Chapter 93. Various Rewards (1)
'So it was the 2nd Prince.'
The Marquis of Ravishrun, and the 2nd Prince.
Now, I finally understand how Ark's information network regarding the duchy was so outstanding.
Verden clasped the 2nd Prince's hand.
After a light handshake, the 2nd Prince smiled brightly.
"I heard you refused Luas Church's treatment, but it seems you've recovered completely. It looked like you had quite a bit of bleeding."
Indeed, it had been quite deep.
At the time, the muscles in his thigh had been severed, and since he had overused his demon eye as well, his mind had become dizzy. But thanks to immediately taking a vitality potion and elixir, there were no aftereffects at all. On top of that, he had continuously recovered with the recovery bracelet.
The Marquis of Ravishrun had tried to bring a priest of Luas Church to treat him, but he refused.
'I can't carelessly expose my body to others.'
Verden's body still bore the magic circle of Defying the Heavens.
To the unknowing, it might appear to be just a tattoo, but anyone with a sharp eye would recognize it as a magic circle at once.
A magic circle carved directly onto the body.
Its meaning was by no means simple. It directly influenced the body of the Mage himself. Moreover, the Defying the Heavens magic circle that Verden had created interfered with mana circuits artificially, something considered a taboo.
It would not be good if such a thing leaked to the outside.
'My body is fine anyway.'
The Ring of Rune, the heightened senses from Exceed.
Verden knew his body better than anyone else.
Verden replied.
"It wasn't a deep wound."
Then he immediately changed the subject.
From his spatial bag, he took out the Shadow of the Other Side. It was a treasure of the duchy that he had seized from Gluttony before.
He had kept it just in case Gluttony's Fang hadn't appeared.
If it was the Shadow of the Other Side, then he could have pursued the trail left by Gluttony. Well, in the end, there had been no chance to use it.
The 2nd Prince carefully received the lamp.
"Not only did you subjugate Gluttony, but you even retrieved the duchy's treasure... Without you, the duchy would have suffered irreparable damage. Isn't that so, Marquis?"
"That is correct, Your Highness."
The Marquis of Ravishrun turned his head toward Verden.
"Asher, the reason I called you is to tell you about the situation after the subjugation of Gluttony's Fang. And also, there's a gift for you as well."
A gift?
"...It seems you're more curious about that. Fine, let's hand this over first before we begin the story."
The Marquis took out a single green glove.
"A glove made from the hide of the magical beast, Camellios. When worn, it blends with the color of your skin, making it look as if you're barehanded. The feel is the same as well. It's so tough that even if you grab a steel blade with your bare hands, you'll be fine. Of course, if you tried grabbing a sword wrapped in sword aura... well, I can't guarantee your fingers would remain intact."
Verden put on the glove.
When he flexed his hand open and closed, the green color soon shifted to a peach tone. Since it clung tightly to his skin, the sensation felt perfectly natural.
'Not bad.'
With this, there would be no inconvenience in handling a staff.
"I'll accept it gratefully."
"Thank not me, but Elder Ren Balhagne. This was given as thanks for saving Locke."
Hmm, a reward, was it.
He hadn't really thought of it as saving him, but well, good was good.
"Then let me move on to the main subject, to explain the duchy's current situation. Well, you've probably guessed it already. Though we tried to prepare to lessen the shock, the royal castle was thrown into an uproar."
In just one night, the pillar of the duchy had collapsed.
This fact was only realized after the knights of the castle had stormed in, by the retainers of the Marquis' household, and even the nobles under the Marquis' domain.
Marquis Gardran, and his son, Rupel.
All matters regarding Gluttony were excluded, and only the exposed crimes were revealed—kidnapping, murder, human trafficking, and even the killing of Count Dabirk.
And when they tried to arrest them, they resisted to the very end, which led to them being executed on the spot.
Verden asked.
"Will the castle accept that explanation?"
"No, of course not. Even my own son, who was Rupel's friend, still can't believe it. So how could His Majesty the Grand Duke? There's no way he would accept it. He believed that his long-time friend Gardran would never commit such atrocities. Just as I had believed... So I told His Majesty this: that all of Gardran's wicked deeds had been done for the sake of his frail son Rupel."
Offering human lives as sacrifice to sustain life.
It wasn't impossible. In fact, such things existed in high-level black magic, and could even be seen among Demons, one type of abnormal species.
When clear evidence was presented, the Grand Duke eventually had no choice but to accept it. In a sense, it was partially true.
"Of course, this fact will never be allowed to leak outside. Leaving aside the chaos it would cause in the duchy, if the Luas Church were to raise issue with it, the incident would grow far beyond what the duchy could endure."
"All of this being resolved at this level is thanks to you, Sir Asher. And that is also the reason I came to meet you in person."
"If it's a reason..."
"By subjugating Gluttony's Fang, you've nearly completely eradicated Gluttony from the duchy. Even though it was an act done of your own accord, the result remains the same. And then, you even retrieved the duchy's treasure. Simply put, whether as a member of Ark, or as the 2nd Prince of the duchy, I cannot offer only thanks."
The 2nd Prince wet his throat with tea, and continued.
"Do you remember the trial?"
Of course.
Thanks to that, he had gained a Demon Core.
"That's right. The trial, and the reward that follows. Ark is cultivating candidates to become captains who will lead humanity through such a mechanism. But even though you were not a candidate, you overcame the trial, and beyond that, you helped in slaying Gluttony... the traitor of Ark. Thus, giving a reward is also only proper. Originally, it should be the role of the Listener, but just this once, I will carry out that role in their stead."
The 2nd Prince pulled out a long metallic case from beneath the chair.
When he unlocked it, a staff appeared within. A round sky-blue crystal was wrapped by gray metal, like tree roots.
"Oculus. A staff engraved with one of the high-grade runes, 'Impact.' It produces a powerful shockwave in proportion to the mana concentrated into it. The frame is reinforced with obsidian, so its durability is outstanding. For someone like you who also values close combat, it will be a far superior weapon compared to your previous staff."
He pushed the box toward Verden.
"Seeing your weapon break last time, I prepared this. Do you like it?"
Verden carefully lifted the staff.
The cold texture of the metal. When he gently infused it with mana, a blue light shimmered on the crystal. For someone without a weapon, it was an incomparable reward.
'A proper weapon at last.'
Verden found it hard to hide his smile.
"I like it."
"Haha, we debated over what to give you, but the Listener strongly recommended this. I'm glad it pleases you. In that sense, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?"
"What will your relationship with Ark be from now on?"
The 2nd Prince added.
"I've long heard, Asher, that you dislike belonging to any group. But the trials and rewards are very alluring. For those who endure hardship and adversity, and wish to move forward, or higher. Before, and now, our Ark will be of help to you. Of course, we too will receive help from you, as we did this time."
He spoke in a low voice.
"Do not think of it as wearing shackles. We only wish to pave the path you intend to walk."
Use us, Ark.
Verden was puzzled. No matter how suitable a candidate, why go this far?
Yet the 2nd Prince's words were reasonable.
And they carried sincerity, enough that Verden could not refuse outright in this moment.
But it was difficult to decide here and now.
Even if Ark was useful, the idea of entering a group gave him a visceral rejection.
"...I need time to think."
"As much as you need. I will send a Listener later."
The 2nd Prince smiled as he rose from his seat.
"Then, since our business is finished, I will take my leave.... Ah, I almost forgot. Soon, the royal castle will contact you."
"The royal castle?"
"Most likely, to grant you a reward for this incident. It is greater than the matter of the Soul Tree you once subjugated. My father does not spare rewards for those who serve the duchy. Then, I hope next time, we will meet in Ark."
And so, the 2nd Prince left.
And a few days later, just as he had said, a message came from the royal castle.
***
A small, snow-covered hill, far from the capital, Ridron.
Below, it was guarded like iron by the Bastio Knights, led by their captain, Balkan. A lone man stood atop the hill, gazing at the distant sky.
White snow fell, and beyond the clouds far away, a patch of blue sky appeared. The scene was unchanged from what he had seen as a child.
Crunch, crunch.
Footsteps pressed into the snow behind him.
"You've come, Asher."
"I greet Your Majesty the Grand Duke."
"No need for useless formalities, come stand beside me. I came here unofficially, to meet you."
The Grand Duke was still gazing at the sky.
Verden stepped closer, standing beside him. Only after a long silence did the Grand Duke speak.
"...The duchy owes you a debt."
The Grand Duke knew nothing of Gluttony.
He only knew of the crimes committed by the Marquis of Gardran, and that it had been Verden who uncovered them.
For the Grand Duke was not of Ark.
"No, Your Majesty."
"No? ...The Marquis of Ravishrun told me everything. Yet there was one question I could not bring myself to ask."
The Grand Duke asked.
"How was Gardran's final moment?"
Verden remembered.
That face, accepting death, leaving behind his last words just before the blade severed his head.
"He looked relieved."
"Relieved... I see, so it was."
The Grand Duke's gaze fell downward.
In the distance, the capital of the duchy shone brilliantly.
"Do you know why I founded the Duchy of Riviant?"
"I do not."
"Of course not, very few know the truth. The reason I declared independence during the war was simple. Because it was the right thing to do."
Twenty-six years ago, war broke out with the Republic of Beldirn due to the tyranny of the kingdom, and the nation faltered. The rotten, corrupt kingdom could barely respond, while the republic had a supporter at its back.
If not for the then-Duke Riviant, and his vassal houses, the Marquises of Gardran and Ravishrun, holding the line with gritted teeth, half the land would have already been lost.
But it was only a matter of time. With repeated defeats, the kingdom was driven into disadvantage.
"Then suddenly, the royal family appointed a new chancellor, who brought mysterious magicians into the war. With them, the tide turned."
Before unseen magic, the republic could not respond.
The kingdom flipped its disadvantage at once, and even counterattacked, invading the republic.
"But such things never come without a price. By the time I learned the truth, it was already too late."
The magicians had secretly abducted citizens of the kingdom, using them as materials for magic. Dozens of villages vanished, refugees from cities disappeared. Prisoners from the republic fared no differently.
When the Duke of Riviant learned this, enraged, he cut down a magician with his own hand and sent the head to the royal family. But their reply was simple—this was permitted, leave it be.
A nation exists to protect its people.
But the Kingdom of Estiria sacrificed its people, to protect the nation.
"Truly, the kingdom was grinding up its people to sustain the war. They could have stopped, but they did not. Tasting victory, they grew greedy."
To conquer the republic.
At that time, the kingdom was drowned in madness. Even its soldiers killed people indiscriminately, not enemy soldiers, but civilians.
It could not be stopped.
"Then, suddenly, the chancellor who had hired the magicians died. The magicians themselves vanished. I seized the moment of chaos, and raised my sword."
A declaration of independence from the kingdom.
And with it, he gathered his vassal houses, and the lords of nearby lands.
With the frontline commander rebelling, the kingdom could not continue the war.
In the end, after three years and two months, a peace treaty was signed, and has held to this day. That was the origin of the Duchy of Riviant.
"Gardran, along with Ravishrun, always supported me. More than once, I owed him my life on the battlefield. Without them, this duchy would not exist. We would never have gained independence. Gardran was my friend, my benefactor."
Always steadfast, upright, warm-hearted Gardran.
What had changed him?
Perhaps his wife's death had shaken him.
Then, watching his dying son, he must have despaired.
He had wanted to help, but could not.
There was no way. Yet still, he searched.
Then one day, Rupel recovered his health.
It should have been impossible. He wondered, but forced himself to ignore it. For the first time in so long, his friend's hardened face had smiled.
If only he had realized then, that it was bought by countless sacrificed lives... No, this is an excuse. He had claimed to act for the duchy, yet failed to see his friend's heart. That was his failing.
"...Still, at least it was not too late."
The Grand Duke drew a necklace from his breast.
A necklace set with a black jewel, its reflected light shimmering in a rainbow.
The artifact, 'Core of the Three Colors.'
The Grand Duke handed the artifact to Verden.
"I once told you it was too dangerous, that I could not give it to you. That was not the true reason. In truth, this was something I obtained in my youth, at a kingdom auction, alongside Ravishrun and Gardran. It holds precious memories."
A past that will never return.
"But it is time, at last, to let go of those memories."
"..."
"Take it, quickly, my arm is growing tired."
Verden received the artifact.
"As an elemental Mage like you, I am certain you can wield this artifact. If not now, then someday. Hah, to a 4th-tier Mage who defeated a marquis house, something unprecedented in history, it should be a simple matter."
Hahaha.
The Grand Duke joked, easing the heavy mood. He exhaled, white breath spilling, releasing the tightness in his chest.
"Thank you."
Whether those words were meant for Verden, or for someone else, none could know.