Chapter 74 - A Letter from a Friend
Just as we were making progress on the maintenance of the paths in the western Shallow Forest, a letter arrived from the capital. It was something I had been both eagerly awaiting and dreading at the same time...
It was a reply from the Royal Guard Staff Officer.
I opened it in the office of the Fortress. Now, what does it say? My heart was tight with suspicion and anxiety. The letter began, as always, with a polite seasonal greeting, followed by a lengthy preamble filled with aristocratic phrasing.
That guy... He’s toying with me... He has no idea how I feel...
The reason for his indirect language became clear in the body of the letter. It was, well... an expected outcome, I suppose, but it still left me somewhat unsatisfied. He wrote that the magitech tools created by the third son of a frontier knightly house as a hobby were nothing more than toys in the eyes of the central nobility. The phrasing was roundabout and aristocratic, but I understood what he meant. I see... I let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s to be expected...” I muttered to myself.
The creations of someone like the third son of a knightly house—someone less-than-a-noble—wouldn’t even warrant a glance from the central nobility, let alone the neighboring knightly houses. After all, magitech tools are merely tools for commoners who can’t use magic. Even if someone were to take an interest, it would likely be the national army, which can’t function solely on nobles.
However, there’s no need to worry too much about that. Most magic knights are at least the children of viscounts. They wield immense internal mana, manipulate the weather, and slaughter enemies as part of the magic knight corps. Moreover, only a handful among them are skilled in scouting magic. They’re the elite magic soldiers, akin to super-elites from my past life. They’re highly valued and heavily relied upon.
In front of such individuals, even presenting an “incomplete” scouting magitech tool that’s useless in combat wouldn’t attract any attention. That’s what he wrote. Good... That’s really good. This is information I should report to my mother, and from now on, I’ll leave the disclosure of any magitech tools I create entirely to her.
I can’t control this on my own, and I can’t respond to the requests of neighboring knightly houses personally. Everything will be decided by the head of the house and the heir (my brother). We’ll keep it within our territory and use it effectively without letting it spread outside.
As for the neighboring knightly houses, my father and mother will decide, and my brother will determine how many magitech tools to lend. What needs to be kept secret will remain secret, and what can be disclosed will be disclosed. My role is to accept the judgments of my family and follow them.
My family, who have lived longer and observed this land more closely than anyone else, will undoubtedly steer things in the right direction. It’s self-evident. I should refrain from acting on my own and limit myself to offering my thoughts. That’s what I believe.
The letter continued. From here, the tone became much more casual.
“As you said, that guy was hiding in the slums. His family’s servants narrowed down the location and used the scouting magitech tools you sent to search for him. Just as you mentioned, he’s been scraping by selling magic batteries to make ends meet. The fine magic powder really does cling to clothing and won’t wash out, just as you said. Tracking him became much easier, and his servants are extremely grateful. I also wanted to ask him about the scouting magitech tools. After bringing him to the Minister of Magic’s residence and handling the formalities, I conducted an interview. It seems you incorporated some interesting runes into them. He was groaning about it. I received a detailed explanation about the scouting magitech tools, which I’ve recorded here...”
The Royal Guard Staff Officer provided a detailed account of My Friend’s explanation. The general outline was correct. The manufacturing process was also as he had guessed. It’s truly the work of a genius. I’m glad I introduced him. However, what followed was even more intriguing. How the Staff Officer evaluated the scouting magitech tools and how he planned to handle them was far more significant.
“...The conclusion is that they’re useless in combat against people. There are various potential uses, but I won’t elaborate. His Majesty is quite fond of them. The Prime Minister is also tinkering with them, thinking they might be useful for something. He mentioned using them mainly for castle security. Basically, anyone sneaking into the castle would be carrying some kind of magitech tool, magitech tool that use magic stones for their power source. Other countries haven’t yet advanced to using magic batteries, so identification is possible. By the way, he’s been asked to cooperate with the Prime Minister and the shadow operatives. Anyway, his superior knowledge and unique skills have become known to the upper echelons of the palace. As a result, His Majesty has appointed him as the Fifth Seat of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Magic Research Division, Royal Palace Magitech Academy by royal decree. He’s been given the royal seal of approval to conduct research freely. This is probably the best outcome for him.”
I let out a sigh of relief—for two reasons. First, My Friend won’t be charged with any crimes. Second, his usefulness has become known to the high-ranking officials. Now, he’ll be under the kingdom’s protection. Even as the fifth seat mage in a division of the Royal Palace Magitech Academy, he’ll have honor, prestige, and authority backing him.
This is a good thing.
As for the scouting magitech tools, they won’t be widely publicized. If they’re to be used for palace security, the details won’t be disclosed. They’ll be treated as a classified technology. In other words, they won’t circulate among the public. My plea has also been heeded. The information won’t spread, and the runes will remain a secret. I’m a bit surprised His Majesty took such an interest, though. The Staff Officer’s letter continued...
“...His Majesty has granted him permission to set up his research room anywhere. Everyone in the audience chamber assumed he’d be given a room within the Royal Palace Magitech Academy. But he refused. He said something that made everyone’s eyes pop. I can’t focus on my research in the capital, so I’d like to set up my research room outside the capital. I’ll submit my research results once a month to the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Royal Palace Magitech Academy in the royal castle, so I humbly request your permission. And guess where he said he wanted to go? Hahaha! He said he wants to go to your place.”
My grip on the paper tightened. My Friend... What is he thinking? Is he going to throw away this golden opportunity? He’s being offered a place in the Royal Palace Magitech Academy, the pinnacle of magical research! Why would he want to come to this remote, backwater place? I couldn’t understand his reasoning. I hurriedly read on.
“...He’s already sent some of his research products to your place, so he wants to continue there. The Prime Minister made a very sour face. His Majesty, on the other hand, laughed heartily and granted his request. Ah, he’s coming to your place. Well, go meet him. You two worked together on various things in the Alchemy Tower at the Magic Academy, right? This will be a continuation of that. You might see a different perspective because of it. I hope that’s the case. I’ve written a lot, but I’ll stop here for now. If anything interesting happens, I’ll write again. Stay well. Don’t neglect your reports to the Prime Minister. Until next time.”
...So he’s coming. My Friend. To this frontier. To this land.
I was baffled by his inexplicable decision. But if he’s coming all this way, I’ll have to welcome him properly. I’ve gained something to look forward to. Ah, I’ll reconnect with him and seek his advice on various matters. It’ll probably only be temporary, though. We’re still far from ready to embark on an expedition into the Demonic Forest. My own wisdom has its limits. When it comes to magitech tools, I know no one who surpasses him. He’s a true genius. So, I’ll borrow his knowledge and wisdom. It feels like a light has been shone on the path ahead.
At the time, I hadn’t yet realized how wrong I was. No, it turned out to be a great help. That’s why the Staff Officer used such roundabout language, saying I might see a different perspective...
I’ve come to understand that truly unexpected events always happen when you least expect them.
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