creature through the bushes and raised her hand. It was Gargari.

Gargari also noticed them and glanced around, emitting a low growl.

Found it.

She stared at the creature while holding her breath, then briefly glanced back at Reef and spoke.

“You stay here quietly.”

“Are you planning to deal with it alone?”

“Yeah. Any problem with that?”

Reef remained silent for a moment and then spoke.

“You could be in danger by yourself.”

“Ha, danger? You getting involved would only be a hindrance. Just focus on guarding the surroundings.”

Reef frowned slightly at her forced words. They didn’t pair up and start the search for no reason.

Regardless, Mamelas drew her sword and approached the Gargari alone.

She didn’t want to give Reef even the slightest opportunity to make a move or contribute.

Mamelas charged toward Gargari.

Gargari, with her mouth wide open, extended its tongue and launched an attack.

Mamelas twisted and dodged, approaching from the side. Her sword sliced into Gargari’s side.

If it began to spread its poison, it would be a nuisance, so she did everything in her power to deal with it as quickly as possible.

Amidst the relentless sword strikes, Gargari leaped around in all directions, counterattacking.

As Mamelas inwardly prepared for the final blow, Reef suddenly shouted.

“Watch out!”

In that instant, Mamelas also realized her mistake.

Gargari’s tongue, shot forward and then recoiled, unexpectedly coiled around her relaxed leg.

“Ack!”

Mamelas was thrown violently into the air and slammed into the ground.

Her fallen body was targeted again as Gargari’s tongue descended.

Snap!

Reef, who had rushed over, skillfully severed the tongue before swiftly decapitating Gargari.

Reef wiped the bodily fluid off her sword and approached the fallen Mamelas.

“Are you okay?”

Mamelas, who was groaning, quickly got up.

She nervously wiped off the mud from her head and, standing up, glared at Reef with a face full of embarrassment and resentment.

“Didn’t I tell you not to interfere?”

Reef looked at the disheveled Mamelas with a bewildered expression.

“Even if you didn’t step forward, I would have handled it myself! Disobeying orders? Don’t you think my words sound like commands?”

“..While you are my senior, you don’t have the authority to formally command me according to regulations.”

Mamelas lost her temper for a moment and raised her hand, slapping the floor with her sword.

Crack!

Reef’s head snapped sideways.

After being slapped on the cheek, Reef didn’t say a word and looked at Mamelas with a cold glare.

Startled, Mamelas clenched her teeth and raised his hand once again.

“This arrogant woman is really..!”

Shuuuu!

Suddenly, a loud booming sound echoed in her ears, causing her to jolt and stop her movements.

The source of the sound was the sky.

Both of them looked up with widened eyes.

A giant creature with wings was plummeting towards them at an alarming speed.

“..A wyvern?!”

Though various monsters inhabited the Mazlak Canyon, wyverns were not among them.

Having only heard about them before, Mamelas was frozen in place by the overwhelming presence of the dragon-like creature.

“..”

Reef, too, quietly observed the scene and let out a small sigh.

Mamelas hastily tried to escape towards the bushes.

However, Reef grabbed her arm.

“What, what is it? Are you crazy?! Let me go!”

“It’s the Seventh Lord.”

Mamelas momentarily paused, wondering what she was talking about. The Seventh Lord?

While they were talking, the wyvern had descended and landed on the ground.

Only then did she realize that someone was riding on the wyvern’s back, and she stared, completely frozen, at the man who had descended from its back. It was a black-haired human.

“My lord.”

Reef, who bowed her head in greeting, looked at Rigon, who was standing next to the Seventh Lord.

Rigon, who met her eyes, waved his hand with a bright smile.

“Long time no see, Reef.”

“Yes. But what brings you here..?”

The Seventh Lord glanced briefly at the Gargari’s body and the frozen Mamelas.

Finally understanding the situation, Mamelas reflexively kneeled down and lowered her head.

“I greet you, Seventh, Seventh Lord..”

The rumors that seemed absurd turned out to be true.

Indeed, there was the Seventh Lord behind Reef.

Mamelas felt her mind go blank like a blank sheet of paper.

And she immediately remembered what she had just done.

The Seventh Lord, sensing the subtle atmosphere, finally noticed that Reef’s cheek was red and asked her.

“What happened?”

Reef glanced at Mamelas.

Mamelas trembled uncontrollably with fear and prayed inwardly.

P-Please, spare me.. Please..

Reef lowered her head.

“No, nothing happened, my lord.”

Upon hearing this, Mamelas felt a surge of relief throughout her body and unknowingly shed tears.

***

I looked down at the knight besides Reef, who was breathing heavily, unable to lift her head.

It was easy to tell that something was amiss with such an intense reaction.

But I didn’t dwell on it, since Leaf seemed to want to let it go.

I spoke to Reef.

“I have something to ask you about regarding Rigon. I’ve come here to speak with you and also to get some air.”

“Ah..”

“Let’s get back to base. Get on the wyvern.”

I said, climbing back onto the wyvern with Rigon.

The wyvern snorted and showed signs of discomfort at the thought of carrying more people, but I stroked Ti-Yong’s neck to calm it down.

Reef looked at me hesitantly.

I thought it might be because it was unfamiliar for her to ride the wyvern for the first time, but she opened her mouth and spoke.

“My lord, I apologize, but if it’s not urgent, may I return separately?”

“..?”

“The reconnaissance mission is now over. I would like to clean up the mess and return to base with my companions.”

I tilted my head in confusion. Why would she want to go back separately when we could return together?

Ah.

Then, I realized that I had been ignoring an obvious fact.

Currently, she was in the midst of performing a mission here in this canyon with other knights.

I suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tried to take her away.

Of course, it shouldn’t be a problem since I, the Lord, allowed it. But it was obvious how this behavior would be perceived by the other knights.

I know what Leaf’s mindset was.

She’s desperately training to become a knight of the monarchy, just like she said she would.

My current actions showed no consideration for her whatsoever.

..Maybe I’ve changed a little too.

Although it was just a trivial matter, I was surprised at myself once again.

Was it because I held such a high position? Since when did I stop caring about even the smallest things?

You never know how a person can change when those little things continue to pile up.

Even if I didn’t turn into a madman like the Tyrant or the Black Sea empress.

Even if it’s said that I saved the lives of these siblings in my pursuit to secretly save the world.

Those things couldn’t shield me from acting according to my own desires without considering those around me.

The lordship I obtained by chance was nothing special to begin with.

It’s merely an illusion, and who knew what would happen to it in the future?

It would be better for me to have some caution in my heart from now on.

“Reef.”

“Yes.”

When I called her name, Reef closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.

She looked anxious, as if she had offended me.

Feeling pity for her appearance, I let out a faint smile and spoke.

“I lacked consideration for you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. My lord.”

“Then we will wait for you at the base. I know well that you’re working hard.”

At that, I saw the corners of Leaf’s eyes flutter. She probably hadn’t expected to hear this from me.

“Yes, thank you..”

Rigon looked like he wanted to stay and go back with Reef if he could, but he didn’t say it.

Although he usually appeared very carefree, he was observant in situations like this.

Leaving Reef behind, Ti-Yong soared into the sky.

Looking at the fellow who seemed happy not to have to carry Reef, I smiled and said to the wyvern.

“You follow Asher obediently, even without me around. Are you just pretending not to like people?”

Kyaak!

Upon hearing those words, the wyvern unexpectedly let out a sharp cry and showed its temper.

Anyway, Ti-Yong understood words amazingly well.

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

***

After returning to the base, it took a few hours before Reef returned with the knights that were with her.

We sat around a table in a quiet room.

After giving the two siblings time to catch up, I spoke about why we went here.

“..Are you talking about entering the Academy in Santea?”

Reef, who had listened to the story, responded with a puzzled expression.

Of course, I expected that reaction.

I was asking if it would -->>

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