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Chapter 120 - The Third Imperial Princess (4)
Chapter 120 - The Third Imperial Princess (4)
Chapter 120 - The Third Imperial Princess (4)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
Even if Frey said that, it was impossible for her to believe him so easily.
He was publicly known to be at the 7 star level. Not to mention the Demigods, he wasn’t even comparable to most circles.
From the thorough nature of the princess, it was natural for her to be suspicious of his words at first.
This wasn’t a problem, though, as that was Frey’s intention from the start.
After all, the effect would be much greater if she had doubts beforehand.
However, the princess’ reaction was completely unexpected.
“Ah…”
Why was she looking at Frey with wide eyes while her face was as red as a beet?
Seeing this, Veronica, who was beside her, poked her in the side with her finger.
“…Your Majesty.”
“Ah? Ahh. I, I see. Gi-, give me a second.”
Fiore tried to calm herself down while fanning her face with a hand.
Veronica sighed and muttered in a low voice.
“…Your Majesty, it’s better to not show that you’re an old maid(1).”
“Sh-, shut up!”
After a moment, Fiore looked at Frey with a calm expression as though nothing had happened.
“You’re right. I’m in a much more precarious situation than I seem to be in.”
Leita seemed to believe that Fiore would be safe as long as she was within the Imperial family, but she was wrong.
The Imperial family was not a safe place for Fiore.
On the contrary, in a way, there could be no place more dangerous for her.
It wasn’t just because of the Circle and the Demigods.
There were invisible rank skirmishes, feuds between factions and constant checks.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d slept soundly.
She had survived on such a battlefield, and to some extent, she had even established herself to some extent.
This was something Fiore was proud of.
“But even the Demigods wouldn’t kill me easily.”
“The Eleventh Tower Master. Is it because of him?”
“…you know about him, too.”
Fiore smiled bitterly as she said those words, but she wasn’t completely surprised.
There weren’t many people who knew of the Eleventh Tower Master, but the number was still quite large.
The secret guardian of the Imperial family.
A Wizard that even the Demigods wouldn’t touch easily.
That was the person who stood behind her.
By relying on that fact, Fiore was able to overcome numerous threats in the Imperial family.
“That’s right. The reason I have been able to survive in the Imperial family is because I have his support.”
Of course, it was her ability that had caught the Eleventh Tower Master’s attention. (Note: really need a new name for this guy…)
Frey was curious about him.
“I would like to meet him sometime.”
“Well…”
“Can’t I?”
Fiore shook her head.
“That’s not something I can decide. The biggest reason is that I don’t know where my Master is.”
“Even the princess doesn’t?”
“Right.”
This was unexpected.
Frey had thought he would be able to meet the Eleventh Tower Master using Fiore as a proxy.
“By the way, ‘Master’… I don’t think the princess has learned magical science.” (Note: considering calling this Magicology…thoughts?)
“He’s the greatest Wizard I know, but my Master’s knowledge isn’t necessarily limited to magical science. I’ve learned a lot from my Master. I don’t believe I could ever repay his grace to me even if I worked for the rest of my life.”
“Hmmm…”
“Anyway… ah!”
It was then.
Fiore frowned for a moment before taking a small marble out of her pocket.
Frey’s eyes shined slightly when he saw it.
‘Magic tool.’
Fiore then spoke with a slightly confused expression on her face.
“My Master is contacting me. He rarely ever does so first…”
“Should I leave for a while?”
“No. You don’t have to. I think… perhaps my master would like to speak to Frey.”
Fiore then tapped on the marble with her index finger before muttering in a low voice.
“Connect.”
Woowoong.
Then, a small light was projected from the marble before forming into the blurry shape of a man.
The figure was wearing a robe, but his appearance couldn’t be clearly seen as the image was very dark.
[It’s a pleasure to meet you, Frey Blake.]
“…”
The voice was strange.
It was impossible to even guess the gender of the one speaking, let alone the age.
The hood of the robe was not deep enough to provide full coverage, so it should be the magic tool that obscured their appearance.
This meant the person had no intention of revealing his identity, which was quite common.
Even Frey himself was currently using the image of Kain Rixton.
“The Eleventh Tower Master?”
[Correct. I heard your conversation.]
Did he eavesdrop on his conversation with Fiore by using the marble? (Note: although I’m using male pronouns, the Eleventh Tower Master’s gender hasn’t been confirmed.)
This didn’t make Frey feel good.
‘Did Fiore know about this?’
Frey shot a glance at her, a brief glimmer flashing in his eyes.
“…”
But Fiore seemed to be as surprised as he was.
‘Did she not know that the marble could eavesdrop on her?’
It was clear that the Eleventh Tower Master hadn’t fully explained the functions of the marble to Fiore.
There might have been a hidden reason, but right now, he felt a bit upset.
Then the Eleventh Tower Master continued.
[‘The Demigods’ domination over the continent will start in a few years.’ I don’t think that’s too far from the truth.]
“It’s very likely.”
Frey spoke casually.
It was a stark contrast from Fiore’s polite use of honorifics, but the Eleventh Tower Master wasn’t a title that existed officially in the first place.
Frey also didn’t see a reason to be polite in the first place.
The Eleventh Floor Master didn’t seem to mind his manner of speech.
[…the Luanoble Kingdom’s Black Dragon Knight regiment was destroyed overnight.]
“Hmm.”
Frey wondered how he had learned that information.
Of course, Frey knew because he had been right next to Nozdog as he annihilated the group of Knights.
[The Black Dragon Knights were strong enough to take down a small fortress in a day. Yet after they received some kind of mission from the Royal family, they simply disappeared as though they had evaporated. As far as I know, the only beings capable of such a thing on the entire continent are the Demigods.]
“It was the Demigod with the power of death.”
It wasn’t something he needed to hide.
The Eleventh Tower Master nodded.
[So it was Nozdog. I also thought it would be one of the Apocalypses.]
The three Apocalypses that the Circle had identified were the Demigods of the sword, poison and death.
It seemed the Eleventh Tower Master also knew about Nozdog.
[…No one knows why the Demigods have remained in the shadows for so long. But I’m certain about one thing. The reason they didn’t take control of the continent before was not because they lacked confidence.]
It was an accurate judgement.
After all, it was safe to assume that there were few beings on the entire continent who could threaten the Demigods after the Dragons disappeared.
Even so, there was one reason why they remained hidden.
Because they were afraid of the punishment.
But the Illuminium that Leyrin had created had given them the chance to deceive the Laws of the World.
Even if there was a time limit, that was not a big issue.
And this meant that they no longer had to stay silent.
[Killing the Black Dragon Knights was one of the most striking massacres carried out by the Demigods in decades. It wasn’t through their Apostle or subordinate; it was a massacre carried out with their own hands.]
“What about the attack on Nozdog before? Thousands of people died at that time.”
The Eleventh Tower Master shook his head.
[They found out where Nozdog was staying and, the Circle was the one to make the first move. To paraphrase it, it was a foolish act to touch the nose of a sleeping lion.]
Frey’s eyes shined when he heard those words.
“You know a lot about the Circle. Information that outsiders would not be able to know…”
[…mm.]
The Eleventh Tower Master paused for a moment before letting out a sigh and saying.
[I let down my guard. You’re right. I was originally a member of the Circle.]
“…!”
Fiore was the most surprised by that.
This was her first time hearing this information.
Frey thought for a moment before saying.
“Were you a member of the Strow Necklaces?”
[…why do you say that?]
“That marble was probably made by you.”
He pointed towards the marble Fiore was holding.
“It looks like it was just made with alchemy, but it is a precise magic tool that couldn’t be made without the highest degree of magical knowledge. It’s not something that could’ve been made by someone who didn’t belong to the Strow School, who have deep knowledge about the Great Sage and are masters of alchemy.”
That wasn’t all.
He couldn’t be sure because of the blurriness of the image, but Frey was almost certain that the robe the Eleventh Tower Master was wearing was also a magic tool.
The Eleventh Tower Master nodded his head, not intending to deny Frey’s observation.
[I was once the Circle Master of the Strow Necklaces.]
“…!”
Frey couldn’t help but be surprised by this information.
He had believed that the Eleventh Tower Master had at least been an executive, but he had never imagined that he would actually be a previous leader of one of the Three Great Circles.
“Why did you leave the circle if you were the Circle Master?”
[I didn’t leave. I was kicked out.]
“What do you mean?”
[Frey Blake. I can see it in your eyes that you are seriously thinking about defeating the Demigods… it’s a look that reminds me of Osel.]
“…you knew Osel Argento?”
Osel Argento.
Beniang Argento’s foster father and the man who had sat on the seat as head of the Trowman Rings when it was one of the most prominent forces in the Circle.
The Eleventh Tower Master nodded.
[Osel was one of my closest friends. We promised to revive the Circle and one day fully escape the Demigods’ clutches.]
His voice was bitter.
[His death was the thing that truly highlighted just how rotten the Circle was. If he had listened to me and left the Circle sooner, he might not have met such a gruesome end…]
“…”
When he heard that, Frey suddenly recalled Ivan’s words.
[The Trowman Rings… I heard they suffered considerable damage during the battle with the Death Apocalypse. There were even rumors that the Three Great Circles had a hand to play in that…]
“I’m not sure, but that is what I heard.” (Note: this was in [] but I don’t think the 11th was the one who said that)
At that time, Frey had felt that Master Osel’s death was quite suspicious.
However, looking at the Eleventh Tower Master’s reaction, it seemed that there really was more to his death than it seemed.
[When I was kicked out of the Circle, I wanted to take Beniang with me, but it didn’t work out. But unexpectedly, I have a new chance.]
“Chance?”
[I’m going to make a formal offer. Would you like to take the Trowman Rings out of the Circle?]
“…”
[With your level of insight, I’m certain you know that the Circle is rotten to the core. If you stay there, you will never be able to accomplish your goals.]
“And joining you would be different?”
[Of course.]
The Eleventh Tower Master said those words with conviction.
[It has already been 50 years since I was kicked out of the Circle. And during that time, I struggled to create a group that truly inherited the will of the heroes of the past… and just recently, I managed to achieve that.]
His voice, which had been calm up until that point, became filled with passion and vigour.
[I have a strong alliance, Frey. It won’t become like the Circle. No, our alliance might already be more powerful. With us, defeating the Demigods might not be just a dream!]
The Eleventh Tower Master’s proposal was perfect.
Moreover, his behaviour was something Frey could understand.
He thought that it was amazing that someone would still have the fire of fighting spirit burning within, even after being kicked out of the Circle.
‘Besides.’
The Eleventh Tower Master was at least an 8 star Wizard.
If not, he would not have been able to hold the position of Circle Master of one of the Three Great Circles, and he would not have been able to keep the Demigods at bay.
The group he belonged to might very well be stronger than the Circle. So there was no need to go further.
This group would be able to move alone without Frey’s guidance, and they would be able to steadily move toward the destruction of the Demigods, Frey’s long-cherished desire.
On the other hand, the Circle was different.
It needed to be fixed.
If it was left the way it was, then it would only take a brief offensive from the Demigods to completely destroy.
Since the Circle was the biggest thorn in the Demigods’ sides, the first thing they would do when they got enough Illuminium would be to destroy them.
He couldn’t do it.
Although it was a fact that the Circle was rotten, Frey couldn’t help but feel that it was a waste of power and potential to leave it as it was.
“I appreciate the offer, but I intend to fix the Circle from the inside.”
The Eleventh Tower Master was shocked by those words, but then he gave a bitter laugh.
[Hoho… reform the Circle from within. You really are like Osel.]
“…”
[That’s not as easy as it sounds. In the past, the Trowman Rings was as powerful as the Three Great Circles, but it took less than 10 years for them to collapse.]
Then he gave a slight smile
[My proposal still stands. I will always welcome someone with your talent… I just hope you don’t meet the same end as Osel.]
“That won’t happen.”
[I hope not. Then… we will meet again someday. Let’s have a serious conversation when that time comes.]
He then turned his head and spoke to Fiore.
[Fiore, spare no effort in helping him. Although we are currently walking two different paths, our destinations are still the same…]
“Ah… yes, Master.”
Shuk.
After Fiore nodded, the Eleventh Tower Master’s image became hazy and began to disappear.
It was clear that he was disconnecting the ‘call’.
Frey opened his mouth just before he disappeared.
“Can you tell me your name?”
[…I am Cairo Wilsemann.]
“…!”
With those words, the Eleventh Tower Master’s figure disappeared completely.
Nevertheless, Frey kept staring at the spot where he had been standing.
‘Cairo Wilsemann…’
Wilsemann.
That was the surname that Schweiser had before he changed his name to Strow.
(Note:
1. The expression emphasizes the paradox of being ‘old’ and yet still virginal and unmarried. It wasn’t the only term that was tried out; the era’s literature also poked fun at “superannuated virgins.”)