SWNOVELXO Chapter 110
– 1 –
Life in the Solemio Inner Castle was nothing short of peaceful.
If anything, I’d say there were fewer bustling activities than when I was in the Dungeon.
Baron Valeon hardly meddled with me.
Instead, it was often Baroness Grelda who contacted me…
“I want to build a more friendly relationship with you, Mister Mage. Since we’ll be together for a long time, isn’t that okay?”
“That’s a pleasant thing to say, Grelda.”
Most of our conversations were just casual chit-chat.
Perhaps, because of the request from her husband, the Lord of the Castle, she was quite proactive in engaging with me.
“But you don’t seem like someone I can treat lightly, so I’ll call you Mister Mist.”
“You can feel free to address me however you like.”
It was merely the third day since we met, and she was already asking to call me by my name.
“I think coming to the garden was a good idea, just as you said, Mister Mist.”
“It would be a shame to stay inside when the weather is so nice. Grelda.”
However, from what I observed, the reason Baroness Grelda called on me so frequently also contained significant personal feelings.
For instance, wanting to rekindle the emotions she felt when living in the Count’s family during her youth.
You might say she was vicariously enjoying the noble atmosphere she sensed from me.
“… I heard that you’ve been paying a lot of attention to Amelia.”
“She’s a lady with rare qualities. How could I not care for her?”
Yet today, it seemed she had some other worries on her mind.
She didn’t seem to be able to relax her furrowed brow.
“You seem to have some concerns.”
“Do I? I….”
Upon hearing my observation, she pressed her brows here and there and let out a small sigh.
Then, she carefully asked one question.
“Do you really think Amy can grow up to be a great Mage?”
“…”
From that one remark, I could roughly guess what her worries were.
The path of a Mage is usually not one that can coexist easily with other paths.
If Amelia chooses the path of a Mage, it’s only natural for parents to worry that she might not have the option to pursue other career paths.
Considering Grelda’s subtle dissatisfaction from our first meeting, it was quite clear what she desired.
“By the way, didn’t you mention that Amelia hasn’t debuted in society yet?”
“That’s right. She hasn’t been to the Royal Capital even once.”
“Really?”
Amelia was currently 16 years old.
It was strange that she had never been to the capital of the kingdom until now.
Considering that the first social party for noble children typically takes place around the age of 14, it was indeed odd.
This was what caused Grelda’s discontent.
“He wants Amelia to focus on inheriting the territory and not to worry about ‘trivial matters.’”
“I see.”
“Haa…”
Not every noble wishes for their status and power to diminish.
Yet Grelda was the daughter of a Count who had married a Baron and settled in the countryside.
Parents with deficiencies often seek vicarious satisfaction from their children.
Grelda’s desire was due to the fact that she had to marry at a lower status without enjoying the social scene.
Valeon’s deficiency was that he did not receive the benefits of education as the second son of a Lord.
Conflicts were bound to arise over differing opinions regarding their child’s education.
And amidst that, the usually smart and kind child…
“This is such an important time for a girl…! She should be feeling and learning about a broader world.”
“It must be weighing heavily on your mind.”
From my perspective, the Royal Capital was not a broad world at all, but for someone raised as a noble in the kingdom, it was almost everything.
The fortune Grelda had was that, soon enough, she would realize that this wasn’t all there was to life.
Soon she would see a wider world.
“That can’t be helped. Amelia is, after all, a child who can end up marrying a noble of higher status and inherit a better household…!”
“Madam!”
At that moment.
“Steward, what’s going on? I was in the middle of a conversation with the court Mage…”
“A priest is here to see you. It’s a request from Lady Amelia…”
“Amelia?”
This was the reason I had been enduring the annoyance of staying by her side.
When a Cleric enters the castle, it would be faster for the attendant to inform us than an agent from the Information Guild.
– 2 –
Though Amelia was the heir to this Castle and felt unprecedented anxiety about her first master, that hypothesis alone did not provide sufficient grounds for summoning a Cleric for verification.
It was ultimately Valeon, the head of the family and the lord of the castle, who made the decision to bring her in.
“There’s only so much I can do as an heir.”
Thus, without formally consulting him, it would be an overstep to summon a Cleric to meet her master.
At the same time, she did not wish to escalate things by formally inquiring with her father about it.
What she had were mere suspicions, and she was fearful of the aftermath if those suspicions turned out to be unfounded.
“Is this really for verifying your talent…?”
Thus, Amelia’s justification was that she needed to have the judgment of the individual brought in by the Lord verified.
“Yes. My new master spoke of my talents, and I thought you might know better about this field, so I apologize for inviting you without any notice.”
“No, no, it’s quite alright.”
She genuinely wished to confirm whether she really had a talent for “purification,” wanting to get an expert’s opinion in that field.
Within the given information, it was the wisest excuse.
“As I have heard, indeed, she possesses a talent for purification. Although it’s a talent as a Mage rather than a Cleric…”
The Priest’s subsequent explanation confirmed that her judgment was indeed correct.
While the rank of Cleric she could summon wasn’t very high, I believed that wouldn’t be an issue.
In such a rural area, the scope of problems that could be dealt with was limited, and if it were something this Cleric couldn’t handle, it would require extraordinary measures rather than ordinary responses.
“Is it true? Father.”
“Yes, indeed. Your new court Mage has excellent discernment. This is a talent that is hard to notice easily.”
The Cleric’s name was Grace Avano.
Her initial plan was to satisfy Amelia’s request simply to build up the trust the Lord had in “Mist” and herself.
She was merely securing her own safety and profits.
If the identity of the master she summoned turned out to be truly ominous and needed to be dealt with, she would require the Lord’s assistance.
If that were not the case, then there would be no harm in getting closer to a Mage favored by the Lord.
“Hahahah! I knew it when I first saw you, Mister Mist!”
“You’re too kind, my Lord.”
…
Her blunder was just that the impending crisis was far more vast than she had imagined.
“Goodness…!”
The Priestess couldn’t take her eyes off the seat next to her from the moment she entered the room.
All the overwhelming power and presence emanating from there was why.
“I’m definitely not here alone…!”
What Amelia, who had not formally entered the circle of power, and the high-ranking Cleric, Grace, could perceive was the degree and magnitude of strength.
Evangeline had managed to keep her own abilities so meticulously hidden that she only realized it after the physical distance closed.
“C-c-c-calm down, Grace! They say if you just keep your head in a Troll’s den, you can survive…!”
She thought she was somehow straightening her back to appear undisturbed, but in reality, she was subtly arching her body back and taking a ready position to flee at any moment.
You could say her instinct to escape this situation was subtly revealing itself.
Even without implementing any serious detection methods, it was just the plain human reaction to having sensed a major trouble coming her way.
“Her abilities as a Cleric are commendable.”
“Could it be… true?”
The only ones who noticed this were Libertus and Amelia, who was closely observing the reactions of the Cleric.
Still, the atmosphere in the room did not change.
Libertus had no reason to alter the atmosphere, nor did Amelia, who was also trying to hide her realization with superhuman patience.
The rest were slow on the uptake.
“From all directions, the aura of monstrousness… I’ve revealed my awareness.”
The Cleric, Grace, understood.
If the opponent had simply been a Monster, they would not have tried to encircle so discreetly to achieve their purpose.
According to the emergency protocol she had known all along, she should have somehow survived and escaped or at least triggered an emergency signal to summon nearby Clerics.
“But even if I activate the signal, the chances of it just being a waste could be high, and I might end up dragging many people into death… What should I do?”
However, this place was considered a village even within the kingdom.
And so she kept hesitating, unable to resort to her last measure.
Even if assistance were to gather, she was not confident that they could deal effectively with the great evil before them.
As an ordinary Cleric, she was not prepared to face her own death or the many deaths that could arise from it after her own.
…
Even though they weren’t making eye contact, Libertus could feel Amelia’s expression vividly.
Despite her efforts to maintain a modest posture, her eyes were subtly trembling, and even while smiling, there was a slight twitch at the corners of her mouth.
“Surely my predictions were correct.”
From the Priestess’s demeanor, she sensed that something was off, and anxiety and fear rushed in, yet she could not act recklessly.
“What do I do after I’ve distanced myself from my father…?”
The first person who would come under attack when Libertus’ identity was revealed was her parents, who were by her side.
Lord Valeon and Baroness Grelda.
In her youth, he was a somewhat prominent knight, but his body had long since filled out from sitting on a chair for too long, and his muscles had lost their vigor.
He couldn’t guarantee the safety of either of them much less himself from a monster’s attack.
“By the way, are you feeling unwell?”
“Oh, yes. I’m quite tired after walking for so long. I’d like to rest a bit before touring the castle.”
“Ah, I see. In that case, I won’t hold you back. Bring the Cleric to her guest room.”
“Yes, Sir!”
With the Lord’s instruction, the Cleric turned her body, feeling relieved that at least time was bought.
Yet her shoulders tightened again, and she subtly lowered her head, glancing around her.
A monstrous presence suddenly approached right in front of her—a soldier in armor and a servant standing beside him.
“What is the matter?”
Even without being particularly astute, anyone could not help but notice such a significant reaction.
“No, no, it’s nothing. I’m just feeling a bit dizzy. It seems I’m quite tired.”
“Oh dear, dear. Quickly, escort her.”
Thus, those people with their helmets and hats pulled low to obscure their faces guided the Cleric to her guest room and exited the reception room.
Right after, the dark Dungeon Lord rose from his seat.
“Are you leaving already?”
“I still have preparations for Lady Amelia’s lesson later in the afternoon.”
“Ah, in that case, I won’t disturb you. Amy, why don’t you go and assist your master? If you go together to help, you might learn something.”
“Uh, n-no…!”
Before the unaware father’s words, Amelia was about to blurt out a refusal unconsciously.
“Is that so, Lady Amelia?”
But she soon froze under the suspicious gaze of her master.
“… Yes!”
After that, having been freed from her state of rigidity, she gave the opposite answer than before.
In the struggle between instinct and reason, reason had triumphed.
“I absolutely…!”
No matter how terrified she was, if avoiding it was not possible, she would ultimately have to confront it and find a solution!