Chapter 38
“Let’s move on from the customary greetings now, alright? Isn’t there something more urgent we need to attend to?” Duke Agnus’s soft voice rolled over the knights. Joshua eventually closed his mouth.
Viscount Vig’s voice was lingering in Joshua’s mind for some reason.
This was the Avalon Empire. Or rather, this was the mindset of most people on the Igrant Continent.
Considering the total population of the continent, aristocrats were a rarity. And those rare numbers ruled as the upper echelons of society. Talent and ability? Irrelevant. Inherited status, caste, origin, and blood ties determined everything; commoners were less than bugs to the ranking nobles.
‘Still the same old,’ Joshua smiled bitterly.
“You. I’ll watch you,” muttered Viscount Vig with a glimmer of contempt in his eyes before turning towards the Duke with a sunny expression. “Your Grace, it’s a little modest, but I humbly prepared dinner… why don’t we head inside and unwind a little before we set off—”
“My knights are not that weak.” Duke Agnus shook his head firmly. “If this was a break, everyone would have gotten drunk on our way here. Hmm… however—ANYONE WANT TO REST?!”
Who was stupid enough to say yes before such an intimidating presence?
“We will leave right away.”
“Please allow me to accompany you.” Viscount Vig spat his thoughts out into the open. When subjected to the Duke’s questioning gaze, he continued, “Unfortunately, my abilities are too lacking to handle it myself, but as the Lord of the estate, I can’t just bite my fingers on the sidelines, can I?”
Duke Agnus showed a worried expression. Seeing this, Viscount Vig pressed forward.
“The knights and the soldiers gathered are thinking the same thing.”
“Yes!”
“We want to be of help to the Duke!”
“We are honored to accompany the Duke!”
The shouts of the five hundred soldiers and around forty knights of Locke filled the air.
Duke Agnus sighed.
“What do you think, Anna?”
“Oh! You don’t have to worry about her at all! My daughter will certainly be of some help to the Duke.”
“Are you saying you want to take this child into that dangerous place too?” The Duke frowned.
“I would like to go with Your Grace as well,” Anna replied, turning her focus onto the Duke.
“Sylph.” A gust of wind blew, followed by murmuring. Then, the ground and wind shook.
“An elementalist?” muttered Armand, the 4th-Class mage, who was standing next to Duke Agnus.
“As it turns out, I just recently learned that my daughter has a talent for elemental arts!” Viscount Vig stepped forward with a pleased expression.
“Ah, I see…” Duke Agnus let out a small sigh.
Joshua turned to examine Anna. There were only a tiny number of people with a talent like Anna: like magic, the elemental arts were exclusive to those born with the talent. Even the lowest rank of elementalist, the junior elementalist, had only a few hundred members across the entire continent.
‘Hmm… Oh?’ Joshua tilted his head. He realized Anna’s gaze was firmly fixed on one place.
The target of her gaze was Babel—who, on the other hand, had his eyes still glued to Joshua as if he hadn’t even noticed the girl.
The rarity of elementalist was no different here in the Empire. At that age, with that kind of talent, her renown would quickly spread across the Empire into the entire world. However, this “Anna” was entirely absent from Joshua’s memory.
‘This girl… her face is familiar, somehow… Maybe I saw her somewhere…?’ She had a pretty but commonplace visage, yet something about it tickled his memory.
‘Babel and an elementalist—’
While Joshua was consumed with his thoughts, the Duke had already made his decisions.
“Great, let’s go together,” Duke Agnus remarked.
“Ah!”
“However, the Red Knights will take the lead, and the Locke Estate’s forces will be in the rear. The rest of us will stay in the center.”
“Understood!” The soldiers and knights of Locke Estate replied in unison.
“Thank you, Your Grace!”
Duke Agnus nodded and followed up with his next instruction.
“Prepare to depart immediately!”
The troops quickly erupted into a hubbub of preparation.
Joshua, however, couldn’t shake the uneasiness lingering in his heart.
‘If it’s someone important enough to affect my plans, I’ll remember them eventually… For now, we’ll keep moving.’ Joshua set his thoughts aside and followed the Duke towards the gloomy forest.
“Depart!” Duke Agnus shouted to the ready troops.
***
In the glorious palace of the Avalon Empire, the Iron-Blooded Emperor, Marcus ben Britten sat upon his golden throne that was nicely decorated with engraved dragons.
“...I mean, it was…” the Emperor muttered softly to himself, while the man who just delivered his report prostrated before him. The silence stretched for a long moment while the Emperor mused.
“...interesting! Hahaha,” Marcus burst into laughter. “Not only did that talented child turn out to be the real deal, but he also made the Second Seat of an Imperial Knights battalion, the pride of our Empire, back down.”
Genuine joy danced on Emperor Marcus’s face.
“Evergrant, how did he look to you? We want to hear your personal opinion, not as a knight, but as the greatest mage in our Empire.”
“As Your Majesty said, it is difficult to make a hasty evaluation. The mana of a mage and that of a knight are too different, particularly in the way they exercise it.”
“Just your hunch is enough for Us. How far do you think that child will grow?”
Evergrant fell into a deep contemplation while the Emperor waited with a patient smile.
“...It would be too abstract to speak from the perspective of a mage, so I’ll use the Imperial Knights as an example.”
“That’s good.” Emperor Marcus nodded. He was a swordsman himself, so it was only natural that he would understand it better this way.
“First: Sir Valmont, who was with me a few days ago. While I just met him in person, I can say that if I ever had the chance to face him in a one-on-one battle...” Evergrant paused. “...I would not lose.”
“Ha!” Emperor Marcus nodded eagerly.
“Valmont is the youngest battalion commander in the Empire. We could count his ilk with our hands and have fingers to spare. But of course, he wouldn’t be a match to you.”
Emperor Marcus was the only one who recognized Evergrant in Avalon, a country that habitually disrespected mages. He was also one of the few people who understood Evergrant’s true capability.
“But Young Master Joshua? How do I phrase it… He indeed felt different.”
“Are you saying you couldn’t win a fight with that kid?” Emperor Marcus’s eyes were wide with surprise.
“It certainly felt different, but...” Evergrant shook his head. “...of course I wouldn't lose… for now.”
“Then you mean…”
“Within the next ten years, possibly sooner, I will eventually lose. That is my sincere feeling.”
Astonishment colored Emperor Marcus’s eyes. The mages were terribly rational beings, and Evergrant was a mage among mages.
After a while, Emperor Marcus was prepared to pose another question.
“Answer Us one question.”
“Anything, Your Majesty.”
“What do you think the outcome would be if you and I had a one-on-one match?”
Evergrant’s eyes widened with astonishment. In the end, he could manage no words.
“...Ha.” Emperor Marcus eyed Evergrant. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
His laughter grew tinged with madness.
“INTERESTING! How interesting! A shame We only could send the prince. If We knew, We would have come to see the child ourselves! If nothing else, We must see the child.”
Emperor Marcus snapped his fingers.
Swish.
A man in black slipped out of the shadows without a sound and prostrated himself before the Emperor.
“Jacken, can you kidnap that child and bring him to the Imperial Palace, even for a little while?”
“From what I know, the Fourth Prince is already preparing to bring him over.”
“Kaiser?” Emperor Marcus was surprised.
“A little while ago, the Imperial Knights received a letter of recommendation from the Fourth Prince. The subject of the letter was, of course, Young Master Joshua von Agnus.”
“A letter of recommendation, you say… So there’s such a way. Although the whole system was put in place for a purpose, the idiot battalions, the 11th and 12th, were bothering Us…” Emperor Marcus’s smirk deepened as he spoke. “Report the progress of that situation regularly.”
“I heed and obey, Your Majesty.”
Just as how he had appeared, the man slipped back into the shadows, disappearing without a sound.
“Joshua von Agnus…” Emperor Marcus muttered the name under his breath, but his voice resonated for the second half of the sentence.
“Maybe he’s perfect for the job.”
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