Chapter 328

328 Carrot and Stick #2

Janggrang, janglang-.

Inside Luna’s palm, the jingling sounds were quite loud. After listening to it for a while, I spoke without hesitation.

“Five coins. Two are silver, two are copper, and one is gold.”

At this, Luna’s hand opened like a clam, revealing the coins within.

“Wow! It’s true! I just randomly picked them, but it’s really 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 copper!”

Luna seemed quite surprised that I had accurately guessed the number of coins in her hand.

We had repeated this many times already, yet Luna still hadn’t adjusted to my ability to guess the coins’ count.

“How do you do that?”

Even I didn’t know exactly how I did it. If I were to explain, I could say that I could sense the unique jingle of the coins—similar to how a 10 won coin feels different from a 500 won coin. The coins of this kingdom were similar, but I simply felt their vibes more strongly and sensitively.

“It’s just a sense.”

So, I had no choice but to vaguely answer. At this, Paranoi, who had been carefully arranging five hundred gold coins in a row nearby, interjected.

“Since you are Lord Pluto’s son, Mr. Hassan, it is only natural to have a keen sense for gold and treasures…!! Now, there is nothing left for you to do except become a millionaire by sniffing out money…!!”

Sniffing out money, huh.

Although I could differentiate the sounds of coins, whether I could actually smell money remained unclear.

Anyway, it was an amazing ability.

If such a power had awakened in me during high school, I would have truly been the overlord of snacks in my class.

I would have been able to buy more bread and drinks from the vending machine, and perhaps my 179cm height would have reached the magical 180cm, nourished with more energy.

Thinking about this made me intensely frustrated.

Why hadn’t I realized my divine power back then?

Why had my father kept all these facts hidden from me?

Questions piled on top of each other, so I shook off these thoughts. There would be a chance to ask him about it when we meet again.

Why was my father, who has passed away, now running a health center in this world?

“Wa, I’ve never seen so much gold before! We’ll soon be able to collect 1000 gold coins! We also have two consents from nobles. So, we can build a shrine!”

“Indeed, in this city, we will build it towering and grand…! People will flock in droves to gaze upon its grandeur, and many more gold coins will be donated…!”

Luna and Paranoi’s enthusiasm made me imagine myself as the owner of a large and grand building, which made me feel quite happy.

“Ah! The Nymph of Ditch Water sisters were hiding a gold coin in their mouth-!”

“That is not true, sir! This is a case of Nymph discrimination!”

“Spit it out, you.”

*

The next day.

The place I visited was a nobleman’s vacation home located near the South Gate. This man, well-funded enough to have such a grand vacation home in the pricey South Gate area, was Baron Fleur.

This man might be able to help me secure a large donation and obtain his consent.

As I entered the entrance of the villa, I spotted a woman sweeping fallen leaves with a broom through the iron gate.

“When autumn comes, autumn-.”

A woman dressed in an adventurous leather outfit, with her blue hair tied in a ponytail, was cheerfully singing as she swept the fallen maple leaves in the large garden.

At first glance, I thought she might be a maid working in this mansion, but then I noticed her bright azure eyes, and recalled that this girl was Brigitte, Baron Fleur’s daughter.

“Ms. Brigitte, it’s been a while. It seems like you’re now allowed to come out from the rooftop room all the way down to the garden.”

I called out to Brigitte from beyond the fence. She stopped sweeping and looked toward me.

“Hu, humm?”

The girl’s eyes widened immeasurably as her mouth opened in shock.

“Y-you, who are you? And why are you pretending to know me?”

“Ah-.”

Only then did I remember that Brigitte had never seen my face before. I had been wearing a mask to protect my identity due to some illegal massage therapy concerns.

“If you don’t step aside right now, I-I’ll call my father! Or I’ll call Sister Sydney!”

At the mention of Sister Sydney, I recalled the special maid employed by Baron Fleur. She was powerful enough to break down a wooden door with her bare hands.

If such a woman appeared to chase me away, things could get very difficult.

As such, I had no choice but to hastily explain who I was and why I had come to Brigitte.

“Well, I’m the person who touched your chest. I was wearing this strange mask, on top of a tower, and you mentioned wanting to become an adventurer.”

This was an abridged explanation containing all the information I could think of at the moment. However, reflecting on it now, it was so nonsensical that it made my situation even more awkward.

“Breast-?”

Brigitte furrowed her brows as if something clicked, then exclaimed with a short “Ah!”

Hwaah-.

Soon, the face of the young noble lady flushed red, as if it were about to burst. Although she was also a noble young lady like Enya, their vibes were quite different.

“Please come in. So you looked like this maskless.”

“What does that mean?”

Is that a compliment or an insult?

Feeling that these scales were balancing precariously, I entered the dim, darkened villa.

“Shall I fetch Father?”

“That would be appreciated.”

I sat down in the living room but was completely distracted by Brigitte, the flustered girl who kept glancing at me.

“Is there something you wish to tell me?”

“I, I know you. You’re Hassan from Samaria, right? The adventurer from Mars Guild, the one known for slaying lions and hydras.”

“Do you know me?”

“I know all famous adventurers active in Sodomora! I regularly subscribe to the Monthly Adventurer magazine!”

Monthly Adventurer?

At that moment, I recalled something: they published a list detailing the achievements, statuses, and various matters of adventurers, similar to sports newspapers covering athletes, but for adventurers.

“The Adventurer magazine is amazing! It includes stories about rookie adventurers starting at the Iron tier all the way up to the newly emerging veteran adventurers at the Silver tier!”

“Is that so?”

I remembered that Brigitte was a girl who longed for adventures. Growing up strictly protected by an overly protective father, she had naturally come to admire the traveling adventurers of the world.

Looking at her walking around the garden gave me the impression that she wasn’t exactly living the confined life she used to, but she still seemed to hold onto her dream of becoming an adventurer.

“Hassan, your entry mentioned that you defeated a lion bare-handed. Is that true?”

“That-.”

Is that written in the magazine?

Judging from the spread of rumors propagated by Malco, it seems the content of those magazines might not be entirely trustworthy.

Still, at this moment, it wasn’t a lie. Hadn’t I bested Regulus in Delphi?

“Here, this leather is the proof.”

“Wow, that’s incredible. Really bare-handed….”

“Anyway, you said you would summon your father, didn’t you?”

“Ah, look at me. I was so excited to meet a famous adventurer in person-”

Blushing embarrassedly, Brigitte covered her mouth and stepped away to fetch her father, Baron Fleur.

Had I not reminded her, our conversation might have dragged on for several minutes, maybe even several tens of minutes.

I sat alone in the living room they had all left, taking a moment to gather my thoughts and breathe.

Baron Fleur was known to be a devout follower of Venus. Would he sponsor and write a recommendation for me? I’m a little nervous if I can convince him.

Still, since I previously healed his daughter, perhaps emphasizing that connection will somehow work?

While pondering this,

Dang. Dang.

The sound of a bell ringing came from somewhere deep down the dark corridor.

Swish… Swish…

A strange chill that could be almost called a cold wind swept through, instantly lowering the surrounding temperature.

Instinctively rejecting this situation, I shuddered as goosebumps rose on my back and arms.

Clop, clop…

Finally, a figure entirely covered in black cloth and a hat appeared before me.

“Good to see you again, quite different from last time even though it’s been a while-”

The man sat across from me and began the conversation.

“I knew you would come eventually. Pluton’s son, Zygess.”

Under the dark hat, a blue glimmer of light flashed. At that moment, I sensed an overwhelming surge of power.

Something I couldn’t feel in my earlier days when I was inexperienced, yet clearly, this man named Pluer was surely an accomplished mage.

I then recalled that this man had once served as a professor at the Ivory Tower, the university of magicians.

Only then did I realize what kind of person this man was.

He was a lich.

No, not a clumsy lich like Skargard who gained immortality through luck, but someone akin to a living statue of a lich, someone who had reached the peak of magical arts or what the priests of Pluto called ‘freedom from d*ath.’

Conversing with this man alone felt rather terrifying.

“Delpoi said you had left, but I didn’t know you’ve returned.”

“Just yesterday.”

“So, it seems you’ve decided to reveal your true identity. I didn’t understand why you were pretending earlier.”

“You knew about my identity?”

“Wouldn’t it be hard to miss the overwhelming Hell magic that radiates from you? I thought Pluto himself had descended upon this land. But since His Holiness can’t leave Hades due to a pact, naturally your existence points to His son.”

Indeed.

It shocked me to learn this man had known the truth about my identity all along, yet pretended not to. Quite adult-like and aristocratic.

He then said,

“However, that savage Hell magic that seemed to overflow uncontrollably has now completely vanished, as if capped by some sort of magic seal.”

He seemed to have noticed the sealing of my necromancy.

“Well, if you had remained in that state, your body would have surely exploded. Like a frog inflating itself with wind.”

“Is that really so?”

“Indeed. Someone, although I don’t know who, has embedded a meticulously crafted seal into your body. A truly wonderful exhibition of magic. I am tempted to dissect your abdomen to investigate it.”

His bright blue eyes seemed to glow more intensely as he spoke, prompting a sudden chill to run down my spine.

The reason why undead liches are feared is because many transcend morality and humanity upon leaving life behind, becoming mad necromantic skeleton magicians. At that moment, I indeed felt he was capable of dissecting me.

“Judging by your current abilities, it seems you can’t practice necromancy yet, right?”

“That’s correct. By any chance, do you know a way to remove the seal?”

“The only way is to start afresh from the first level. Gradually training one step at a time from the first circle of magic.”

“Start from scratch?”

“Yes, Zygess. First, by learning to sense mana, if you progress step-by-step, you’ll be able to fully handle the full spectrum of infernal magic, reaching even beyond the seventh circle’s mythological levels.”

The full spectrum of infernal magic?

Does that mean I can become a magic practitioner?

“Zygess, you’ve certainly come here for my recommendation, right? So let’s do it this way.”

Sweeep.

Baron Pluer slightly opened his palm. Then, a small, globe-like light source appeared over his black leather glove.

“Do you know what this is?”

“A light magic, isn’t it?”

Even though I am an absolute novice when it comes to magic, I knew the small light shining from the palm was basic magic used by magicians like Elpride to illuminate dark places.

Upon which, Pluer provided further explanation.

“This is ‘light vessel,’ a magic of the first level. Any individual who can harness mana and has knowledge of magic should be able to produce light like this.”

Hwaahh-.

The glowing orb in the Baron’s hand started emitting brighter light bit by bit.

It was so dazzling it made me squint till it finally burst with a pop, leaving afterglows like fireflies and, in the process, illuminating the dim living room.

“Master this ‘light vessel.’ I will write your recommendation for building the shrine. Moreover, I’ll also be willing to impart the entirety of infernal magic that I know.”

“Is that really so?”

“Indeed. I, Pluer, who led a school at the Ivory Tower, was proficient in fifth-level magic during my mortal life and even in seventh-level magic in this undead form. Opportunities to learn under someone like me are rare.”

By the River Styx—Pluer concluded. Indeed, what he said was true.

As far as I know, aspiring mages strive with great effort to enter the Ivory Tower, their revered school located in the University of Carinthus.

Without noble birth or equivalent capital and influence, even stepping onto the threshold of that university is impossible, right?

Therefore, it is rare for someone who has served as a professor in such a prestigious institution to be teaching me, and more so, infernal magic.

However, the conditions are quite stringent: I must be able to use basic light magic. Is this like an entrance test or a placement exam for Professor Pluer’s private classes?

But how am I supposed to accomplish that?

Tuition for learning about mana and magic is extremely expensive, and finding a qualified instructor is extremely difficult.

Because of that, commoners cannot learn magic, and the reason why mages are highly regarded.

I wondered who among my acquaintances could teach me magic. Perhaps Hippolyte would be good, unless I was correct in recalling that daughters of Mars can’t innately manipulate mana.

Narrowing down, there aren’t many among my acquaintances who can handle mana.

The face of the witch Nemea came to mind, but it gave me a spine-chilling feeling, leaving me with no choice but to select the remaining person.

“Wha-? You’re asking me to teach you magic?”

Elfrida’s brows furrowed into an inverted “V,” looking utterly shocked at the absurdity of my request. I instantly felt the situation was worsening.

I had no reason to have come here, considering the mages I know can be counted on one hand.

Nemea or Elfrida.

Why are the mages around me so volatile? Then again, it’s said that those who handle mana tend to have eccentric temperaments, or so I’ve heard.

“You’re clearly contemplating something absurd again, aren’t you?”

“It’s not that… anyway, if you can teach me enough mana to handle the first-level ‘Light Vessel’ magic, it’ll suffice. Offensive spells are not necessary…”

“Then, what do I get out of teaching you?”

“What… benefit?”

“You seem fairly adept with your body lately, but clearly know nothing about mana. I would have to teach you everything from breathing techniques to meditation methods – things you might not realize, but are crucial secrets among mages.”

Is that so? I had no idea. I had assumed it was just something you vaguely feel for.

“Or do you need money…?”

I glanced around the tavern where Elfrida was living.

Since this is a rather inexpensive inn located in the slums of Sodomora’s west gate, various kinds of vagrants fill the place, talking noisily enough to hurt my ears.

The reason why Elfrida, who doesn’t seem to enjoy such noise, lives here is probably due to lack of money, right? But she shook her head.

“If the situation could be solved with money, all rich people would be mages, wouldn’t they?”

As Elfrida’s crimson eyes narrowed, I began to feel dizzy.

---