Chapter 120: The Old Man Plans to Play Matchmaker
In a land swept by wind and snow, Vladimir wore a thick fur coat.
With a cigar clenched between his teeth, he trudged through layer after layer of snow and arrived at the gates of the Pallid Mage Society.
Erika pulled back her hood, revealing her long golden hair, which whipped and swayed through the air amid the wind and snow.
The many days of long-distance travel had been a trial for Erika as well.
Her face had grown considerably thinner, her body seeming to have shrunk by a size, and her eyes looked sowhat sunken.
Yet they still shimred with light.
Every day, they had to cover over a hundred kiloters on foot.
To save ti, the group had not even taken any extra rest breaks.
Setting out from the Royal Capital, for 5 consecutive days, Erika had been on horseback, enduring the battering of wind and rain.
Having been through this baptism of hardship, she seed to have grown considerably stronger.
Catching sight of the elder who had co out to receive them, Erika swung her leg over and dismounted from her White Horse, then bowed respectfully to him.
"Uncle Vladimir."
She recognized the person before her.
Vladimir Lebedev, president of the Pallid Mage Society—and a very close friend of her own father.
By all convention, Erika should address this man as Uncle.
That Vladimir could count a Duke among his friends naturally ant his own standing was no ordinary matter.
He was a general garrisoned at the Empire's Northern Frontier.
The elder appeared thoroughly at ease, taking a fierce drag from the cigar in his hand and blowing smoke rings into the air.
He looked Erika up and down, then gave a low chuckle.
"The little girl from the Livi family—not bad."
"To think you actually made it all the way here on horseback alone."
Seeing Vladimir nod with a laugh, Erika understood she had passed the Pallid Mage Society's entrance trial.
"Mm! Dike, take them back first."
"Let them all get so proper rest. Tonight, we'll throw them a welco banquet!"
The Adjutant nodded, took hold of Erika's White Horse by the reins, and led the Mage-soldiers who had escorted Erika away.
Vladimir clapped Erika on the shoulder, put away his cigar, turned his head to blow out a mouthful of smoke into the air, then turned back to face her and said:
"Care for a tour?"
Though Erika was sowhat tired, she found it difficult to refuse the elder's invitation and gave a nod.
Besides, she had been wanting to see for herself what lay within the territory of one of the 2 great powers of the Northern Frontier, as it was called.
Before long, Erika was following behind Vladimir, looking around with curiosity.
These were sights absolutely nowhere to be found in the Royal Capital.
Many of the structures were built from natural materials—a blend of pristine white marble and ice shavings—extraordinarily hard, yet gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.
Erika gazed up at the enormous buildings, and the fatigue she'd felt monts before vanished entirely.
Everything here filled her with wonder.
It was like a perfect palace upon the snowfield, mysterious and sacred amid the wind and snow.
"How about it—pretty beautiful, isn't it?"
Vladimir said with a grin, as though Erika's reaction was exactly what he had expected.
"Though this is the Empire's border, after all—it can't compare to the abundance of the Royal Capital."
"New and interesting things that pop up in your part of the world, we don't have any of that here."
Erika shook her head and said with a smile:
"I know, Uncle."
Erika understood perfectly well—she had co here to train, not to enjoy herself.
The two of them talked as they walked, making their way to the front of a large wooden cabin.
It stood out glaringly amidst the ice-and-snow palace around it.
At a glance she spotted a wooden sign hanging from the eaves, on which was painted an enormous goblet.
"That's about enough of the tour. I'll have a room arranged for you in a bit—get so rest tonight first."
Vladimir looked at the little wooden cabin with a cheerful smile, whether because of his great fondness for the tavern or because Erika had just called him Uncle.
He pushed open the door, and a wave of warmth washed over them.
The inside and outside of the tavern seed like 2 entirely different worlds. Inside, the lighting was warm and welcoming; many people were gathered around tables, clinking cups together, playing gas, and making a lively ruckus.
Erika had never set foot in a tavern before, and she never would have imagined that a place like this could look like this.
At the sight of Vladimir's arrival, many people put down what they were doing in unison.
They raised their cups together and called out to the old general:
"General, care to join us for a drink?"
"Put down that little toy of yours! If the General's drinking, he's drinking by the barrel!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Erika was still sowhat tense, but Vladimir beside her burst out laughing.
"Don't go scaring this junior of mine."
The Mage-soldiers noticed Erika standing behind him and looked puzzled.
"Hss—we've got a dainty little thing like this around here?"
"Soft and fair-skinned—doesn't look like a Northern Frontier type at all."
Vladimir appeared sowhat proud as he made introductions:
"This is the daughter of a friend of mine from the Royal Capital."
"A true genius, this one."
The other Mage-soldiers began sizing Erika up with interest, sowhat skeptical.
In the eyes of these burly Mage-soldiers, what kind of genius could a dainty little girl possibly be?
Then they heard Vladimir continue boasting:
"Seventeen years old. 2nd-Tier Mage."
Instantly, an enormous roar erupted throughout the entire tavern, so loud that even the bottles on the liquor rack rattled without stopping.
"What the—!?"
"A 2nd-Tier Mage?"
Many of those present were a mix of Mage-soldiers and Mages.
Most of them were already in their thirties or forties, and had been stuck at the 2nd-Tier level for quite so ti.
So among them hadn't even taken that many years to break through to the 2nd Tier.
Yet this little girl they'd been quietly looking down on had already reached the sa tier as them.
"Damn—she really is a genius."
"I feel inferior."
"Worthy of being the General's friend—the daughter's talent is truly remarkable."
Listening to these passionate, boisterous Mage-soldiers exclaim and praise her one after another, Erika couldn't help lowering her head, cheeks flushing slightly, looking a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, Vladimir waved a hand at the lot of them.
"Alright, alright—clear off, the lot of you. Back to your drinks."
"This young lady is here to train, not to be your bunch's bragging material."
The grown n laughed heartily and went back to their gas.
"Alia!"
Vladimir suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs into the tavern, and Erika quietly covered her ears.
From behind the tavern bar, a woman slowly erged.
Her skin was snow-white—a classic Northern Frontier type. One eye was concealed behind a black eyepatch, and she appeared to have sothing clenched between her lips.
It wasn't a cigar—Erika could tell that much.
Beneath her clothing, on the exposed skin of her midriff, Erika could still make out several deep, jagged scars—a striking sight.
"What are you hollering about? Don't you know how loud your own voice is?"
Vladimir paid it no mind, letting out 2 booming laughs.
"Get this young lady settled sowhere decent—and don't forget to draw her a hot bath."
Alia sighed and shot Erika a glance.
"Follow ."
Erika looked over at Vladimir.
The elder gave her a reassuring nod.
Only then did Erika follow behind the woman, trailing her through a door at the back of the tavern.
Once the 2 of them had gone, the group of n gathered in a circle around Vladimir, asking him this and that.
"General, who exactly is that girl?"
"A 2nd-Tier Mage at 17—that's insane. I wouldn't even dare dream of it."
"Damn, if my son had half her talent, I'd go burn incense at my ancestors' graves on the spot."
Vladimir gave a low chuckle and slapped a few of them on the back of the head.
"Stop prying—her identity is far from ordinary."
The old man found a wooden stool, pulled it over and sat down. Seeing the president take a seat, one of the Mage-soldiers imdiately hauled over an enormous wooden barrel filled to the brim with wheat ale and set it in front of the old man.
Vladimir hoisted the barrel up and poured several gulps straight into his mouth.
After a few swigs, his expression didn't change in the slightest. He continued:
"That Viktor on the wanted notice—do you all know him?"
"Co on, General—you're the only one who doesn't."
One man got excited and launched into an enthusiastic account:
"That young lady you brought along is impressive, sure—a 2nd-Tier Mage at 17 is no joke. But compared to him? Not even close."
"A 4th-Tier Mage at twenty-nine! Across the entire Empire—look back through history and you won't find a single 4th-Tier Mage who achieved it younger than he did!"
As he spoke, he looked strangely proud, as though the person he was talking about were himself.
Vladimir listened, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
This kid's got so real ability.
He grew more and more interested in this Viktor he had yet to et.
And most importantly—he had beaten that old bastard Angus into paralysis.
Even if he himself had personally stepped in, he wasn't certain he could have beaten Angus to that state.
"Fine young man—I like him."
Just how far did his appreciation for Viktor go?
Vladimir's appreciation had even reached the point of thinking about whether he should set Viktor up with a wife.
A sha he had no daughter of his own.
But a friend of his did.
That child from the Livi family—he thought she was quite sothing.
Polite, and a genius to boot.
Age? Age was naturally no issue.
"Right, how did that old bastard Angus end up provoking him in the first place?"
The old man kept fishing for details as he picked up the barrel again—glug glug glug—took another mouthful of ale, watching the n around him exchange glances.
Then they finally answered Vladimir's question.
"Angus is his father-in-law."
"…Huh?"
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