Episode 168
* * *
My eyes slowly open.
A small halo of light comes in, my vision brightens little by little, and it feels really familiar.
The old ceiling comes into view.
Rose garden.
The ceiling of the room I lived in as a child was exactly like that.
I slowly got up.
Then, he stopped in an awkward position, half-asleep.
I was lying on my bed with my head buried in it, with Cell, Charlotte, and Thanos surrounding me.
Even Thanos’ head was towards my stomach and Cell was holding my right hand tightly as if it were some kind of treasure chest.
Charlotte was holding my left hand tightly like a cell and burying her face in it.
These guys, they seem to be sleeping very soundly.
How should I react to this?
No matter how I look at it, it’s definitely dawn now.
The time is approximately 5 o’clock.
It’s a little light outside, so I think the exact time is 05:23?
therefore.
If I wake up like this, they’ll wake up right away too, but that’s going to take a while.
These kids are growing up.
If I wake up now, won’t I not grow taller?
It was when I was in such an awkward position.
[Why are you doing that?]
I suddenly turned my head at the sound of a clear voice.
Master.
He was sitting on the chair next to the bed I was lying on, in human form, not in the form of a doll.
Why does the sight of my teacher looking at me with his legs crossed seem so radiant?
How long I was lying down.
Why are you wearing my sister’s clothes?
I wanted to ask a lot of questions, but I didn’t.
To me, the teacher asks:
[Did you have a dream?]
“yes.”
[Was it a sad dream?]
“no.”
[But why do you have that expression?]
I don’t know what my expression looks like because I don’t look in the mirror.
But there’s something called atmosphere.
[It seems like you have something to ask, so ask.]
As if it was someday, the sight of the teacher smiling gently was definitely the teacher in my memories.
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There is nothing new about this.
Master, is Master.
And I am the Master’s disciple.
So, just one.
In summary.
Let me ask you just one thing.
“Was I, Master, your first ‘disciple’?”
It was a question I had never asked in my past life.
I just realized it naturally.
I am the only one in this world who uses the black magic that the Master created, so do I need any more proof?
But the scene I just saw keeps popping into my head.
If that really happened.
Obviously.
There is someone in this world who knows ‘black magic’.
So I just asked.
I am.
I wish I was your first.
[past.]
“The past?”
[400 years ago, a black tower was built in the academy.]
“… … .”
[At that time, there were people who learned black magic under me. It was only for a short time, but there were definitely people. The number was around 1800.]
I made eye contact with my teacher.
I was serious, and my teacher was serious.
[but.]
The teacher’s gaze gradually becomes hotter.
[I never had any ‘disciples’ at that time.]
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“… … .”
[What I taught at the Black Tower was centered around charm magic, curses, and auxiliary magic to strengthen one’s own body.]
“… … .”
[I ‘distributed’ those magics and made them into a book. If those who learned from them are my disciples, well, depending on how you look at it, it may look different, but I don’t see them as disciples. I didn’t even think about it.]
The teacher looks at me with straight eyes.
[At the start of the war, I taught some children the magic to create Death Knights and undead. There were about 20 of them, but when the war ended, they were all corpses. I feel sorry for them, but even now, I don’t think of them as disciples, I just think of them as comrades.]
The teacher reaches out and touches my earlobe.
[You and I lived together for 10 years in a time that didn’t happen. I respect the bond that was created between you because of that time.]
“… … .”
[I don’t know now, but I think I know what I was thinking at that time. I think I was probably thinking about something called fate.]
The teacher’s eyes become warm.
[You are my disciple. My first disciple, and the disciple who learned everything from me. Is that okay now?]
He nodded slowly.
It feels like something that has been buried in my heart is being swept away.
But our teacher still hasn’t taken his hand off my earlobe.
[Now it’s my turn to ask.]
“… … I said this is a superstition?”
You don’t even pretend to hear.
[What did you dream about?]
Just as I was about to answer.
-boss?
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“boss?”
“……boss.”
The kids woke up.
I, who had been maintaining an awkward posture since a while ago, looked at the teacher for a moment and winked one eye.
The teacher, who understood the signal to talk later, slowly took his hand away.
Even after I had reunited with the kids like that, my mind was still complicated.
I tried my best not to show it, so I don’t think our little ones noticed.
This would be strange if it weren’t complicated.
then.
What the heck?
How on earth did I become a Death Knight in my previous life?
The teacher looked at me blankly.
hmm.
I tried hard to pretend not to know.
* * *
Elizabeth Valantier.
Now the Marquis of Valanti, Elizabeth was showing off her more manly side than expected.
The conference room in the main building of the Marquis’ residence.
There are 6 existing elders and 12 newly appointed elders.
And Elizabeth too.
A total of 19 people were present, reporting on various matters regarding the territory.
“The reaction of the people of Yeongji is not bad… … .”
“Although it was later discovered that there had been a war with Count Mantis, the problem did not get worse… … .”
“The problem is that the current writer has little money… … .”
“The people of Yeongji… … .”
“Merchants and mercenaries who come after hearing the rumor… … .”
etc.
After hearing the elders’ story, Elizabeth said:
“To sum up, the people of the Marquisate are living fairly well and have no particular problems. Merchants and mercenaries come, but the Marquisate has no money?”
Everyone becomes quiet.
Elizabeth.
Although she was known by the world for her gentle nature and foolish kindness, the Elizabeth of that time and the Elizabeth of now are different.
To be exact.
It had to change.
“Are you beating around the bush? The people are living in comfort, but the Marquis has no money… … So, we need to collect more taxes?”
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“… … .”
“Mr. Sandro.”
“Yes, Marquis!”
Elizabeth smiles brightly.
“I didn’t appoint you as a senior to talk nonsense.”
“… … .”
“Are the residents living in abundance? Yesterday, I saw that there were still hundreds of people living in shantytowns. Do they look affluent?”
“… … .”
“There are countless people starving because there are no jobs, and you say we have plenty?”
Elizabeth, obviously.
Was laughing.
“In that situation, we need to collect more taxes… Mr. Sandro.”
If you can’t read that the atmosphere has become cold at this moment, you should just go out and die.
Sandro wasn’t that stupid at least.
He jumped up from his seat and spoke with a trembling voice.
“Yes… … . Yes, Your Majesty!”
“I. There are a few things I pledged to myself when I took this position as Marquis. Do you know what one of them is?”
“I’m sorry… I don’t know.”
“I promised myself that I would be a sister who would not be ashamed of my younger brother, but Mr. Sandro, you are making me even more ashamed.”
“… … .”
“I think it was my mistake to promote you to elder. I will change your position to administrator. So.”
Elizabeth glances at the conference room door.
“Get out. Now.”
“Yes… … Yes… … .”
So, Sandro, who was promoted from administrator to senior officer in the Marquisate of Valanti, was demoted back to administrator just two days after his promotion.
The conference room became quiet.
Elizabeth opens her mouth slowly.
“I have no intention of collecting more taxes.”
At those words, a man slowly stands up from his seat.
“… … Your Majesty, may I say something?”
During the Clark Valanti era, Ruston was a man who stuck to his principles and cared as much as possible for the welfare of the people of the territory.
“Try it, Elder Ruston.”
He gulps.
“It is true, though, that we have no money. There are no funds currently stored in the Marquis’ household. We only have food, and it is not much. The former Marquis… … No, the former Marquis… … .”
“You gave it to the knights of Count Mantis?”
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“……yes.”
Elizabeth smiles again.
“Don’t worry about the money. I got it all back.”
“……yes?”
Elizabeth isn’t stupid, and Ron isn’t stupid.
The Marquis of Valantier had a rather affluent estate.
The problem is that they gave that money to Count Mantis and also used it for other useless things, so they are suffering from financial difficulties.
If we could just recover all of that, the financial crisis would never have happened.
And that’s it.
Everything has already been recovered.
“Besides, the Mantis County has been absorbed into the Valanti territory. You don’t have to worry about money.”
Elizabeth’s laughter, which had been blowing like a cold north wind, was very warm at this moment.
But Ruston and the other elders seemed to think a little differently.
“Is the Mantis Counts really being incorporated into the Marquisate?”
“There was no permission from the king… … .”
“I didn’t send any letter… … .”
As they all spoke, Elizabeth slowly raised her hand.
Then, as if by magic, the conference room became quiet.
“Now that I look at it, I see that our elders had doubts about whether I could continue to sit in this position of Marquis.”
A few elders cleared their throats.
Because it was true.
“I thought we had been working together for the past few days, but it seems I was the only one who thought that way.”
Elizabeth glances at Ron.
“Guardian Knight. Draw your sword.”
“insect-!”
Ron draws his sword.
9 circle mana user.
His murderous aura engulfed the entire conference room.
There wasn’t even a sound of swallowing.
“Let me ask you just this once. Is there anyone who would like to leave the Marquisate?”
“… … .”
“I don’t think I can remain as a Marquis for long… … Even if I stay, I’ll be eaten up by other powers… … If the King tries to pressure me, I won’t be able to do anything… … Is there anyone who thinks like that?”
