[Currently, the Order of the Red Turtle Knights is on a mission. Therefore, we cannot dispatch them.]
Golden Turtle Guild Branch in Chelkin.
Upon arriving in the viscounty of Chelkin, Fernan folded the letter handed to him by the captain of the Red Shell Order.
‘The future has changed.’
Originally, the Red Turtle Knights were supposed to be in that location. The mere fact that they were absent due to another mission meant things were no longer the same.
He didn’t know what had caused it. So many things had changed, he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
‘It shouldn’t be a major problem.’
Nor did he think it was serious. The difference was due to the fact that the Red Turtle Order had unusually exceptional members, not because the knights were weak.
‘Besides, I have Professor Rosalia and Wooden.’
He himself had completely changed after ingesting the Dragon Heart.
And above all, this situation wasn’t that different from what he had seen in the book of prophecies.
‘Destroying the mithril itself isn’t much of a plan for the demons.’
They hadn’t foreseen that Aint would reach that place, and even with the changes in the future, that likely hadn’t changed.
“Long time no see, Lord Harten.”
“It’s an honor to see you again, young master.”
The captain of the Red Turtle Order, Harten, bowed his head.
“Professor, it’s also a pleasure to see you again.”
“The honor is mine. I leave our safety in your hands.”
After a day of rest, Fernan departed with Professor Rosalia and the Red Turtle Order toward their destination.
Since they traveled in secret, they avoided main routes and took lesser-used mountain paths, which made the journey longer.
“Let’s spend the night here.”
In the mountains, the sun set quickly. The group set up camp in a mid-slope clearing.
“I’ll go inside the tent for a bit, I have something to do.”
After a light dinner, Fernan retreated to his tent. He needed to recall what he had seen in the book of prophecies to pinpoint the location as accurately as possible.
Rosalia remained seated by the campfire.
The dark night, flames crackling between them, the murmur of insects.
Always caught up in research and training, sometimes it wasn’t so bad to get away like this. Especially when the goal was mithril.
“Did you enjoy the dinner?”
Crack.
Harten threw another log into the fire and sat across from her.
“Yes, it was delicious. Almost on par with the chefs of noble houses.”
It was impossible that there were chefs here—they had come without attendants to move discreetly.
“I’m glad to hear that. One of my men cooks quite well. Vandel!”
“Yes, Captain!”
A knight sheathed his sword and approached.
“The professor says your cooking is worthy of a chef.”
“Really? Wow, thank you! It’s an honor!”
Vandel laughed heartily, bowing his head.
“That’s unusual. Knights usually don’t like doing these kinds of things.”
“These kinds of things?”
“Servant work.”
It wasn’t that a knight couldn’t do minor tasks, but normally such things were left to servants or soldiers. It was rare to see one cooking.
“Normally, we just bring dried meat. But when the young master comes with us, it’s different.”
Harten smiled as he added more wood to the fire.
“You seem to trust Fernan a lot.”
“He’s always been… special.”
“Special?”
“His obsession with money was so intense even the Duke got tired of it.”
“That hasn’t changed.”
“True.”
All Pellenbergs loved money, but Fernan had a unique way of it.
“Ten years ago, on his birthday, the Duke asked what he wanted as a gift. Know what he said?”
“Money?”
“Exactly. Money. And he asked to be given all his future birthday gifts in advance.”
The Duke agreed and gave him a huge sum, even though he was just a child. Neither the one who asked nor the one who agreed were ordinary people.
“With that, he founded the Golden Pillar.”
A personal organization for intelligence and investment.
“Ah, the Golden Pillar…”
“Yes. With that name, he even invested in you, Professor. Though the real reason was to search for mines.”
“Mines?”
“Since he was little, he believed the earth was a hidden treasure. That’s why he studied earth magic, even though he was more talented in fire magic.”
“He really learned earth magic for that?”
“Excuse me.”
Rosalia couldn’t help but murmur. She knew Fernan was obsessed with money, but not to this extent.
“That’s right. The house’s mages criticized him, and even Lord Durleo, the archmage of Pellenberg, insulted him outright. And Fernan replied, ‘I’m not a mage, I’m a merchant.’”
Duke Yvon had laughed heartily.
“With that Golden Pillar, he started operating. But many of those undiscovered mines were monster dens. Every time it happened, the young master paid the Duke for troops, and we answered.”
That was how his close relationship with the Red Turtle Order began.
“He always treated us well—top-tier potions, luxury food, sturdy tents. And he also gave extra rewards.”
Vandel, listening in, chimed in.
“I asked him once if he wasn’t spending too much. Know what he said? Or rather, he asked us a question—‘What is money?’”
Rosalia listened attentively.
“And he answered himself: ‘Money is everything. With it, you can buy anything and do anything. Thanks to money, Pellenberg exists, and thanks to money, I can treat those who serve my house well.’”
“Young master!”
“See? He’s bought even our hearts with money. How can we not adore him?”
“He hasn’t bought mine yet.”
“He will.”
Vandel smiled wistfully.
“With words like that, how could we not admire him? I cooked happily today because I’ve already been well rewarded.”
He made a circle with his fingers. Though it sounded bold, it wasn’t untrue. Fernan always kept his word and never skimped on those he considered his own.
At that moment, Fernan emerged from the tent.
“Did you all talk that badly about me?”
“On the contrary, we praised you. Now the professor will like you even more.”
“Really?”
“Ugh, you’re giving me chills.”
Rosalia lit a cigarette with the campfire.
“Did you find the location?”
“More or less. If we leave at dawn, we should get there in two days.”
“It’s not that far.”
“We’ll have to search a bit, but monsters always leave traces.”
“That’s true.”
Rosalia looked at Wooden, hanging from Fernan’s neck. She knew that, thanks to the power of the World Tree, he could detect monsters with precision.
After a bit more chatting, everyone entered their tents.
“We leave tomorrow.”
At dawn the next day, the group neatly packed up the camp and resumed their journey.
“Professor, when you get the mithril, what do you plan to do with it?”
“Make a staff.”
“Mithril is the best material for that. Are you preparing for the winter? Ah, I heard your opponent is already set. Duke Bador Erbeto, right?”
“That’s right.”
Bador Erbeto. Duke of the Kingdom of Helfen in the southwest of the Lutar continent, and considered the weakest of the Archmages.
“I wanted to face Cardinal Albi or Rector Mikale.”
Rosalia clicked her tongue.
It didn’t matter who the opponent was—she had faith in herself. In fact, she wanted to face the top-tier ones: the Cult’s cardinal or the Academy’s own rector.
“Especially, if I defeated the rector, it would be the perfect portrait.”
Like inheriting a throne—defeating the rector and taking his place would be an imposing image.
“Denied. Even I wouldn’t allow that.”
“The Duke and you are both cowards…”
Rosalia clicked her tongue again.
“They say it’s foolish to take the hard road when the easy one is right there.”
If there were no easier option, it would be understandable. But no merchant would drag their cart down a rough path when a smooth road was available. That would only wear out the horses, the men, and consume more time and effort.
“Weren’t you the one who said you’d pave the road?”
“And now that I have, you insist on straying from it.”
“……”
Rosalia fell silent, lacking arguments.
The group approached their destination.
Another day passed. Along the way, they faced an ogre that dominated the mountain as its territory and a pack of gnolls devouring corpses. All were cut down by the knights’ swords.
— Piii!
At that moment, something descended from the sky and snatched the ogre’s body.
“Young master, watch out!”
The knights immediately surrounded Fernan and Professor Rosalia, but Fernan, upon recognizing the bird, was surprised.
“…A Saintbird?”
“Silver?”
The four wings left no doubt—it was a Saintbird.
— Kyu, Kyu.
Wooden’s enthusiastic gestures confirmed it was Silver.
The problem was, it was no longer the Silver they once knew.
“Stand down, there’s no need to stay on guard.”
Fernan calmed the knights and extended his hand. Silver, after tasting a bite of the ogre and spitting it out, gently landed in front of him.
— Piii.
He rubbed his face against him. His head was now larger than Fernan’s own.
“…He wasn’t this big before we left.”
Silver had grown as if he’d suddenly become an adult. With wings spread, he spanned over six meters—large enough to easily carry two people.
“Did you come because you wanted to see me?”
— Piii.
When Fernan stroked his head, Silver seemed to smile happily.
“A Saintbird? Wasn’t he Aint’s?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Then why is he acting so affectionate with you? No, more importantly, why did he come to you all of a sudden? And he wasn’t this big before we left either.”
“I think it’s because I was there when he was born. For some reason, he approached me with trust from the start.”
Fernan improvised what he’d planned to say in case it ever came up.
“You were there when he was born?”
“Yes. He was inside the box I gave to the professor.”
“…The extreme freezing spell was to preserve the egg?”
Fernan didn’t know either why he had come now or why he had grown so much.
— Kyu, kyuu.
When he asked through Wooden, he found out that nothing had happened at the Academy.
He had just come because, after molting his feathers, he wanted to see him.
‘Molting feathers…?’
Could molting really cause such a sudden leap to adulthood? Or was it something unique to spirit beasts?
In any case, it seemed true—his feathers now gleamed more and felt stronger.
‘If nothing happened, that’s a relief…’
Fernan pulled some beef from his subspace and gave it to Silver, who let out a satisfied chirp.
“I’m busy right now. Stay nearby and come when I call, but don’t let anyone see you.”
— Piii.
Silver nodded and took off into the sky.
“We’d better get that mithril soon and return to the Academy.”
The feeling wasn’t a good one.
____
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