novelraw Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Garius opened his eyes a long time after organizing his enlightenment.
In the meantime, Jeremy had drunk five bottles of stimpacks, taken out the resignation letter hidden in his chest only to have it confiscated by Ian, and after repeatedly crying, walking, and crawling, he had finally fainted.
As he fainted, he whispered, ‘Ah… grandfather has come to pick me up……,’ in a crawling voice as if leaving a will, but Ian didn’t even give him a glance and started training with the knights.
“Haat!
Haat!
Haaat!”
Garius, who had been watching the training of the knight order and Ian for quite a while, looked briefly at Jeremy, who was lying carelessly in a corner, and then headed outside without a word.
He had to explain the situation to the Count, who was revealing clear hostility and displeasure from afar.
‘Heoheoheoheo……!
How on earth am I supposed to explain this!’
He couldn't stop laughing because he didn't know how to explain the sudden enlightenment, but still.
* * *
Ian glared at the door of the training ground with burning eyes.
Damn wizards.
Conscienceless wizards!
“My Lord, is there a problem……?”
“How can a person not know gratitude!”
At Ian’s sudden shout, the knights trembled, but it was invisible to Ian’s eyes, enraged by the fact that a wizard had gained a fortuitous encounter at the training ground and left without a word.
No matter if he’s a wizard, if he gained precious enlightenment, couldn't he give at least one gold coin, one potion, one scroll, or one roll of magic cloth!
Of course, there was the very trivial problem that the wizard had been hiding his identity.
‘No!
He was caught as soon as he entered, but didn't I pretend not to know!
Even though he caused a storm with mana, I pretended not to know!’
I even knew the wizard’s identity.
Considering Calua said he saw him hiding in the Tower Lord's office, it was definitely the Tower Lord.
Even if not, Front Hold isn't overflowing with 6th Circle wizards, so I couldn't not know even if I wanted to.
The fact that I didn't interrupt his enlightenment was largely due to the thought, ‘Since I’m bothering to pretend not to know, give me at least one more rice cake.’
“If you received teachings, you should properly know how to express gratitude!
How can a human who has learned enough to be called learned be so selfish……!”
Ian’s aggrieved shout echoed in the training ground.
* * *
Vergil felt deep guilt at his Lord’s murderous anger, which he was feeling for the first time.
‘Ah!
To think we forgot gratitude despite learning so much!’
His Lord bestowed teachings equally upon soldiers, knights, and even wizards.
That was no exception for Vergil, a 5th Class Knight.
The Lord’s words, pointing out shortcomings and suggesting solutions, were like golden rules.
To help everyone, the Lord was surely putting in dozens of times more effort than others.
‘My fault is truly great!’
Even with a hundred mouths, I had nothing to say.
The Lord doesn't even want material repayment, so how could we fail to even properly express gratitude?
Vergil, bowing his head in shame, bowed deeply before his Lord.
* * *
“I am sorry, My Lord.”
Startled by Vergil’s sudden apology, I opened my eyes wide and looked at him, and behind him, Reina and the knights approached hesitantly.
“Young Master… I am really sorry!”
“““““We are sorry!!”””””
And then they started singing sorry in one voice.
‘What?’
…Are they rebelling because they don't want to train?
Tsk, not even a day has passed, and they’re already influenced by the wizard.
This is why you shouldn't hang out with bad influences.
“No.
Go back.
I have no intention of letting you off training.”
Even though I turned away coldly, I felt burning gazes from behind my back.
“Ah, I’ll let you finish an hour early today, so go back and train quickly!”
When I growled and shouted at the guys pulling tricks, this time everyone made a fuss saying thank you with teary eyes.
Even Reina was practically wailing saying sorry and thank you, so I had to sweat buckets to soothe her.
‘Is the training that hard?’
Hmm… The intensity of training has increased compared to before, but it’s not to the extent they can't keep up.
Because I was proceeding according to each person's limit for fear they might get hurt.
‘Calua, did that old wizard from earlier perhaps use magic before leaving?’
- No?
Calua said no, but my suspicion wasn't easily dispelled.
It was clearly the Tower Lord’s vicious scheme to make the knights lazy so that Jeremy could rest more.
* * *
After the hectic dawn training ended and I left the training ground, the secretary-general guided me to the office saying the Count was waiting.
“By the way, the Drake is not seen today.”
“Ah, Reina took him saying she wanted to repay me somehow.”
She took him saying she would wash him clean, but honestly, I still don't know how that repays me.
Only the lizard that stayed still got lucky.
These days, Reina is also very busy for some reason, so I don't have much time to see her face either.
It would have been nice if she just stayed by my side a little more.
“Is that so?
If there is any feed or anything needed, please feel free to tell me.”
I saw the secretary-general’s eyebrows twitching as he said that.
The maids of Central Hold often made that kind of expression, when was that…….
‘Ah!
When secretly feeding the cats!’
…Don't tell me he took a liking to that lizard?
“There isn't enough for the soldiers to eat, what feed.
If there’s anything left, feed the soldiers more.
That guy can starve a bit.”
Testing him just in case, the secretary-general turned pale and waved his hands, saying he would get criticized if a precious monster like a Drake became thin.
I thought his hobby was work since he’s a gentleman who is serious about everything and only works, but it seems the secretary-general has a taste for reptiles.
Of course, that doesn't mean I intend to provide precious feed to an already ill-mannered lizard.
What feed for a guy who hates walking even more than Jeremy.
Wondering how to make the secretary-general, who was asking with a serious face, give up, I opened my mouth.
“Drakes, you see, like horses.”
The secretary-general’s eyebrows bent into an eight shape.
Because I can't give horses, which we don't even have enough to eat and die with, as Drake feed.
Smiling satisfactorily at that appearance, I continued.
Because if it’s the secretary-general, he might even get a poor donkey and offer it.
“His taste is also high-class, so they say he likes the most expensive warhorses the most among them.”
A faint shadow cast over the secretary-general’s face, which always maintained a calm expression.
The secretary-general seems to be seriously considering it, but are horses just a penny or two?
With the money to buy a properly trained warhorse, we could feed hundreds more soldiers.
Thinking the secretary-general had given up, I was walking down the hallway humming, when he whispered in a solemn voice.
“I heard a Centaur was discovered in the northwest of the forest…….”
“Crazy!
Are you in your right mind?!”
Centaurs, half-human half-horse, are surprisingly one of the species that can communicate.
You’re going to hunt a species we could potentially form an alliance with if we do well, just to feed it to a lizard?
Even a horse that speaks?
“If he likes warhorses, wouldn't he like half-human half-horses even more?”
It seems I underestimated the madness of this fortress.
The secretary-general, who firmly held his position among knights and soldiers, was a human whose mental state was as dangerous as a wizard's.
“Centaurs are absolutely forbidden.
And that guy is a mutant, so he likes Orcs the most.
Not horses, Orcs.
Green skins.
You know?”
“Ho-oh, that’s fortunate.
Since we have overflowing Orc corpses, I will prepare them with my best effort.”
When I was hurriedly moving my steps after those words, the secretary-general asked in a subtle voice.
“By the way, they say that Drake is leaving footprints here and there…….”
Saying so, the secretary-general showed the hem of his coat stamped with several footprints.
“This bastard…….”
That is Calua-style territory marking.
No, rather than territory marking, it’s closer to marking affection.
Because he stamps away with his cute feet if there’s anything he likes even a little.
“Hu… It’s because I failed in education.
It’s a footprint left with mana, so it won't be erased no matter how much you wipe it, so just leave it alone.
If you hate seeing it, bring it to me.”
I guarantee, the only way to erase that is to take it to Calua and threaten to starve him if he doesn't erase it right away.
I can be sure because I’ve tried all sorts of things to erase the dozens of footprints stamped all over my body since waking up at dawn.
“N-No.
It’s not that I dislike it, I asked just in case there might be a meaning.”
“He seems to leave it only on people he likes or people who look like pushovers.
Like kids drooling on their toys.”
At those words, although it was for a fleeting moment, the secretary-general’s face, which was like ice, flinched.
“Hmm… If not a Centaur, maybe a Pegasus or a Unicorn…….”
Following the old saying that having a long conversation with a crazy person is not good for mental health, I ignored the secretary-general and moved hurriedly.
* * *
The moment I entered the Count’s office, I saw a gaunt old man talking with the Count.
‘…I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere?’
Tilting my head at the somewhat familiar face for a moment.
“Ah, the Young Lord has finally come.
This person is…….”
A gaunt body that looked like it would break with a tap, thick eyebrows and sharp eyes that clearly showed stubbornness, and a posture straight as a ruler.
Although a bit different from the illustration I saw in the game…….
‘…Garius?’
“Nice to meet you, Young Lord.
Please feel free to call me Garius.”
Sitting in the office was.
The wizard called an A-rank hero and an all-round supporter, Garius.
* * *
Meeting a hero from the game was surprising, but I was more curious about the reason he was here.
‘Was Garius the Tower Lord of the Magic Tower here?’
Even if it wasn't Calua, I could bet Jeremy's morning training on Garius being the Tower Lord of the Magic Tower.
Because there’s no way another human with such ignorant mana exists here.
‘Since he bragged all over the neighborhood that he leveled up, it seems he got caught by the Count coming to spy…….’
It was strange no matter how I looked at it.
Since he infiltrated the inner castle without permission and peeked at the Knight Order’s training ground, Garius should be the one walking on eggshells, but it was the Count who was frowning.
‘…Don't tell me, he came to cancel the contract made yesterday?’
That possibility seemed high.
The Magic Tower rarely dispatches general wizards except for battle wizards.
They might have felt uneasy about dispatching a general wizard to a fortress preparing for war with monsters, not for ruin investigation or dungeon research.
‘No matter if it’s Garius, I can't have my fraudulent goods taken away.
That’s mine.’
Suddenly, strength went into my lower abdomen.
I don't know what the Tower Lord was thinking when he came, but I had absolutely no intention of handing over mine easily.
Especially to a Tower Lord who didn't even repay me after gaining enlightenment while stealing a look at someone else's training.
Even my house lizard stamps his belongings, so as the owner, I can't just have mine taken away, can I.