Chapter 47. Ring of Rune (2)
Generally, a count appoints a viscount, who is of lower rank, as his aide, entrusting him with managing the territory in the count's stead, or having him represent the count in important dealings and negotiations with other nobles.
The count's representative, and the noble rank of viscount.
Naturally, the attendants escorting him possessed skills of the highest order. Furthermore, since they were carefully chosen by Count Rodenmeyer himself, their equipment was also first-rate.
Though the viscount had traveled to other territories several times and spent no short time outside, he had always returned to Count Rodenmeyer's side without a scratch, even if minor frictions had occurred.
But this time was different.
"My aide, Viscount Bailon, sent word that he had successfully completed his task and would soon return. Originally, he should have arrived here two days ago. Yet instead of arriving, all contact was cut off. In other words, he has gone missing."
The search party had already been dispatched.
The vice-captain of Rodron, the knight order directly under the Rodenmeyer household, along with eight knights. They were known for their excellence in VIP protection, one-on-one combat, and crisis response.
But the count still could not rest easy. It wasn't that he distrusted the knights, but rather an uneasy premonition that the danger facing the viscount might be greater than he had anticipated.
The count trusted his intuition.
"That is why I plan to send the captain of the Rodron knight order and the main force as well. It will certainly stir up noise within the household, but it cannot be helped."
Nearly half of the household's military strength. Even if it was for the search of a missing viscount, one could not deny that this was an excessive deployment.
So Verden found it questionable.
"Was there truly a need to commission me?"
From the count's perspective, there was little merit in hiring Verden on top of that much manpower. Worse, friction with the household knights could cause adverse effects.
To Verden's doubt, the count answered.
"Of course not. At least not in terms of sheer force. But this task is not extermination, it is a search for the missing. For that reason, you stood out as rather unique."
"Me, you say?"
"Yes. After the incident with the Luton Cohort, I reviewed the requests you've completed thus far. I was curious who you were, to so easily subdue a mercenary corps led by a former high-ranking mercenary."
Count Rodenmeyer had requested information from Pale.
Of course, the information provided was only fragmentary descriptions of the process, with no mention of clients or locations.
That was Pale's rule, to protect personal information.
The count continued.
"You found and subjugated the Roar Wolf in less than half a day. And even if Pale had provided the location, you cleanly captured wanted criminals adept at running away. It was quite refreshing."
These days, a mage skilled in tracking was exceedingly rare.
Count Rodenmeyer thought this mage, Asher, might prove useful in finding the viscount, and so requested him from Pale without hesitation.
Verden took a sip of tea.
'It's not exactly tracking skill.'
All he did was trace residuals with mana detection.
Of course, he knew such a method was frowned upon among mages.
Mana detection varied in scope and precision depending on the amount of mana consumed. It was decent for briefly identifying surroundings, but unsuitable for long-term pursuit.
Continuing pursuit with mana detection consumed vast amounts of mana. If careless, one could run dry midway. There were many other drawbacks besides.
Thus, only a handful of mages devoted themselves deeply to mana detection.
And Verden was among those few.
"You will be joining the second search party, led by the knight captain. Preparations are underway, so you'll likely depart around this evening. If you have questions, ask them now."
"Would it be acceptable if I move independently?"
"I would prefer if you supported the search party. However, if circumstances force it, moving alone is fine. I'll inform the knight captain in advance. Just know, if there are no results, you should not expect payment."
"Of course."
Verden nodded.
That ended the talk of the commission. It was time to ask about the rune specialist.
"What about the matter I requested through Pale?"
"You mean the rune expert? Already prepared. Though, in truth, there wasn't much preparation needed."
At the count's slight gesture, a butler brought someone in.
A middle-aged man, dressed neatly.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Fern Ronander, secretary of the Rodenmeyer household."
"In his youth, he was active for a long time as a rune researcher, so he should suffice for your needs. Now then, finish your business, and return to the mansion this evening."
Leaving those words, Count Rodenmeyer departed.
Only Secretary Fern and Verden remained. A few knights lingered, but not so close as to be intrusive.
Sitting down, Fern asked.
"I heard you were looking for a rune expert. I dare say I have some knowledge, so please, ask whatever you wish about runes."
"There's nothing in particular I wish to ask."
"Pardon? Then..."
Verden took out a ring and showed it to Fern.
A gray ring, devoid of gems, its body inscribed only with complex rune letters. At the sight of it, Fern's eyes widened.
"Th-the Ring of Rune? How in the world did you…?"
"It happened to fall into my hands. In any case, what I ask of you is to reactivate this Ring of Rune. Is that possible? You may name your price."
Count Rodenmeyer had only introduced a rune expert. Convincing him and gaining his cooperation was up to Verden. If the compensation was reasonable, he was prepared to pay.
Fern, his gaze fixed on the Ring of Rune, answered.
"Reactivating a Ring of Rune is not particularly difficult. No special materials are required. And the count has already instructed me to cooperate. So I require no payment… but, may I examine the ring more closely?"
"Go ahead."
Verden handed the Ring of Rune to him.
As Fern examined the ring carefully, Verden sharpened his senses. The Ring of Rune, taken from the magic tower, was no ordinary artifact, and someone might try to take it.
The likelihood was slim, but trusting the household entirely was out of the question.
Finishing his examination, Fern lifted his gaze with an expression of awe.
"This arrangement of rune letters… do you know what kind of magical effect it holds?"
"I do."
The effect imbued in the Ring of Rune Verden possessed, was 'senses'.
It enhanced the wearer's overall senses. Though a simple explanation, its usefulness was beyond measure.
"According to my interpretation of the runes, the name of this ring is 'Exceed'. And the arrangement of runes inscribed here is classified among the 'advanced' tier. It grants effects to the wearer on a wholly different level from ordinary runes. But precisely because of that… I must absolutely advise against reactivating it."
"Because of the strain on the body?"
"So you knew. Yes, that is correct. Once reactivated, the Ring of Rune engraves its effect into the wearer's body. It can no longer be removed like a common ring."
If the wearer could freely manipulate the rune's effect, there would be no problem.
However, this Exceed, the Ring of Rune, was always-active. From the moment it was worn, the senses would be enhanced. And if the body failed to accept those enhanced senses…
"All the senses of the body will become entangled. One will not even be able to stand properly, instead repeating cycles of fainting and awakening. In that state, the only option would be to cut off the finger bearing the ring. Even then, recovering one's senses would take a long time. In the worst case, you might suffer permanent sensory impairment."
Verden was a mage.
No matter how much he trained his body, it was true that he lagged behind those who had awakened aura. The likelihood that his body could not endure was extremely high.
But there was a way.
"In that case, inscribe it directly onto my mana circuit, instead of the body."
"...!!"
Fern's eyes widened.
"How on earth did you… ah, no, never mind. In any case, that is no different from suicide compared to the first method. If it fails, you won't lose just a finger, you will have to cut off the entire arm. The mana circuit will be damaged beyond repair. I heard you are a 3rd-tier mage, there is absolutely no way you could withstand it."
He already knew. The magic tower was brimming with knowledge.
If he had not known, he never would have taken it from the vault of the magic tower in the first place.
And Verden's tier was not 3rd, but mid-4th tier.
He had passed the minimum threshold, so all that remained was Verden's determination.
Could he endure the enhanced senses, or not.
'Of course I can.'
This was nothing more than one of countless steps.
Compared to what he had already achieved, and what he still had to achieve, it was but a small step.
Verden wordlessly held out his hand.
Fern hesitated, swallowing nervously.
'What should I do?'
Count Rodenmeyer had told him to assist with matters of runes, but this situation was beyond anything he expected.
If it failed, the commission would naturally collapse. He too could not be free of responsibility.
But to be honest… he wanted to try.
This was only the second time in his life he had ever activated an advanced rune, and the very first time he would inscribe it directly onto a mana circuit. For someone who had studied runes for so long, it was an irresistible temptation.
In the end, after much hesitation, Fern made his decision.
"…I have warned you."
Huu, Fern took a deep breath, and slid the ring onto Verden's finger.
Then, he began to read aloud the rune letters inscribed on the ring. Not conversation, but language solely for magic.
Verden, whose knowledge of runes was shallow, could not understand the meaning.
The ambient mana began to gather. It was reacting to the runes.
The mana seeped gradually into the ring, and light began to leak faintly from the rune letters.
At that moment, a searing agony flared inside Verden's body, as though pressed with a branding iron.
Verden's expression twisted slightly, and Fern focused all the more on awakening the Ring of Rune.
As the pain along the mana circuit gradually diminished, Verden's senses began to sharpen.
Sight, touch, the five senses.
The sense of balance, perceiving movement and maintaining equilibrium.
The visceral senses, which humans usually could not feel.
All of them became vivid.
Things unseen became visible, things unfelt became tangible, it felt almost like spreading mana detection.
Except, unlike mana detection, he could not control the range at will.
Dizziness struck.
His vision shook.
The cool breeze pricked his skin like needles, Fern's voice sounded distant and then near, even the flow of blood in his veins and the movements of his organs provoked his nerves.
It was chaos itself.
'But not unbearable.'
Verden moved his mana.
The vast mana in his heart surged outward through his mana circuits. The displaced senses, forcibly drawn by the mana, began to return to their proper places.
Once the tangled senses unraveled, piiing──── light flashed across his mind, and Verden dropped his head.
Startled, Fern asked urgently.
"A-are you all right?!"
"I am fine."
His voice, calm and unshaken.
When Verden lifted his head, his eyes carried a sharpness unbefitting a mage.
***
At Count Rodenmeyer's mansion, the knights chosen for the second search party gathered with their warhorses.
Rodron's knight captain, 'Balkan', and the order's mage, 'Clark', exchanged words.
"Word just came in. Contact with the first search party has been lost as well."
"Even with the vice-captain? Surely not…"
"Don't spout nonsense. It's that vice-captain we're talking about, at the very least he won't be dead. There must be some pressing reason. Perhaps they engaged in battle during the search, or they are in danger greater still. Whatever the case, what matters for us is to locate the viscount and the search party in the shortest possible time."
The viscount had gone missing in the Kazerdan Ridge.
They planned to ride day and night without rest. With the stamina of the highly trained knights and horses, it posed no problem.
At that moment, Clark glanced at Verden.
"But I do not understand what His Excellency the Count lacked, that he would hire a mere 3rd-tier mage. Even if he subdued some high-ranking mercenaries, is there anyone here in the search party who could not do the same?"
"Depending on the situation, most here could indeed. Perhaps His Excellency values ability over sheer force. They say he is skilled in tracking magic… in that respect, he may well surpass even us."
"I hardly think so…"
Clark's dissatisfaction was plain.
As the count's mage, his pride was overflowing. There was no way he could look favorably on some mage with nothing but a polished exterior.
"Well, we will see soon enough. It seems preparations are complete, so let us hurry and depart. Relay the order to the knights."