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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“It seems legitimate. However, it appears you’re missing a member.”
“She went to retrieve her younger sister, who has recovered from her illness. They’ll join us later.”
“Her sister? Hmm, I haven’t heard that story, but it’s of no concern.”
“If a woman identifying herself as Athena arrives later, please inform me.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll let them know.”
“By the way, you seem to be a knight. Am I correct?”
“Indeed.”
“But why are you guarding the castle alone…?”
“You seem unfamiliar with our county’s situation. We’re short on manpower. That’s why our equipment is also lacking. Our county is poor.”
The knight looked at me with a strange expression, as if questioning my decision to become the official warlock of such a place.
I calmly met his gaze.
I was generally aware of the situation, though I hadn’t investigated the details. Since coming here was a foregone conclusion, I had intended to learn more upon arrival.
Furthermore, things had progressed much faster than expected, and we had arrived earlier than planned.
‘I didn’t have time to investigate.’
Therefore, I felt no embarrassment.
In fact, I was rather surprised.
‘I didn’t expect a knight to be so open about the county’s situation.’
His words were almost self-deprecating.
I didn’t know if it was due to his personality or a lack of loyalty.
‘For a knight to be guarding the gate alone… he must be loyal… Perhaps he’s just blunt?’
“Come in. The lord is waiting.”
“Hey, Horn!”
“Hmm? What is it, Sir Wilderk?”
“Escort these people to the inner castle.”
“Guests…? Ah, are they the warlock and his companions?”
“Indeed.”
Sir Wilderk instructed a passing villager to guide us.
“Please follow me.”
“…It seems Master is quite famous.”
I couldn’t respond to Kayla’s remark.
For even a random villager to know…
“At least the interior of the castle is better maintained.”
As Kayla said, the inside of the castle was in much better condition than the neglected walls.
“And there seem to be more people than I expected.”
It seemed the harsh external environment had driven the surviving population into the castle.
However, despite the large number of people, the castle didn’t seem excessively dirty or disorganized.
‘That’s unexpected.’
The villagers stared at our carriage as we passed.
It seemed visitors were rare.
The villager guided us to the entrance of the inner castle.
A knight, also seemingly old, stood guard there.
After speaking with the villager, the knight immediately allowed us to pass, and soon, we were face to face with the lord.
“Welcome, Do Inha.”
The lord who greeted us was…
“I am Prina Lineta, head of Lineta County.”
A very young, almost childlike, woman.
Prina Lineta.
She introduced herself as such.
An elderly knight stood beside her, as if guarding her.
Judging by his snow-white hair and beard, he was well past retirement age.
It seemed the knights in this county were all quite old.
‘Are there no young knights?’
Their average age seemed excessively high.
“…I am Do Inha. Warlock and necromancer.”
“I’ve heard of you. And you are Kayla, Baldur, Annelise… correct? One of you is missing.”
“She went to retrieve her sister. She’ll arrive later.”
“Is that so?”
Prina simply nodded without further comment.
“First, I’d like to thank you for choosing our county, Mage Do Inha. Thanks to you, we’ve received substantial support from the royal family. I never thought we’d receive such support in this generation.”
Prina asked me, still seemingly surprised,
“What is your relationship with the royal family that they would promise such support to our house?”
“You’ll find out eventually.”
It seemed the royal family hadn’t informed Prina about the Earth Mother Religion yet.
Therefore, I decided not to reveal it prematurely.
‘Indeed, the original condition for becoming the official warlock here was to take responsibility for Annelise.’
Even that had a time limit.
Though, since I had gained so much, I had made her an official party member.
“How dare you…”
The old knight beside her stepped forward indignantly at my lack of a proper answer, but Prina stopped him.
Stopping the old knight, Prina chuckled wryly.
“I see. I can’t force you to answer.”
While she was the one who appointed me as the official warlock, that was the extent of her authority over me.
She seemed to be well aware of her house’s position and circumstances.
“Regardless, thanks to you, we have one last chance. I hear you’re a 5th circle warlock, so you intend to build a magic tower, correct? Where would you like to build it? I’ll accommodate your request as much as possible.”
I calmly replied,
“I want the Barren Lands.”
“…The Barren Lands?”
Even the old knight, who had been glaring at me, couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Do you know what kind of place that is?”
“I do. It’s practically monster territory.”
“And yet you want it?”
“Yes. I intend to clear it and build my magic tower there.”
“…Do you plan to experiment on monsters?”
The old knight muttered.
He seemed to be more than just an escort, seeing how casually he interjected in our conversation.
Indeed, a knight his age still in active service wouldn’t be treated lightly by the lord.
Especially since Lineta County was constantly facing threats from monsters, the knights likely had considerable influence, and considering the lord’s young age, the old knight was likely acting as an advisor as well.
“Experimenting on monsters. That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Even ordinary mages did that. There was no reason a warlock like me couldn’t.
The Barren Lands certainly had advantages in terms of procuring corpses.
Of course, no sane person would build a magic tower in such a dangerous place for such a trivial reason.
‘Especially since the county itself is already teeming with monsters.’
“…That’s an unexpected request. I thought you’d want one of the abandoned old castles.”
Indeed, considering the county’s situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were abandoned castles.
‘Those would be occupied by monsters as well.’
A monster’s castle… the thought was absurd.
“I have no reason to refuse your request for the Barren Lands. In fact, I’m grateful. But why there…?”
I was essentially offering to become their shield. There was no reason to refuse.
“Naturally, there’s a condition for me venturing there myself.”
“May I hear it?”
Prina asked, as if expecting it.
“I want complete autonomy.”
“…You know we’re in no position to interfere easily, don’t you?”
“I want it formally documented.”
It would be difficult. I knew that.
A recognized warlock was, in a way, similar to a mercenary with a guild’s guarantee.
The only reason warlocks were treated similarly to ordinary mages was because a qualified noble house had recognized them.
If a warlock committed a transgression, the recognizing house shared the responsibility.
Therefore, the recognizing house had the right to inspect a warlock’s research at any time.
To ensure they weren’t crossing any lines.
And I was essentially asking for complete freedom from such oversight.
I was demanding absolute trust, asking them not to interfere, no matter how suspicious my actions might seem.
“In return, I’ll take responsibility for the Barren Lands. As long as I protect this county, grant me that trust.”
It was a difficult request.
Even the old knight hesitated to speak.
While they couldn’t dismiss me outright due to the royal family’s recommendation, and I deserved special treatment if I was taking responsibility for the Barren Lands, my status as a warlock still hindered them.
“Mages in magic towers aren’t subjected to such scrutiny.”
“Because they’re not warlocks. They’re unlikely to conduct research that would harm the continent.”
It was true.
Even causing harm required a certain level of capability.
Could a third-rate thief’s actions truly impact the entire continent?
There was a minuscule chance it could have a significant impact.
Yes, it was possible.
A ridiculously small chance, but it was still possible.
However, they couldn’t monitor every third-rate thief for such a scenario.
It was simply illogical.
In contrast, warlocks, even those lacking in skill, were unpredictable depending on the demon they had contracted with.
Warlocks weren’t always this heavily scrutinized.
While there was always some level of caution, it wasn’t to this extent.
They had learned from history.
That’s why they hesitated, despite my efforts to prove I was different from other warlocks.
“Naturally, I have no intention of summoning a demon king or anything of that sort.”
“I haven’t even formed a contract with such a being.”
I hadn’t formed a contract with any demon, so it wasn’t a lie.
“I know I could demand more under these circumstances. However, I’m making a fair offer, one that’s even disadvantageous to me.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
“I believe House Lineta will eventually recover.”
Prina looked surprised at my words.
‘Did she give up hope?’
She must have dreamed of restoring her house’s former glory.
However, judging by her reaction, she seemed to have abandoned that hope.
‘Come to think of it, she mentioned support they hadn’t received in generations.’
In other words, they had received similar support in the past.
Seeing their current state, it seemed they had failed to recover even then.
And the situation back then must have been much better than now…
To give up so easily suggested a history of repeated failures.
‘Indeed, Lineta County’s decline was gradual.’
Repeated failures had led them to their current hopeless situation.
“…I never thought I’d hear a newly recruited warlock mention the restoration of our house, something I myself deemed impossible.”
“My lord…”
The old knight muttered sadly.
I continued, unfazed.
“It’s entirely possible. That’s why I’m making this offer, even though it’s disadvantageous to me. House Lineta will definitely recover.”
I looked directly into Prina’s eyes and said,
“When your house regains its prosperity, I hope my magic tower will stand beside it as an ally.”
“You’re saying you want to be a partner, not a subordinate?”
A recognized warlock was inevitably subordinate to the noble house.
However, magic towers were different.
While they were subordinate to royal families or high-ranking nobles, they were usually treated as partners.
This was evident from the fact that most territories didn’t have magic towers.
Even magic towers chose their locations carefully.
Having a magic tower in their territory brought numerous benefits.
Therefore, many mid and low-ranking noble houses strived to ‘invite’ a magic tower to their land.
“For a magic tower to single-handedly manage the Barren Lands… that’s a sufficient price, I believe. No magic tower would make such an offer under these circumstances.”
It was a proposal based solely on future prospects.
And it was a necessary condition for me to safely obtain and study the dragon’s corpse.
Of course, I genuinely believed Lineta County would recover.
Regardless of their true intentions, I would fully cooperate, and since it aligned with the royal family’s wishes, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it was a foregone conclusion.
Therefore, even without considering the dragon’s corpse, it was a worthwhile deal.
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