novelraw Chapter 75 : Chapter 75
Chapter 75 : Chapter 75
Chapter 75: A Changed Future (1)
Serzila was hot, and the Boundary was cool.
There were times when Serzila was slightly cool.
This morning was like that. Winter was approaching. It was a time when the harsh North became even harsher.
It meant that half a year had already passed since I became a hostage.
However, I was still twenty.
A time when I knew little, having to rely solely on what I had heard from the Elaine of my past life.
'If I had known it would be like this, I should have lived diligently.'
The Harad of the past life was a freeloader.
That was putting it nicely; Elaine and the knights called him a moron. It had been like that until he turned twenty-five.
'Though things are going more smoothly than I thought.'
Securing the tunnels was a big deal.
In the past life, how significant was the contribution of the tunnels?
Without those holes, the Otherworld would not have been able to eat away at Serzila so easily.
The tunnels would become the main infiltration route for the Otherworld.
Such tunnels, I had secured them in advance.
And in the year of my regression at that.
It was an achievement that I could only be satisfied with.
But I could not be complacent.
Problems were still rampant.
Although the tunnels were blocked, the Otherworld had been eyeing the continent even before the existence of the tunnels.
Their methods must have been truly diverse.
Such methods of the Otherworld, I did not know all of them.
However, the task at hand was clear. I had to erase Elaine's regrets.
It was the reason I could not refuse the 1st Knights' request for cooperation.
To stay by Elaine's side, I had to establish my position, and Serzila needed its Knights Orders.
"Wow."
Gullen looked at Kubel and expressed his admiration anew.
He had seen him a few times, but he was amazed every time. It was a physique that any Northerner would envy.
"Is there really no secret?"
Kubel scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
He had been big since he was born. It wasn't because of his Origin. Smoke and size had no correlation.
"If only you weren't a Mage, you would have surely become a great knight."
Gullen lamented Kubel's talent.
Saying that there were few talents as overwhelming as innate strength.
"There are fewer great Mages than great knights. Kubel has been given a more precious opportunity."
"Are you saying it's easier to be a knight than a Mage?"
"Isn't that right?"
Mages are more precious.
Even if you combined the population of the Otherworld, there would be more people in the world who could handle Aura.
But the continent loses.
Although the Otherworld's methods were insidious, in fact, even that was a skill, if you could call it a skill.
“Knights are stronger.”
Gullen showed his pride.
"Strength belongs to the person. It's not a matter of profession."
Who is stronger, a knight or a Mage.
There was no topic more meaningless than that.
"...When I talk with you, I feel like I'm the only one who's wrong."
"I didn't mean to offend you."
"I know. That's why I'm not angry."
Gullen was accepting whatever I said.
He seemed quite displeased with himself for doing so.
"I'll go get the horses."
Gullen moved away.
And then he muttered to himself.
"Strength..."
It was a good sign.
It meant that he was thinking.
That thought had to deepen.
The more that shiny bald head turned, the stronger the knight named Gullen would become.
* * *
Gullen brought two horses.
A cart was connected behind them.
It was a cart for Kubel. He didn't know how to ride a horse.
"It's not a carriage. Isn't the treatment too harsh?"
"...There is no carriage that can fit that frame."
"I see."
Kubel obediently got into the cart.
Creak. The cart let out a light scream.
The horses that Harad and Gullen were riding on moved. Fortunately, the cart rolled along well.
The wind, hinting at winter, was cool.
While Gullen and Kubel were fastening their collars, I took off my coat and faced the wind.
"Is even this much hot for you?"
"It's on the cool side. I wish every day was winter."
"What a terrible thing to say."
Gullen looked envious.
Northerners loved the harsh North, but they hated winter.
Because winter would take the lives of those next to them.
"I heard you found traces of a Mage."
"We didn't find traces, we found the Mage."
"A Mage?"
"Yes."
Gullen nodded.
'Cassion, that guy, must have misheard.'
He must have overheard it.
Since it wasn't Elaine or Ellen who was going.
"There were three of them."
There were three Mages they had encountered during the search.
It was a rare case for this time of year, but not surprising.
"Did you kill them?"
Gullen nodded.
"They were strong, but not to your extent. They didn't have any special magic. Projection?"
"That's right."
They were Mages who could not manifest Projection.
It meant that at best, they were at the beginning of the 4th Rank.
"Any casualties?"
"Sir Gawen was injured. Ah, Sir Gawen is..."
"I know who he is. He has a handsome beard."
Gawen was a knight with underlying strength.
Maybe not now, but he was in the future.
"Sir Gawen's face was severely torn."
So I furrowed my brows.
It was a wound that could be healed, but a scar would remain.
“A scar will remain. Do you perhaps know how to remove a scar?”
“Why would you remove it, it’s a medal of honor.”
The Gawen of the past life had no scar on his face.
'This didn't originally happen.'
Something that didn't happen in the past life had occurred.
It meant it was the effect of the regression. To be precise, because of the regressed Harad.
Of course, I had expected a moment like this to come someday.
Since Serzila itself was already changing from the future.
'What could be the cause?'
It was when I was reflecting on the past half-year.
Gullen spoke to the nervous Kubel on the cart.
"I heard you're a 3rd Rank Mage. I'm looking forward to it."
Gullen did not speak casually to Kubel.
The other 1st Knights members who often came to see Harad were also like that.
They all spoke casually to Harad, but not to Kubel. It was because of his size. The knights respected Kubel's physical strength.
"It's a request for cooperation for us, but it'll be a good opportunity for you too."
Kubel was in a position where he had to constantly prove his usefulness.
Only then could he live in Serzila.
It was because he was a Mage.
"...I'll do my best."
Kubel's answer was gloomy.
It didn't seem to be just because he was nervous about the upcoming real battle.
Creak. Creak. The cart kept screaming.
Kubel was constantly fidgeting.
“Is there something worrying you?”
“……”
“Speak freely, we’re friends.”
“What kind of friends?”
Gullen interjected.
"We're in the same boat. A Mage, and living off others."
"...I heard that Shura is learning magic."
"Shura? Ah. You said your daughter is a Mage too. That, well..."
"Just drive the horse."
I cut him off.
Gullen was clueless. It was because he was a Northerner and also young. That big bald man was a year younger than me. Just nineteen.
"She will be taught. Either I or Cassion can teach her, or you can."
"...Does Shura also have to prove her usefulness?"
"A moment like that might come someday."
I said honestly.
Shura had already proven herself once. Securing the Tunnel-Digger was that little girl's achievement.
"..."
There was no reply.
Looking back, Kubel's face had turned pale white.
Only then did I realize that he was misunderstanding.
"You don't think Serzila would send a child to the front lines, do you."
"When she becomes an adult..."
"Even then, Shura will not see blood."
I could state it with certainty.
"Even if you ask, I won't allow it. Ellen would be the same."
Shura's Origin was her eyes.
Eyes that see into a person's heart.
“Shura’s Origin is not suitable for the front lines.”
Does that make sense? That was Gullen's expression.
It was because he had never seen a Mage who couldn't fight.
"You have to compare a Mage to a person. Not a knight."
Although they are the same person, in any case.
I explained at Gullen's level.
"Not just anyone can become a knight. It's the same with Mages. There are Origins that are good for fighting, and there are Origins that are not."
"Are you saying that just as there are people who become knights, there are also people who become scribes?"
"Oh. That's right."
I was impressed.
That shiny bald head was definitely slow, but it was starting to turn.
"Of course, if you order them to fight, they might be able to. But not all humans are good at fighting. It's the same."
Gullen nodded.
Even the people on the street would fight if ordered to. But they are not strong.
"But Mages have magic, don't they."
"That's because magic is their field of study."
An average Mage would be stronger than an average person. That was certainly true.
“Having a lot of magic, or a high Rank, doesn’t mean they’re all strong.”
Just like people, Mages each have different areas they are good at.
It is usually distinguished by their Origin. There are Origins suitable for fighting, and there are Origins that are not.
“Magic is not a power for fighting. It is just used for fighting.”
“Then what is it a power for?”
“Why are you asking me that, you should ask the world.”
Of course, the Otherworld considers it a power for war.
It was the reason the Ivory Tower was looked down upon in the Otherworld.
Because the Origins belonging to that tower are not suitable for combat.
There were many closet-dwellers in the Ivory Tower.
Those who purely explored their Origins.
I met Kubel's eyes.
"The North is ignorant, but not so crude as to force someone who can't fight to fight."
"..."
"If you're still worried, then you just have to render a lot of service. For Shura's share as well."
Kubel's eyes were harder than when they first met.
Even though he was nervous, his resolve had not disappeared.
He must kill, so that Shura may live.
* * *
After the regression.
Today was the third time I had visited the 1st Knights' garrison.
I had seen the knights more than that.
They would often come down to the Inner Fortress and show me useless—to them, suspected to be magic—objects.
Thanks to that, I knew them all by face, and our relationship was not bad.
To the 1st Knights, Harad was a Mage they could trust, even if they couldn't entrust their lives to him.
Gullen guided me to where the 1st Knights Commander was.
The knights we encountered on the way greeted me. Among them was Gawen.
'He really did injure his face.'
Gawen had a bandage wrapped around his face, and only his eyes were visible. The wound seemed to be considerable.
'There's no way it won't leave a scar.'
But the Gawen of the past life had no scar on his face. He was a dashingly handsome man.
'The future has changed.'
I came at the 1st Knights' request for cooperation, but now I had to enter the Boundary even if they didn't want me to.
It was the duty of a regressor, if anything.
I had to check why, and how, the future had changed.
Inside the wooden building where Toremot resided, there was a desk.
It was the only desk in the garrison.
Toremot stepped over the huge axe that was leaning against the desk and strode over.
He was Gullen's father, but he looked to be around thirty. His muscles were probably even younger.
It was a characteristic of a Sword Master, whose physical prime is forcibly maintained.
“It’s been a while, Mage Harad.”
Toremot smiled, holding out a hand the size of a pot lid.
He was a man whose size was not inferior even when compared to Kubel.
He was also bald like Gullen.
'Come to think of it, Gullen was forcibly shaved.'
It wasn't hair loss, but all of it was shaved by Toremot.
Because it interfered with fighting.
The hand I shook with Toremot felt like it would be crushed.
Indeed, it was a monstrous strength befitting a Sword Master.
“Deputy Commander Derrick praised you a lot.”
He must be talking about the search where they met the rabbit.
At that time, the knights did not see the rabbit. It meant that they had only seen Harad's good side.
Perhaps because of that, Toremot's gaze was much more intense than when they had met before.
"I heard you discovered a tunnel with the Grand Heir. It was shocking. The Grand Heir said it was all your achievement."
Toremot's gaze intensified in real time.
I found that gaze burdensome.
'He's hotter than I heard.'
Toremot, the 1st Knights Commander, was a very passionate knight, the Harad of the past life had heard from Elaine and Gullen to the point of being sick of it.
He had never felt that heat directly.
By the time the Harad of the past life had achieved some level of success, Toremot was already not of this world.
"I've heard a lot about you too, that you're the strongest Knights Commander."
"Haha. You heard right."
Toremot did not deny it even as a polite refusal.
It was a confidence in himself. He was the second strongest superhuman in Serzila after Grand Duke Aratus.
“But it’s not something to be proud of. I have strength, but nowhere to use it.”
Because he was a Sword Master, Toremot could not enter the Boundary.
He was letting his strength go to waste.
"I understand. It's not our fault, but the imperial family's."
"You are already a man of Serzila."
Us. At that word, Toremot laughed even louder.
"Since you say so, I'll ask without reservation. It seems we need to go beyond the Search Route. Derrick said it would be difficult without you."
There was no one as suitable for pioneering as Harad.
"Will it be alright? It'll be a big problem if you get caught."
It was an imperial decree.
Serzila must not deviate from the Search Routes.
"I've already received His Highness the Grand Duke's permission. He said to say it was your sole decision if we get caught?"
"..."
"He also said you would understand if I told you this."
To Grand Duke Aratus, Harad was a delicious tail.
A tail that he would eat deliciously on a normal day, and discard when it got in the way.
It was a condition I had obtained in exchange for freely entering and exiting the Boundary.
"Where do we need to go?"
"Do you remember that time? When you killed the Otherworld Mage."
I nodded.
He was talking about Ios. At that time, I had met Toremot and Cassion.
"At that time, you told us to go check out the Boundary. As a result, the 2nd Knights Commander took a head."
At that time, Cassion had killed Compaso.
A Mage whose Origin was his eyes. A colleague of Ios and a 4th Rank of the same Ivory Tower.
“The Otherworld bastards we killed this time came from that direction.”
“So you think there’s something there.”
“Yes. My gut feeling.”
“A reasonable basis.”
Knights are sometimes like beasts.
When they become a Sword Master, they have an intuition that surpasses that of a decent beast.
"We'll go right away."
There was no reason to delay.
I wanted to quickly confirm the reason why the future had changed.
Presumably, that reason would be in the place Toremot had mentioned.
A Sword Master's gut feeling is reliable.
“Will it be alright? I heard that a Mage needs meditation time.”
It was in a similar context to the question Gullen had once asked about not chanting spells.
A Mage whose mindscape is not complete would check the image of their magic in their head before a real battle.
"Only shabby Mages do that. Not me."
It was a kind of preparation.
One that Harad did not need.
"I see."
Toremot smiled like a beast.
The North liked this kind of confidence.
“You can take Derrick.”
Toremot said that he had selected the elites of the 1st Knights.
"Do you trust me that much? You might lose your knights."
"Is there a reason not to? When the Grand Heir trusts you."
Toremot was straightforward.
I was newly reminded of Elaine's status.
'As expected of Elaine.'
If you want to get ahead, you have to hang out with Elaine.
Not Ellen.
“Can I take this friend too?”
Kubel was already arranged.
I asked, pointing at Gullen.
"That one? He won't be of much help."
Toremot had a displeased expression.
It was not a look one should give to a son.
"Why are you picking a fight with me."
Gullen flared up.
“You’re asking because you don’t know? You’re weak.”
“You…”
Gullen's face turned beet red.
Toremot shook his head and sighed.
The emotional fluctuations between father and son seemed severe.
But I knew that Toremot's sigh was not directed at Gullen.
“Well, you can take him if you want to. But don’t expect much.”
Toremot clicked his tongue, looking at Gullen's waist. A sword was stuck there.
"Stupid fool."
Not an axe.