The key returned to Atatürk.
“Well done.”
Finishing communication with Jin, I let out a light *sigh*.
Although causing an unexpected situation was infuriating, it turned out well in the end.
Thanks to Atatürk not attending the banquet, I was able to meet someone important.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
“Schlus Hainkel… I come by the command of Your Excellency…”
The one who just knocked on the door.
It was Serika, the princess of the now-fallen Aias Kingdom.
Atatürk knew Serika’s face, so if that guy had attended the banquet, Serika wouldn’t have shown up.
It seemed she was here to gauge the atmosphere since a slew of important figures, including the imperial dignitaries, dukes, ministers, and Elf chieftains, gathered for the significant banquet.
There was no need to use ‘invitation’.
I quickly recognized her thanks to her unique dance.
Her beautiful bronze skin and figure also contributed to my recognition.
Now that I recognized her, there was no time to hesitate.
I told Serika to come to my room tonight.
It was a clear command, not just a request.
With that, escape would be impossible unless she wanted to die.
“Come in.”
*Creek…*
The door opened, and a dancer in the same outfit I had seen earlier timidly stepped inside.
Her provocative clothing revealed her belly, lower back, and thighs.
A small necklace with a key around her neck added a mysterious atmosphere.
Serika entered cautiously, closed the door, and walked towards me.
“I am the dancer, Selina. I feel greatly honored to be summoned by Your Excellency. Did you call me personally to see a dance?”
“……”
Serika curtsied, raising her skirt in the imperial manner.
Perhaps a bit nervous, her body trembled slightly, yet she had an expectant look in her eyes.
Was she hoping I would just ask her to dance without any mischief?
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen.
What I was going to request from Serika was something she could never imagine.
“Serika.”
“Yes. Ah, Your Excellency. I’m not Serika, I’m Selina-”
“I’m not mistaken. I definitely called you Serika.”
“……”
As I sat on the bed and spoke quietly, Serika’s body stiffened.
She rolled her eyes in panic, and I could see her body shuddering.
She had understood well enough.
There were few choices left for Serika now.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
“Yikes?!”
First choice: run away.
Of course, as soon as Serika turned to flee, I grabbed her silver hair and she fell over.
With a solid barrier surrounding us, I didn’t have to worry about any noisy sounds leaking outside.
And the second choice would be…
“You should put down the sword.”
“Ugh… Ugh…”
To resist by force.
Serika pulled out a small dagger from her waist, standing up abruptly.
And then she lunged at me—
“Ahhh!”
“Foolish. If it were me, I would aim for your neck.”
In an instant, I disarmed her and subdued her.
What if she got angry and acted recklessly…?
She was truly a reckless woman.
I grabbed the back of Serika’s head and slammed her face into the floor.
“Urrrgh…”
“Are you finally interested in talking? Then nod your head.”
Despite her cheek rubbing against the ground, Serika nodded.
In the end, it had come to this…
It felt like taming a wild beast.
“I’ll be brief. I strongly support your Elves. You lost your home, which you’ve retained for hundreds of years, in an instant to barbarians, so it’s only right to reclaim it. Although I work for the Empire, I also execute justice in accordance with Aigis’s words. I want to help you reclaim your homeland, do you accept this deal?”
“……!”
Serika’s eyes widened.
Then she lifted her head, trying to make eye contact with me, so I slammed her face into the ground even harder.
Although I called it a deal, it wasn’t truly that.
It was a demand, an order.
“Is it too sudden…? May I hear the terms of the deal first?”
“I don’t require much. Just promise me that once you take this land, you won’t tear down the imperial-style churches and will maintain them. Also promise you won’t persecute the believers.”
“R-Really?”
“Yep.”
“Then can I have a word with my aides before deciding?”
“No. Make the decision here. Ultimately, you are the owner of the country, aren’t you? Who would dare to question your decision?”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Decide now. Will you hand over this land to humanity forever, or will you reclaim it with my help? If not now, you’ll never have another chance.”
“I-I’ll take it! I’ll accept Schlus Hainkel’s help! I promise I won’t persecute the western-style churches and will maintain them!”
Finally, a satisfactory answer was delivered.
With that, Serika could no longer escape.
She had no choice but to trust me.
Her life and the reconstruction of her kingdom now hinged on my gestures and words.
“Good. Now get out.”
“W-Wait a moment. How exactly will you return this land to us…?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“N-No, of course not. I must believe… I have to…”
“Then hold onto that belief and wait. I will soon relay my instructions. Never question my orders.”
“Understood!”
“Then get lost.”
“Yes…”
Waving my hand to shoo her away, she trembled and opened the door.
She took one last cautious glance at me before leaving, and her figure seemed pitiable.
It felt like I had done something truly wrong.
…
…
…
“Hmm?”
The door opened, and an elf with bronze skin stumbled out.
The maids cleaning the corridor quickly turned their heads away upon seeing her.
As the elf left, they huddled together and began to gossip.
“W-What was that? What happened?”
“What do you think happened…? Obviously clear.”
“But she came out too early, don’t you think?”
“Did Your Excellency… pull a fast one?”
“Shh, you fool. Watch your words.”
A limping leg.
A bewildered expression as if shocked.
And one cheek was red as if it had been harshly slapped.
Anyone could tell she had been treated roughly.
Forgetting their cleaning duties, they were busy letting their imaginations run wild.
Of course, their discreet whispers would soon turn into rumors and spread throughout the desert development area the next day.
*
The desert development area was not just a large city.
Being the only imperial territory in the desert, it housed nearly all the human tribes residing there, making its population enormous.
Although its size was far smaller than the institution, it was comparable in population.
Such a vast city naturally also had an institution of higher education.
The morning after the banquet, as the festive atmosphere in welcome had faded somewhat, I decided to visit the college with Erica.
“But seriously, what role am I supposed to play?”
In the carriage heading toward campus.
Erica rested her chin on her hands, looking outside, and said in a grumpy tone.
“What do you mean ‘what role’?”.
“I mean, everyone seems to have their roles assigned perfectly. Hertlocker is the one who was dispatched early for preliminary investigation. Trie is your escort. Jin from the Crow is sneaky like a spy…”
It was almost adorable the way she expressed it, and I had to stifle a laugh.
If I laughed, Erica would definitely get angry.
“But what about me? I don’t have magic skills compared to you, and if a crisis occurs, I’m not exactly a combatant either…”
“A moment will come when your barrier will be utterly vital. At that time, spread the barrier using my mana. Even with plenty of mana, I can’t create an efficient barrier with my own skills.”
“How much of a skill difference can there possibly be…?”
Clearly still unconvinced.
The gap between Erica’s skills and mine was like heaven and earth.
If Erica’s ability is 100, mine would be about 70.
If we used a minimal amount of mana, the difference would seem smaller as Erica said, but if the mana was in the tens of thousands, that difference would be vast.
There would be a clear separation between stopping an attack and not stopping it at all.
In a place where siege weapons could come flying—an exceptional barrier magician was essential.
“We’ve arrived.”
“But what am I supposed to do? I need to pretend to study while making it look like I’m doing something…”
“Do as you please. If you see any valuable books, feel free to swipe them. Nobody should say anything with me around.”
“That’s abuse of power…”
At first, she seemed indifferent.
However, as soon as Erica stepped onto the campus, she began darting around joyfully.
She visited the library, met with professors, and even attended some lectures secretly.
After a few hours of running around, Erica exclaimed—
“Is this even a college? The level is so low!”
“……”
She seemed to have been greatly disappointed.
After all, a student from the Imperial University visiting an ordinary university was bound to notice the difference in quality, and Erica was among the top geniuses at the Imperial University.
In this place, she could match the professors in terms of skill.
Ultimately, Erica quickly lost all interest and enthusiasm.
Just as I was thinking it might be time to wrap up this showy visit and leave—
“Schlus… should we stay a bit longer?”
“Why? What’s up?”
“I discovered a paper that piques my interest. Let’s read it before we go.”
“Do as you will.”
Erica picked up a two-page short paper.
The title was “On the Connection Between the Core of Internal Circuits and the Magical Meridian”.
Considering both the core of internal circuits and the magical meridian are located in the heart, it probably pertains to that.
I also felt intrigued and sat next to Erica to start reading the paper thoroughly.
“Wah. Who wrote this? Why on earth would such a person be stuck in a backwater like the desert development area…?”
The content was quite complex; while I struggled on the first page, Erica seemed to finish understanding it and let out an exclamation of admiration.
The paper suggested a method to artificially implement the core of internal circuits using magic spells and artifacts.
The author stated that to prevent shock death during heart transplant surgery, the method was proposed while the heart was temporarily removed and to prevent the absence of the internal circuit core.
Even pondering over the author’s name, it was completely unfamiliar to me.
“Heart transplant… so the medicine here has developed that far…”
While not yet successful, if a theory exists, it means it is achievable.
I felt a strange sense of unease discovering advancements I had never imagined.
It dawned on me again that this world was not just my own creation but a living, breathing reality that existed on its own.
“Ahh! I’ve finished! Should we head back?”
“Sure… wait a moment. It’s a communication from Iris.”
“Gasp!”
As soon as I heard Iris’s name, Erica jumped and immediately surrounded us with an invisibility barrier.
Seeing the layers of mana piling up made me chuckle in disbelief.
There was no need to go this far.
“Schlus. This is Iris. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you. Go ahead.”
“I had a dream.”
A dream.
What Iris meant by dream referred to the foresight of the future.
But her voice was slightly trembling.
It sounded as if she was about to burst into tears, struggling to hold it back.
“What dream did you have?”
“You die, Schlus.”
“Be specific. How do I die, where, and by whom?”
“I’m not sure. But you’re not the only one dying. Everyone in the desert development area dies. I saw the whole city destroyed and burning…”
“……”
For a moment, I was left speechless.
