Chapter 35

Connections

Whitewolf county, a territory gripped by bitter cold all year round.

“That's right. Do you know the house?” the bookseller asked after confirming her answer.

Iliana gave a small nod.

“Oh, yes. Well, they belong to the same kingdom as my family...”

“The same kingdom? Ah, come to think of it, Iliana, you did say you were a nobleman's daughter.”

“... Yes.”

House Segretus, a marquis's house. It was Iliana's family, and like House Whitewolf, it belonged to the Kingdom of Battenberg.

“In that case, Iliana, could I ask you for a favor?”

“A favor?”

When she tilted her head, the bookseller immediately explained.

“Couldn't you pull a few strings with Predator Merchant Company and get me some monster meat?”

“Pardon...?”

“I happened to get a chance to try it once, and the flavor was incredible!”

“What are you... No, wait. You ate it too?”

“It was the best meat I've ever had in my life. I still can't forget the taste.”

The bookseller looked wistful, as though reminiscing about his first love. That alone was proof that the monster meat was safe.

“So couldn't you work something out? I'll let you use the books for free for the rest of your life!”

“Huh...? Oh, um...”

“You're nobles from the same kingdom, aren't you? I've heard nobles make connections with one another through high society and such.”

“The thing is...”

“Couldn't you arrange something?”

“I'm, um... a m-mistress's daughter...”

A mistress's daughter: a child born to a concubine. The children of a lawful wife were legitimate sons and daughters; those of a concubine were secondary sons and daughters.

“But you're still a noble, aren't you?”

“Well...”

It was a common misconception that all children of nobles were nobles themselves. More precisely, the misconception was that nobles would keep concubines.

But that was not the case at all. On the contrary, nobles refused to recognize concubinage.

Unlike commoners, nobles enjoyed privileges enshrined in law and custom. They considered their blood “special” and did not mix it lightly. Accordingly, the Kingdom of Battenberg, to which both House Whitewolf and House Segretus belonged, did not recognize concubinage.

Monogamy was the rule. The nobles adamantly refused to acknowledge concubines, arguing that taking multiple wives diminished a noble's dignity.

The royal family sometimes kept concubines known as “royal mistresses,” since it was essential to continue the royal line. Even they, however, were merely “officially acknowledged lovers.” They were not formally recognized as the monarch's wives or family.

If that was true even of royalty, how much more so for ordinary noble houses? Taking a concubine was unthinkable. Naturally, there was no recognized status for a concubine's sons or daughters. Children born out of wedlock were simply treated as “bastards.”

And Iliana, the mistress's daughter of House Segretus, was no exception. Her family treated her as a bastard, subjecting her to greater contempt and mistreatment than even a commoner would endure—all because her blood supposedly sullied the house's dignity.

A marquis's house ranked higher in the nobility than a count's house like Whitewolf, but the gap between an eldest legitimate son and a mistress's daughter was as vast as that between heaven and earth.

“I-in practice... it's the difference between a noble and someone of the lowest birth...”

Their shared blood had merely allowed her to grow up in the family home. Even then, she had constantly had to tread carefully, so she had since left and was living at a mage tower.

“... I see.”

The bookseller smacked his lips awkwardly. When he spoke again, his face was filled with remorse.

“I've lived in a free city all my life. I was running my mouth without knowing the first thing about it. ... I'm sorry.”

“N-no, it's all right.”

“An ignorant fool like me didn't understand your circumstances. Let me give you these books free of charge as an apology.”

“What?! No! These books are incredibly expensive...!”

“Nonsense. Anyone can apologize with mere words.”

“Y-you really don't have to...”

“It's for my own peace of mind. Just take them.”

“B-but still...”

“Then I'll throw them all away.”

The bookseller looked ready to do exactly that. Iliana hastily wrapped her arms around the pile of books.

“I-I'll take them...!! Just please don't throw them away...”

Her fierce determination not to let him discard them made the bookseller burst into hearty laughter.

This was why she liked it here. In this free city, everyone was an equal, free citizen.

A concubine's child, a mistress's daughter, a bastard—she did not have to worry about being judged for any of that. It was one reason she always stopped by Orpheum whenever she left the mage tower once every few months.

“More importantly, can you carry all those books? If you need help, I could—”

“Oh, that won't be a problem.”

Iliana swept her hand through the air, and the mountain of books vanished in an instant.

“Subspace magic...?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“Isn't that high-level magic?”

“It is, but only the formula is complicated. Once you actually try it, it isn't that difficult.”

“It isn't difficult...?”

The bookseller's jaw practically dropped through the floor. Even though he knew nothing whatsoever about magic, he could tell at a glance that Iliana's talent was anything but ordinary.

“Well, I'll be going now!”

“... R-right. And again, I'm sorry about earlier.”

“It's all right! It doesn't bother me at all, so please don't let it bother you either.”

Iliana left the bookstore with a gentle smile. Outside, she took in the view of Orpheum, the city of culture, brimming with more life and energy than ever.

A great many people had gathered in Orpheum's grand plaza, passionately debating something. From the snippets she overheard, they seemed to be arguing back and forth about monster meat.

And it wasn't just the grand plaza. All of Orpheum was abuzz with talk of monster meat.

“Monster meat...”

No matter how she thought about it, it made no sense. Yet here was the evidence, the phenomenon itself, plain as day before her eyes. And one of Iliana's cardinal principles was that there could be no law without an observable phenomenon.

If an observed phenomenon contradicted an established law, that indicated a flaw not in the phenomenon, but in the law itself. In other words...

“I was wrong.”

It meant that the theories and knowledge she possessed were wrong. She could scarcely believe it, but neither could she deny it. Once the impossible was eliminated, whatever possibility remained, however unbelievable, had to be the truth.

“They really could remove Madness.”

It was a first in the continent's history. Once this was reported to academia, it would only be a matter of time before the magical community was turned upside down. Not just the magical community—the entire continent.

After all, it suggested that other things considered impossible might well be possible: combining the traits of different organisms to create a hybrid life-form, for instance. Creating an entirely new species that transcended the limits of natural evolution. Or bringing new biological abilities into existence.

Things long dismissed as impossible might be perfectly achievable.

“I need to go investigate this right away!”

As a mage and a scholar of magic who sought the truths of the world, it was only natural that her curiosity should blossom.

Predator Merchant Company. Whitewolf county.

“Adrian Whitewolf...”

The name of the man known as the count's wastrel. Perhaps that was why it sounded familiar—or perhaps there was another reason.

“What kind of person is he?”

Perhaps that was why the name became so deeply etched in Iliana's mind.

* * *

Distributing supplies throughout the county took several hours. And once all the supplies had been handed out...

◆The residents' affinity toward you rises significantly!

I saw a translucent message telling me their affinity had increased.

◆The residents' affinity toward you has entered the [Indifference] state!

◆A person in the [Indifference] state has no particular interest in or hatred toward you.

◆This person has no interest in what you do, and you will not gain their favor unless you take some special action.

◆But be careful! Excessive indifference can lead to disregard and breed resentment!

'Indifference, huh...'

Affinity progressed through the stages Hatred < Loathing < Anger < Conflict < Indifference < Closeness < Friendliness < Trust < Affection. Which meant, unfortunately...

'It didn't reach Trust.'

Still, it was less disappointing than it was expected. I hadn't thought I could raise it to [Trust] in one go anyway. As even the quest's mockery made clear, the things I'd done to the residents in the past had been nothing short of a wastrel's antics.

Considering they had started at [Loathing], though, I'd raised their affinity by a full three stages. More importantly, this was only the first round of distribution. There were still a second and third round to come. If things went well, I could reach [Closeness]. With a little luck, even [Friendliness] was within reach.

And honestly, I couldn't have done it alone. I had the Inventory, but it had a weight limit, and it could only help with the labor, not replace the people doing it. In that respect, the company staff had been an enormous help.

'They did better than I expected.'

It wasn't just the company staff, either. The soldiers I'd requisitioned from Whitewolf Castle as escorts had performed admirably. In Frecce especially, they had dealt with the local thugs on their own initiative and carried out my orders swiftly, acting as my hands and feet. Kai must have trained the hell out of them, because every one of them was easily on par with an elite soldier.

'Come to think of it, the soldiers of Bitter Cold were a real pain in my previous life, too.'

The thought made anger flare inside me, but... I forced it down. What had these men done wrong? Their only crime was kicking people when their superiors told them to.

“You lot.”

The soldiers froze at my sudden address. Their attitude toward me had done a complete turnaround since the Gelu Drake hunt.

“Answer me.”

“... D-do you mean us, my lord?”

“Of course. Who else is here?”

The soldiers glanced around. Once they confirmed that no one else was there, they snapped to attention.

“Loyalty!!”

Their earlier confusion vanished, replaced by rigid military discipline.

“Here.”

I held out a plate of Rex meat grilled to a beautiful golden brown. I'd cooked it while they were distributing supplies.

GULP. SLURP.

I could hear them swallowing—and practically drooling—from where I stood. Rex meat was a premium product sold exclusively to nobles. Its taste really was beyond comparison with other monster meat.

“It's for you. Eat.”

Their eyes widened, then blinked in disbelief.

“R-really...?”

“Yes. You've all worked hard. Don't you deserve at least this much to make it worthwhile?”

Of course, there wasn't a huge amount. I hadn't hunted many Rexes, and I'd been selling what I had to the nobles. Still, word hadn't spread far enough for it to sell out. A fair amount remained, enough to satisfy their hunger.

“Ah, um...”

“W-we...”

Even so, the soldiers hesitated to move. From the look of it, they seemed to think I was testing them. Apparently, I'd done something like this before: told soldiers to eat, then given them shit for eating.

Back when I was the count's wastrel, what wouldn't I have done? Of course... I didn't remember any of it.

“If you won't eat it, I'll throw it all away.”

I picked up the plate, genuinely intending to throw the Rex meat away. The soldiers rushed forward in horror.

“N-no, my lord!!”

“Why would you throw away something so precious?!”

“We'll eat it! We'll eat it right now!”

They descended on the Rex meat in an instant, tearing off strips and stuffing them into their mouths.

“Wow!! What is this?!”

“That springy texture! This is insane...!”

“It just melts in your mouth! Melts!!”

They certainly had no trouble eating with unwashed hands. Despite all the dirt under their nails, they sucked their fingers clean, unwilling to waste even a single scrap.

'Anyone would think they hadn't eaten in days.'

Though it might not have been days, they probably had skipped meals. They'd been that busy.

“I wondered why the nobles were making such a fuss...!”

“This must be what people in the central regions mean by welcome rain in a drought...!!”

Watching the soldiers go wild over a bit of food, I found myself thinking...

'They're just like the special task force boys.'

Memories of my subordinates in the special task force came flooding back. They'd suffered endlessly because they'd ended up with a lousy captain. Most had died on missions, and those who survived had all perished in the final battle against the Emperor.

But now that I'd returned to the past, every one of them should still be alive.

'I wonder how they're doing.'

I was planning to establish the special task force when I formed the allied army anyway.

'I'll have to make time to look them up.'

Recruiting the boys ahead of time didn't seem like a bad idea. Fortunately, unlike Ian, I had at least a rough idea of where my old subordinates would be now.

Just as I was thinking that, translucent messages abruptly appeared before my eyes.

◆Seraphia's affinity toward you has reached its maximum!!

◆Affinity in the [Trust] state is changing!

◆Error: Seraphia cannot enter the [Affection] state.

◆Affinity obstacles - Older brother, family, incest.

◆The [Affection] state cannot be reached unless the affinity obstacles are removed.

◆Seraphia's affinity toward you is in the [Trust] state.

'... What the hell is this now?'

What was all this, out of nowhere?