Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 229: Childhood Friends - Hands Behind His Back
228. Childhood Friends - Hands Behind His Back
“Nice to meet you. But... Marquis, who is this person?”
Rev pretended not to know him. Marquis Guidan answered with a complicated expression.
“This is Count Soarel Demetri Ogleton. Let's go inside and talk. We've been expecting you.”
Marquis Guidan led the two of them not to a reception room but to his office. In the somewhat barren room for a grand noble's office, the three sat facing each other.
“Have you made a decision?”
Rev was the first to speak.
He asked the marquis first, as if he wasn't interested in Count Ogleton, but in reality, he knew that the marquis had made up his mind to start a rebellion.
Two days ago, the Akine opened.
Even if he didn't know the details, the twin princes would have given him an ultimatum, and Marquis Guidan didn't have many choices. That's probably why he brought Count Ogleton.
Harvey, the Border Count, nodded slightly. However, he revealed there was a problem.
“Marquis Drazhin refuses to join us. He said he doesn't want his name on the list of rebels without a cause. He claims he will remain neutral.”
“A cause... I guess freeing the oppressed natives isn't a cause for him. This is troublesome. Is it not possible to persuade him?”
“No. Unfortunately...”
Why is it that nothing ever goes as expected? Marquis Evni Drazhin, whom they thought would be easy to persuade, refused, and the count, whom they thought would be hard to persuade, came of his own volition.
Feeling increasingly anxious, Rev turned his attention to Count Ogleton.
“Alright. We'll have to come up with a separate plan to persuade Marquis Drazhin. You said you were Count Ogleton? Seeing the name 'Demetri,' it seems you're a mage from the Bollineu Magic Tower... What business does a mage have with me?”
Count Ogleton maintained his manners from where he was seated. Despite being asked to clarify his purpose again, he spoke with a certain enthusiasm.
“Please show me the Aura Blade. It would be a difficult request for a busy Swordmaster, but could you give me... no, just a month to study it? I heard you're planning a rebellion. If you agree, I will actively cooperate.”
“The curiosity of a mage is truly endless and unpredictable. What do you intend to research about the Aura Blade?”
As Rev appeared to show interest, Soarel did not just express it in words. He snapped his fingers, causing small spheres to float, serving as examples to aid the understanding of non-mages.
“For those who aren't highly sensitive to mana, it may not be visible, but mana is free. A mage merely presents a path for these free entities, so it's inaccurate to say a mage controls or commands mana. However,”
The count clenched his hand in the air. Then the spheres gathered and solidified in one place.
“Mana absorbed into a living body rarely leaves. Because of the wavelengths emitted by the element known as mana, they maintain a certain distance from each other, but inside living creatures, they overlap strangely. This phenomenon is what we at the Bollineu Magic Tower call 'mana overlapping phenomenon.' We've researched this through centuries of human experimen... ahem, experiments, and in recent decades we've established the 'mana overlap theory.' However, there are still unsolved mysteries.”
His eyes, a shade so deep pink they looked almost purple, swept over Rev and Marquis Guidan. Count Ogleton seemed to have lost a bit of his composure.
“What could it be?” — It seemed he wanted someone to ask, so Rev did, and the count was quite pleased.
“Is it the Aura Blade?”
“That's right! More precisely, it's the Aura. Aura doesn't necessarily manifest only on blades. For example, an axe head... as Baron Arpen Albacete told me. In any case, the phenomenon of mana binding to non-living objects cannot be explained by the mana overlap theory. So, I sought out Swordmasters to uncover this.”
So this is why he had been absent from the kingdom for five years. As Rev pondered, he offered some advice.
“The reason an Aura manifests on a sword isn't anything extraordinary. It's merely a phenomenon that occurs when a swordsman regards the sword as part of their own body.”
“Count Jacob Mordred also explained it that way... but that makes it even more intriguing. To move mana with mere perception, without any formula or mana road... Is the realm of Swordmasters only attainable by those with high mana sensitivity? Because that's the domain of 'shamans.' Anyway, I'm also interested in researching that, and I'm curious about how the Aura Blade possesses such strong cutting power. At the Bollineu Magic Tower, we've developed a spell called 'Pulsating Orb,' modeled after a living creature's heart. It's destructive but doesn't cut anything.”
The excited count spoke quickly, belying his intellectual appearance. Rev asked in a calm voice.
“It sounds like you've met other Swordmasters. Didn't they help with your research?”
“No. They all said they didn't have the capacity to concern themselves with such things. Understandably, they're busy...”
“Then I should refuse as well.”
“...”
“I'm joking. If you join the rebellion, I'll cooperate with your research, be it one month or two. However, it's difficult right now. I'm quite busy.”
“How long do I have to wait?”
“A year will suffice. If the Bollineu Magic Tower assists us, everything will be over by this time next year.”
Rev discreetly suggested what Count Soarel should do. He hoped, like last time, that the count would persuade other mages to join the rebels, but the count looked troubled.
“Why is that?”
“Well... hmm... I'll be honest. I don't know what will happen. Since I've decided to join the rebellion, I'll contact my tower and fellow tower members... but they probably won't be fond of it.”
“...Why is that?”
“It feels awkward to say this to you, who claim to represent all the natives of this land. Hmm... do you know why the Kingdom of Jerome and the Kingdom of Aster don't have magic towers?
Excluding the Kingdom of Aster, of course. It was originally the Aslan Kingdom, and the separated Kingdom of Astin has a magic tower.”
Count Ogleton, who had been hesitating and stroking his chin, diverted the topic. Since it was a question that did not require an answer, Rev waited, and the count answered himself.
“Because they don't have slavery.”
As Count Ogleton pointed out, the other five kingdoms, except for the Holy Kingdom and the Kingdom of Aster, had magic towers.
The Cornel Magic Tower in the East, Aisel Kingdom; the Legd Magic Tower in the North, known for its advanced barrier magic in the former Aslan Kingdom before it was split into two; the Kamitz Magic Tower in the center of the Bellita Kingdom, known for its development of elemental infusion theory; the Iber Magic Tower in the Southeast, located in the Kingdom of Conrad, which still retains a shamanistic atmosphere; and the Bollineu Magic Tower in the Southwest, in the Orun Kingdom, renowned for its mana overlap theory.
While the absence of a magic tower in the Aster Kingdom is due to the division of the Aslan Kingdom, with its sole tower remaining in the territory of the Astin Kingdom, the unique reason for the lack of a tower in the Jerome Holy Kingdom is its abolition of slavery, influenced greatly by the Cross Church.
For a magic tower to be maintained, slavery was necessary. While this was partly because mages conducted experiments on slaves, there was a more fundamental reason.
The essential talent for casting magic, mana sensitivity, is not hereditary.
This extremely rare talent manifests randomly, so one of the primary tasks of the magic towers was to find and bring in children born with this talent.
However, the vast majority of people in this world are tenant farmers tied to nobles.
Their children, too, are no exception, and magic towers would typically pay the local nobles a suitable amount to take these children. Unlike other kingdoms, however, the Jerome Holy Kingdom did not condone this practice.
The Cross Church defined this as human trafficking, the buying and selling of humans, preventing the establishment of a magic tower in the Holy Kingdom.
This is why the magic towers opposed the abolition of slavery. Since Rev had risen to liberate the barbarians of the Orun Kingdom, who were potential slaves, his relationship with the towers was bound to become strained in the future.
'This is going to be a headache.'
Listening to Count Ogleton’s excuses, Rev realized he would have to completely revise his plan.
In the worst-case scenario, only Count Ogleton might side with the rebels, while all the other mages support the Lognum royal family.
Even without this, they were already far behind in knightly forces, and without mages, they had no chance of victory.
Rev suddenly thought, "What if I propose that it's okay to take away children who show talent in magic?" but it clashed with the path he had taken so far.
...I can't compromise before I've even started.
Rev remained silent for a moment. He tapped his chair's armrest with his index finger and finally, feeling he had no choice, began to speak.
“Marquis Guidan.”
“Speak.”
“Tell Prince Elzeor de Lognum that you cannot marry your daughter to him. Instead, it would be wise to let slip something else.”
“What do you suggest?”
“...Before that, do you know who the knight was that attacked Philas Tertan?”
“Yes, wasn’t it someone called Sir Bart? I heard he was once a guard knight serving Prince Lean de Yeriel.”
“That’s correct. But have you ever considered why that knight attacked Philas Tertan?”
“...Isn't it to take revenge on the duke who helped oust the lord he served?”
“Well, I don't think so. If revenge was the motive, wouldn't it make more sense to target Prince Eric de Yeriel, who was directly responsible for ousting his lord? The fact that he is now targeting the duke's grandson makes me think there's some other motive.”
Please, let him know nothing.
Fortunately, Marquis Guidan did not seem to know much about Sir Bart, as he tilted his head in confusion. Rev swallowed a sigh of relief and continued.
“I'm speculating, but could it be that Prince Lean de Yeriel is still alive? I have a feeling there will be chaos in the Kingdom of Conrad soon. So, I suggest you mention to Prince Elzeor de Lognum that you'd want to capture and kill this knight, Sir Bart, even if it means attacking the Kingdom of Conrad. You'll probably get an interesting reaction.”
“...I don't understand what you mean.”
“Haha.”
Rev laughed nonchalantly.
Like a prophet or someone with extraordinary insight, he spoke confidently of things no one else could know.
“Why do you think the twin princes are so desperate to marry your daughter? It’s not like they lack women. It’s because they absolutely need the power of the Guidan, and... it's quite obvious.”
It's not obvious at all.
The marquis waited for a response with a puzzled expression, and Rev asserted confidently.
“The princes want to annex the Kingdom of Conrad.”
“That’s quite a leap.”
“You can find out if it's a leap by testing the prince. Go and tell him your daughter is unwell. Since Marquis Drazhin hasn't joined us, we need more time. I’m suggesting you try saying this.”
“What if it’s not true?”
“Then I'll rush to the palace and cut off the princes' heads for you. I won't survive, but you won’t have to send your daughter away either. This isn't something I say lightly. Trust me, and give it a try.”
After that, there was some minor squabbling. But it wasn’t of much importance, and on the way back to his quarters, Rev had another thought.
- I want to end this war with minimal casualties.
Is it because of the {Tactics} ability I received as a reward from the last scenario? He didn’t want to wage a war as brutally as before.
He wanted to cleverly outwit the twin princes without any harm coming to himself.
To do that...
'I should hand over the command to Cesar.'
Rev walked with his hands behind his back.
.
!
Chapter 229: Childhood Friends - Hands Behind His Back
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