Chapter 18

The Marquess Family's Magical Genius - Chapter 18 (18/324)

18

Under normal circumstances, the retainers who usually oppose me would have come out.

Even this pig near me, if I had lifted the restriction without any reason, would have foamed at the mouth and gone berserk.

But now, the situation was too good.

As the soldiers' testimonies continued, my heroic deeds became increasingly clear.

The first battle where I swept away the goblins.

The use of the magical summoned creature that provided tremendous help in tracking.

Together with the alarm magic that assisted in vigilance, and the command I maintained over the soldiers against the Twin-Headed Ogre until the end. No matter how much I delved into it, my heroic deeds kept emerging.

Indeed.

If you live a good life, retribution will come.

Perhaps because the viscount had once caught me and humiliated me, there was no retainer trying to catch me again.

‘Finally, I’ve broken this damn shackle.’

Now that the restriction is lifted, my range of action has significantly expanded compared to before.

Meanwhile.

“So… this accident was ultimately due to the viscount’s greed.”

The marquess spoke in a bitter tone.

The fact that we entered deeper into the forest than planned.

The story was ending with the conclusion that this unfortunate accident was due to that.

It was a beautiful conclusion.

The marquess, having surveyed the retainers, spoke.

“I will conclude today’s meeting here. Kyle, you must have worked hard. Go in and rest. Make sure the remaining soldiers also get some rest.”

With those words from Remton, the meeting ended.

With the restriction lifted and the situation where my heroic deeds would soon spread widely, my steps as I left the meeting room were much lighter.

Once I entered my room, I immediately called Ersiel.

“Did you call me, young master?”

“Yeah. Can you make some food? I feel like my stomach is stuck to my back.”

During the return journey.

I tried to look pitiful to show my message, but I was extremely hungry.

Image management is really tricky, you know.

She nodded at my words.

“Yes, I’ll make it right away.”

Indeed, the golden spoon is the best.

Just give an order, and they do everything for you, don’t they?

A little while later.

She brought the food.

But.

‘What is this…’

The amount was way too much.

It was piled up so high, it looked like a tower of ivory.

Was she feeling sorry for my pitiful appearance?

“A bit… too much, isn’t it?”

“I heard you worked hard in the extermination force. Your face looked thin… You need to eat a lot to regain your strength.”

But, even so, this is too much.

Even a giant adult couldn’t finish this much.

‘…Well, I guess it’ll work out somehow.’

Since she made it with such effort, I should at least try to eat it.

“By the way, have you eaten?”

“I’ll eat after you’re done…”

“No, come here. Let’s eat together.”

“…Yes?”

“Why are you making such a surprised face? I can’t finish it all by myself anyway. Sit down quickly.”

“I’m fine….”

“It’s an order. Got it?”

“…”

Seeming unable to refuse the word ‘order,’ Ersiel sat opposite me.

“Eat comfortably.”

And so, I started to eat the food.

Starting with plump shrimp, followed by what looked like lobster and stir-fried rice with a smooth texture.

Wow.

It’s delicious?

Is it because I have a talent for housework?

In the middle of eating enthusiastically.

My words were cut off as I looked at Ersiel.

She wasn’t touching the food at all, just smiling and watching me.

No, kid.

Please act more like a ten-year-old.

When there’s delicious food in front of you, you should gobble it up and get it all over your face.

But, there’s no sense of innocence.

Grr.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I feel full just watching you eat, so you don’t need to worry.”

Ugh.

It felt like my limbs were shrinking into the space-time continuum.

Are you throwing lines from a romance novel?

“…Yeah, no. Please, eat.”

“…Yes?”

Did I use too much slang?

She tilted her head, seemingly not understanding my words.

“…Eat quickly. You must be hungry. As you can see, I’ve already eaten a lot.”

“Oh, then I’ll clear it up….”

“It’s an order. Eat.”

With my firm tone, she finally started to eat.

Anyway.

She only listens when I give an order.

Maybe that means her loyalty is high?

This time, the roles were reversed.

I was watching her eat.

Chomp chomp.

This one word could describe everything.

“Eat more. It’s an order.”

She nodded, her face turning red at my words.

“…Yes.”

Did I watch her too intently?

That’s how the meal time passed.

Surprisingly, her food intake wasn’t much.

Even considering she’s ten years old.

She’s in the prime of her growth.

“Do you usually eat like this?”

“Yes, usually.”

“Is there something wrong, like not getting enough food?”

“No, it’s just that I eat a small amount….”

“From now on, try to eat a bit more than usual. Eating too little isn’t good, especially during your growth period. It’s an order.”

If this kid grows up well, my future will be easier too.

“…Yes.”

She nodded in agreement.

Order.

It’s a good word.

While she was clearing the dishes, I took out the bag containing the inner core.

It was time to go out.

Approaching Leonhardt, who was standing outside the door, I said,

“I need to go out once, so prepare.”

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“I want to buy some medicinal herbs.”

Inner core.

This needs to be done quickly.

If I leave it for too long, I might get caught and it will be troublesome.

So, it’s best to finish it today.

The bodyguard looked at me intently.

“…Are you going out yourself?”

“Yeah, the restriction is lifted.”

“…Really?”

“I heard it directly from Father in today’s meeting.”

“…If the head of the house said so… you must have done a great job.”

“More or less.”

Although many of the extermination force were injured, my heroic deeds were not buried.

On the contrary, because I caught the monster and returned alive, it shone even more.

The dignity of a two-headed creature was that significant.

Even if the extermination force had been completely wiped out, it wouldn’t have been strange.

Thus, with Leonhardt in tow, I left the castle.

The first place I headed was the magic tower.

Here, they should have all the magical ingredients I need.

‘About three floors, I guess.’

After entering the magic tower, I immediately ordered the items I wanted.

Thanks to the visit of the troublemaker of the Trasden fief, the humans in charge of selling items at the magic tower moved with unprecedented speed.

Buy quickly and leave quickly!

Their movements made that clear.

I thought I had lived a decent life, but it seems my reputation was still the same.

Well.

I should show that I can be a proper person when I go out.

After buying all the materials needed to dissolve the inner core, I left the magic tower.

“By the way, do you often go outside the castle?”

“I don’t go out that often.”

“But you know the geography around here, right?”

“Yes.”

Having worked for the marquess family for over ten years, it would be strange if he didn’t know.

Since I’m out, I might as well take a look around the fief.

It wouldn’t be difficult to take a short break.

“So, can you guide me? I want to take a look around.”

“Understood.”

Thus, with his guidance, I toured various parts of the fief, buying and eating food.

Perhaps because of my high-class attire and the presence of the bodyguard, the fief residents bowed their heads.

Occasionally, some residents who recognized the troublemaker sent fearful glances.

It was quite a novel sight.

Who would think they would keep receiving greetings while walking down the street?

Especially with such polite greetings.

In Korea, this would be an impossible scenario.

After touring the fief for about an hour, I entered the annex.

‘It’s time to start.’

With all the materials gathered, it was time to process the inner core. I took out a few magical tools and started to prepare the materials to make the liquid to dissolve the inner core.

Moonlight grass, which grows under the moonlight.

Black pearl, found deep in the lake.

Dire wolf’s tooth.

Dozens of materials, including the flower of Praxar, which grows on cliffs, were prepared.

Since these are commonly used magical materials and not that hard to obtain, I could buy them all from the magic tower.

‘I’ll process it into a mana liquid.’

The inner core is a kind of item where essence is gathered.

This essence can be used in various fields depending on how it is processed.

It can be processed to work with mana, aura, elemental power, and even peculiar energies like dark magic.

Of course, it can be used without processing, but processing it makes it much more efficient to use the inner core.

Naturally, each family has its own way of processing the inner core.

A magical family would process the inner core to work with mana, while a swordsmanship family like the marquess family would process it to work with aura.

‘Of course, I don’t know the method to make it into a liquid.’

I know the method to adjust the properties, but not the method to dissolve it into a liquid.

This is one of the methods only revealed to players.

If it were known to NPCs, the incurable disease of Hermemuga wouldn’t have been treated as such.

Anyway, since I’m a magician.

I plan to turn this inner core into a liquid full of mana.

‘Still, it’s a rather unique combination method.’

I can understand the flowers and herbs, but why are the wolf’s tooth and pearl included?

Thinking about the hardships I went through to discover the combination method in this game, my body still shivers.

Of course, discovering a new combination method can be sold for a high price, so I did put in a lot of effort to find it.

After placing the prepared materials into the magical tool and adding a few magical reagents, they started to dissolve gradually.

After boiling the liquid with mana for about thirty minutes.

‘It’s done.’

Originally, it could only dissolve low-grade inner cores, but now it can dissolve mid-grade ones as well.

Dipping the inner core into the solvent, it started to dissolve.

A little while later.

The inner core had disappeared, leaving only a pale green liquid.

‘Good.’

Now, if I absorb this mana liquid with my right hand and combine it with the mana in my heart.

Using that power, I can break through the barriers blocking the upper part of my torso in one go.

While the liquid was cooling, I started to calmly think about how to move the inner core’s energy.

The thinking didn’t take long.

After taking a deep breath.

I immediately put my hand into the cooled liquid.