Chapter 73

Duke's Magical Genius - Chapter 74 (73/324)

74

Inside the inner chamber.

There were twelve people gathered there.

They were Adolph and eleven senior knights.

"How is the training of the 5th Legion going?"

Adolph.

In response to his question, one of the senior knights bowed slightly.

"It's going smoothly. However, the number of soldiers who are starting to slip out of control is gradually increasing. It seems we won't be able to hold out much longer."

"......Not much time is left. Until then, try to keep the training as smooth as possible."

Ten years.

These soldiers had been meticulously gathered solely for that day.

Fourteen thousand elite troops.

After ten years of suppressing their tendencies, even the power of brainwashing was starting to wane.

The number of soldiers slipping out of control was increasing, precisely because of this.

'Not much time is left.'

Now, there were only twenty days left until the succession ceremony.

Adolph then began to look at the knights.

"How is Abel's movement?"

"There's nothing unusual so far."

"What about the others?"

"The third prince is similar. Apart from meeting the first prince more frequently recently, there's no unusual movement. The fourth prince has met the daughter of the Neiron Duke recently."

"Did she come in person?"

"Yes, she came through the gate."

"What was the purpose?"

"Perhaps to discuss magic. There's a story that the fourth prince and the duke's daughter had a magical duel at the duke's residence."

"......I see. Understood. Since the uprising is not far off, we need to be careful with every action. You understand, right?"

"Yes!"

The eleven senior knights who had been given power directly by him.

After looking at them for a moment, Adolph spoke quietly.

"Then, let's go out."

After the knights left,

he began to frown as he sat in his chair.

Ten years ago.

Meeting a certain being completely changed his life.

He could finally start moving to make the vast Trasden territory his own.

Everything had gone smoothly so far.

As expected.

And everything went according to plan.

It had been like that for the past ten years.

But lately, things didn't feel right.

When did it start?

'Jerome.'

Thinking of Jerome, Adolph shook his head.

When he offered his strength.

Without hesitation, he accepted and pledged to follow him.

Twin-Headed Ogre.

The monster sweeping through the 5th Legion's forces was a terrible misfortune.

Given his known character, he would have hidden his strength to the end to avoid being held back and met his death.

Since then, misfortunes have continued to occur.

'Duke...... Why did he have to catch Abel's eye?'

His brother's talent, discovered by chance.

He had planned to deal with it before the uprising to eliminate any trouble.

But Abel was approaching him.

'......It won't be easy to handle.'

Now was the time to be cautious with every move.

If the uprising failed, the cost would be his and his subordinates' lives.

He would try to deal with it if the opportunity arose, but if not,

'......I'll have to deal with it later.'

After making a deal with that being, any affection for his family had long since vanished from his heart.

Now, all that remained in his heart was a burning thirst for power.

Stopping his thoughts about Duke, Adolph thought of another brother.

Kyle Seltarion.

Despite having seen countless human figures, Adolph couldn't easily grasp Kyle's inner thoughts.

What he was thinking and doing, and how he viewed him, were all mysteries.

A boy he had never paid attention to, who had established his position in just a few months.

'A dangerous one, indeed.'

In such cases, he would usually choose to eliminate, but there was a reason he couldn't do so easily.

The uprising.

Even if it succeeded, the problems that would arise afterward were not minor.

First, the overall strength of the family would be reduced, and second,

the process of restoring the damaged dukedom would be a major issue.

He wasn't trying to start a rebellion to take over a half-ruined dukedom.

Duke Seltarion.

This crown must be complete.

'Too tempting to eliminate easily.'

The largest magic competition in the empire.

Kyle had won the trophy with just five 1st Circle spells.

He had proven that the spells he created were so powerful that even the Emlton Duke, known as a magic noble family, had to acknowledge them.

If he could obtain the spell activation method, it would bring tremendous benefits.

'The possibilities are endless.'

From the imperial royal family to all the magic towers.

The more his circle rises, the more fiercely they will compete to obtain the activation method.

If he could secure this boy, the post-uprising process would be much smoother.

A goose that lays golden eggs.

Even if the goose is a bit dangerous,

'It's just a goose, after all.'

He was confident he could control the boy.

He had no intention of harming the goose.

'Not much time is left.'

Lord Remton.

Thinking of the giant knight's shadow who always favored Abel over him, Adolph clenched his fist.

If a little more time passed,

the memory of that would disappear forever.

* * * * *

The training continued until the next morning.

Unfortunately, he couldn't master the subtleties of the true form.

However, he could teach two additional 2nd Circle spells besides Fire Arrow.

Perhaps because of this,

Iris's expression was filled with satisfaction.

She looked like a cat that had eaten a lot of fish and had a full belly.

She probably didn't expect to learn three 2nd Circle spells.

Her satisfaction was understandable.

Before she left,

"Take this."

He handed her a book.

"......What is this?"

"A spellbook."

"......A spellbook?"

"Yes. It contains the activation methods for ten 1st Circle spells. At your level, you should be able to learn 1st Circle spells on your own without my help. This is also homework. By the time you come next, I expect you to have mastered all of them."

Given her ability, she could easily learn 1st Circle spells through self-study, so giving her a spellbook was the best option.

After all, he was about to teach 2nd Circle spells.

So, he had been writing down the spellbook whenever he had time.

'The Insight is really convenient.'

He could see the mana circuits inside the body, so he could easily explain the activation methods considering that.

After receiving the spellbook, she began to look through its contents.

Then, she looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"......Are you really giving this to me?"

"Would I give you a fake? However, I would appreciate it if you could dispose of the contents of this spellbook after reading them. Burning it would be the cleanest way."

"I will."

Well, if she wanted to continue the lessons, she would hide it on her own.

She knew it wasn't meant to be shared publicly.

"Oh, and next month, please come as late as possible."

"......As late as possible?"

"Yes. Around the end of June would be perfect. As you know, the succession ceremony will be held soon, right?"

"So? Can't I just come? There will be a lot to see."

Oh, the way she said it, it seemed she thought the succession ceremony was like a local festival.

Well,

her reaction wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Usually, when power was transferred, a grand festival was held to inform the people of the territory.

'It is a festival, after all.'

A festival of blood.

If he didn't make it clear, this careless girl might come through the gate on the day of the succession ceremony.

That would be problematic.

He couldn't be 100% sure he could protect even his own group.

He didn't want to add another burden.

With a stern face, he looked at Iris.

"Lady."

She flinched!

His voice was slightly harsh and quite serious, making her shiver.

"......Why are you doing this? You're scary."

Girl.

He was trying to scare her.

Then, he leaned close to her ear and whispered.

"......This is not a joke. You must follow my words. If you come then... I can't guarantee your safety."

As he spoke grimly, tension began to build in the girl's eyes.

"......Are you serious?"

"It's just my prediction, but I think something will happen during the succession ceremony. You must remember this. Do you understand?"

"......I will. But then... what about you?"

Judging from her reaction, she seemed to sense something.

Succession ceremony.

In a dukedom divided into two factions, what could happen?

It was obvious.

Looking at the girl's eyes, it seemed she had a lot to say.

Why don't you prepare?

Why don't you request support?

Why don't you inform about the rebellion?

'Something along those lines.'

If you predict something will happen, the first things you would think to do are prepare.

Looking at Iris's eyes, I smiled.

"I can guess what you're thinking, but it's not that easy."

If it were easy, he would have done it already.

With Adolph's tight surveillance, any such movement would result in immediate execution.

"I have my own preparations, so you don't need to worry too much."

"......Then..."

"Lady. You must keep this a secret. Not even the Duke or anyone else. Otherwise, I will be in danger."

Iris, who had been getting along well with me.

If she suddenly told the Duke or others about this,

it would be out of good intentions, but

it could backfire on him.

If the Duke mentioned it to the Duke or sent support troops,

Adolph's surveillance would start to tighten as soon as any unusual movements were detected.

With the uprising not far off, Adolph's surveillance was at its peak.

If caught,

he could be eliminated without a trace.

So, the best option was for this girl to stay away and let the succession ceremony pass quietly.

"......I will. But... aren't you in danger too?"

Of course, he was in danger.

'But what can I do?'

It was one of the things he had prepared for since falling into this world. He had no intention of dying, so he would do his best to prevent it.

"I have my own way to survive, so you don't need to worry too much."

Hearing this, Iris, who had been staring at me, spoke.

"......I will keep my promise, so you make one too."

"What?"

"Promise me you won't die."

Well,

hearing this from an eight-year-old.

The world is truly spectacular.

"Are you worried about me?"

At my words, the girl smiled slightly.

"There's still a lot to learn, right?"

"Alright. I promise. The lessons will continue next month. Is that okay?"

"Good."

With that, she finally started to move towards the inner chamber.

With such a strong warning, she wouldn't show up during the succession ceremony.

With one task completed,

it was time to start making an artifact suitable for Seron.

The necessary materials were already prepared.

More than enough to make an artifact to assist the mind.