Chapter 154
Blue Blood (8)
“Count. Do you have any idea what His Majesty meant by that?”
“I do not know why His Majesty would say such a thing.”
The Count answered the First Prince’s question.
“...”
The First Prince stared at the Count.
Blond hair, a thick beard, and a haggard complexion.
Yet amidst it all, his blue eyes remained incomparably clear.
“You truly don’t know?”
“Yes.”
The Count did not avert his gaze.
Nor did he make any other gesture.
He did not move a muscle.
“Haa.”
The First Prince let out a sigh.
Anyone who met his eyes in the royal court would inevitably waver, even if only slightly.
And through that opening, the emotions and thoughts they had tried to conceal would reveal themselves.
The First Prince was skilled at reading the information exposed in such moments.
Yet he could see nothing from the Count.
The Count did not waver in the slightest.
Like the rock that formed Wind Valley.
Like facing a wall.
The First Prince’s very attempt to read something from him was becoming embarrassing.
A solitary rock resting upon a snowy mountain was merely an inanimate object.
If one felt something while looking at it, that could not be called reading the rock’s inner thoughts.
It would merely be the observer projecting himself onto the rock.
“Isn’t it strange? No matter how great a Border Count’s authority may be, he granted territory to a twelve-year-old child without His Majesty’s permission. Not only that, he recognized him as an independent lord rather than a vassal.”
“It is merely a right passed down from my predecessors. Furthermore, he is simply not my vassal. Isaac is His Majesty’s vassal. During the investiture ceremony, he swore to serve His Majesty, not me.”
“That might have been possible if not for what happened a hundred years ago. The position of Border Count is a special one. Perhaps His Majesty tacitly approved it, or perhaps it could have been ratified afterward. But when one remembers what Zik von Goethe did... everything becomes strange. Even the fact that you still retain the title of Prince-Elector, at least nominally.”
“There is nothing I can say regarding that.”
“Are you truly going to answer like that?”
The First Prince narrowed his eyes.
“You will naturally learn the truth when the time comes.”
“That would be after I inherit the throne, then.”
The Count did not answer.
“I am merely searching for a reason to trust you, Count. Great upheavals are occurring where no one can see. I need people I can trust.”
“That is not something I can help Your Highness with.”
“You are remarkably consistent.”
The First Prince sighed.
Even so, the Count did not change his attitude.
“My apologies. Is there anything else you wish to ask?”
“No. Let us discuss the problems immediately before us. That is the reason for today’s meeting.”
The First Prince openly showed his displeasure, but the Count paid it no mind.
“May I first speak about the demonic beasts?”
“Father and son truly are alike.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isaac once came to the royal capital. I demanded his loyalty, but he rejected me quite splendidly. I even gave him a ring engraved with a laurel crown as proof that he belonged to my faction, but I wonder whether he still keeps it.”
“Is that so?”
The Count lightly tapped the index finger resting on his knee.
“Then I shall first explain why the demonic beasts migrate south every winter.”
“...”
Seeing that the Count remained indifferent even when speaking of his own son, the First Prince decided to stop expecting any reaction from him.
Meanwhile, the Count continued.
“You are familiar with the First Law of Mana.”
“Mana flows from areas of high density to areas of low density. I understand that, for some reason, the mana density of the Demonic Realm becomes extremely high during winter. That must be the reason for the beasts’ migration as well.”
“Yes. Demonic beasts require more mana than ordinary living creatures in order to maintain their forms and sustain life. The stronger the beast, the more mana it requires. Otherwise, its body collapses.”
“Indeed. I’ve heard that during winter, the density difference between the Demonic Realm and the outside world becomes extreme. Thus, mana from the Demonic Realm flows outward. Temporarily, there is more mana outside than inside, and the beasts follow that flow of mana.”
“Correct.”
Helmut nodded.
“To elaborate, the higher one goes within the Demonic Realm, the denser the mana becomes. Therefore, stronger creatures reside there. Even during winter, they can consume sufficient mana. They possess the ability to absorb enormous quantities of mana in order to preserve their forms, and they can prey upon comparatively weaker individuals.”
“So the beasts Reich encountered were weak specimens.”
“Yes. The weaker creatures, unable to survive the winter within the Demonic Realm, follow the massive flow of mana outward.”
“Then their rampage throughout the kingdom should end by spring at the earliest, summer at the latest. Once the mana density of the Demonic Realm stabilizes, the amount of mana they can consume will decrease. Their bodies will collapse on their own, and exterminating them will become much easier.”
The First Prince stroked his chin.
The method Isaac had devised to prevent a civil war.
Abandon Winterband.
Isaac had long known that Winterband could never withstand the demonic beast invasion without the Goethes.
That was why the First Prince had been able to pressure the royalist faction in the Noble Assembly to abandon Botmer.
After all, starting a war without justification and then allowing Winterband to fall to monsters would pose a grave threat to the kingdom itself.
No excuse could justify that.
The demonic beasts driven south from the north would plunge the kingdom into chaos, and both royalists and parliamentarians alike would be too busy fighting them to concern themselves with anything else.
When Winterband remained intact, the beasts were the Goethes’ responsibility.
But once Winterband fell, the beasts would become everyone’s responsibility.
After all, they would invade each lord’s territory without cease.
All blame would fall upon Botmer for attacking the Goethes.
Neither the parliamentary faction that had entered into agreements with Botmer nor the pro-Empire nobles would be willing to sink into that mire alongside them.
It was not merely bold.
It was downright devilish.
Had it not been for the War of Succession, the First Prince would never have agreed to it.
“The succession struggle will be pushed into the background for a while. Thanks to that, we have bought ourselves time. I’m not sure whether I should be pleased. After all, it is the people who will bleed until summer.”
“It may not end in summer.”
“Hm?”
“There is a high possibility that the weaker individuals will remain.”
“What do you mean?”
“It is only a hypothesis, but... the Demonic Realm is expanding. As a result, the total amount of mana circulating throughout the kingdom is increasing.”
“Do you have evidence?”
The First Prince frowned.
“Every year, the number of demonic beasts pouring south increases. The proportion of higher-ranked specimens is increasing as well.”
“Isn’t that merely speculation?”
“Compared to thirteen years ago, winter has become two weeks longer.”
“That could simply vary from year to year.”
“It has increased every year without exception.”
“...”
“The responsiveness of magic has increased as well.”
Fwoosh—
“To put it simply, in the past, this amount of mana would produce a flame of this size. But now—”
Fwoooosh!
The crimson flame floating above the Count’s hand grew by nearly half a span.
“Isn’t that simply because your level has risen, Count?”
“This is something not only Master Reich but also Master Clavius and Master Kreutz agree on. Hasn’t the proportion of aura users in the Royal Guard increased? And hasn’t the overall level of their aura improved as well?”
“That... is true.”
The First Prince reluctantly agreed.
He wanted to attribute it to the achievements the Royal Guard had earned through tireless effort, but he could not deny that the Count’s words made sense.
“Do you know how to use aura?”
“That’s rather sudden. Why ask?”
“Do you know how to use it?”
“Even I was taught by the finest swordsman in the royal family.”
“That is fortunate.”
Whoooom—
The flame resting upon the Count’s palm suddenly shot out through the entrance of Wind Valley.
Screeeech—
A demonic beast’s scream rang out, and a Horned Ape engulfed in flames stumbled into the valley.
The First Prince was startled.
He had sensed nothing at all.
“Another piece of evidence is that intelligent demonic beasts have begun appearing even here in the Fang Mountains.”
“Don’t tell me... we’ve been surrounded?”
Only then did the First Prince sense the murderous presences around him.
Shadows of demonic beasts flickered between the gaps in Wind Valley.
“That is correct.”
The Count nodded indifferently.
***
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Using tent stakes and a hammer meant for securing camp shelters, Isaac began dismantling the Mana Sword.
He removed the mana crystal embedded in the pommel and separated the hilt from the blade.
“What in the world are you... doing?”
Beltran, who finally had some free time, asked.
He had sworn to avoid Isaac whenever possible, but he owed him his life twice over.
Once in the Papal States.
And once when Bruno had nearly killed him.
Besides, after spending the entire day sitting around the supply tent, it felt awkward to pretend not to notice.
“I’m making teaching materials.”
“What kind of teaching materials do you make with something like that?”
“Relax. I don’t care about formalities.”
“... I’ve decided to live as Bellon.”
“But Beltran hasn’t disappeared, has he?”
Isaac answered without looking up from the Mana Sword he was dismantling.
The moment his own name came up, Beltran changed the subject.
“The camp is buzzing with rumors... About whether you can really turn your attendant and those soldiers into aura users.”
Beltran continued cautiously.
Had he used formal speech from the beginning, it would have been different.
But switching from casual speech now felt unnatural.
If anything, it was easier for him to use honorifics with Bill or Günter than with Isaac.
“Nobody even knew a magic tool like that existed. So how do you know all of this?”
“I got lucky.”
Unlike Beltran, who carefully chose his words so as not to offend him, Isaac answered casually.
“You’re... amazing.”
“I told you, I just got lucky.”
“I’m an adult. I’ve lived longer than you, and I was once a noble. I know the difference between luck and something else.”
“Oh, really?”
Isaac chuckled.
He was currently twelve years old.
Beltran was fifteen.
Since adulthood began at fourteen, Beltran’s statement was technically correct.
But to Isaac, who had lived for more than seventy years, it was simply adorable.
“I submitted to Viscount Botmer. Even knowing he was the man who killed my father. I knelt out of fear. I even tried to kill you and the priest. Instead, I was the one who got subdued.”
“You didn’t really have a choice.”
“You would have chosen differently. And you’ve already defeated Botmer twice. Even if I were reborn twice over, I could never do that.”
“You never know.”
“And yet you accepted me. You saved my life twice. Why?”
“You’re more talkative than I thought. Hmm. Looks like all the materials are ready.”
Isaac looked over the items spread out on the floor.
The hilt of the Mana Sword.
The mana crystal removed from it.
Fragments of the color-measuring armor.
And a waterskin filled with the blue blood harvested from the knight’s corpse.
“What exactly are you planning to do with those?”
“The Mana Sword’s hilt is made of Resorium. And Botmer’s knight armor had a greenish sheen to it. That means it contains a large amount of Dimezitrium. This brings back memories.”
The last time he had made a rune stone, he had used the Wolf King’s mana crystal.
The act of creating rune stones always brought back memories.
It reminded him of the years he spent locked away in an underground vault, struggling desperately to overcome Mana Rampage.
The chisel and hammer he had wielded endlessly in his later years.
The blood of demonic beasts he had spilled to complete the rune inscriptions carved into stone.
Back then, the room Isaac inhabited had always been filled with stone dust from carved mana crystals and the pungent smell of beast blood.
“Don’t tell me... you intend to make a rune stone from those?”
“Oh? You know about them?”
“I once watched craftsmen processing rune stones in Bern City.”
“Then you know how delicate this kind of work is.”
“I know it takes at least ten years of apprenticeship to make a properly functioning rune stone.”
“If you know that, then why don’t you leave? I heard Bruno suffered serious injuries. Why not go visit him?”
“... It would probably help his recovery if he didn’t see me. Besides, Sir Hagen wouldn’t let me in anyway.”
“Regret comes after the fact. Later, you might not even get the chance to regret it.”
“... I’ll go.”
Without giving a definite answer, Beltran left the supply tent.
“Then, shall we begin?”
Isaac stretched and rolled his wrists.
He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands.
Turning Hans into an aura user.
Lichtenauer’s method of using the Mana Sword to develop the necessary senses and then retracing them was revolutionary.
But it took too long.
Creating an aura vessel for Hans in less than a week was impossible.
That was why Isaac intended to use the rune pattern he had developed.
“I just have to hope Hans can endure it.”
After a brief moment of thought, Isaac got to work.
Using a fragment of the color-measuring armor as a chisel and the Mana Sword’s hilt as a hammer, he began carving the mana crystal.
Wooooong—
Each strike caused the mana crystal to emit a resonant hum.