Translator: AkazaTL
Pr/Ed: Sol IX
***
Chapter 119: Squeak Squeak Squeak
Ordinary practitioners of magic consider the realm of the 7th the greatest hurdle.
However, there are bound to be geniuses in this world to whom common standards do not apply.
Alexar, who was a genius of the century, did not experience great difficulty in entering the realm of the 7th, and although there were so difficulties in the realm of the 8th Circle, he succeeded in conquering it without major trouble.
And after breaking through the wall of the 8th, Alexar continued to grow at a speed truly like light.
In front of such a man, an obstacle that could be called a ‘hardship’ for the first ti appeared,
And that was precisely the wall of the 9th Circle.
The wall of the 9th Circle was high and thick enough to make even Alexar feel overwheld.
Also, there was one more factor that made Alexar anxious as much as the height of that wall.
The ti of war approaching mont by mont.
Around the ti Alexar was tasting despair for the first ti in front of the door of the 9th Circle, the empire's civil war finally broke out.
If he had decided to practice for 10 or 20 years with composure, the realm of the 9th would not have been so despairing.
However, ti was not on Alexar's side.
While the hellfire of the civil war burned more fiercely day by day.
The power held by Gillian's camp, which had to push through the center of it, was too weak.
At that ti, Alexar's mind was filled only with the thought that he must win this war sohow and make Gillian the Emperor of the Empire.
Thus, Alexar ca to choose a gamble.
To achieve a goal that seed impossible.
‘A bet with a demon. A contract of death where one gains magical power humans cannot handle if victorious, but must give everything to the demon if defeated.’
For the sake of his and Gillian's dream, Alexar chose to willingly visit hell where the demon was waiting.
-Get lost right now! You vile creature! Even the karmic fire of hell cannot burn your disgusting malice!
And in exchange for succeeding in the bet with the demon, Alexar was able to get his hands on the 9 mana rings he had desperately wanted.
Now that many things have changed.
I, Hein Reichart, stood at the crossroads of choice once again.
Normally, I had no intention of gambling this ti.
Since I possess the mories of the past, conquering the wall of the 9th Circle would be easier than before.
‘I was able to return because I was lucky. If I had made even a single mistake, my soul would be wandering the bottom of the sulfur fires by now.’
Also, that gamble was too dangerous.
‘Zephyros…….’
However, a completely unexpected na discovered in the empire made my heart urgent.
‘I don't know how the situation will turn out. I will prepare insurance for now.’
Eventually, I had no choice but to wander in search of the demon's invitation that would guide to the forbidden realm once again.
“Phew…….”
Wiping away the sweat that hadn't yet turned into steam, I glared at the darkness that resembled the soot of natural disaster.
Is it just a feeling?
The darkness shimring over the stone wall of the annex where not a single point of light entered reminded exactly of the demon's tongue coveting my soul.
***
The uncle of the current King ‘McPhein’ of the Esper Kingdom, and a noble holding the title of ‘Duke’, of which there are fewer than five in the entire kingdom.
‘Gilmore McBride’ let out a light sigh.
‘For what matter at this late hour…….’
The place where he was standing now was the residence where the Queen Dowager of the Esper Kingdom, ‘Yefne’, stayed.
Yefne was an elder of the royal family and a bigwig in the political world, exercising considerable influence over the overall politics of the kingdom.
But since such a person called him secretly at this late hour, it was natural for Gilmore to have questions about the intent.
“Your Highness, the Duke has entered.”
“Show him inside.”
Gilmore, who opened the door and entered with careful steps, bowed in a polite posture.
“I greet Your Highness the Queen Dowager.”
“Welco. Duke.”
Yefne possessed a very petite physique for a noblewoman.
Whenever Gilmore looked at her eyes, he would feel the futility of ti.
“Thank you truly for making this troubleso journey at this late hour.”
Yefne's eyes were cold enough that it was hard to believe they belonged to soone from a noble lady background who grew up precious like gold and jade since her youth.
It seed that ti had taken away the beauty of her youth and instead bestowed upon her the power of being the real power of the royal family and the heartlessness befitting it.
“The reason this person called the Lord so secretly is because I had one favor to ask.”
“Please speak. Your Highness.”
“What does the Lord think about the person nad ‘Kunde Ceciliano’?”
After ceremonial greetings were exchanged a few tis, the Queen Dowager imdiately revealed the reason she called Gilmore.
“I do not like that person. Should I say his actions are very uncomfortable?”
“Is there a reason you think so?”
“Does the Lord not know as well? That he is coveting things beyond his station using that ager rchant guild as a price.”
Facing the Queen Dowager's raised eyes, Gilmore nodded silently.
“I hear that His Majesty intends to confer a Duke title upon him along with the territory already granted. That cunning man has stolen His Majesty's heart too easily.”
There is bound to be a reaction to everything in the world.
Kunde's entry into the political world of the Esper Kingdom was no exception.
On the surface, it seed as if Kunde, having gained the young King's favor, was on a roll, but,
On the flip side, there existed gazes that looked askance at his rapid expansion of power.
“And I believe this is not the thought of this person alone. I heard the Lord also consistently offered advice around the ti that man Kunde began to gain His Majesty's trust?”
Only now could Gilmore understand the reason the Queen Dowager called him.
He was very famous within the kingdom for two reasons; the first was the fact that he was the only 7th Circle mage in the kingdom, and…….
“That we must not tolerate a vulgar rchant buying honor with money and recklessly stepping into state affairs.”
The second was that he was a bone-deep aristocrat.
“I have indeed offered remonstrance to His Majesty a few tis. Saying that it is not good to keep a greedy person close.”
“Then your heart must remain unchanged even now.”
“Of course. Your Highness Queen Dowager.”
“Then please lend your strength just once more this ti. I can no longer watch the man nad Kunde clouding His Majesty's insight as he is doing now.”
Hearing Gilmore's answer, the Queen Dowager nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Your Highness, if Your Highness's thoughts are so, how about speaking directly to His Majesty?”
“……Does the Lord not know as well? That His Majesty does not listen to a word I say…….”
The Queen Dowager's complexion darkened imdiately.
King McPhein and the Queen Dowager were certainly biological mother and son who shared blood, but ever since McPhein grew up, the relationship between the two was very bad.
“His Majesty is still tender-hearted and cannot distance himself from those who spout sweet flattery. Please, Lord, lend strength to this person's opinion.”
Looking at Gilmore, who was publicly the Duke of the nation and privately her brother-in-law, Yefne conveyed her request with sincerity.
And Gilmore responded to the call with a heavy bass voice that resonated in the heart.
“Do not worry too much. Your Highness. Although my power is ager, this humble one will fulfill my duty for the sake of His Majesty.”
***
“It's been a long ti. Have you been well?”
Even though the eting with the Queen Dowager ended at a very late hour, Gilmore did not sleep upon returning to his residence.
Instead of going to the bedroom, the action he chose was to activate the ‘Crystal Ball’.
“I greet Your Excellency.”
And what revealed itself beyond the crystal ball was a middle-aged man who had grown a stylish brown beard.
It was ‘Kunde Ceciliano’.
“I am on my way back from visiting the palace a little while ago. The Queen Dowager called and asked to lend my strength as she intends to drive you out.”
Gilmore's expression, bursting into laughter with Kunde in front of him, had the face of a cunning and heartless ambitious man, not the King's uncle famous for his gentle nature.
-Did such a thing happen?
“Yes. As expected of the cunning wench who drove out my brother's legal wife and snatched the Queen's seat. In the eyes of that wench, whose talent for slling things out is quite decent, it seems the vulgar rchant Kunde Ceciliano who clouds His Majesty's ‘insight’ was that botherso.”
-Oh my, by the way, did sothing like ‘insight’ ever exist in His Majesty to begin with?
“How would I know? Hahaha.”
Gilmore burst into loud laughter once and spoke.
“Anyway, thanks to the Queen Dowager displaying her clumsy good sense of sll, things have beco quite interesting. Since it has co to this, I should loudly chatter remarks denouncing you at the royal audience starting imdiately tomorrow. So that our Queen Dowager can feel relieved.”
-Considering His Majesty's nature, he will wrap around even more in rebellion against Your Excellency.
“It will turn out that way. I thought there was a need to insert a spy into the enemy camp before carrying out the great undertaking. But I never dread I would be playing the role of the spy.”
Towards Gilmore, who was bursting into laughter soaked in the fun of mocking the Queen Dowager, Kunde spoke in a secretive voice.
-Your Excellency, by the way. Apart from this matter, I have a request to make…….
After hearing all of Kunde's request, Gilmore burst into laughter once more.
“To think the unparalleled Kunde Ceciliano suffered humiliation. It is a truly amusing matter.”
-I am ashad to say it, but it is so, and through this incident, a slight setback has occurred in our plan to procure military funds through Nihelm.
“Oh my, that won't do, will it?”
-Therefore, I am asking, could you sound out the inside of that guy called the Grand Duke of Zodiac?
Although he didn't confess everything to Gilmore, in fact, recently Kunde had been experiencing difficulties in various fields.
Annoying matters had burst out simultaneously, starting with the civil riot in the Mahatdur territory.
And,
‘It's strange. The timing when that guy called the Grand Duke of Zodiac scratched my nerves and when things started to go twisted matches oddly.’
Of course, there was no clear evidence.
However, the animalistic intuition that had allowed Kunde to roll on a winning streak so far was saying that behind the hand ssing up his affairs, soone's intention, not simple coincidence, was intervening.
“I understand. If you say so, I will try to make contact. After I release an atmosphere in all directions that I am trying to keep you in check in the court, I will send a ssage to him saying I need information related to you. Then he will think we have the sa enemy, so he won't suspect .”
Although he was saying this, in truth, Gilmore was not listening to Kunde's opinion seriously.
He did not think a noble of a small country like Zodiac had the capacity to shake the board of the Esper Kingdom.
However, since his number one henchman spoke like this, he thought he should try making contact.
“Now, since the ti is quite late, let's stop our headache-inducing talk around here and have a drink.”
-Will you do so? Your Excellency.
Gilmore raised the glass in which brown liquid rippled, and shouted a toast filled with the ambition he had hidden all this ti.
“For our foolish Queen Dowager!”
***
Fwoosh!
Thanks to the assigned servant managing it faithfully without skipping a day, the wick of the lamp soaked in plenty of oil flared up as soon as the fire was lit.
Watching the fla burning using ‘Gilmore's Letter’ that arrived a little while ago as food, I thought.
‘The field mouse was squeaking unusually loudly, and eventually, the sewer rat hiding behind it reveals itself.’
This sewer rat from the Esper Kingdom was pretending to be quite noble, but he could not hide the vulgarity close to his nature.
Because the sll of filth from the sewer he couldn't hide was vibrating even from the letter he sent using his brain in his own way.
Of course, this kind of one-sided denunciation might be sowhat unfair from Kunde or Gilmore's perspective.
Since there is no way they could know that the treason they had ticulously plotted and the covert operations carried out as part of it were recorded intact in the ‘Records of Covert Activities of Each Nation Before Unification’.
‘……I should give a reply for now, right?’
Unlike the cold sneer that rose on my lips, the movent of the quill pen navigating over the white paper was neat beyond compare.
Sizzle!
I soon completed sealing the letter to be delivered to Gilmore using wax infused with sealing magic.
Of course, even if we exchange letters like this, there was no way the cunning Gilmore would give truly important information.
However…….
‘Through the nuance of Gilmore felt in the letter, I will be able to read at least the timing when that guy Kunde will play his tricks in earnest.’
Having finished the appropriate response to the squeak squeak duet of the cunning field mouse and the greedy sewer rat with this, I turned my gaze to the clock.
By now, the servant sent to Sherazade must have delivered my mo.
-I have a place to go around 11 o'clock, so be ready.
Perhaps holding this letter, she is,
“What? Where are you trying to go again? Surely we don't have to fly again?”
Tilting her head like that.
‘I have about thirty minutes of spare ti.’
Confirming that I had a little spare ti until the defensive posture simulation training in the afternoon, I imdiately closed my eyes.
Since I will probably have to busily roam here and there tonight, I felt I should catch so sleep, however briefly, using the spare ti.
‘I saw the traitors of the continent well, so what kind of faces will the rats of Eldrigal be making?’
Ending with that question, I fell into a short but deep sleep.
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