The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority

Chapter 121 : Wings (2)

Wings (2)

May, when Ian turned eighteen.

Spring was slowly passing by.

Aris had promised to send all the finished products needed for the construction of the demon race containment facility before the summer ended, but there still wasn't a suitable place to receive those goods.

They couldn't be received at Lunabreeze, the guest annex of Hisperion.

That was because every item going in and out of Heavenly Sword Palace was fully recorded.

If the other retainers found out that Ian and Aris were exchanging suspicious items, useless disruptors might get involved in this project.

And now, it was about time to vacate the room at Lunabreeze.

The knight order had just been established, and since Yuria needed a separate palace as well, he had to find a new residence.

'I thought I'd have to put in quite a bit of effort...'

He also thought he'd need a lot of money.

Surprisingly, the new residence was found very quickly and easily.

"Lady Marceline's gift...?"

"Yes."

A knight clad in the red armor of House Rubenstein politely handed over the deed to a castle.

"She asked me to tell you it is a graduation present for Young Master Ian."

"... My goodness."

He'd received a giant castle as a graduation present.

Such extravagant luxury!

"Please let Lady Marceline know that I will... no, tell her I'll come in person to express my gratitude within two weeks."

"Yes, understood. Lady Marceline will surely be pleased to have the young master visit in person."

After that, Ian visited Lady Marceline, bringing with him the ultra-limited edition artisan handmade chocolates he had received as a birthday present from Nightingale.

Lady Marceline's eyes widened upon receiving the chocolates.

"Oh my... these chocolates...! I've loved these since I was a child. You can't get them even for a fortune, and the craftsman's identity is unknown, so just finding them is extremely difficult... Yet you brought three whole boxes...?"

Of course, he had copied them using the Authority of Projection.

Ian offered his thanks with sincerity.

"It's nothing compared to what you've given me, madam. This is merely a token of my gratitude for welcoming me."

"My, Young Master Ian... To say that about chocolates of this value..."

Of course, just in terms of price, the castle that Marceline gave to Ian was worth far more.

No matter how delicious or exquisite chocolate may be, how could one compare it to a grand luxurious castle?

But a castle is a commodity you can buy if you have the money.

On the other hand, these secret, mysterious artisan chocolates are treasures you can't acquire, no matter how much you pay.

They're so rare that wealthy gourmet nobles and collectors often die never having tasted them, despite their obsession.

In terms of difficulty of acquisition, these chocolates were far harder to obtain than a castle.

"Fufufu. Truly, the young master always surprises this old mother. I never imagined I'd receive such a heartfelt, precious gift."

Marceline then led Ian inside.

"This old mother must show her skills as well. Come in, Young Master Ian. I've prepared a banquet. Kargon and Charlotte are here too, so we'll have a pleasant time together."

After enjoying the banquet and having a small gathering for about two hours, Ian returned to Lunabreeze.

He then began preparing for the move in earnest.

The castle gifted by Lady Marceline was located in Goldenburg, a satellite city of the Hisperion main estate.

It stood on a high hill on the outskirts of that city.

Atop the hill was a large, luxurious castle fortress.

Its name: Sunshine Castle.

"Whoa..."

Sophia craned her neck, gaping up at the castle's spire.

"I thought after moving into Lunabreeze, nothing more luxurious could possibly exist... but there really was a sky above the sky."

Lunabreeze alone was an incredibly lavish and gigantic mansion; yet to think they'd live in a castle even grander than that!

Now, their residence was upgraded from mansion to castle.

This place would be perfectly suited as Yuria's main residence, and with so much space, it could also serve as the headquarters for the knight order.

"So... this is really our castle now? For real?"

Yuria looked up at Sunshine Castle in awe.

"Yes. From now on, this is the center of Lady Yuria's faction."

"Wow... amazing..."

But she didn't look entirely pleased.

Understandably, the castle wasn't something they acquired themselves, but rather a gift from Lady Marceline.

"Ian, are you sure this is really okay? Are you sure Aunt gave you this without placing some awful condition on you, and you're just enduring it for my sake?"

Ian smiled.

"Nothing of the sort. Ever since I saved Young Master Kargon, lady Marceline has always been kind to me."

"... Really?"

"Yes. So please, don't worry."

Ian understood why Yuria might have such concerns.

Marceline was known for being extremely discriminatory between people she considered hers and outsiders.

She was always kind and affectionate to Ian, but was known to be cold and high-handed in public.

She seemed rather brusque towards Yuria as well.

"Haaa..."

Yuria suddenly let out a deep sigh.

"I'm always just receiving from you... Honestly, as a direct descendant, it's embarrassing."

"Please don't say that, lady Yuria."

In his previous life, Ian was always the one receiving from Yuria.

Only now did he feel like he was finally starting to repay her, little by little, and he didn't want Yuria to feel indebted over something like this.

"To be honest, Ian..."

Yuria gently leaned into him.

"I'd do anything for you, now."

Ian had saved Yuria's life twice, and had freed her from a lonely life where she'd always been alone.

He was now even more precious to her than her deceased nanny, Dellen; if Ian were ever to leave her or disappear, Yuria wouldn't trust herself to stay sane.

"Even if you told me to die, I'd do it without hesitation. You've already turned my life into paradise."

The three years she spent living with him in Lunabreeze were the happiest and most joyful time of her life.

"Ian, if there's ever anything you want, just ask. I'm always ready."

Yuria was ready to give her all to Ian.

Quietly, Ian patted Yuria's arm.

"Well... not right now, but there's something I'd like to ask of you in the future."

"Oh? Really?"

Yuria's face brightened, as if she were delighted.

"What is it? Tell me, tell me! I could do it right now if you want."

"No, it's something I want to ask you... in about ten to fifteen years."

"What!"

Yuria's eyes and mouth opened wide.

"What in the world are you going to ask!?"

"Who knows."

By then, even in the most conservative estimation, the war with the grand dukes of the Demon Realm would surely be over.

When peace came to mankind, and the future of Hisperion was secure...

That would be the time.

Ian wanted to receive everything Yuria wished to give.

* * *

Now with a new residence secured, and the magic power extraction business under Aris's guidance proceeding smoothly, preparations were on track.

Until the summer was over, Ian focused exclusively on two things.

First: Using Authority of Projection to reproduce elixirs and raise his aura level.

Second: When Aris sent rare materials and finished components needed for the containment facility's construction, he would mass-produce them with the Authority of Projection and send them back.

Summer flew by quickly that way.

Ian broke through the entry stage of Grandmaster and reached the early stage, and Aris launched full-scale construction using the materials Ian sent.

Now, in just six months, the demon race containment facility would be complete.

'Now all that's left is to fill it.'

The headquarters would be filled with comrades and equipments.

The containment facility would be filled with demons and monsters.

'Since there's still half a year until the facility is completed anyway...'

In terms of order, it made sense to find comrades and equipments first.

'But...'

All the comrades Ian had in mind were...

'All eccentrics, without exception...'

Bringing them in too early would only make managing them troublesome and give him headaches.

It wasn't as if he needed their help immediately, nor did they need Ian just yet.

'So, since there's time left, it's better to secure the equipments first.'

The things Ian had targeted since long ago.

Luminari relics and the Emperor of Thousand Swords, Arkazenon.

Luminari relics would be needed to counter the demon artifacts from the Demon Realm in the future, and Arkazenon would be necessary for facing the grand dukes of the Demon Realm directly.

For now, it seemed best to secure these two things as a priority.

'However...'

The Luminari relics slumbering in various places on the continent could be obtained even now, but to gather the swords needed to break Arkazenon's seal, he'd have to challenge some of the most powerful beings on the continent.

To obtain the Ghost Sword, Quiennio, he'd have to face the Sword Fiend, Silence Doomraven.

To obtain the Thunder Emperor Sword, Astrape, he'd have to face Preben Hisperion, Captain of the Heavenly Sword Knight Order.

The level of Silence Doomraven was Mid-stage Grandmaster.

Ian could face him as he was now, but it wouldn't be easy.

Above all, since he couldn't kill Silence (he was someone who must not be killed), he couldn't use Vladiark recklessly.

As for Preben Hisperion... her level was at the very peak of Grandmaster, just on the verge of reaching demigodhood.

She was a monster ranked among the world's top ten strongest.

'To be sure of obtaining swords from those two...'

For now, it would be best to focus on raising his level first.

'If I put everything else aside and focus only on raising my level right now...'

Currently, Ian was at early-stage Grandmaster.

At his current level of realization, reaching late-stage Grandmaster would be no problem.

All he needed was a massive amount of magic power and time.

'It won't take long.'

Just five to six months would do.

To reach late-stage Grandmaster from early-stage required about 240 Millennium Gold Essence.

If Ian were still at the entry stage, simply projecting that many would take eight full months, but as his level increased, his magic power would increase too, so the projection speed would keep rising.

In pure projection alone, it would take less than three months.

Factoring in the time needed to recover aura, take elixirs, and digest them...

It would take five to six months total to reach late-stage Grandmaster.

'It's September now... autumn...'

That meant he could reach late-stage Grandmaster before the end of this winter.

That would leave about six to seven years until the grand dukes of the Demon Realm invaded.

'Good. Let's raise my level first.'

He had to raise his level anyway, there wasn't really anything else pressing at the moment, and it would be far faster and more efficient to prepare for the coming war with the grand dukes from as strong a position as possible.

So for about six months,

Ian poured almost all his time into advancing his level.

During that time, there were only two occasions for other matters.

Sophia and he attended Charlotte's birthday banquet, and for Yuria's birthday in December, they traveled to a desert in the southern continent.

There, they found a large, clear lake. At night, they floated a small boat on it, and stars reflected on the surface, making it feel as if they were drifting in space.

Both Yuria and Sophia enjoyed it.

Time passed, and at the end of February, as Ian turned nineteen,

Ian reached late-stage Grandmaster.

Now, it was finally time to retrieve the swords required to break Arkazenon's seal.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】