YM778.TV Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Chapter 44 – Prestige (1)
Swordmaster Cain.
He was now walking through a vast corridor with a weary face.
“Meeting the Emperor is always exhausting.”
He had just come from a private audience with the Emperor.
He had reported on the results of the mission he was given.
As he trudged through the empty corridor, someone called out to him.
[You look like you’ve been through a lot.]
There stood a person dressed in luxurious clothes.
Garments adorned with so many jewels that even a prince would find them beyond his reach.
It was as if he were the ruler of this world.
But Cain spoke bluntly.
“What’s your latest gimmick? You usually walk around in rags.”
[I intended to, but my damn disciples insisted that I show some respect in front of the Emperor.]
He chuckled.
The sound of his jaw clashing echoed.
[When did wizards start caring about etiquette?]
“Isn’t it a sensible decision? If you appeared before the Emperor in those rags, you’d be executed in the square. Didn’t the guard give you a murderous look?”
Cain spoke indifferently.
“If you weren’t the Master of the Magic Tower, you’d probably have been beheaded ten times over in the square.”
The Grand Magic Tower.
The place where all the world’s magicians and secret arts practitioners gathered.
The person standing before Cain was its master.
“What brings you here this time?”
[Just the usual regular check-in. I’d let my disciples handle it, but they pushed me to do it myself.]
The Tower Master grumbled.
Cain gave a bitter smile.
“Meeting the Emperor isn’t exactly enjoyable.”
[What about you?]
“I was delivering the results of my mission.”
[Ah, you’ve worked hard.]
“There are plenty of people stronger than me. Why am I the one who’s always summoned?”
Cain was a superhuman-level warrior, a Swordmaster.
But he wasn’t exceptionally strong among them.
He was actually on the weaker side.
There were plenty of people stronger than him.
The Tower Master laughed.
[That’s because the stronger ones are usually free from obligations. Even the Emperor can’t easily command them. But you’re different. You’re still tied to your kingdom. You’ve given up family, love, and life, but not your loyalty to your country.]
“Mind your own business.”
Cain frowned.
The Tower Master’s words were spot on.
His country was a vassal state of the Empire.
If he didn’t follow the Emperor’s orders, his country would suffer.
This wasn’t a concern for most superhuman-level warriors.
They had no loyalty or patriotism.
But not Cain.
He had given up everything, but he couldn’t abandon his patriotism for his birthplace.
That’s why the Emperor used him without hesitation.
‘Damn.’
This old man was always a nuisance.
Cain grumbled.
“Why don’t you manage the Tower instead of meddling here?”
[The disciples are managing the Tower well enough. An old man like me should retire and find some hobbies.]
“So you’re making me miserable for fun?”
[Your reactions are entertaining.]
“Get lost.”
Cain said calmly.
The Tower Master laughed as if he was enjoying himself.
[Don’t be so angry. Teasing you is one of my few pleasures. Someone with your kind of obsession is unique and quite valuable. So, did you achieve anything?]
“I got some results, as usual.”
[You went to the Silent Forest this time, right?]
“Yes.”
[How was it?]
“A maddening place. The rules of this world don’t apply there. It’s a terrible place.”
Cain shook his head in disgust.
His mission from the Emperor was reconnaissance of the Forbidden Lands.
“You can’t hear any sound. Even when you scream, there’s no echo. Not even mystical detection works properly. Every time I turned around, soldiers had disappeared. I almost died several times. I never want to go back.”
[It sounds like it was another dreadful place.]
“Why does the Emperor want to conquer the Forbidden Lands?”
[Maybe he wants to conquer the world. Who knows the crazy thoughts of those in power?]
Cain gave a bitter smile.
Talking ill of the Emperor in front of the palace – if it wasn’t the Tower Master, he’d be torn apart.
[But I do agree that the Forbidden Lands is fascinating. I’m quite intrigued myself.]
“I hope I’m not dragged into it. I prefer a peaceful life.”
[Really?]
The Tower Master’s voice changed subtly.
He snapped his fingers.
The sound of bones clashing echoed.
Kiing.
A barrier unfolded.
It was a magical barrier separating the space inside from the outside.
This was the Emperor’s residence.
Naturally, it was fortified against magic, but that meant nothing to the Tower Master.
Cain was puzzled.
“What’s this about all of a sudden?”
[It doesn’t really matter, but there’s no need to inform anyone else.]
The Tower Master chuckled as he approached Cain.
[You’ve met a rather extraordinary being, haven’t you?]
“…….”
Cain’s face twisted in anger.
“Damn Clairvoyant Eye. When did you stick it on me again?”
[During our last meeting. Spying on young people is one of my few hobbies as an old man.]
“Go die.”
[Don’t be so harsh. I’ll give your kingdom a few useful artifacts this time, so calm down.]
The Tower Master tried to soothe him.
Cain remained silent.
Despite his insults, he couldn’t reject the Tower Master because the rewards were too valuable.
In the end, Cain sighed in resignation.
“Since you’ve seen everything with the Clairvoyant Eye, what are you curious about?”
[I’m curious about your impression. The Barbarian of the White Snowfield. I thought they were only in old legends.]
“It’s not certain yet. It could be false.”
[Hmm.]
The Tower Master laughed quietly.
[A Barbarian who defeated Swordmaster Cain and crushed Karthos like an insect appeared out of nowhere, at the edge of the White Snowfield. It’s highly likely.]
“What? Defeated Karthos?”
Cain’s eyes widened.
[You didn’t know? Well, it hasn’t spread widely yet.]
The Tower Master began to explain.
[Though it’s not public knowledge yet, there are some rumors within the Tower. Karthos, the mage who once shook the continent, tried to resurrect himself in the frontier and was defeated.]
The Magic Tower was the gathering place for all magicians.
Stories related to magic spread there faster than anywhere else.
[I even offered my condolences.]
The Tower Master clicked his jaw.
His empty eye sockets glowed with a blue light.
Luxurious clothes adorned with jewels.
Oddly enough, the wearer of those clothes was nothing but a skeleton.
[It’s sad to see one of my few Lich friends perish.]
“I didn’t know you had such feelings.”
[Of course I do. Friends are important when you live for so long. By the way, there are no stories about artifacts in that lair, are there?]
“Weren’t all the artifacts recovered when Karthos died?”
Karthos had destroyed many kingdoms and collected precious artifacts in his lair.
After his death, the Empire had retrieved all those artifacts.
[Most of them were recovered, but the most valuable ones were not. I wonder where they went.]
The Tower Master spoke as if it were a nuisance.
[But back to the main topic. So, what’s your impression of what you saw?]
“…It’s possible.”
A Barbarian who could defeat a mage who had shaken the world.
It wasn’t too surprising for Cain, who had seen Ketal in person.
The Tower Master laughed.
[It seems you didn’t tell the Emperor.]
“Why should I? I dislike the Emperor and the Empire.”
Cain clicked his tongue.
Since the Tower Master had put up a barrier, there was no need to hide his feelings.
“The mad Emperor. So many lives are sacrificed senselessly for his ambition to conquer the world. I can’t like him. What does he even want?”
Cain couldn’t understand.
Precious manpower was being wasted in the Forbidden Lands.
The Tower Master chuckled.
[I’d like to know what’s in his head too. I’ve seen many people, but none as peculiar as him.]
“Anyway, I have no intention of giving the Emperor the information he wants. Besides… if it’s that Barbarian, there will be conflict.”
A Barbarian who moves as he wishes.
And an Emperor who wants to seize everything.
There would inevitably be conflict.
And his kingdom would be caught in the middle.
There was no reason to inform the Emperor.
[That’s quite an interesting statement.]
The Tower Master’s blue eye sockets glimmered.
[You think that a single Barbarian could cause problems against the Emperor.]
The Emperor was the ruler of the Empire.
And the Empire was extremely powerful.
They were attempting the first conquest of the Forbidden Lands in thousands of years.
Even the Tower Master couldn’t completely refuse the Emperor’s orders.
That was the power of the Empire.
Yet now Cain was saying that a single Barbarian could defy the Emperor’s command.
After a moment of silence, Cain spoke.
“…I don’t know. I can’t gauge how strong he is. But I felt one thing.”
Cain looked at the Tower Master.
The man who had studied magic for hundreds of years, the pinnacle of all magicians.
The one who evaluated the worth of things.
“When I saw him, it felt similar to when I saw you.”
The Tower Master scratched his jawbone with interest.
Cain’s words were simple.
“Is he of the Hero class?”
“I don’t have the ability to determine that.”
“But you felt something. A Barbarian from the White Snowfield.”
A blue light shimmered, indicating curiosity beyond.
“It must be quite valuable. Overflowing, even.”
“You. Surely not.”
Cain furrowed his brow.
* * *
After defeating the demon, Ketal’s daily life remained unchanged.
He still resolved miscellaneous tasks and enjoyed the scenery of the village.
And a few days later, after things had settled to some extent, the lord summoned him.
Ketal rose early and headed towards the lord’s residence.
On the opposite side, a woman approached, carrying a basket full of vegetables.
Ketal didn’t pay her much attention.
The reason was simple.
Everyone in the village who had seen him before had always paused and made way for him.
It would likely be the same this time.
Ketal walked on without much thought, and the woman glanced at him.
The woman trembled slightly.
That was as Ketal had expected.
But what happened next was different.
After briefly looking at Ketal, the woman continued walking forward.
She didn’t avoid Ketal.
“Huh?”
Ketal was momentarily surprised by her actions.
She was the first person who hadn’t avoided him after looking at him.
Ketal walked on, a little bewildered, as they passed each other.
“Oh!”
Then, in an instant, the woman stumbled on a stone.
As her body leaned forward, Ketal moved reflexively.
“Are you okay?”
Ketal grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling.
“Oh, um….”
The woman looked at Ketal’s hand, then Ketal let go.
He thought she would scream and run away immediately.
Although there had been occasions when he had helped people before, they had always run away without exception.
But this time, his expectation was off.
The woman quickly gathered her belongings and bowed to Ketal.
“Th-thank you.”
Ketal nodded dumbly as the woman hurried away.