Daigo immediately departed with the guards, taking the map and all the notes about the ingredients. Takeshi, however, remained by Enrico's side.
The two remained silent for a few moments, until Takeshi called some servants and asked them to prepare the best dishes available. He still did not know whether he should trust that boy one hundred percent. Even with his Unique Ability, there was something strange about Enrico. The boy spoke with such confidence about the people, places, and events of Tsuyokuni that it seemed as though he already knew everything. Perhaps it really was some ability related to the future... or perhaps an item capable of allowing him to see events that had not yet happened.
"Solcren-dono, I would like to ask you something. Did you see anything else in these futures?"
"What do you mean, Sir Takeshi? Are you talking about your ability?"
The direct answer made Takeshi fall silent for a moment. That boy truly never stopped surprising him. He simply answered the questions without trying to hide what he knew, which made Takeshi begin to think that perhaps Enrico was too innocent to realize the danger he was putting himself in.
"If you think I'm innocent, don't worry. It was precisely because of your ability that I decided to simply tell the truth. Besides, I can save a life. So why lie?"
Takeshi's eyes widened slightly.
It was impressive. That boy had understood exactly what he was thinking.
Now, Takeshi was seriously beginning to consider the possibility that Enrico really knew him somehow. Perhaps he had seen the future through an item. Perhaps, in some distant future, the two of them had been friends, or even master and student. He could not think of any other explanation.
'He must be very confused.'
Enrico, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing. His plan was working so far. He had also asked that all information about his identity and what he had revealed remain secret. He was certain that the guards would obey, both because of Daigo's orders and because of the importance of the matter. After the emperor woke up, the only people who would probably know the whole truth would be the emperor himself and his family.
'I can't use this all the time. If I do this too much, my plan for the Infernal Academy arc could end up going wrong.'
Enrico could not allow the story to stray too far from the original. Even so, he needed to save the emperor, who was one of the Ninth Circle mages and would undoubtedly play an important role in the future battle against the evil gods. Therefore, he would have to make some things up and use his knowledge of the future carefully.
'If everything goes well, I can save the students and still become stronger...'
Of course, the story had already changed quite a lot. The three idiots and Serenya were still at the academy, along with several other changes Enrico had caused. However, the most important events had not yet been altered.
The door opened, interrupting his thoughts. The servants entered carrying several dishes and carefully placed them in front of him.
"So these are Tsuyokuni's dishes? Can you tell me what this is?"
"Dobin Mushi, young master."
Enrico shuddered slightly upon hearing the form of address.
'Young master...?'
Daigo had probably given some orders to the servants before leaving.
The servant continued explaining the other dishes, and Enrico paid close attention. He wanted to learn how to prepare that food someday. Among the dishes from the different territories he had already prepared, the Japanese-inspired ones were precisely the only ones he had not yet tried. This made his curiosity even greater.
Takeshi simply watched the boy, noticing how genuinely excited he seemed over something as simple as trying a new food.
Thus, the rest of the day passed quickly.
The next day, in another room, a man of approximately forty years old remained lying pale on a bed. Around him were three women and eight young people who appeared to be his children.
That man was Akirama no Renzou, emperor of Tsuyokuni and leader of the Renzou Clan.
"Only four days remain. We need to find a cure soon."
The one who spoke was Raizen, the eldest son of the family, nineteen years old. Beside him was Yuujin, his twin brother.
"From what the guards said, someone arrived yesterday claiming that he could help. Should we trust him?"
"If anything happens, we'll cut off his head."
Despite being the youngest among them, the fifteen-year-old girl made everyone tremble slightly upon hearing those words. She was Rina, a prodigy of the Renzou Clan who was already close to reaching the Second Circle.
Even though they were older and, in some cases, more powerful, no one there dared to challenge her.
"I should have gone to see him yesterday, but they said he was sleeping. I didn't want to disturb someone who could help us."
The one who spoke was Himeya, Renzou's first wife. After that, the children and the other two wives remained silent for a few moments, until someone knocked on the door. A guard entered and immediately knelt before them.
"Sir, we have news from Sir Daigo. It seems the young man was telling the truth about the dungeon."
Everyone turned their attention to the guard, who began explaining what had happened.
After receiving the information from Enrico, Daigo found the entrance to the dungeon. After being opened for the first time, it would only open again two years later, so he immediately gathered the best available fighters and entered to search for the necessary ingredients.
The priority was obtaining the cure for the emperor. After Renzou recovered, they planned to enter the dungeon again together, because the energy Daigo had sensed made it clear that only the emperor would be strong enough to face the Ranvil apparently sealed inside.
Following the map's instructions, Daigo managed to avoid the Ranvil-level Nartheis and collect almost all the ingredients. The last message received, however, reported that he had encountered a Ranvil near the final ingredient and entered combat.
"So, now we're waiting for news from Sir Daigo."
Everyone became uneasy. Raizen was the first to move. He grabbed his staff and began quickly walking toward the exit.
"Raizen-sama, Sir Daigo asked us to remain here to protect the emperor in case an attack occurred. He also asked us to believe in him and wait."
Raizen stopped and tightened his grip on the staff.
"You want me to wait? I have to help my father."
"You should trust the second strongest man in Tsuyokuni more, Raizen-sama."
Everyone turned upon hearing the voice. A golden-haired boy wearing a kimono was standing near the entrance.
"You're the boy who arrived yesterday, aren't you?"
The question came from Airi, the fifth daughter of the Renzou family, who watched him with curiosity. Raizen also looked at Enrico and gave a small bow.
"So you are Enrico-dono? If what you said is true, then we're off to a very good start."
"Thank you for your kindness, sir."
"You don't need to call me sir. You can call me Raizen, if you want."
"Well, if you insist."
Rina, who had stood up shortly before, approached Enrico and looked him up and down, searching for something.
"You look weak."
Raizen lightly slapped her on the head. He might have trembled at the girl's words moments earlier, but he was still the eldest brother.
"Apologize."
"Sorry."
Rina spoke with absolute sincerity, showing no embarrassment over the comment.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
Daigo had returned.
His body was covered in injuries and his breathing was heavy, but he was carrying all the necessary ingredients with him.
"See, boy? I managed to bring them."
A servant immediately began treating Daigo's injuries using herb-based magic.
"I'm truly surprised, sir. You defeated one of the Level Three Ranvil in that dungeon alone. But there are still stronger creatures inside."
Daigo let out a loud laugh.
Enrico, however, was already focused on the ingredients. He took a bowl and began preparing the mixture. First, he crushed the feathers from a special griffin wing from the dungeon until they became a fine powder. Then, he took a Level One Ranvil core containing water magic and carefully broke it into small pieces. Next, he added one-third of the golden dust that was inside a small container and, finally, poured in the liquid taken from the dungeon's bridge, whose appearance was an intense purple.
After thirty minutes of waiting, which seemed endless to everyone in the room, Enrico carefully removed the mixture and poured it into another bowl containing fresh herbs.
"Done. Now just give it to the emperor. He should begin improving within forty minutes."
Everyone looked at the mixture.
Daigo immediately took responsibility. He picked up the bowl, approached Renzou, and knelt beside the bed. Carefully, he placed the liquid into the emperor's mouth.
Then they began to wait.
Rina remained beside Enrico, firmly holding her katana. Her eyes were fixed on him, ready to act if anything went wrong and, if necessary, cut off his head.
[This girl is scary.]
'Scary? Well, if it's to protect someone she loves, she really is.'
Enrico simply watched calmly, unconcerned by the possible threats in Rina's eyes.