Arkan Grand Lord Council’s Chief Enforcement Officer, Balkhan Cast.
At first, he had no choice but to follow and assist an unknown man due to the Grand Lord’s orders.
Of course, he had never sincerely respected him even once.
After all, it was bewildering to suddenly be called and told to serve some unheard-of man, no matter how many times he thought about it.
Still, arguing with the Grand Lord’s command would only cause trouble for himself, so he had decided to treat the task as a clean business affair…
“See you later, 6th Lord.”
3rd Lord Kwon Seong Kalen.
The old-timer of the Lord’s Council spoke the title, “6th Lord.”
The sixth lord seat had been vacant for hundreds of years due to the rigid territorial tendencies of the existing lords.
They demanded absurdly high qualifications from prospective candidates, and thus even the most promising contenders inevitably failed.
However, now, they had recognized no other than a human.
Not only that, but the said human had also subjugated Kwon Seong with overwhelming strength.
Moreover, the Grand Lord had even visited the royal palace to personally consult with the emperor, rendering the situation nothing less than a perfect alignment of factors.
This was no time for idleness.
The lord’s position would be finalized regardless, and there was no telling how long he would have to work alongside the candidate in the future.
Therefore, it would be crucial to make at least some early favorable impressions.
Who knows? He might even ascend to become the next chief advisor…
‘…if that’s what he thinks.’
I smirked.
The thoughts are painfully transparent.
I am fully aware of Balkhan’s character, as he plays a significant role even in the original story.
His abilities are formidable, but his remarkable intuition is what truly brought him to this current position.
Indeed, as expected.
Balkhan sighed deeply before he spoke.
“6th Lord.”
“…?”
“Since the 3rd Lord mentioned that the other lords would visit here in turn, don’t you think we should prepare?”
“Necessarily? Why bother?”
“How well do you know the other lords?”
“I even know their food preferences.”
“…Excuse me?”
Absolutely impossible. I cut off his attempt to set the stage right away.
Given my knowledge of the original story, there was no way I could be ignorant of the information about the lords.
Each of the lords was a top-tier power player on the continent, and their influence indicated that they inevitably affected the core threads of the narrative.
I held up five fingers while addressing him.
“There were five of them, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“First Lord, Mage Ekyon. He’s probably away attending to some academic matters for the time being.”
“I believe he departed a week ago.”
“Second Lord, Dark-Hand Myeong-Gak. He’s most likely traveling the country to find a useful corpse.”
“…He has gone to Alderenden in the northern territories.”
“Third Lord was seen earlier, so no need to dwell on it, and I assume Arhen of the Ice Court is currently climbing a mountain in search of a high-grade servitor.”
“…Yes.”
“In that case, we have just one more to consider.”
The remaining one is the 5th Lord Etina, the Sorcerer Queen.
She is widely acknowledged as the strongest sorcerer on the continent.
Sorcery is an inherently rare and special form of power, but once a sorcerer reaches a certain level, their combat prowess skyrockets.
Etina is no exception.
Though she isn’t the strongest among the lords, she is one of the most difficult to deal with.
“Why are we even considering preparations in the first place? I didn’t say I’d become a Lord, did I?”
“Why wouldn’t you become one? Don’t you want to wield the highest power on the continent?”
“Highest power my foot. Governing a Lord’s Domain that’s about the size of a baronial castle — how is that power? It’s more like a burden.”
Of course, it’s not entirely bad.
The moment I become a lord, I would also be completely free from financial constraints.
Just as at the academy, I’d have access to a limitless budget, allowing me to do as I pleased.
…Would it really be so bad?
Considering the Outer Gods in the latter part of the story, it would be wise to prepare beforehand.
With an adequate budget, I might even achieve the impossible.
While I was musing over these thoughts:
Koo-gu-gu-gug-gung—
The sound of carriage wheels rolling could be heard.
I halted mid-sentence and glanced out the window.
A grand carriage, painted in dazzling white, had stopped in front of the office building.
The emblem attached to the carriage wheel was none other than the royal crest.
“…”
Did Arkan’s false reports already prompt the Emperor to send someone to resolve the matter?
Given the grandeur of the royal carriage, this envoy must be of high standing.
They likely belong to the Internal Affairs Department or are a person of considerable rank with whom I am acquainted.
In the barren landscape of my social relations, there are few who fit the bill.
I fixed my gaze on the carriage.
The driver, who had been seated at the front, stepped down, opened the rear door, and extended a hand.
The woman who descended, by gripping that hand, was none other than…
“Selena?”
Selena Lugrite.
The Academy Dean.
“…”
Selena paused in silence, glaring intently at me.
It seemed as though she had some grievance, but she simply stared without saying a word.
This was not surprising.
She had always eyed me this way at the academy.
“Long time no see, Luke Richter.”
“That’s true.”
“…Not a single one of you is ordinary, are you?”
Selena mumbled to herself while gazing somewhere.
In the direction of her gaze, twenty personnel sent by the Lord’s Council gathered.
Her sharp eyes were focused directly on Balkhan, who returned her glance in kind. They clearly knew each other.
“Do you know each other?”
“Balkhan Cast. Chief enforcement officer of Arkan. Isn’t he the loyal lapdog who yaps like a good boy whenever Arkan barks?”
At Selena’s overt sarcasm, Balkhan chuckled quietly before countering.
“Still better than someone who calls themselves Deputy Tower Keeper yet whose published papers are mostly nonsense.”
“…”
Hmm, fair point.
Selena’s papers were, indeed, nonsense.
Thanks to that, it was easy to collect grades by refuting them.
Regardless, that isn’t the issue at hand.
Without wasting any time, I asked her directly.
“Did the royal family send you to fetch me?”
“That’s right. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s an imperial decree.”
“In that case, let’s go immediately.”
“Alright, let’s climb in. No, hiik! Not there! Another carriage! There are better ones over there!”
…Why is she treating me like a monster?
She’s been doing this for the five years at the academy, and every instance is strangely annoying.
I sighed deeply and boarded the carriage she indicated.
As I moved to follow me, Balkhan attempted to climb aboard, prompting a frown from Selena.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? I’m boarding the carriage.”
“So why are you? You were not among those summoned, remember? Only Luke Richter was requested.”
“What nonsense. Isn’t it natural for a bodyguard to accompany his master?”
“???”
Huh?
“What did you say? Bodyguard? Of who?”
To Selena’s question, Balkhan pointed at me.
“I am accompanying Sir Luke, the 6th Lord.”
“…What? The 6th Lord? Who?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m speaking of Sir Luke.”
Selena’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at me, seated in place.
“A lord? THE lord? The one that’s been vacant for a couple of centuries—the sixth Lord?”
“Precisely.”
“…Ha, hahaha.”
Why’s she reacting like this?
I cut the conversation short.
“Shall we proceed, then?”
She remained in shock, blinking for a while.
After pausing for a moment as if muttering to herself—“Has Arkan lost it?” and “How can they possibly manage that weirdo?”—she eventually boarded the carriage.
As an afterthought, she added:
“…The Lord’s Council is screwed.”
*
Klunk! Klunk!
Even though it was the finest carriage prepared directly by the royal family, it continued to jolt.
This world was surprisingly only advanced in magic while metallurgy lagged behind, even when compared to medieval Earth.
With no concept of springs or suspension, every ride over the uneven roads felt like my buttocks were being beaten repeatedly.
I momentarily considered drawing plans for a carriage to sell to the royal family, but the mere thought of handling the aftermath was exhausting.
Just then:
Ki-ee-eek!
The carriage braked suddenly, almost causing me to slam forward.
Annoyed at the abrupt braking, I looked out the window.
“What is it?”
“It’s a fiend.”
I looked toward where the driver pointed.
Not far away, a village emitted a noxious black smoke.
Ironically, the village was directly on our path to the palace.
Keyee-eaaak!
From a distance, roughly a few dozen dark silhouettes appeared, rushing toward us. Each one was clearly a high-grade Demon Beast.
We might have been able to simply bypass them, but this village was necessary to pass through to reach the palace.
Thus, I stepped forward to deal with the matter but was stopped by Selena leading the charge.
“Hold on. Brilliant though your mind may be, magic is another world entirely.”
Selena stepped in front, stopping me, before summoning her mana.
The mere act of channeling mana created so much pressure that the atmosphere was crushed, and the ground trembled.
Ordinarily, I would have simply watched and appreciated her skills.
However, this time, that luxury was not mine to take.
Because…
‘These things represent money.’
Officialdom is rigidly meritocratic, and the fastest way to achieve results is to collect achievements.
What use are captured Demon Beasts? The corpses handed over to the royal family are achievements and money.
The rights to handle the corpses belong solely to whoever eradicated the fiends.
Thus,
“Acceleration (Speed).”
Thanks to the fragment absorbed from Kalmas, the bright green mist grew sharper and clearer, cutting across the air at supersonic speed.
“Turn (Change).”
The mist transformed into lines and covered the sky like surfaces.
The radiant splinters enveloped the dozens of rushing fiends, binding them as if glued to the air, immobilizing them completely.
At that moment,
“Time (Moment).”
The shining prison of splinters began to compress like some kind of implosion.
With the flow of time being violently manipulated during that precise moment,
“End (Finish).”
Keyee-eek!
The massive prison of light compressed into a single point.
The pressure tore through space, and the torn space unleashed a violent gale.
“!!!”
The dozens of fiends trapped in the Time’s Prison were withered away like mummies.
Meanwhile,
Selena, who was preparing a grand magic ritual, gathered her mana again,
“Wha… What…”
only to falter and collapse once more after emitting a small sound.
